''Happy Birthday'' is the debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by Scottish new wave band

Altered Images Altered Images are a Scottish new wave/post-punk band who found success in the early 1980s. Fronted by singer Clare Grogan, the group branched into mainstream pop music, having six UK top-40 hit singles and three top-30 albums from 1981 to 19 ...

, released in 1981. It was chiefly produced by

Steven Severin Steven Severin (born Steven John Bailey; 25 September 1955) is an English songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer. He is best known as the bassist of the rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees which he co-founded in 1976. He took th ...

and recorded at

Rockfield Studios Rockfield Studios is a residential recording studio located in the Wye Valley just outside the village of Rockfield, Monmouthshire, Wales. It was originally founded in 1963 by brothers Kingsley and Charles Ward. Facilities Rockfield is a two- ...

, with the exception of one track, " Happy Birthday", which was produced by

Martin Rushent Martin Charles Rushent (11 July 1948 – 4 June 2011) was an English record producer, best known for his work with The Human League, The Stranglers and Buzzcocks. Early life Rushent was born on 11 July 1948 in Enfield, Middlesex. His father ...

and recorded at Genetic Sound. "Happy Birthday" became the band's biggest hit, peaking at number two on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in October 1981. ''Happy Birthday'' reached number 26 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

and was certified silver by the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...

for sales in excess of 60,000 copies.

Release

''Happy Birthday'' was released on LP and cassette in 1981 by

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

in the United Kingdom and

Portrait Records Portrait Records was a sister label of Epic Records and later of Columbia Records. Notable artists Cyndi Lauper and Sade signed with Portrait, but their contracts were absorbed by Epic after that incarnation of the label was shuttered. History ...

in the United States. The US edition of the album features an re-recording, produced by

, of the track "Insects", in place of the original

-produced version included on the UK edition. ''Happy Birthday'' was reissued on CD several times in the 1990s. In 2004, Edsel Records issued an expanded edition of ''Happy Birthday'', entitled ''Happy Birthday... Plus'', on CD, which contained the original album along with six bonus tracks, including the band's first single "Dead Pop Stars" (which had peaked at number 67 in the UK earlier in 1981, but was not included on the original album). The album was reissued again in December 2016 as a 180-gram black vinyl LP, with a bonus 7" on red vinyl. It was then reissued in April 2017 as a double LP set for

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

on 180-gram black vinyl, containing additional period material not included on the previous bonus 7".

Track listing

All tracks are written by Altered Images, except where noted. Side one # "Intro: Happy Birthday" – 0:44 # "Love and Kisses" – 2:18 # "Real Toys" – 3:23 # "Idols" – 2:27 # "Legionaire" – 3:30 # "Faithless" – 3:49 # "Beckoning Strings" – 3:05 Side two # " Happy Birthday" – 3:00 # "Midnight" – 3:39 # "A Days Wait" – 4:20 # "Leave Me Alone" – 4:08 # "Insects" – 3:28 # "Outro: Happy Birthday" – 0:44 ''Happy Birthday... Plus'' bonus tracks #

"Dead Pop Stars" – 3:17

# "Sentimental" – 3:24 # "Who Cares?" – 3:00 # "Happy Birthday" (dance mix) – 7:03 # "So We Go Whispering" – 3:47 # " Jeepster" (

Marc Bolan Marc Bolan ( ; born Mark Feld; 30 September 1947 – 16 September 1977) was an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a pioneer of the glam rock movement in the early 1970s with his band T. Rex. Bolan was posthumously inducted int ...

) – 2:29 2016 reissue bonus 7" # "Dead Pop Stars" # "Sentimental" 2017

reissue bonus LP Side one # "Happy Birthday" (dance mix) # "Jeepster" (Bolan) Side two # "Leave Me Alone" (original cassette single version) # "Who Cares" # "So We Go Whispering" # "Real Toys" ( flexi version) # "Happy New Year"

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. Altered Images *

Clare Grogan Claire Patricia Grogan (born 17 March 1962), known professionally as Clare Grogan or sometimes as C. P. Grogan, is a Scottish actress and singer. She is best known as the lead singer of the 1980s new wave music group Altered Images, as well as ...

– vocals * Michael "Tich" Anderson – drums * Tony McDaid – guitar *

Johnny McElhone John Francis McElhone (born 21 April 1963 in Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish guitarist and songwriter. He has played with three bands who have enjoyed a top-20 presence in the UK Singles Chart; the new wave bands Altered Images and Hipsway, ...

– bass * Jim McKinven – guitar Additional musicians * Gerard "Caesar" McNulty – guitar on "A Days Wait" Production *

–

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

* Ted Sharp –

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

– production and engineering on "Happy Birthday" (and "Insects" on US edition) Design * David Band –

art direction Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the visi ...

Simon Fowler Simon Geoffrey Fowler (born 25 May 1965 in Meriden, Warwickshire) is an English singer and acoustic guitarist, best known as the frontman of Ocean Colour Scene. The Fanatics Simon Fowler commenced his music career as the lead singer and songwr ...

– inner sleeve photography * Terry Lott – inner sleeve photography * Chris Webster – cover photography The liner notes contain the following dedication: "Thanks to Janet and the Ice Bergs,

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

and Ginge with special thanks to Ceaser, Bobby, Kathleen and a very special hug for cheesy agency Ian Wilson at Wasted Talent".

References

{{Authority control 1981 debut albums Altered Images albums Albums produced by Martin Rushent Epic Records albums Portrait Records albums Albums recorded at Rockfield Studios