Oi Dai

Varttina | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 17, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Xenophile Records
• ASIN: B000001L4U
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #343,461 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Marilaulu

2. Mie Oon Musta

3. Viikon Vaivane

4. Kamaritski

5. Miinan Laulu

6. Ukko Lumi

7. Vot Vot Ja Niin Niin

8. Tupa Taynna Tuppasuita

9. Oi Dai

10. Tantsukolena Fin

11. Kiiriminna

12. Yks on Huoli

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Oi Dai is the album that catapulted Värttinä to international fame, a meaty, beaty, big, and bouncy collection of Finnish folk tunes driven by the polyphonic Finno-Ugric harmonies of the female singers and the sprightly, acoustic picking of their backing band. The album kicks in with Marilaulu, a sprightly hoe-down driven by an effervescent pennywhistle, thumping bassline, and the charming, slightly dissonant vocals of the band's five frontwomen. If the Bulgarian Women's Choir was backed by Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys, they might sound something like Värttinä. Several tunes here are based on bawdy folk tunes, which may partly explain the album's staggering popularity--within weeks of its release it became the biggest selling folk music album in the history of the Finnish music business. --j. poet

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FINNISH FOLK MUSIC AT ITS BEST, April 4, 2001

By 

H. R. Williams (Asheville, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oi Dai (Audio CD)

I first heard VARTTINA on the NORDIC ROOTS 2 cd and was hooked by their unique female voices and the wonderful instruments that backs them up. Every cd of their's that I listen to is a sonic revelation. VARTTINA has successfully fused ancient FINNO-UGRIC words and melodies with the best of modern musical expression. WOW! I cannot stop listening to them. They make me smile all day with their bouncy tunes and the poetic lyrics (in Finnish). And wait till you hear the accordion players. Long live VARTTINA.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great!, December 6, 2003

By 

P. Russo "flashman14" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Oi Dai (Audio CD)

This is a fine album - I've had it for ages and always liked it - and it doesn't stand out particularly as one of the poorest entries in Varttina's ouevre as I've heard it argued. It, at times, seems a lot simpler then the others but nonetheless it has all the qualities that make Seleniko a great album. In other words, everything you buy Varttina albums for is here - energy, tight harmonies, weird time signatures, and interwoven melody lines playing off each other. Great stuff - and highly recommended ...!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful peek at the Karelian tradition., December 4, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Oi Dai (Audio CD)

One of the best-selling Finnish albums ever, and one of the most important albums in the geneology of the current Skandinavian world-music craze, Varttina's Oi Dai is an essential piece of work which (along with the follw-up album Seleniko) displays a more organic side of this world-renowned group. The production is in many places lacking, but the sheer UMPH of such tracks as Miinan Laula, Ukko Luomi (which is better originally, I think, than the Hector Zazou version), and Tupa Taynna Tuppasuita is undeniable. It may also be the only American release album (again, besides Seleniko) in which the band's tenet of singing lyrics in the line of Karelian folk tradition does not at any time seem...a bit out of place. Definitely something worth checking out.