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.
Avant popsters Slapp Happy get the two-fer treatment from Virgin on this 1999 CD. The first 11 tracks were originally released in 1974 as the group's eponymously titled Virgin label debut (and are not the same versions of the tunes recorded earlier with Faust, first intended for release by Polydor, and ultimately issued by Recommended Records -- and by Cuneiform with bonus tracks -- under the title Acnalbasac Noom). The group's songwriting had improved since 1972's Sort of...Slapp Happy, and Dagmar Krause's German chanteuse-influenced vocals were presented in catchier settings, although some prefer the comparatively unsophisticated and rockish Faust-backed versions from Acnalbasac Noom to the re-recorded Casablanca Moon tracks, which are backed by session musicians and even a string section. In either case, the lyrics are witty and oddball without being pretentious. Tracks like "Mr. Rainbow" recall Yoko Ono's early-'70s song-oriented material, with an important difference: Krause's vocals are much better than Ono's, while just as distinctive. "The Secret" could even be a potential commercial single. The remaining tracks here are from 1975's Desperate Straights, a surprisingly melodic album (especially considering that it is a collaborative effort with Henry Cow), light on the art school angst and heavy on the playfulness, which one would hardly expect from such determined socialists as these. But here it is: "Some Questions About Hats" sounds like a Kurt Weill outtake, and "A Worm Is at Work" gallops along with a sweet tune. Krause remains restrained and not given to flights of horrible fancy. "Strayed" is reminiscent of Kevin Ayers' brand of art rock, and most of the songs clock in under two minutes. But never fear: the album ends on the eight-minute "Caucasian Lullaby," a minimal woodwind piece that suddenly bursts into one last jab of Krause-ian despair. With a total of 24 tracks, this two-fer is a worthy purchase with a generous helping of Slapp Happy's idiosyncratic yet often accessible work from the 1970s.
© Richie Unterberger & Ted Mills /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 $17.49/month
Peter Blegvad, Composer - Steve Morse, Producer - Anthony Moore, Composer - Slapp Happy, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1993 Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1993 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1974 Virgin Records Limited
Peter Blegvad, Composer - Steve Morse, Producer - Anthony Moore, Composer - Slapp Happy, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1993 Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1993 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1974 Virgin Records Limited
Peter Blegvad, Composer - Steve Morse, Producer - Slapp Happy, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1993 Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1993 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1974 Virgin Records Limited
Peter Blegvad, Composer - Steve Morse, Producer - Anthony Moore, Composer - Slapp Happy, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1993 Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1993 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1974 Virgin Records Limited
Peter Blegvad, Composer - Steve Morse, Producer - Anthony Moore, Composer - Slapp Happy, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1993 Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1993 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1974 Virgin Records Limited
Peter Blegvad, Composer - Steve Morse, Producer - Slapp Happy, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1993 Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1993 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1974 Virgin Records Limited
Peter Blegvad, Composer - Steve Morse, Producer - Anthony Moore, Composer - Slapp Happy, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1993 Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1993 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1974 Virgin Records Limited
Peter Blegvad, Composer - Steve Morse, Producer - Slapp Happy, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1993 Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1993 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1974 Virgin Records Limited
Peter Blegvad, Composer - Steve Morse, Producer - Anthony Moore, Composer - Slapp Happy, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1993 Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1993 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1974 Virgin Records Limited
Peter Blegvad, Composer - Steve Morse, Producer - Anthony Moore, Composer - Slapp Happy, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1993 Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1993 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1974 Virgin Records Limited
Moore, Composer - Steve Morse, Producer - Slapp Happy, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1993 Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1993 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1974 Virgin Records Limited
Peter Blegvad, Composer - Simon Heyworth, Producer - Anthony Moore, Composer - Henry Cow, Producer - Slapp Happy, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1993 Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1993 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1975 Virgin Records Limited
Moore, Composer - Simon Heyworth, Producer - Henry Cow, Producer - Slapp Happy, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1993 Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1993 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1975 Virgin Records Limited
