HAPPY THE MAN

3.5 stars. HAPPY THE MAN were an American band who formed in the early seventies but didn't release this their debut until 1977. It was recorded late in 1976, and these five musicians are from Virginia. I personally believe they named themselves after that GENESIS single released in 1972 called "Happy The Man". It was the A-side of the single but still an obscure track. These guys were huge GENESIS fans along with YES and GENTLE GIANT.

The compositions were shared fairly evenly here by guitarist Stan Whitaker, keyboardist Kit Watkins and horn player Frank Wyatt. Such a talented band creating some complex music. I have to mention drummer Mike Beck who I feel is under utilized here, but man he can play. I have the classic first two albums along with that seventh and final record from 2004 which was really disappointing, but really a different band at that point with the lineup changes. We get seven tracks here and two of those have vocals.

The opener is an instrumental called "Starborne" and it's quite mellow with these synth led outbursts from time to time. I have to say that one of my issues with this album is the high pitched synths that Watkins likes to use. Just really annoying to my ears. I mean this record feels like a link from the warm analog days of the early seventies to the bright synths of the eighties. Not a fan. Some sax on the next one and more power too. Vocals for the first time on "Upon The Rainbow(Befrost)" and I'm not digging it. It reminds me of that time in my life in '77/'78 where in my mid-teens life wasn't easy and the only music I knew was on FM radio and there was a "sound" to that era that pops up here. Not a fan.

I am a fan of "Carousel" as it's my favourite song on here and quite short at 4 minutes. It's surprisingly dark at times, it just stands out in a positive way for me. Some intensity here. The high pitched synths make that sixth track a tough one for me but "Hidden Moods" is better with the bass standing out for a change and it's different with the acoustic guitar and piano. A nice melodic piece. The song in between has vocals and is ballad-like at times. The closer is well done I must say.

This is not a 4 star record in my world, and neither are the other two recordings I own by this band, but they are very much respected by fans and musicians alike. I loved reading some interviews with this band about the time Peter Gabriel paid them a visit as he was considering using them as his backing band. Gabriel had just left GENESIS and was about to embark on his solo career. The band of course are fanboys but trying not to show that, to the point of not even taking any pictures with him or even recording the playing and jamming they did. He was there for about 8 hours or so. So it became this memory in their heads only.