Many Worlds Are Born Tonight

Happy Rhodes

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 11, 1998)
• Original Release Date: August 11, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Samson Music
• ASIN: B000009NTX
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #81,924 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars May I give this 10 stars?, August 19, 2005

By	Scottiboy "I've seen a movie or two" (Cincinnati, OH USA) - See all my reviews

I realize I'm behind the times. Seven years ago "Many Worlds Are Born Tonight" was released and I've just discovered the wonder that is Happy Rhodes. First of all... how lucky am I?!?! I'd pass up all the riches in the world to be able to listen to this CD over and over again for the rest of eternity. Wow, you say? This guy's a nut, you say? Uh... give it one listen. That's all it takes!

I'm somewhat of a music aficionado (yeah, I had to spell check that). Over the years I've collected well over 1000 CDs. That is backed by a back breaking load of vinyl stacked in my basement.

I've listened to a lot of stuff. Lots of different stuff, but this CD (I've finally taught myself to write CD rather than album!) is... well, it's so good it's nearly beyond description!

On first listen, it immediately jumped into my desert island musts. Of all the music I own, it captured a top five spot. Not a top five spot in my all time favorite songs, but all time favorite CDs.

There's really no point in me going into depth, song by song. The bottom line is that anyone that loves music should very easily find themselves enveloped in the beauty of this CD.

Read the other reviews for more detail and take them seriously. They will guide you. If you've somehow been brought to reviews of Happy Rhodes music and you've never heard of her before.... BELIEVE WHAT YOU READ!!!

It quite seriously doesn't get much better than this.

I realize I'm providing no insight into the music. Fact is.. the CD is so overwhelmingly overwhelming, there are no words to describe how intense, haunting, unforgetable and NEED TO LISTENable this music is.

I am here only to provide one more voice begging those that find their way to this page to do everything they can to purchase this CD. Your life will be changed for the better.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Voice, Fantastic Songs, Ethereal Moods, April 11, 2001

By	Uncle Mike "Uncle Mike" (Aliso Viejo, CA USA) - See all my reviews

I have all of Ms. Rhodes' albums (a not-too-insignificant feat considering how many are out of print) and have been a fan since 1993. My friend said it best when, after playing this album, he said, "All THAT's just one person?" Yep. She sings like an angel (and, sometimes, the devil as well) and produces songs that, not only tell a story, but sometimes create an entirely new world. Her 4 octave range has been much-talked-about, along with the inevitable comparisons to Kate Bush. I have all of Kate's albums, too...I just don't listen to 'em much anymore. I think that Happy is original, creative, and infinitely more interesting to listen to. Her voice soars and roars, whispers and seduces, and it's the most wonderful thing I've heard.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An inventive, yet underrated genious, July 9, 2000

By	"pekky" (Charleston, SC United States) - See all my reviews

Musically, New Yorker avant-garde has given to us many of the greatest talents. Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Lydia Lunch, DJ Spooky and the late band The Swans are examples of the musical quality that comes from New York. But a lot of artists still don't get the attention they deserve. This is the case of Happy Rhodes, an important but underrated exponent of New Yorker avant-garde.

Rhodes may be ignored by the mainstream. However, she has won a growing cult of fans that include Tori Amos and ex-Swan Michael Gira. She is the kind of artist that one cannot find in magazines such as, say, Rolling Stone or Spin or even listen to on commercial radio stations. Nonetheless, in many independent radio programs and publications her musical presence is truly compelling.

In August, 1998, Happy Rhodes released her first album in three years, Many Worlds Are Born Tonight, a collection of emotional landscapes, intimate poetry, and twisted fairy tales. In this album, Rhodes mixes David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Tangerine Dream, Dead Can Dance, Bjork, David Sylvian and Portishead, sometimes in the same song. Many Worlds is probably her best and most experimental album to date.

The publication of Many Worlds, her first album with Samson Music, has raised a lot of expectations among her fans, expectations that seem to be satisfied. First, because it was her first studio album since her 1995 album Building the Colossus (not mentioning her 1995 compilation of live versions and rare cuts, The Keep). Second, because in Colossus, Happy took a lighter, more accessible direction. Finally , because after the breakup with Aural Gratification, her label until then, Rhodes announced that she was looking for a major label. With Many Worlds, Rhodes has reached a new peak of creativity, without loosing her artistic identity.

Many Worlds is certainly much darker and sometimes much harder to swallow than its two predecessors Equipoise and Building the Colossus. However, the music still keeps the enigmatic flavor and erudite lyrical style that always has characterized Happy's work. Some approximations to trip-hop (100 years), powerful songs a la David Bowie (Proof), and even ethereal but intense cuts (The Chariot, Winter) prove that this album is one of the most unique and intense masterpieces of 1998.

Happy Rhodes will continue to shine in her particular universe. The same universe she invites us to know about in her latest album Many Worlds Are Born Tonight.