Customer Reviews

Crafty Hands

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a long-standing and avid fan of classic progressive rock, but if there is one thing that I will generally have problems with, it would be the vocalists and their lyrics. Although it would seem like the solution to this problem would be to turn to the many instrumental progressive rock groups around, I think that there is a dangerousness to instrumental rock.

On the one hand, the composer can write in a "song without words" style, but without words there are no concepts to help break up the natually repetitive nature of standard verse-chorus-verse format. Joe Satriani and some of Djam Karet's work falls in this category. On the other hand, a piece can be more compositional in its approach, like King Crimson's mid-'70's work. Although this is the bolder path, it takes much more talent and training to pull off convincingly.

Happy the Man rides this fence quite effectively. Overall, they give the illusion of rock song form, but they add enough compositional twists and turns that they generally (but not always) avoid the redundancy that is so dangerous in this medium. However, there are still times that I wish that there was someone like Fish, Peter Gabriel, or even Roger Waters to come in with some words that would lend cognitive meaning to the emotional explosiveness that "Crafty Hands" easily conveys with music alone.

Happy the Man's performance on "Crafty Hands" is presice, moody, atmospheric, and intense. When it was recorded in 1978, King Crimson was on hiatus (1974-1981). However, I don't think that "Crafty Hands" would sound out-of-place in Robert Fripp's 80's work. King Crimson's main innovation in the '80s was odd-timed interlocking guitar patterns, and this texture pervades "Crafty Hands". Happy the Man ripples and shimmers in similar interlocked arpeggiated patterns, but instead uses dual keyboards, guitar, and the occasional saxophone. Often Happy the Man are also compared to Genesis or Gentle Giant, and although these comparisons are fair musically, there is one major component that makes them different than these bands - Happy the Man is instrumental. Because of this and the similar period keyboard sounds, I am often reminded of Bill Bruford's fusion work from the '70's ("One of a Kind", etc..).

The lowdown: I am a hard sell with most instrumental rock albums, but "Crafy Hands" made a believer out of me. It can be done, and done well. I just can't help but play "what if" games with the possiblilites that a vocalist would have opened for them, but then it wouldn't be Happy the Man, right?

Happy The Man is one of those bands that many people have never heard of, or laugh at their name when they do. Very much influenced by Gentle Giant and Genesis (Genesis even has a song entitled "Happy The Man"), these guys are truly real deal musicians. The amazing thing about this album is that the writing is just so good. It boggles my mind that as good as this band is, no one has seen to have caught on. If you are a fan of Gabriel-era Genesis, Gentle Giant, Yes, Jethro Tull, or other groups in this vein, you will totally eat up this album. The last tune on this disc called "The Moon, I Sing (Nossuri)" is so indescribably beautiful, I usually hit repeat after it finishes. Not to sound corny, but this tune really transports me to another dimension. Enthusiastically recommended.

P.S. - Make sure you order the 1999 remaster on One Way records.

I remember Happy the Man, but I never had this album. They were not in the same level of visibility in the prog movement as Yes or Genesis or even Gentle Giant. But they were impressive nonetheless. This album was released in 74 or 75 (if I remember right), and these guys were of a similar ilk to Camel, Triumvirat, Hatfield of the North, as I remember.

The album reissue from 2002 is really a good release (as I listen to it on my laptop with high-quality Sony studio headphones.

Their instrumentation consists of guitar and keyboard (elec piano and organ), change in rhythm and meter, time signature. The electr piano and guitar work follow one another, mostly in unison, but sometimes in harmony. The album has a really jazzy feel (if you have ever listened to fusion pieces by McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra). If I remember right, the first 3-4 cuts are instrumental, and we don't get to hear lyrics until 5th cut or so.

Elements of the pieces remind me of mid-period Genesis ("Selling England" and "And Then There Were Three..."), also early Camel ("Moonmadness", "Snow Goose"), and some passages (particularly on "Wind Up Doll Day Wind") that are very Gentle Giant in rhythm and use of sax as a lead instrument, and also a flute (on "Open Book").

I really enjoy this disk, and don't know how I missed it the first time around. (I am sure I heard it, but was probably too st**ed at the time to remember who it was by name... ;-) yeah I know...not politically correct, but that was 30+ years ago so I disavow any behavioral recollection of, connection with, or resemblance to, my idealistic, more-naive younger self.

