The Muse Awakens

Happy The Man

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 1, 2004)
• Original Release Date: October 26, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Inside Out U.S.
• ASIN: B00042YL1I
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #36,949 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

One of the top American Prog Rock bands of the late 1970s, Happy The Man took cues from Yes, Gentle Giant and Genesis - all the while maintaining their individual stylistic approach to songwriting. Wrought with shifting meters and unusual chord progressions, they stealthily merged Prog, Symphonic Rock and early New Age music with incredible ease and impeccable craftsmanship. Predominantly instrumental - and American - Happy The Man are an entity unto themselves.

More than 25 years later, these American greats of the Symphonic realm continue to provide musical intricacies for the listening pleasure of fans all over the globe. Happy The Man deserves all the accolades they have received, and will appeal to fans of Progressive Rock and top-notch musicianship across the board.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Let's Do The Time Warp Again, November 18, 2004

By	Robert Carlberg (Seattle) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

The new Happy The Man album sounds just as delightful as their two Arista releases from 1977-8. It's almost as if that whole ugly three decades in between just vanished.

Except I'm still 50, dammit.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the Wait, October 28, 2004

By	Rob G. (VA, USA) - See all my reviews

I pre-ordered this CD when I heard it was finally being released and it arrived in my mailbox yesterday. For a long-time Happy The Fan, this CD is incredible and well worth the wait.

They performed many of these songs in 2000 and 2001 so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. The funny thing is that in 2000 Stan said the CD would be out in a few months; well 48 is a few more than a few, but it was worth it. "Contemporary Insanity", "Barking Spiders", "Shadowlites", "Kindred Spirits" are all "classic" Happy The Man. It is almost as if this CD was released in 1980, next in line after "Crafty Hands".

If you like Happy The Man, you MUST get this CD! You should also look for them on the road soon. They are a live show that is like no other. Check out http://www.happytheman.com for tour information.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic comeback, June 17, 2005

By	Patrick Barnard (Cos Cob, CT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a fantastick comeback for HTM. The Muse Awakens hangs right in there with the band's first two releases - Happy the Man and Crafty Hands. I would say they went out of their way to maintain the quality of the songwriting - and the same overall sound the band had in the late 1970s. HTM fans and all prog rock enthusiasts will want to have this disc in their collections. Well composed, well executed, breathtakingly majestic progressive rock.

Rosenthal emulates Watkins beautifully. I am really surprised how much he can sound like Kit - yet at times he manages to bring in his own sound as well. You can sort of notice Kit's absence as a composer - however, Rosenthal, Wyatt and Whitaker lay down some amazing stuff here.

My one criticism of this disc? It is recorded too bright. Too "digital" sounding. Too harsh. No warmth. And you can tell it really lacks bass when you get to the track "Shadowlites," one of my favorites. The remasters of the first two releases, which obviously were recorded analog, have better sound quality.

Other favorites include The Muse Awakens, Stepping Through Time, Maui Sunset, Barking spiders, Kindred Spirits ... they're all good, actually. A real feast for the ears and the intellect. It still gets five stars from me even though the recording is icy cold.