Music | Agents and Topi Sorsakoski parted ways after a hugely successful season, and now the reason is finally revealed

Finn hit music would be very different without it Topi Sorsakoski and the band Agents. At the end of the 1980s, the band became the most popular in Finland, and thanks to that, the dance stages were packed with audiences who had previously only attended rock concerts.

Topi Sorsakoski, real name Pekka Tammilehto, was the soloist of the band Agents in 1981–1992, but the band's greatest popularity was in the years 1986–1990. In just over four years, the band released four albums, which have sold a total of more than 467,000 copies. Now all the band's recordings have been re-released as a compilation box.

Through the records, the production of Sorsakoski and Agents is now shown in a slightly different light than in the late 1980s. Although the roots of Agents' sound are in the Finnish iron wire music of the 1960s, and the most famous songs from the Sorsakoski period are old Finnish hits or ones translated into Finnish, the band also recorded a lot of American and British rock songs, some even in Finnish for the first time.

Agents musical director, guitarist Esa Pulliainen says that the reissue of the records was made “by public demand”. The albums were also remastered, although that was not particularly important to Pulliainen.

“I still listen to my Led Zeppelin and My Jimi Hendrix preferably in its original form, with original sounds. I would believe so Andy Johns and Eddie Kramer used to know how things should sound,” he says, referring to the famous producers and recording artists of the 1960s.

The most interesting thing about the reissue box is Hannu Linkola made history, which is practically Pulliainen's monologue. It shows how the recipe for success was originally conceived by Sorsakoski and Pulliainen, and it was based on old jokes heard as a child.

Musicologist Juha Torvinen held earlier this year In an interview with HS Topi Sorsakoskea and Agents as an example of a band that managed to serve old music to a new audience, since about one generation had passed since the release of the original songs.

In Esa Pulliainen's opinion, Topi and Agents' productions have gained listeners even in the next generation.

“The old listeners have strengthened their faith, and the curiosity of the new ones has noticeably awakened,” he says.

In the history of the collection, Pulliainen also openly tells about the end of the joint fight between Sorsakoski and Agents. The reason was partly the fatigue caused by the frantic pace of work, but also the gradually arising disagreement about artistic solutions.

Basically, it was that Pulliainen wanted to arrange the initially very loud songs into smaller guitar band interpretations, while Sorsakoski began to dig behind strings and big ensembles as a vocal soloist.

In the year With Sorsakoski, who died in 2011, Agents made an album in 2007, where they performed the production of The Renegades band.

After Sorsakoski, they have been Agents' soloists on records and concerts Jorma Kääriäinen, Vesa Haaja, Ville Valo and the Maustatytöt duo.

The 2022 Spice Girls collaboration received mixed feedback. Everyone thought the non-gestural expression of the Spice Girls didn't work together with the Agents. Pulliainen also admits that the end result was not completely successful.

“I like Maustari a lot, but I didn't manage to connect the sound of our bands seamlessly. The preparatory work was a bit lacking,” he says.

So far, he has nothing to say about Agents' possible next soloist. In addition to Pulliainen, the band's composition also includes his brother, the bass player Kai Pulliainen and a drummer Kepa Kettunen. There are no plans for the band to retire.

“The second shifter would be in a rocking chair on the porch to enjoy the sunset. It doesn't really catch on,” says Esa Pulliainen.