Eppu Normaali

Biography

Eppu Normaali is one of the most popular rock bands in Finland and one of the key representatives of genre called suomirock. The band formed in 1976 in Ylöjärvi, a small town near Tampere. The band is the best-selling music artist in Finland, with certified sales of nearly two million records, and it has also gained success especially in the use of the Finnish language in rock lyrics. In addition to their studio albums, Eppu Normaali also released live records, DVDs, and over 20 singles.
Eppu Normaali's most famous songs include "Vuonna '85" (In the Year '85), "Kitara, taivas ja tähdet" (The Guitar, the Sky and the Stars), "Murheellisten laulujen maa×Murheellisten laulujen maaMay 1982 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAMurheellisten laulujen maa3:19BPink Panther Theme1:30" (The Land of Sorrowful Songs), "Pimeyden tango" (Tango of Darkness), "Suolaista sadetta×Suolaista sadettaApril 2004 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Suolaista Sadetta5:09" (Salty Rain) and "Tahroja paperilla" (Stains on Paper).

History

The members of the original band were Juha Torvinen (guitar), Mikko Saarela (bass), Aku Syrjä (drums), and brothers Martti Syrjä (vocals) and Mikko "Pantse" Syrjä (guitar). (The brothers are the sons of accomplished writers Kirsi Kunnas and Jaakko Syrjä). In 1979, bassist Mikko Saarela left the band, and Mikko Nevalainen played bass with Eppu Normaali until 1989. The current bassist is Sami Ruusukallio.
The band took its name from a character in the Mel Brooks movie Young Frankenstein, and the subtitler translated the name of the character Abby Normal (abnormal) into the Finnish equivalent Eppu Normaali (epänormaali, roughly 'abnormal'; a Finnish equivalent of the original play with words).
In 1977, the band participated in a local rock music competition. Finnish folk/pop legend Juice Leskinen was present and issued a demand that they "must win", but the judges were unimpressed—the band did not win. The band began sending demos to various record companies and they were soon signed to Poko Rekords.
They initially released albums in a punk pop style that gained favourable reviews, but the band did not gain mainstream acceptance until 1984 with what had evolved into a more AOR-oriented music style. Rupisia Riimejä, Karmeita Tarinoita was released in 1984, and it was followed by Kahdeksas Ihme in 1985 and Valkoinen Kupla in 1986. This trio of albums were all hits, with combined sales of over 300,000 copies. Kahdeksas Ihme is their top-selling non-greatest hits record to date.
Although their albums all sold well, the band's pace slowed down after the release of their 10th album, Imperiumin Vastaisku×Imperiumin vastaisku23 June 1988 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1Afrikka, sarvikuonojen maa4:59A2Näin kulutan aikaa4:44A3Linnunradan laidalla4:54A4Baarikärpänen3:23A5Kalkkiviivoilla4:54B1Osa luonnollista karsintaa5:06B2Samaan aikaan toisaalla5:22B3Keskiyön cowboy5:39B4Roudan rutinaa5:40, in 1988. It took two years for the release of their 11th studio album, Historian Suurmiehiä×Historian suurmiehiä14 June 1990 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Sydän tyhjää lyö4:252Kun olet poissa5:333Puu ja kuori5:044Hei Joe4:045Näissä sanoissa4:056Älä katso3:477Lautturi4:458Tahroja paperilla4:509Ajan kaupunkiin5:0410Nyt käytämme valkoista takkia3:51, which came out in 1990. Despite this, the album contained several hits, including one of their best known songs, "Tahroja Paperilla". Three more years later, in 1993, they released Studio Etana, which became their last studio album for eleven years. The band came close to breaking up, citing "lacking inspiration" as the primary cause. Their 1996 release Repullinen hittejä, a greatest hits compilation sold over 240,000 copies, reaching the top of the Finnish charts. This record also stayed on the charts for over two years, a duration which is second of all time in Finland. After its release, the band effectively stopped touring or performing live.
In 2004, the band announced they would record a new album, Sadan vuoden päästäkin×Sadan vuoden päästäkinOctober 2004 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Hiljaa huomiseen4:312Sadan vuoden päästäkin3:483Olin vain tuuli4:214Ei sankariainesta3:465Lajinsa viimeinen4:336Olen tuntenut sut (enkä voi unohtaa)5:007Polttaa4:248Niin äkkiä4:239Suolaista sadetta5:2910Missä olen juuri nyt?4:5911Niinkuin jää palaa4:3112Vahingossa vain4:20, which became one of the band's most successful releases. In 2007, they released their most recent album of new material, Syvään päähän×Syvään päähän5 September 2007 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Tahdon sut4:332Syvään päähän4:303Kuumemittari3:364Pallit heiluu taas4:085Haistakoon veen3:536Kun valot tulevat vastaan4:577Lennä mun luo4:518Laulu jää pystyyn4:389Jokainen hetki historian4:4910Cry Baby4:2111Minkä teit4:30.
In 2016, the band celebrated its 40th anniversary with a documentary film, book, photo exhibition and a massive show at Ratina stadium. The stadium concert had over 30 000 spectators.
On 23 October 2025, the band announced that it would retire from live performances after celebrating its 50th anniversary, with a farewell concert planned for 8 August 2026 in Tampere.

Live albums

Elävänä Euroopassa (Alive in Europe) (1980)
Onko vielä pitkä matka jonnekin? (Is there still a long way to somewhere?) (1994)
Ratina (2016)

Compilation albums

Pop pop pop (1982)
Hatullinen paskaa (A hatful of shit) (1984)
Aku, Juha, Martti ja Mikko² - soolot (Aku, Juha, Martti and Mikko² - solos) (1987)
Poko-klassikko (Poko-classic) (1987)
Lyömättömät (Unbeatables) (1989)
Hatullinen paskaa/Soolot (A hatful of shit/Solos) (1990)
Paskahatun paluu (Shithat's return) (1991)
Repullinen hittejä (A bagful of hits) (1996)
Reppu 2 - toinen repullinen kuolemattomia Eppu-klassikoita (Bag 2 - another bagful of immortal Eppu-classics) (2003)
Singlet 1978–2003 (Singles 1978–2003) (2003)
Jackpot - 101 Eppu-klassikkoa 1978–2009 (Jackpot - 101 Eppu-classics 1978–2009) (6 CD, 2009)
Mutala (2011) - Acoustic versions of some of their most famous songs