The band Sukellusvene was born in mid-70's in town of Lappeenranta, East Finland. Saxophonist Lassi Talasmo invented the name for the newborn, meaning 'The Submarine' - very suitable for a group which started it's career playing underground music. As years went by, the band navigated closer to freejazz.

During spring 1977 Sukellusvene made a break-through sharing a victory in 'Pop SM' competition - one of the most important yearly musical happenings in Finland during 70's and 80's. Another band sharing the '77 victory came also from Lappeenranta - Jimi Sumén Dreams.

As a result of this rather unexpectable jury decision - to share the 1st place between a rock and a freejazz group - a separate 'progressive music class' was introduced in 1978 competition.
- Gaston

In autumn 1978 Sukellusvene went to Microvox Studio, Lahti Finland to make a record for Love Records. Teippi recalls:

''The company chief-in-charge Atte Blom got interested of us and 'produced' our LP. He did never come to the studio, his way was 'play anything you want, guys, I'll pay the bills'. One day he called us and said 'hey, somebody called from Lappeenranta and told you should record some damn polka'. I heard he had a fat cigar between his teeth.

I told him no way, we haven't been playing 'Savitaipale Polka' for ages, it's part of yesterday and doesn't fit this album at all. 'Start training it right now in the studio anyway, let's make a single out of it. Put something on the B-side also, anything, four minutes maximum. Your other compositions don't match that limit, do them?'

For some reason Litmanen had Chick Corea's notes for 'Sea Journey', an easy latino song, so we recorded it. Have to say I've never even heard the original. The rhythm group was already started drinking, they've thought their job was done. So these blind drunk guys started playing polka and Chick Corea. That about the single. But the LP got very good reviews, deserved or not. Those couple of articles I still have gave encouragement, at least to myself.''

''The music is performed neatly, but it is not some flat progei-muzak - you can listen to this LP without hugging your intellectual girlfriend at the same time. All compositions are band's own, so are the arrangements. They all got certain feeling of slow advance and silent, agile dance - and this is charming.''
- The critic Kari Boy Saaristo, translation by Gaston

''Elaborate modern music is performed by group Sukellusvene from Lappeenranta, familiarized some time ago as the winner of Finnish Pop Music Competition. Since those days there's remarkable improvement, which can be heard from new album 'Vesi- ja lintumusiikkia'. On this record [list of all band members] prove their full-hearted professionality. Some associations appear to Weather Report, some to old Wigwam at it's best.''
- Seura Magazine, April 20th 1979, translation by Gaston

Teippi continues:

''Several times we had to go to the TV to play the Savitaipale Polka and it's been playing on the radio almost to this day. They played it a lot in the Soviets. It was not in our gig repertoire any more and occasionally this caused some grumbling. That polka goes with a hysteric tempo and sounds horrible. Some girl recorded it as well, with a zither, part of band guys accompanying. Anyhow, it would be fun to see one of those TV performances today...

I played punk in an another band those days, I saw no conflict there. Haven't ever been a 'brand-sportsman'. I'm not consecrated to progressive music or so on. Sukellusvene was an improvising group, nothing more, truly not The Genesis.

After the album we made some strange gigs, starting with long sitarsolo by Mäkinen. Then the band joined him for an hour of art. On the other set we played some old schlagers or some 'Lärvätsalo-gogo-show' -stuff [okay... use your imagination] but there was no 'spirit' any more. I told the guys thanks, I'm off. They took two or three saxophonists along and continued a year or so in a theatre. After that, Sukellusvene was soon buried. Some parts of it continued as 'Lappeenrannan lasi ja nyrkkeily', 'Lappeenranta Glass and Boxing', led by Jukka Mäkinen. Kari Litmanen started to make pop-songs and had a success.''