Crafty Hands

I grew up listening to Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, Gentle Giant and a lot more. Those were the bands that caught and held my attention. Up until a few days ago, I had never heard of these guys; boy have I been missing out on a good thing. After hearing them at a new friend's house I came home and ordered HTM's first two CDs immediately. This arrived yesterday and I played it 6 or 7 times. It's the shortest darned 41 minutes I've experienced in a while. LOVE this music. You can hear the influences of the groups mentioned above and even some Frank Zappa and Jean-Luc Ponty, but the music is never derivative. These musicians are top notch and the songwriting is tight and technical while still evoking an emotional response. Can't say enough good things about this CD. If you've never heard of this group, get online and give a listen. You won't be sorry.The first part of my review couldn't say how I would feel several months later. I bought a second copy just so I could keep it in the car. This music is fascinating, spellbinding and damn good. The subtle layering and building dynamic of 'The Moon I Sing' reminds me, in theory, of Crimson's 'Larks Tongues pt. II' and that's saying a lot. Ron Riddle's drumming is an integral part of this equation. Spare and clean, but explosive and important to the onward movement of repeated melodies. And all of the other musicians are aces. Still an incredible CD. One of the best I've heard in years.

Let's say you're listening to one of those "smooth jazz" stations, either for relaxation or inspiration ..... and you catch yourself thinking, "I'd sure enjoy this a lot more if these guys would just cut loose a bit".Chances are, you are wishing for something like Happy the Man. A primarily instrumental project that only released about four albums in the late 70s / early 80s (not counting the anthology), this 2-keyboard-driven quintet recorded music which ranged from flowingly etherial to majestically punchy/funky, all of it juicily melodic. Much of the music resembles Euro-Progressive rock fusion, ala Gentle Giant or the better efforts of early Genesis. It's like an opportunity to hear the better aspect of this kind of stuff, without the requirement to hear pretentious vocals.Well ..... with the rare exception. The 4-star rating is due to the one vocal track on this collection, which does it no favors. I always skip over it. The opener, "Service With a Smile" is a lush, rolling prelude in 11/8, paving the way for tasty tuneful treats to come. "Morning Sun" showcases the group's penchant for theme development, with a serene motif that sparkles, repeats and builds to a majestic level before melting away abruptly. "Ibby It Is", a longer track, offers more variance and energy (the overall album is wonderfully paced this way), and a prolonged build section that cuts off before you realize it. They seem to love to leave the listener wanting more. "Steaming Pipes" and "I Forgot to Push It" are high energy peaks, the former bordering on ominous, the other shamelessly whimsical. "Open Book" is an enigmatic, low-key interlude, and "The Moon I Sing" closes the album with a cyclical pastoral which resolves gracefully before floating your brain away into the ethers.All in all, Crafty Hands is a delightful journey for the ears, presented in just the right spirit of fun. Out of all this group's modest reperatoire, it is both representative and accessible, a welcome departure for new age listeners who still appreciate that little spark of mischief in a quality diet.

Crafty Hands completely changed the way I felt about Happy the Man. I had bought their first album maybe 15 years earlier than this, and found it a little too in-your-face/over the top in terms of musicianship. Crafty Hands doesn't hit you over the head with the band's smarts, and the more restrained sound really won me over and quickly became one of my favorite CDs. I don't even mind the vocals too much, there is only 1 song with vocals on the album, which was a big plus for me. Overall I think it's a must-buy if you like melodic prog rock.

Excellent album

Happy the Man were not the most prolific band to in the progressive rock pantheon but they were (and are) quite simply the finest progressive rock band North America ever produced.Crafty Hands, their second offering, was released back in the late seventies when Yes and Genesis were still producing the quality music that were obviously one source of inspiration for this largely ignored group of virtuosos.It features utterly inspiring, mostly instrumental, compositions that are alternate between intense aural blitzkriegs in the King Crimson mould and quietly delicious and relaxing and pastoral meanderings of early Genesis. And talk about sound quality. Ken Scott knew his stuff...remember Supertramp Crime of the Century? Same guy did this. Crank up the volume and enjoy. Also, they have a new one just released in 2006

I'd heard about Happy The Man since the late 1970's but hadn't actually heard their music until I recently picked up this One Way reissue. In a word, it's wonderful. Very complex and melodic, and possessing a cerebral, icy beauty. For comparison's sake, I think they had quite a bit in common with Gentle Giant, although their sound is wholly their own. I don't care for the one track with vocals as much as I like the others, but it doesn't detract much from the album. Happy The Man had to be the best American prog group judging from this release. Get it while you can.

I attended several concerts of HTM in the mid-70's in Washington DC clubs. They were amazing. And their music stands the test of time. It is not for everyone. But if you are a fan of prog rock - this is some of the best! Kit Watkins and the guys will live forever in this album.

Such a great band! Awesome album!!

The simple existence of Happy the Man surprises me. This band was way ahead of their time, and had little or nothing to do with rock music, maybe with prog. However, if you can associate them with something, it has to be classic european music and contemporary european music.After their self-titled first effort, they recorded this masterpiece. Absolutely fabulous, This is perfection. And did you know these guys played all this stuff live? Best proficiency I have ever heard after Gentle Giant.

Superb set of pieces from a much-missed band. A great follow-up to their first album.

superb

Excellent band. I bought their other seventies album, just entitled Happy The Man too. I can't recommend this band enough.

10/10 classic album