[prog-rock] (2025) Happy the Man – Happy the Man + Crafty Hands (...

       (2025) Happy the Man – Happy the Man + Crafty Hands (1977/1978 Remastered)    

Review:
…Iconoclassic reissued the first two albums by Happy the Man: their 1977 self-titled debut and 1978’s Crafty Hands, originally released on the Arista label. (HTM have become prog’s Taylor Swift of sorts, securing the master rights to these albums themselves to license to the label.) Formed in Harrisonburg, Virginia, the group was influenced by European prog groups like Yes, Gentle Giant and Genesis – but created a sound all their own that expanded the constraints of the genre further through the west. Founding members Stanley Whitaker (guitar/vocals), Frank Wyatt (keyboards/saxophone/flute), Rick Kennell (bass) and Mike Beck (drums), plus early recruit Kit Watkins on keyboards, had a mostly instrumental, often humorously titled sensibility that remains beloved among genre fans for its compositional complexity. Peter Gabriel rehearsed the group as a potential backing band for his debut album, and the group’s local popularity in the Washington, D.C. area led to two LPs with Arista. (Clive Davis, present at the showcase that clinched their deal, openly admitted the music was “way over [his] head.”) While Happy the Man and Crafty Hands (featuring Ron Riddle on percussion in place of Beck) were never strong sellers, the albums (overseen by famed British  producer/engineer Ken Scott) are treasured among prog enthusiasts, with Happy the Man even rounding out a 2015 list of the greatest prog albums from Rolling Stone. Happy the Man disbanded in 1979 but reformed in the new millennium, with Whitaker, Kennell, Beck and Riddle still part of the band. (Wyatt was a member until his passing in 2023.) They’ve pulled out all the stops for Iconoclassic’s reissues, with the albums remastered by Ray Staff at AIR Studios in London. — SecondDisc

Track List:

Disc 1: Happy the Man (1977)

01. Starborne
02. Stumpy Meets The Firecracker In Stencil Forest
03. Upon The Rainbow (Befrost)
04. Mr. Mirror's Reflection On Dreams
05. Carousel
06. Knee Bitten Nymphs In Limbo
07. On Time As A Helix Of Precious Laughs
08. Hidden Moods
09. New York Dream's Suite
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Disc 2: Crafty Hands (1978)

01. Service With A Smile
02. Morning Sun
03. Ibby It Is
04. Steaming Pipes
05. Wind Up Doll Day Wind
06. Open Book
07. I Forgot To Push It
08. The Moon, I Sing (Nossuri)


Media Report:
Genre: prog-rock
Origin: Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA  
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits
Compression mode: Lossless
Writing library: libFLAC 1.3.0 (UTC 2013-05-26)


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