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Happy Rhodes—The Keep

(Collection of live versions, and previously unreleased songs.)

Release info:

1995—Aural Gratification—AGCD0031 [CD] AGC 0031 [cassette]

Availability:

See Auntie Social Music—Happy Rhodes' Official website for current availability

Ecto priority:

Very high. (ectophil@netlink.co.nz)

Group members:

Happy Rhodes—vocals, nylon guitar, acoustic guitar

Guest artists:

Kevin Bartlett—electric guitar, loops, EFX, bass
Carl Adami—bass, devices
Kelly Bird—backing vocals, acoustic guitar
Dean Sharp—percussion, dobro

Produced by:

Kevin Bartlett and Happy Rhodes

Comments:

I love it! I think the sparser "unplugged" arrangements work extremely well, and serve to put the spotlight squarely on Happy's wonderful voice—where it belongs, in my opinion. (uchima@mcs.net)

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i honestly think that if happy were to release nothing but compilation albums from this point forwards, i would still eat up everything she put out and beg for more. wow! i love it! the opening remake of "temporary and eternal" had me glued in my seat and i stayed glued for pretty much the whole thing. actually that was one of the ones i was most impressed with—the original version of "temporary and eternal" i never really noticed—i mean, i liked it but it didn't reach out and grab me and say "hey, listen to me"—whereas this one did. and she does that wonderful thing with her voice that makes my spine tingle. the whole thing is just beautiful. i mean, i'd have thought that by the third remake of "save our souls" i'd've been pretty sick of it, but...no, definitely not! wow. though i do question her decision to do a christmas song. it sort of defiles her voice for me. but ah well. that's the only gripe :) (damon)

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Happy is back with another stunning album of material from the vault. Like RhodeSongs, The Keep is generally acoustic and calm. There are some surprises!
     The material from the Echoes sessions is remarkable. These performances have to rank amongst her best, they are drop-dead gorgeous. Carl's bass playing infuses a new slant to the music, and it is remarkable. In "Summer", the Enyaesque overdubs are gone, replaced by a supply insistent bass rhythm that redefines the song. "Temporary And Eternal" becomes even more lyrical, if you can imagine! The Echoes cuts are primo!
     The new material will require a few more listens to grok. First impressions are favorable, of course, as I am an acolyte at the Church of Happy. "Life on Mars" is a space lullaby, and "Flash Me Up" is also mellow.
     The Yes medley features "Soon The Light" from The Gates Of Delirium (Relayer), which my wife and I had played at our wedding. Coincidence? I think not! The recording of "Oh Holy Night" is not the same one she did on Helen Leicht's WMMR program, but embellished with sweet vocal overdubs. This was always my favorite carol, and she does it supreme justice. She pulls out all her range on this one!
     The last three songs are from her first recording session eleven years ago, and they are vintage Happy. They would be quite at home on Rhodes I and II. "Prey of the Strange" in particular is a vintage Happy lyric topic...scary! It's interesting to see how her vocal technique has improved over the years, although this recording is still phenomenal.
     All in all, a very pleasant listening experience.
     I love the album. But hey, you all knew that years ago! (rlovejoy@comcast.net)

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I picked up The Keep this weekend at Tower...wow! I've only listened to it once, and not with my full attention on it, but it's beautiful. I'm amazed at how much Happy's style hasn't changed since the early '80s...the early songs could fit right in with anything she's recorded now. (valerie@smoe.org)

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if the original version of "Temporary and Eternal" was zen, then this is nirvana. woo! (woj@smoe.org)

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I don't care that I've heard some of these songs before—this is a wonderful Happy album. The new versions are mostly wonderful (though nothing is ever going to make me like "Collective Heart"—just too poppy & bouncy for me and the lyrics are too sweet, but that's another story). This album reminds me strongly of why Happy is one of my all-time favourite artists. (Neile)

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I can only second what has been said about this album. I like most of the alternative versions much better than the original ones. (Dirk.Kastens@rz.Uni-Osnabrueck.DE)

