wowhd.co.uk

Selected as one of Rolling Stone magazine's 50 greatest progressive rock albums of all time, Happy the Man's self-titled debut, released in 1977 on Arista Records, is one of the most fully realized progressive rock albums ever recorded on American soil. It was neither a direct response to it's British forebears nor an attempt to fit within the evolving commercial American landscape. Instead, it was something rarer: a singular work of progressive music that existed entirely on it's own terms. Though they wouldn't know it at the time, 'Happy the Man' also became the bar against which nearly all American prog rock would be measured in the decades that followed. Their sound wasn't just symphonic-it was cinematic, sophisticated, and distinctly American, weaving jazz fusion and impressionistic harmony into prog rock's DNA. Eschewing mythic storytelling and grandiose concepts, their primarily instrumental music instead unfolded like a rich tapestry of harmonies and interwoven melodies, shifting with the same organic unpredictability as a jazz improvisation yet executed with the precision of a chamber ensemble. The music was both cerebral and joyous, technically demanding yet full of human warmth. With a line-up of Stanley Whitaker (Guitars, Vocals), Kit Watkins (Keyboards), Frank Wyatt (Sax, Flute, Keyboards), Rick Kennell (Bass) and Mike Beck (Drums), the band recorded their first album under the production supervision of Ken Scott (who had worked with Supertramp and David Bowie). Happy the Man celebrates the reclamation of their rights to their classic Arista albums with a new band-approved remasters by Ray Staff. Features a 28-page booklet with a new 6000-word liner notes essay by Syd Schwartz.