Review by
Edwin Baeyens
Happy The Man is something of a cult band. In the 70’s, they were the American answer to British prog bands like Gentle Giant, Genesis and Camel. During their existence, they released only two albums, before splitting up in 1979. But they were never forgotten. A string of archive releases, a compilation and a live album showed that interest for the band was still high. After a couple of failed attempts, the band finally reunited in 2000, without keyboard maestro Kit Watkins, however. He was unwilling to play live again and was replaced by David Rosenthal (Rainbow, Red Dawn). “The Muse Awakens” is the first product of the resurrected band.
Happy The Man is essentially an instrumental band. There’s only one song on this album that features vocals, though I wouldn’t have minded if there had been a few more. “Shadowlites” is slow and melancholic; a fantastic song, and Stanley Whitaker certainly has a nice, pleasant voice. But I can’t help feeling it’s a bit misplaced among the all-instrumental rest of the album.
A couple of the tracks (“Contemporary Insanity”, “Barking Spiders”, “Lunch At The Psychedelicatessen”) are vintage, complex prog rock, with a slice of jazz sometimes and a playfulness that we also know from Gentle Giant and, more recently, Spock’s Beard or A.C.T. Pretty cool, and I know a lot of prog fans that will go out of their minds over this.
But there’s another side to the album as well, one that I like even better. At first, the slow, gentle, even quiet music appears to be the kind of muzak that you would find on CD’s like “Relaxing Moments” or “Sounds Of Nature”. And yes, on some songs, you can hear the sounds of washing water and seagulls. But this simplicity is deceptive. Much like Camel’s “The Snow Goose”, it takes a few listens to hear and appreciate the subtleties that are hidden in this beautiful music. Under the rich keyboard sounds and wonderful melodies, there are refined, yet complex patterns and adventurous rhythm changes. Just listen to those delicately arranged tracks like “Slipstream” or “Kindred Spirits”, and listen to them a couple of times. Believe me, patience can be rewarding. Best track is “Il Quinto Mare”. It successfully combines the different sides of the album. Great piano & synths, lots of variation and an enchanting melody. One of the best tunes you’ll hear this year.
I’m afraid I haven’t heard Happy The Man’s original releases, so it’s up to the fans to decide whether this new one measures up to their legendary status. As far as I’m concerned, “The Muse Awakens” more than justifies the return of these dinosaur prog rockers.
Edwin Baeyens
Happy The Man is something of a cult band. In the 70’s, they were the American answer to British prog bands like Gentle Giant, Genesis and Camel. During their existence, they released only two albums, before splitting up in 1979. But they were never forgotten. A string of archive releases, a compilation and a live album showed that interest for the band was still high. After a couple of failed attempts, the band finally reunited in 2000, without keyboard maestro Kit Watkins, however. He was unwilling to play live again and was replaced by David Rosenthal (Rainbow, Red Dawn). “The Muse Awakens” is the first product of the resurrected band.
Happy The Man is essentially an instrumental band. There’s only one song on this album that features vocals, though I wouldn’t have minded if there had been a few more. “Shadowlites” is slow and melancholic; a fantastic song, and Stanley Whitaker certainly has a nice, pleasant voice. But I can’t help feeling it’s a bit misplaced among the all-instrumental rest of the album.
A couple of the tracks (“Contemporary Insanity”, “Barking Spiders”, “Lunch At The Psychedelicatessen”) are vintage, complex prog rock, with a slice of jazz sometimes and a playfulness that we also know from Gentle Giant and, more recently, Spock’s Beard or A.C.T. Pretty cool, and I know a lot of prog fans that will go out of their minds over this.
But there’s another side to the album as well, one that I like even better. At first, the slow, gentle, even quiet music appears to be the kind of muzak that you would find on CD’s like “Relaxing Moments” or “Sounds Of Nature”. And yes, on some songs, you can hear the sounds of washing water and seagulls. But this simplicity is deceptive. Much like Camel’s “The Snow Goose”, it takes a few listens to hear and appreciate the subtleties that are hidden in this beautiful music. Under the rich keyboard sounds and wonderful melodies, there are refined, yet complex patterns and adventurous rhythm changes. Just listen to those delicately arranged tracks like “Slipstream” or “Kindred Spirits”, and listen to them a couple of times. Believe me, patience can be rewarding. Best track is “Il Quinto Mare”. It successfully combines the different sides of the album. Great piano & synths, lots of variation and an enchanting melody. One of the best tunes you’ll hear this year.
I’m afraid I haven’t heard Happy The Man’s original releases, so it’s up to the fans to decide whether this new one measures up to their legendary status. As far as I’m concerned, “The Muse Awakens” more than justifies the return of these dinosaur prog rockers.