''Slapp Happy'' (also known as ''Casablanca Moon'') is a studio album by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

avant-pop Avant-pop is popular music that is experimental, new, and distinct from previous styles while retaining an immediate accessibility for the listener. The term implies a combination of avant-garde sensibilities with existing elements from popular ...

group

Slapp Happy Slapp Happy was a German/English avant-pop group, formed in Germany in 1972. Their lineup consisted of Anthony Moore (keyboards), Peter Blegvad (guitar) and Dagmar Krause (vocals). The band members moved to England in 1974 where they merged w ...

, recorded at

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), Tom Newman. It ...

Manor Studio The Manor Studio (a.k.a. The Manor) was a recording studio in the manor house at the village of Shipton-on-Cherwell in Oxfordshire, England, north of the city of Oxford. Overview The Manor and its outbuildings are listed Grade II on the Nati ...

in 1974. This album was originally recorded in 1973 in Germany under a working title of ''Casablanca Moon'' with

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...

as Slapp Happy's backing band, but

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

in Germany rejected it. After moving to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and signing with

, Slapp Happy re-recorded the album (at Virgin's request) with session musicians under the direction of violinist , and with new arrangements of the songs by Roger Wootton of

Comus In Greek mythology, Comus (; grc, Κῶμος, ''Kōmos'') is the god of festivity, revels and nocturnal dalliances. He is a son and a cup-bearer of the god Dionysus. He was represented as a winged youth or a child-like satyr and represents ana ...

. Virgin released the album in 1974 as ''Slapp Happy''. A second UK pressing of the album used the title ''Casablanca Moon'' on the label (though not on the cover). Later CD reissues officially used the title ''Casablanca Moon''. In 1980

Recommended Records Recommended Records (RēR) is a British independent record label and distribution network founded by Chris Cutler with Nick Hobbs in March 1978. RēR features largely "Rock in Opposition" and related music, but it also distributes selected mus ...

released the original recording (with Faust) as '' Acnalbasac Noom'' (''Casablanca Moon'' with the words written backwards).

Reception

Reviewing the album at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born January 19, 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing. Life and writing Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' ...

wrote that Slapp Happy's songwriting here is better than on their first album, ''

Sort Of ''Sort Of'' is the debut studio album by the avant-rock band Slapp Happy. It was recorded in Wümme, Bremen, Germany in May and June 1972 with Faust as their backing band, and released on LP by Polydor Records in 1972. In 1980 Recommended Re ...

''. It has "witty and oddball" lyrics that are not "pretentious", and are showcased by Krause's German-inflected singing. Unterberger compared some of the tracks on the album to

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...

's 1970s songs, but felt that "Krause's vocals are much better than Ono's, while just as distinctive." Writing in ''The Rough Guide to Rock'', Mark Ellingham noted: "Slapp Happy found themselves at Virgin's Manor studios, recording the album with a virtual chamber orchestra of musicians." In a 1974 review in ''

Audio Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to: Sound * Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound *Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum * Digital audio, representation of sou ...

'', Carl Anthony said ''Slapp Happy'' has " me of the most extraordinary lyrics I've heard in a long time", and when they are sung by Krause in her " unting" voice, the deceptively "normal" music is transformed into "something surreal and distant", "alien but strangely inviting". He described the recording of the album as "clean and open" with "clear and well projected" vocals. Anthony added that Slapp Happy "is no ordinary group" and opined that they are "going to be big – no question of it".

Track listing

All music composed by

Anthony Moore Anthony Moore (also known as Anthony More) (born 13 August 1948) is a British experimental music composer, performer and producer. He was a founding member of the band Slapp Happy, worked with Henry Cow and has made a number of solo albums, inc ...

and

Peter Blegvad Peter Blegvad (born August 14, 1951) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, writer, and cartoonist. He was a founding member of German/English avant-pop band Slapp Happy, which later merged briefly with Henry Cow, and has released many so ...

, except where noted.

Personnel

Sources:

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...

Dagmar Krause Dagmar Krause (born 4 June 1950) is a German singer, best known for her work with avant-rock groups including Slapp Happy, Henry Cow, and Art Bears. She is also noted for her coverage of songs by Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill and Hanns Eisler. He ...

(credited as "Dagmar") – lead vocals *

– second vocals,

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

(uncredited) *

– keyboards

Guests

*Marc Singer – drums *

Dave Wintour David M. Wintour (1 September 1944 – 12 July 2022) was a British bass guitarist and session musician. Wintour was born on 1 September 1944 in Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire and died on 12 July 2022 in Drumnacross, Kilraine. Dave Wintour is be ...

– bass guitar * – violin, mandolin *Roger Wootton – backing vocals *Eddie Sparrow – drums, congas, whistles, etc. *Jean Hervé Peron – bass guitar *Clare Deniz – cello *Nick Worters – double bass *Jeremy Baines – sausage bassoon *Andy Leggett – jugs *

Clem Cattini Clemente Anselmo Agustino Cattini (born 20 August 1937) is an English rock and roll drummer of the late 1950s and 60s, who was a member of The Tornados before becoming well known for his work as a session musician. He is one of the most prolifi ...

– drums * Henry Lowther – trumpet *

Geoff Leigh Geoff Leigh (born 5 October 1945) is an English jazz and progressive rock musician, playing primarily soprano saxophone and flute. He was a member of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow and founded several bands himself, including Red Balu ...

– saxophones *Keshave Sathe – tablas, tamboura

Sound and art work

– producers *Steve Morse – producer *Simon Heyworth – mixer, engineer *Steve Taylor – mixer, engineer *David Larcher – cover photograph *Carol Aitken – cover design

CD reissues

In 1993

reissued ''Slapp Happy'' as ''Casablanca Moon'' together with Slapp Happy's '' Desperate Straights'' on CD.

References

External links

Peter Blegvad Discography
26 October 2009)

Works cited

* {{Authority control 1974 albums Slapp Happy albums Virgin Records albums Avant-pop albums