I am listening to this as I write the review (I am ripping my disk to MP3 so I can carry it around on my laptop), and it is really a wonderful prog "mood piece". It has swatches of the abovementioned artists, and I also hear some Brand X (circa "Masque" period).

The only thing that I can say in negative of this album is that is clocks in just under 40 minutes, and I wish it were longer! Such is the legacy of the 33 1/3 LP vinyl album age.

If you enjoy the mellower side of 70s Prog, with a little Fusion Jazz thrown in for good measure, and you really immerse yourself into the instrumental movement of prog masters, you need to give this Happy the Man disc a spin. Enjoy!

I'd heard about Happy The Man since the late 1970's but hadn't actually heard their music until I recently picked up this One Way reissue. In a word, it's wonderful. Very complex and melodic, and possessing a cerebral, icy beauty. For comparison's sake, I think they had quite a bit in common with Gentle Giant, although their sound is wholly their own. I don't care for the one track with vocals as much as I like the others, but it doesn't detract much from the album. Happy The Man had to be the best American prog group judging from this release. Get it while you can.

For me this is the band's high water mark. The album is stellar in every capacity and a fine example of a batch of virtuoso's musicians at the top of their game. I honestly think that the one element that raises this album above the band's debut is the percussion work of Ron Riddle. Riddle (who also did a stint with Blue Oyster Cult) has a style that fits perfectly within the Happy The Man framework and I consistently find myself playing air drums to this album. The remastered sound on this disc is incredible as well. Every nuance of the music comes through and it is an outstanding listen with a good set of speakers. Everything on the disc is instrumental with the exception of "Wind Up Doll Day Wind". A strange title, but a cool song. Most of the rest of the album have become Happy The Man classics, "Service With A Smile", "Steaming Pipes", "Ibby It Is", "I Forgot To Push It", they are all great. If you are into classic American progressive rock this album is essential.

Happy the Man's second release on Arista Records, "Crafty Hands" (1978), follows in the same vain as the band's first album "Happy the Man" (1977). In fact, after listening to both records about 1,000 times each, I think it's safe to say that they are "sister" albums.

"Crafty Hands" is an awesome, mostly-instrumental album (it includes only one vocal track) which fits right in with my very favorite progressive rock - including classic Yes and Genesis from the 1970s. Meticulously crafted compositions combined with playing which seems to defy human capability are the hallmarks of Happy the Man's music - and this release contains some of the band's very best compositions.

If you love the power, the grace, the complexity of the 1970s music of Yes, Genesis and King Crimson, you will not be disappointed if you buy this disc. It will grow on you every time you listen to it.

More to come ...

Simply the best progressive CD ever!

All but one track are instrumental. Service With A Smile is a killer opener - very powerful. Morning Sun is soft semi-classical. Ibby It Is constantly evolves as the song plays - lots of melodies that swirl around each other. Steaming Pipes is the most agressive (rock) song on the album. Wind Up Doll (only vocal track) gradually builds up tension and then resolves it. Open Book is a treasure - wonderful accoustic guitars, flute and a renaissance feel. Forgot to Push it is jazz fussion at it's best. The Moon I Sing is soft and gentle way to complete the album.

There's so much great music on this ablum! I can't imagine that someone couldn't find a song that they would love and treasure. So much variety, and it all flows together well.

Agreed with the rest of the reviews - this music deserves repeated listening!

I first got hold of _Crafty Hands_, Happy the Man's second album, in 1983, after hearing a couple cuts played repeatedly by a 3am-5am pirate radio jockey in Santa Barbara, CA. The most immediately compelling track, #1 on the LP, "Service With a Smile," is drummer Ron Riddle's contribution. The song is barely two minutes in length, and, if you have any humanity in you at all, will slice through yr heart and render you weak and humbled, much as will a very fine lover while in the latter moments of the Act.

A former drummer for NBC (National Broadcasting Company, you know, the TV network), Mr. Riddle brings a crisp efficiency to the ol' pigskin (what am I saying?: It's like hearing syncopated thunderclaps), reminiscent of Phil Collins at his best, while in the jazz-rock combo Brand-X, or of _Selling England by the Pound_-era Genesis.