Peter Blegvad, Composer - Simon Heyworth, Producer - Anthony Moore, Composer - Henry Cow, Producer - Slapp Happy, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1993 Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1993 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1975 Virgin Records Limited
Peter Blegvad, Composer - Simon Heyworth, Producer - John Greaves, Composer - Henry Cow, Producer - Slapp Happy, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1993 Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1993 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1975 Virgin Records Limited
Peter Blegvad, Composer - Simon Heyworth, Producer - Anthony Moore, Composer - Henry Cow, Producer - Slapp Happy, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1993 Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1993 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1975 Virgin Records Limited
Moore, Composer - Simon Heyworth, Producer - Henry Cow, Producer - Slapp Happy, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1993 Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1993 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1975 Virgin Records Limited
Peter Blegvad, Composer - Simon Heyworth, Producer - Henry Cow, Producer - Slapp Happy, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1993 Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1993 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1975 Virgin Records Limited
Moore, Composer - Simon Heyworth, Producer - Henry Cow, Producer - Slapp Happy, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1993 Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1993 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1975 Virgin Records Limited
Peter Blegvad, Composer - Simon Heyworth, Producer - Henry Cow, Producer - Slapp Happy, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1993 Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1993 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1975 Virgin Records Limited
Peter Blegvad, Composer - Simon Heyworth, Producer - Anthony Moore, Composer - Henry Cow, Producer - Slapp Happy, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1993 Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1993 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1975 Virgin Records Limited
Peter Blegvad, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - George Frideric Handel, Composer - Simon Heyworth, Producer - Henry Cow, Producer - Slapp Happy, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1993 Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1993 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1975 Virgin Records Limited
Peter Blegvad, Composer - Simon Heyworth, Producer - Dagmar Krause, Composer - Henry Cow, Producer - Slapp Happy, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1993 Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1993 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1975 Virgin Records Limited
Simon Heyworth, Producer - Anthony Moore, Composer - Chris Cutler, Composer - Henry Cow, Producer - Slapp Happy, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1993 Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1993 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1975 Virgin Records Limited
Album review
Avant popsters Slapp Happy get the two-fer treatment from Virgin on this 1999 CD. The first 11 tracks were originally released in 1974 as the group's eponymously titled Virgin label debut (and are not the same versions of the tunes recorded earlier with Faust, first intended for release by Polydor, and ultimately issued by Recommended Records -- and by Cuneiform with bonus tracks -- under the title Acnalbasac Noom). The group's songwriting had improved since 1972's Sort of...Slapp Happy, and Dagmar Krause's German chanteuse-influenced vocals were presented in catchier settings, although some prefer the comparatively unsophisticated and rockish Faust-backed versions from Acnalbasac Noom to the re-recorded Casablanca Moon tracks, which are backed by session musicians and even a string section. In either case, the lyrics are witty and oddball without being pretentious. Tracks like "Mr. Rainbow" recall Yoko Ono's early-'70s song-oriented material, with an important difference: Krause's vocals are much better than Ono's, while just as distinctive. "The Secret" could even be a potential commercial single. The remaining tracks here are from 1975's Desperate Straights, a surprisingly melodic album (especially considering that it is a collaborative effort with Henry Cow), light on the art school angst and heavy on the playfulness, which one would hardly expect from such determined socialists as these. But here it is: "Some Questions About Hats" sounds like a Kurt Weill outtake, and "A Worm Is at Work" gallops along with a sweet tune. Krause remains restrained and not given to flights of horrible fancy. "Strayed" is reminiscent of Kevin Ayers' brand of art rock, and most of the songs clock in under two minutes. But never fear: the album ends on the eight-minute "Caucasian Lullaby," a minimal woodwind piece that suddenly bursts into one last jab of Krause-ian despair. With a total of 24 tracks, this two-fer is a worthy purchase with a generous helping of Slapp Happy's idiosyncratic yet often accessible work from the 1970s.
© Richie Unterberger & Ted Mills /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 24 track(s)
- Total length: 01:13:03
- Main artists: Slapp Happy
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Virgin Records
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 1993 Virgin Records Limited This Compilation ℗ 1993 Virgin Records Limited
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.