Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
After the glorious pop masterpieces that were the Trash Can Sinatras' first two albums, A Happy Pocket is a bit of a letdown. Murky production, strange vocal effects that obscure Francis Reader's delicate voice, and an over-reliance on mandolin overdubs make for a generally less than engaging listen. That doesn't mean that there aren't some fine additions to the Trash Can canon, as "The Safecracker," "Twisted & Bent," "How Can I Apply...?," and "The Therapist" are absolutely sublime. One gets the sense that the album was only half complete upon its release. Indeed, a rotating bevy of mixers and engineers are credited with various batches of the songs. At least one-third of the album comes across like a collection of fleshless demos. Particularly stale is the amateurish cover of "To Sir With Love" that sounds as if it was recorded underwater with Reader half-asleep. A Happy Pocket is certainly more subdued than the band's earlier albums, but that's not what makes it disappointing. It's as if the band took a step backward, stripped down their trademark jangling guitars, and decided to rely on studio polish in place of their usually stellar hooks. Had it not been for the stunning musicianship and energy of the previous albums, A Happy Pocket would probably be more enjoyable. But outside of the occasional gems, as stellar as they are, A Happy Pocket lags far behind the band's earlier output due to poor sequencing, some sloppy production choices, and a lack of editing prowess. Had the album been edited down to five or six songs, it would have made a fine mini-album.
© Tim DiGravina /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From kr133.33/month
David Hughes, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Hugh Jones, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Whitfield, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Stephen Douglas, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Helen Woodward, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - JOHN DOUGLAS, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Francis Reader, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Paul Livingston, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - The Trash Can Sinatras, Producer, MainArtist - Davy Hughes, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1996 Go! Discs Ltd.
David Hughes, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Stephen Douglas, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Larry Primrose, Mixer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - JOHN DOUGLAS, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Francis Reader, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Paul Livingston, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - The Trash Can Sinatras, Producer, MainArtist - Davy Hughes, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1996 Go! Discs Ltd.
David Hughes, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Hugh Jones, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Whitfield, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Stephen Douglas, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Helen Woodward, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - JOHN DOUGLAS, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Francis Reader, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Paul Livingston, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - The Trash Can Sinatras, Producer, MainArtist - Davy Hughes, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1996 Go! Discs Ltd.
Mark London, ComposerLyricist - David Hughes, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Don Black, ComposerLyricist - Stephen Douglas, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - JOHN DOUGLAS, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Francis Reader, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Paul Livingston, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - The Trash Can Sinatras, Producer, Mixer, Engineer, MainArtist, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1996 Go! Discs Ltd.
David Hughes, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Whitfield, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Stephen Douglas, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - JOHN DOUGLAS, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Francis Reader, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Paul Livingston, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - The Trash Can Sinatras, Producer, Mixer, MainArtist, StudioPersonnel - Davy Hughes, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1996 Go! Discs Ltd.
David Hughes, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Stephen Douglas, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Larry Primrose, Mixer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - JOHN DOUGLAS, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Francis Reader, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Paul Livingston, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - The Trash Can Sinatras, Producer, MainArtist - Davy Hughes, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1996 Go! Discs Ltd.
David Hughes, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Hugh Jones, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Whitfield, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Stephen Douglas, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Helen Woodward, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - JOHN DOUGLAS, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Francis Reader, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Paul Livingston, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - The Trash Can Sinatras, Producer, MainArtist - Davy Hughes, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1996 Go! Discs Ltd.
David Hughes, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Stephen Douglas, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - JOHN DOUGLAS, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Francis Reader, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Paul Livingston, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - The Trash Can Sinatras, Producer, Mixer, Engineer, MainArtist, StudioPersonnel - Davy Hughes, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1996 Go! Discs Ltd.
David Hughes, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Hugh Jones, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Steve Whitfield, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Stephen Douglas, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Helen Woodward, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - JOHN DOUGLAS, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Francis Reader, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Paul Livingston, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - The Trash Can Sinatras, Producer, MainArtist - Davy Hughes, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1996 Go! Discs Ltd.
David Hughes, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Whitfield, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Stephen Douglas, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Larry Primrose, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - JOHN DOUGLAS, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Francis Reader, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Paul Livingston, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - The Trash Can Sinatras, Producer, MainArtist - Davy Hughes, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1996 Go! Discs Ltd.
David Hughes, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Cenzo Townshend, Mixer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Stephen Douglas, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - JOHN DOUGLAS, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Francis Reader, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Paul Livingston, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - The Trash Can Sinatras, Producer, MainArtist - Davy Hughes, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1996 Go! Discs Ltd.
David Hughes, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Whitfield, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Stephen Douglas, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Larry Primrose, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - JOHN DOUGLAS, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Francis Reader, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Paul Livingston, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - The Trash Can Sinatras, Producer, MainArtist - Davy Hughes, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1996 Go! Discs Ltd.
David Hughes, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Whitfield, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Stephen Douglas, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Larry Primrose, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - JOHN DOUGLAS, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Francis Reader, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Paul Livingston, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - The Trash Can Sinatras, Producer, MainArtist - Davy Hughes, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1996 Go! Discs Ltd.
David Hughes, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Whitfield, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Stephen Douglas, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Larry Primrose, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - JOHN DOUGLAS, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Francis Reader, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Paul Livingston, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - The Trash Can Sinatras, Producer, MainArtist - Davy Hughes, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1996 Go! Discs Ltd.
Album review
After the glorious pop masterpieces that were the Trash Can Sinatras' first two albums, A Happy Pocket is a bit of a letdown. Murky production, strange vocal effects that obscure Francis Reader's delicate voice, and an over-reliance on mandolin overdubs make for a generally less than engaging listen. That doesn't mean that there aren't some fine additions to the Trash Can canon, as "The Safecracker," "Twisted & Bent," "How Can I Apply...?," and "The Therapist" are absolutely sublime. One gets the sense that the album was only half complete upon its release. Indeed, a rotating bevy of mixers and engineers are credited with various batches of the songs. At least one-third of the album comes across like a collection of fleshless demos. Particularly stale is the amateurish cover of "To Sir With Love" that sounds as if it was recorded underwater with Reader half-asleep. A Happy Pocket is certainly more subdued than the band's earlier albums, but that's not what makes it disappointing. It's as if the band took a step backward, stripped down their trademark jangling guitars, and decided to rely on studio polish in place of their usually stellar hooks. Had it not been for the stunning musicianship and energy of the previous albums, A Happy Pocket would probably be more enjoyable. But outside of the occasional gems, as stellar as they are, A Happy Pocket lags far behind the band's earlier output due to poor sequencing, some sloppy production choices, and a lack of editing prowess. Had the album been edited down to five or six songs, it would have made a fine mini-album.
© Tim DiGravina /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 14 track(s)
- Total length: 00:53:14
- Main artists: The Trash Can Sinatras
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: UMC (Universal Music Catalogue)
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 1996 Go! Discs Ltd. ℗ 1996 Go! Discs Ltd.
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.