Label: Insideout Music
Release date: 2004
Production: Happy The Man
Album length: 55.18 min
Genre: Progressive Rock
Rating: 9.0/10
American prog outfit Happy The Man cut three more or less very interesting albums in the late seventies, then vanished from the music scene for almost twenty-five years. It seemed like they’d belong forever to the “good old days”, when most music was still made with heart and profit didn’t play the leading role. Unlike their American prog-rock contemporaries such as Kansas, Styx and Dixie Dregs, Happy The Man (whose best-known member was Kit Watkins, later a short-lived Camel keyboardist) never made it into the “first league” of the most celebrated names, even though every album they’d put out up to that point was played at an enviable level. Among the many prog rock fans out there, they’re nowadays considered overlooked gems.
The first all-new Happy The Man effort in twenty-five years (their third album was recorded in 1979 but only came out in 1983, while »Beginnings« from 1990 and »Death’s Crown« from 1999 contained unreleased material from their early days) was called »The Muse Awakens«. The album, released on the well-known prog label InsideOut Music, was, like most of the band’s earlier work, almost entirely instrumental. The classic late-seventies Happy The Man lineup was mostly unchanged during the recording of »The Muse Awakens«, with the exception of Watkins, who was replaced by former Rainbow keyboardist David Rosenthal, while the new drummer was Joe Bergamini, who once played with Bumblefoot and Dennis DeYoung.
Exceptional virtuosity, a feel for fusion eclecticism, arrangement complexity and compositional polish radiate from every single »The Muse Awakens« track. That’s no surprise, even to those who know Rosenthal’s songwriting contributions to Rainbow well, where he co-wrote some of the band’s best songs with Ritchie Blackmore between 1981 and 1984. On »The Muse Awakens«, the new Happy The Man are noticeably more jazz-rock-fusion oriented than in their late-seventies incarnation, and every now and then they even bring the British Canterbury scene to mind.
You can hear all of that right away on the opening track »Contemporary Insanity«. Thanks to the complex rhythmic acrobatics from drummer Bergamini and founding bassist Rick Kennell, plus razor-sharp guitar runs from founding guitarist Stanley Whitaker, it sounds a bit like UK, Brand X and Soft Machine had a baby together. After that energetic catalyst, the mood calms down a little with the romantically tinged title track, during which the listener can enjoy the subtle saxophone lines from founding member Frank Wyatt for the first time.
Despite the considerable complexity of most of the music on »The Muse Awakens«, all the tracks stand out with melodic arrangements and flowing guitar-and-keyboard harmonies, so they never come across as exhausting. »Sleeping Through Time« features gorgeous symphonic harmonies over an interplay of flute and electric piano, while the rhythmic nuances in the opening section sound slightly playful. Along the way Rosenthal casually serves up a complex synth solo, which is promptly followed by an equally complex guitar solo from Whitaker.
»Maui Sunset«, which opens with the sound of ocean waves and gentle percussion until spacious keyboard harmonies and lovely flute lines come in, is the most beautiful ambient piece on »The Muse Awakens«. Thanks to the xylophone, the opening and closing sections will remind some “prog-heads” of Pierre Moerlen’s Gong. »Lunch At the Psychedelicatessen« tells you from the title alone that it’s a playful number. With its mix of boisterous harmonica, restless saxophone, cowbells, almost mocking-sounding guitar phrases and fragmented rhythms, it will remind many of some of the more psychedelic bands of the so-called Canterbury scene, led by Gong under the unforgettable Daevid Allen. The piano-driven »Slipstream«, which conjures up a pleasant ambience in no time, packs in lovely symphonic arrangements that will delight all fans of symphonic prog, while the complex rhythmic nuances will thrill every devotee of quality jazz fusion.
The tremendously fun and rhythmically incredibly rich »Barking Spiders«, where Whitaker’s guitar acrobatics take center stage, will remind many of King Crimson, since the main guitar phrase is pretty much lifted from the King Crimson classic »Red«. Why the members of Happy The Man, for whom King Crimson were one of the main role models, went for this unoriginal move remains quite a mystery. Even so, or maybe precisely because of it, it may well be the most fun and interesting track on »The Muse Awakens«, where the only unoriginal thing is that aforementioned famous guitar phrase.
The mellow, fully jazz-fusion »Adrift«, with melancholic saxophone and keyboard lines up front, is a perfect ambient contrast to the previous track. »Shadowlites«, another distinctly melancholic piece, this time with Whitaker on lead vocals, sounding a bit like a weaker version of Steve Walsh (ex-Kansas), is the only vocal track on the otherwise fully instrumental »The Muse Awakens«.
»Kindred Spirits«, which at times sounds almost like a children’s lullaby, or like the serene music that usually plays in Super Mario games when the mustachioed plumber successfully rescues the princess and his adventure is over, is marked by gentle, melancholic vibraphone sounds and lovely keyboard harmonies. On the closing instrumental treat »Il Quinto Mare«, the band stages all their virtuoso and experimental skills one last time, creating an incredibly fun and harmonious symphonic prog/jazz fusion carousel that all prog rock gourmets will enjoy. With compositions like these, you often wonder how it’s possible that this band stayed so widely overlooked.
»The Muse Awakens« was a thrilling comeback for the “written-off”, would-be heroes of the late-seventies American prog rock scene. The superbly balanced blend of symphonic prog rock and jazz rock fusion that rules most of this album confirms that even after twenty-five years, Happy The Man are still masters of their craft. Just when it looked like Happy The Man had a bright future ahead of them at InsideOut Music after their twenty-five-year absence, a label that has helped refresh the careers of plenty of cult bands, the group has been on hold ever since the release of »The Muse Awakens«. For now, it looks like that won’t change, even though Whitaker and Wyatt released a joint album called »Pedal Giant Animals« in 2006, which was the closest thing to new Happy The Man music.
Author: Peter “Dr. ProgRock” Podbrežnik
Track list:
1. Contemporary Insanity (3:24)
2. The Muse Awakes (5:36)
3. Stepping Through Time (6:31)
4. Maui Sunset (5:10)
5. Lunch At The Psychedelicatessen (4:59)
6. Slipstream (4:43)
7. Barking Spiders (4:11)
8. Adrift (4:04)
9. Shadowlites (3:52)
10. Kindred Spirits (5:26)
11. Il Quinto Mare (7:22)
Lineup:
Stanley Whitaker – guitar, vocals
Frank Wyatt – keyboards, saxophones, whistles
David Rosenthal – keyboards
Rick Kennell – bass guitar
Joe Bergamini – drums, percussion
