Happiness With Minimal Side Effects

Ian Wallace | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 8, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ian Wallace
• ASIN: B0007ZP1DE
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #104,753 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #100 in Music > Imports > Import Deals

Editorial Reviews

IAN WALLACE Happiness With Minimal Side Effects (2002 US 7-track solo CD by the legendary ex-King Crimson [& many more] drummer also featuring Clive Gregson Ian McDonald & John Billings amongst others performing an eclectic mix of musical themesthat sit somewhere between Yes free jazz & Crim with Jon Anderson-esque vocals - Still sealed LM01)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars UNUSUAL SOLO EFFORT FROM EX CRIMSO DRUMMER!, January 8, 2006

By 

Mark53 (BRIGHTON, EAST SUSSEX United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Happiness With Minimal Side Effects (Audio CD)

Well being a crimson afficianado and collecting all their stuff i was a bit dubious about this, but it really is rather good and it has Ian McDonald on sax/flute which is even better. Ian has a pretty decent voice and his drumming is spot on and his songs are top notch. It is VERY crimsonish paticularky on 'too much dogma' and 'castaway' (shame the intro didn't last longer) there is mellotron aplenty and it could well fit into 'islands' no problem. There is some Beatle-ish chorus's throughout and the band are tight and if the latter tracks are like Steely Dan with the funky bass lines so what! It does lose its way toward the end, but it is a good and unusual debut album. Actually if you pine for early Crimson or rate Pete Sinfeild's 'still' album you could do a lot worse than buy this!

2.0 out of 5 stars Not a good album, August 30, 2010

By 

Stephen B. Sumemrlin (Austin, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Happiness With Minimal Side Effects (Audio CD)

I was very interested to hear this album because I am a huge King Crimson fan and loved the Islands album. For those reading this you probably already know that Ian was the drummer on that album. Since he was fired from King Crimson he has played for many people including Bob Dylan and Bonnie Raitt. I was very excited to find out he had actualy put out a solo album. I really wanting to hear it and I found a copy online and listend to it. I'll have to say this music is very weak to me. I don't like some of the harmonys on this and Castaway sounds way to cheesy and a bit lost in time. I heard this was very much like a Crimson record. It is in places but that doesen't necesarily mean it sounds good. I'm glad he put out 1 solo album before he left us but unfortunutly I was very disapointed with this album. Some of the jazz parts sounds great but the vocal parts sound very cheesey and bland and there just isn't any real life to the songs here. I listened to this a handful of times and I just can't get into it. Musicaly it's weak and lyricaly it's very weak. Fans of King Crimson Islands era look elsewhere. You will not find a classic album here.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellence!, December 3, 2007

By 

Paul Pellegrini (Fort Erie, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Happiness With Minimal Side Effects (Audio CD)

Personal insight served up with taste,texture, and flavourful jazz overtones.
It reminds me of works from John Lennon, except Wallace was influenced by Jazz, as evident on this album and the obvious Crimson Jazz Trio album produced!

Anyone familiar with Wallace's work should buy this album.