One of the most unlikely reunions of the early 2000s was
Happy the Man, a lesser-known '70s progressive rock outfit that provided only two albums before breaking up in 1979. Back then,
Happy the Man wasn't nearly as well known as
Yes,
Pink Floyd,
Genesis, King Crimson,
Gentle Giant,
Rush,
Kansas or
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, but they did enjoy a small cult following -- and those who remember
Happy the Man from that era will be glad to know that much of their late-'70s lineup is present on
Muse Awakens. This reunion album of 2004 is quite faithful to the spirit of '70s progressive rock, but unlike a lot of prog rock releases,
Muse Awakens is primarily an instrumental album. The only track that features guitarist Stanley Whitaker as a vocalist is the moody "Shadowlites"; everything else on this 56-minute CD is an instrumental, and that includes the playful "Barking Spiders" as well as the quirky "Lunch at the Psychedelicatessen," the pensive "Slipstream" and the haunting "Maui Sunset." Back in the '70s, a lot of people who fancied progressive rock were also into fusion; it wasn't uncommon to find an
ELP or
Yes fan who was also an admirer of
Weather Report, electric
Miles Davis, Caldera,
Return to Forever or the
Mahavishnu Orchestra -- and
Happy the Man wanders into fusion territory on the melancholy "Adrift." But
Muse Awakens is, for the most part, an album of progressive rock -- not fusion. It's important to understand that while fusion is a form of jazz that incorporates rock and funk elements, progressive rock belongs in the rock bins instead of the jazz bins. And for prog rock enthusiasts, this enjoyable disc demonstrates that
Happy the Man's reunion was a good idea. ~ Alex Henderson