Although this post should have been posted in the Review-section, I thought it would be interesting to put it here. Most reviews from Happy The Man-albums we read on the internet are being written long after the LP's were made. The following review though was written in the same year the debut from HTM was published. It gives a good view on the musical situation from that moment, a situation that wasn't good for HTM at all, as we could all see a few years later. The reviewer, Jan Libbenga from the Dutch magazine Muziekkrant OOR, usually wrote about folk- and folk-rock-artists, although sometimes he reviewed something different, like for instance Feels Good To Me from Bill Bruford and, in this case, Happy The Man's first LP.
HAPPY THE MAN
Happy The Man
(ARISTA AL 4120 – import)
It is remarkable that record-tycoon Clive Davis, who usually has an eye for young talent as well as for its commercial possibilities, has got contracted so little representatives from the advancing New Wave for his still flourishing Arista-label. Of course, the New Wave hasn’t stroked in America as hard yet as happened recently in Europe. After all, the American hit-charts are still being ruled by the mainly melodic slanted, sun-drenched sounds from The Eagles and Dan Fogelberg. But it’s still striking that Davis is still clutching himself to bands which music is far from revolutionary or even can be called progressive, even more because he can burn his fingers considerable with this stringent carried through anti-Punk policy. Because, as soon as the New Wave will break through in America on a big scale too, the sales figures from the Arista-products will without any doubt plummet and then there won’t be any interest at all anymore on Arista for a band like for instance Happy The Man.
You see, Happy The Man, who’s debut-album was found wanting by the Dutch distributor from Arista and therefore won’t be dispersed through the normal channels, makes the kind of music which is being detested by the punks. The band presents cerebral, almost technocratic, smoothly produced music, which shows in certain respects resemblances with the music from the Dutch band Solution, with one difference, namely that with Happy The Man it’s not the saxophone but the synthesizer that’s playing the most important role. Synthesizer-player Kit Watkins uses the so called pitch-bend modulation in a clever way, which is why his play reminds strongly of Jan Hammer’s and Manfred Mann’s play. Once in a while there’s being sung on the record, but instrumentally the band is stronger. The compositions from the group have a well construction and structure, while the production (from Ken Scott) may appear a bit too equable. Happy The Man is a band that doesn’t convince fully yet, but that can be characterize as promising.
Jan Libbenga
Happy The Man
(ARISTA AL 4120 – import)
It is remarkable that record-tycoon Clive Davis, who usually has an eye for young talent as well as for its commercial possibilities, has got contracted so little representatives from the advancing New Wave for his still flourishing Arista-label. Of course, the New Wave hasn’t stroked in America as hard yet as happened recently in Europe. After all, the American hit-charts are still being ruled by the mainly melodic slanted, sun-drenched sounds from The Eagles and Dan Fogelberg. But it’s still striking that Davis is still clutching himself to bands which music is far from revolutionary or even can be called progressive, even more because he can burn his fingers considerable with this stringent carried through anti-Punk policy. Because, as soon as the New Wave will break through in America on a big scale too, the sales figures from the Arista-products will without any doubt plummet and then there won’t be any interest at all anymore on Arista for a band like for instance Happy The Man.
You see, Happy The Man, who’s debut-album was found wanting by the Dutch distributor from Arista and therefore won’t be dispersed through the normal channels, makes the kind of music which is being detested by the punks. The band presents cerebral, almost technocratic, smoothly produced music, which shows in certain respects resemblances with the music from the Dutch band Solution, with one difference, namely that with Happy The Man it’s not the saxophone but the synthesizer that’s playing the most important role. Synthesizer-player Kit Watkins uses the so called pitch-bend modulation in a clever way, which is why his play reminds strongly of Jan Hammer’s and Manfred Mann’s play. Once in a while there’s being sung on the record, but instrumentally the band is stronger. The compositions from the group have a well construction and structure, while the production (from Ken Scott) may appear a bit too equable. Happy The Man is a band that doesn’t convince fully yet, but that can be characterize as promising.
Jan Libbenga
