Aitara

Infobox Album | Name = Aitara
Type = Album
Artist = Värttinä


Released = 1994
Recorded = Finnvox-Studio, Helsinki Sept 1994
Genre = Finnish folk music
Length = 41:40
Label = Mipu Music
Producer = Janne Haavisto
Reviews =
Last album = "Seleniko"
(1992)
This album = "Aitara"
(1994)
Next album = "Kokko"
(1996)

"Aitara" is Värttinä's 5th album, released in 1994 in Finland. In 1995, it was released by King Records in Japan, Music & Words in Benelux, and Xenophile Records in the United States, where it spent five weeks at #1 on the CMJ World Music charts. In 2003, it was re-released in Finland by BMG, and has been re-released in the U.S. by NorthSide.

"Aitara" was named "Best Contemporary World Music Album" by the National Association of Independent Record Distributors.

For their second video, Värttinä used "Yötulet" from this album.

Track listing

#"Katariina" – 2:14
#"Tumala" – 3:28
#"Maamo" ("Mother") – 3:59
#"Niin mie mieltynen" ("The Beloved") – 4:02
#"Mie tahon tanssia" ("I Want To Dance") – 3:05
#"Tammi" ("The Oak") – 4:04
#"Pirsta" ("Silver") – 2:33
#"Outona omilla mailla" ("A Stranger In My Own Land") – 3:27
#"Travuska" – 4:52
#"Yötulet" ("The Night Fire") – 3:04
#"Kannunkaataja" ("The Tippler") – 3:59
#"Aitara" – 2:49

Personnel

Värttinä

*Mari Kaasinen - vocals
*Sari Kaasinen - vocals
*Kirsi Käkhönen - vocals
*Sirpa Reiman - vocals
*Janne Lappalainen - bouzouki, reeds, whistles
*Pekka Lehti - string bass, Hammond organ
*Riitta Ptinoja - 5-row accordion, Hammond organ
*Kari Reiman - violin, kantele, cimbalom
*Antto Varilo - guitars, cümbüs tanbur

Guest

*Anssi Nykänen - Aitara-drums

ingles

Tumala, Travuska

A single "Tumala" and "Travuska" containing was released by Mipu Music in Finland in 1994.

Mie Tahon Tanssia, Kannunkaataja

In 1995, a single containing "Mie Tahon Tanssia" and "Kannunkaataja" was released in Finland by Mipu Music.

Yötulet

In 1996, a single containing "Tuulilta Tuleva" and "Kokko" from the album "Kokko" and "Yötulet" from this album was released by Nonesuch in Australia.

External links

* [http://www.varttina.com/recordings/aitara/ Värttinä's page with samples, lyrics, and English translations]
* [http://www.greenlinnet.com/listen/ra/4026.ram RealAudio (.ram) file of entire album from Green Linnet]