The rest of the album is just as staggering, tho the intensity waxes and wanes, in favor of a quieter magic. "Ibby It Is (Nossuri)" will lull you into a coma, but not one born of boredom. "Wind Up Doll Day Wind," the only track on which there are vocals, is a prog-rock classic--bent and durable.

Go buy it. Help out the long-suffering boys from Reston, VA, who never got their commercial due.

Let's say you're listening to one of those "smooth jazz" stations, either for relaxation or inspiration ..... and you catch yourself thinking, "I'd sure enjoy this a lot more if these guys would just cut loose a bit".

Chances are, you are wishing for something like Happy the Man. A primarily instrumental project that only released about four albums in the late 70s / early 80s (not counting the anthology), this 2-keyboard-driven quintet recorded music which ranged from flowingly etherial to majestically punchy/funky, all of it juicily melodic. Much of the music resembles Euro-Progressive rock fusion, ala Gentle Giant or the better efforts of early Genesis. It's like an opportunity to hear the better aspect of this kind of stuff, without the requirement to hear pretentious vocals.

Well ..... with the rare exception. The 4-star rating is due to the one vocal track on this collection, which does it no favors. I always skip over it. The opener, "Service With a Smile" is a lush, rolling prelude in 11/8, paving the way for tasty tuneful treats to come. "Morning Sun" showcases the group's penchant for theme development, with a serene motif that sparkles, repeats and builds to a majestic level before melting away abruptly. "Ibby It Is", a longer track, offers more variance and energy (the overall album is wonderfully paced this way), and a prolonged build section that cuts off before you realize it. They seem to love to leave the listener wanting more. "Steaming Pipes" and "I Forgot to Push It" are high energy peaks, the former bordering on ominous, the other shamelessly whimsical. "Open Book" is an enigmatic, low-key interlude, and "The Moon I Sing" closes the album with a cyclical pastoral which resolves gracefully before floating your brain away into the ethers.

All in all, Crafty Hands is a delightful journey for the ears, presented in just the right spirit of fun. Out of all this group's modest reperatoire, it is both representative and accessible, a welcome departure for new age listeners who still appreciate that little spark of mischief in a quality diet.

I've decided to review this album not because I'm the most educated critic, but because I have derived enjoyment from it during my entire adult life and hence feel that I owe this fine band a debt of gratitude. I was first acquainted with Crafty Hands back in 1991 when a visiting friend left it with me and insisted that I listen to it at my leisure. I had all ready been a fan of progressive rock and had always been one to favor compositionally driven music, so the stage was set for me to take to this album immediately. I was under this album's spell the moment I pressed play on my CD player. The first piece, Service With A Smile, is short but is perhaps the most blissful three or so minutes of music I have ever encountered; it makes me feel like I could walk through a brick wall. It is in fact an onslaught of sheer perfection. The other seven songs are also musical horseplay; the untrained ear will appreciate this album's raw aesthetic appeal, but the trained ear must concede the work's compositional significance and complexity. Tension is built and released throughout with proficiency, and the band makes effective use of odd meter. There are traces of the influences of jazz, rock, renaissance music and minimalism. The album is in keeping with the progressive rock trends of its day (it was first released in the late 1970s), but it has a rare enduring quality which allows for it to be as powerful now as it was then, unlike many progressive releases from that era which have lost their luster over time.

I have been looking to own this album for the longest time. I eventually returned the album to my friend but made a tape of it, which I subsequently lost, possibly to theft; since then till recently, I ardently sought the whereabouts of a Crafty Hands CD which I could buy, but never to any avail. For years I would invariably check to see if there was a "Happy The Man" slot in the rock section of any music store I frequented. Then, just a few months ago, on a lark, I did a search for Happy The Man... and couldn't believe my luck when the search revealed a picture of the album cover which I hadn't seen for eight years. I ordered the album immediately and was so eager to get a hold of it that I actually asked to have it shipped next day air. Upon receiving it, I had a few beers, put the headphones on, pressed play and it was like I was again hearing it anew. I've learned a lot about music over the past ten years but not enough to keep me from liking this album as much as I did upon first hearing it, if not more. If I had to pay five times what I paid, I would do so in a heartbeat and still offer my blubbering thanks for the opportunity to own it. The remastering was clearly performed with great care and has preserved the feel of the original release.

I highly recommend this album to anyone who is at all capable of being moved by music. To quote Edith Wharton, exquisite moments on the planet Earth are rare. Buy this album while you have the chance!