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Biography
primary sources|date=March 2009Infobox musical artist| name = Eppu Normaali| image = Eppunormaali11.jpg| image_size = 250| caption = Eppu Normaali at Ratina Stadium on 14 August 2004.| landscape = Yes| background = group_or_band| origin = Ylöjärvi , Finland | genre = Punk rock , Rock and Roll | years_active = 1976& mdash;present| label =| associated_acts =| website =| current_members = Martti Syrjä Mikko "Pantse" Syrjä Aku Syrjä Juha Torvinen Sami Ruusukallio| past_members = Mikko Saarela Mikko "Vaari" Nevalainen Eppu Normaali is one of the most popular rock bands in Finland . The band formed in 1976 in Ylöjärvi , a small town near Tampere . The band is the best-selling music artist in Finland, with List of music recording certifications|certified sales surpassing 1.5 million records.Cite web|url= http://www.ifpi.fi/tilastot/artistit/eppu+normaali|title=Eppu Normaali|publisher= Musiikkituottajat & ndash; IFPI Finland |language= Finnish language|Finnish |accessdate=2011-06-13 In addition to their studio albums, Eppu Normaali also released live records, DVDs, and over 20 singles.
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). http://www.europopmusic.eu/Scandanavia_pages/Eppu_Normaali.html Europopmusic's Eppu Normaali profile 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 ).
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 Demo (music)|demos to various record companies and they were soon signed to POKO Rekords.
They initially released albums in a Punk rock|punk pop style that gained favourable reviews, but the band did not gain mainstream acceptance until 1984 with what had evolved into a more Album-oriented rock|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 decided to take a break in 1989 after intensive tours around the country and when Mikko Nevalainen left the group. In 1993, they released Studio Etana , which was to become 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, http://finnishcharts.com/bestall_a.asp Finnish Charts 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 , which became one of the band's most successful releases. In 2007, they released their most recent album, Syvään päähän .
Discography
Studio albums
Aknepop (Acne pop) (1978)
Maximum Jee& Jee (1979)
Akun tehdas (Aku's Factory) (1980)
Cocktail Bar - Musiikkia Rantalasta (Cocktail Bar — Music from Rantala) (1981)
Tie vie (The Road Carries) (1982)
Aku ja köyhät pojat (Aku and the Poor Boys) (1983)
Rupisia riimejä karmeita tarinoita (Scabby Rhymes and Frightening Stories) (1984)
Kahdeksas ihme (Eighth Wonder) (1985)
Valkoinen kupla (White Bubble) (1986)
Imperiumin vastaisku (The Empire Strikes Back) (1988)
Historian suurmiehiä (Great Men of History) (1990)
Studio Etana (Studio Snail) (1993)
Sadan vuoden päästäkin (Even After a Hundred Years) (2004)
Syvään päähän (To the Deep End) (2007)
Mutala (2011)
Live albums
Elävänä Euroopassa (Alive in Europe) (1980)
Onko vielä pitkä matka jonnekin? (Is there still a long way to somewhere? ) (1994)
Compilation albums
Pop pop pop (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)
Lyömattömät (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)
