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Topic ClosedA very underrated band here Happy the Man

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Direct Link To This Post Topic: A very underrated band here Happy the Man
    Posted: September 06 2005 at 13:55
Hi guys I just picked up the latest cd from this excellent which is a very underrated band here after such a long time they came back with a new recording studio that to my surprise it is great. even though watkins was a key member is not present in the album in my opinion the album has all the element of the early happy the man. I was very pleased and happy. i was a Happy man. Happy the man is one of those prog bands that make such beautiful mellow prog rock songs that it very hard not to like. What did you guys think of the album and this wonderful
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 06 2005 at 15:14
As I said previously, HTM without Kit Watkins is not HTM. Check out HTM's earlier albums, they are much better than the reformation commanded by the now big label Inside Out. And BTW check out Kit Watkins' solo career, especially 'Labyrinth', in the style of HTM and 'Azure', which is more of a new age work in the vein of Tangerine Dream.
"Magma was the very first gothic rock band" (Didier Lockwood)
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 06 2005 at 19:19
i believe that you are more of kit watkin fan than happy the
man, i can recall right away if that the album that i have of kit
,but i did not like it . his music is too electronic and extremily
boring very similar to those tangerine dreams borings albums
after the late 80's . it is simply not htm besides kit is not htm that
your personal opinion and i respect that ,but that does not
mean that you are right also.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 06 2005 at 20:53

I don't have the latest CD from the yet, but I have always enjoyed all of the previous ones. I saw them perform several years ago, doing old tunes and tracks from the new album, damn good show. The Muse Awakens is on my "to-buy" list. 

Two other kick-ass lesser known US bands that made great albums and then broke up long ago and then reformed and released really good CD's are:

St. Elmo's Fire - Artifacts Of Passion  & Hands - 25 Winters

dead things don't talk too well, they've got a shaky sense of diction.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 07 2005 at 10:36

I must say that even though I do think Kit Watkins was the biggest talent in Happy The Man (Only heard Crafty Hands, mind you) ...I was not very impressed by his time with Camel, nor with his solo album Fire In The Lake ...

Maybe, like so many others, he just needed a specific group of musicians around him for him to really shine ...



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"No" replies the unhumbled optimist "You are only the present."
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 07 2005 at 10:42

The Muse Awakens is a very good album. It doesn't knock my door down, but a few of the tracks are throw backs to Crafty Hands in their inventiveness, while others are more jazz oriented and perfect for easy listening, while reading a book or doing homework. I don't think the album suffers with the lack of Kit Watkins.

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 07 2005 at 13:30
any true progger should worship happy the man! they are too hot!
[HEADPINS - LINE OF FIRE: THE RECORD HAVING THE MOST POWERFUL GUITAR SOUND IN THE WHOLE HISTORY OF MUSIC!>
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 07 2005 at 17:45

Happy The Man is truly great band. I have following albums by them

"Death Crown"

"Happy The Man"

"Beginnings"

"Crafty hands"

"The Muse Awakens"

I think the only album which is missing out from my collection is "Better Late" or something??

I enjoy all and every album by this wonderful group a lot. And their latest "Muse" confirmed to me that they can do very well even without Kit Watkins.

Interesting enough that I got "muse" concurrently with "Wrong" by Anyone's Daughter. It was like two modern outing by two great old bands. And what a big difference these two make.  While "Wrong" turn out to be a complete commercial pop-rubbish, "The Muse Awakens" just proved to me that Happy the Man are alive and well and still are able to produce masterpieces of progressive music. Standing ovations to them!  

 

 

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 07 2005 at 19:55
Originally posted by eugene eugene wrote:

Happy The Man is truly great band. I have following albums by them

"Death Crown"

"Happy The Man"

"Beginnings"

"Crafty hands"

"The Muse Awakens"

I think the only album which is missing out from my collection is "Better Late" or something??

I enjoy all and every album by this wonderful group a lot. And their latest "Muse" confirmed to me that they can do very well even without Kit Watkins.

Interesting enough that I got "muse" concurrently with "Wrong" by Anyone's Daughter. It was like two modern outing by two great old bands. And what a big difference these two make.  While "Wrong" turn out to be a complete commercial pop-rubbish, "The Muse Awakens" just proved to me that Happy the Man are alive and well and still are able to produce masterpieces of progressive music. Standing ovations to them!  

you also need the live album that i noticed you did not listed. it is esencial!!! i love all the albums with the exception like you the album "wrong"!!!

 

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 08 2005 at 06:51
i love those guys
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