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The elder of the new songs are truly vintage Happy Rhodes. Of course, I'd be surprised if they showed a drastically different direction from the other material written between '84 and '86 that she's released.
     "Life on Mars" is rather interesting to me...it's at once subversive, tender, and dreamy.
     The song is a rather lovely lullaby, but what the singer is saying to the child is rather surprising: don't believe your parents, don't believe your teachers. Take life as you want to see it, and don't let "them" (typical authority figures) try to hold you back.
     I find "Flash Me Up" to be rather surprising, given that it was written in '94. To my mind, it's more reminiscent of something off Warpaint, at least in its theme of desiring recognition and wanting to share one's talent with the rest of the world. At the same time, hints of earlier themes shine through, particularly at the end of the song when the main character says, "If I admit to my madness / then so must you."
     "Bye Moon" is referred to as the first song Happy recorded. It certainly shares much with other early Happy songs. The guitar intro is extremely similar to that of "Under and Over the Brink." Both songs deal with death and insanity (while not explicitly mentioned in "Bye Moon", the moon is, of course, a classic symbol for, well, yeah, lunacy). I'm intrigued by the title of the song, as the word used in the lyric seems to actually be "by." Is the title, then, a farewell?
     "Prey of the Strange": Ah, more classic Happy. Monsters, death, destruction, suicide, fear. This might be my favorite of the "new" songs. The end to the lyric is just sublime! Folks who were new to Happy with Equipoise might have been surprised by "Cohabitant," but those of us with a longer history know that this dark thing has been lurking in Happy for a very long time indeed.
     I think "Hand of Mine" is a musical explanation of how, as a teenager (and remember, this is an old song), music was Happy's was of getting away from all the darkness in her life, in her self. Very different from how I originally saw the song, and a rather fascinating look into what she was going through and her escape mechanisms.
     Once again, I'm simply awestruck by the talent of this woman. Wow. The voice just gets better 'n better.... and the music stays incredible!
     Lots 'n lots of acoustic guitar. Ahhhh.
     Rush out, buy it, and play it over and over again. With your eyes closed.
     ;-)
     I have trouble viewing this as a compilation, since half the material is completely new and the other half has never been officially released. Happy simply never fails to amaze.(burka@jeffrey.net)

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Those of you who are still looking for this disc can be assured that it is really worth the hunt—there is some tremendously beautiful music on The Keep, plenty of moments that will send chills up your spine! (trow@interbridge.com)

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"Bye Moon" is definitely one of the best songs on The Keep, and one of the best of Happy's early recordings.
     If you don't have The Keep, you must get it. It is definitely a great album, and it was made for the fans. (hkd@tln.lib.mi.us)

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Well, Tuesday I did it, bought The Keep. I've been waiting and waiting to hear Happy and this was the only one I could find. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Every song on the album amazes and haunts me with its brilliance.... Her range is phenomenal, her music her voice...wow...i'm so happy!!!!!! I need to get more of her albums!!!!!!! One question, I've played several songs of Happy for various friends, and NONE of them believe me that is her singing the low notes in such songs as "Temporary and Eternal" and "Life on Mars". I know it's her, demonstrating that remarkable 4-octave range! (enzo1@idt.net)

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It's just brilliant. (lombaeg@donald.interpac.be)

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I can't imagine what got into her, thinking that something like "Oh, Holy Night" belonged on a non-Xmas album (yes, I know, it was released as sort of a gift to her fans), or on any album at all. It seemed so out of character! Sure, she sounds great, but I can't be the only one who studiously avoids "reverent" music regardless of the artist. If Happy had just sung it in Russian or something—it's the awful lyrics that bug me. (mp@moonmac.com)

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It's really quite beautiful. (BOUTAME@yalevm.ycc.yale.edu)

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Wowza. From the first sung bits of "Temporary and Eternal" (the original version of which never did much for me, I confess), which is simply mind-blowingly AMAZING through to the very end, it's 100% a winner. No human being should be able to sing like that. Wow. The Echoes version of "Temporary and Eternal" almost literally blew me off the road when I first heard it, and things only got better from there. I don't need to say this here, but she's just amazing. (meth@smoe.org)

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Like all the rest of Happy's published work, The Keep is a must-have for any Happy fan (I, too, answer "What Happy CDs should I buy?" with "All of them."). The acoustic version of "Temporary and Eternal" is glorious. "Life on Mars" is glorious. Well, OK, everything on the CD is glorious, although I have to admit that I like the album versions of "For We Believe" and "Hold Me" better than the reworkings, which are nevertheless worthwhile for their different approaches. And I'm a little dubious about yet another version of "Save Our Souls". But these are minor quibbles. It's amazing how fresh 11-year-old recordings from before the beginning of her career sound today, and a tribute to Happy's incredible talent. I'd really love a new studio album, and after RhodeSongs yet another acoustic compilation seems a little unoriginal, but this does fine. Especially nice for digging a few old gems out of the vaults. I'll forgive her for the extremely Christian Christmas carol (it sounds beautiful), but not for yet another version of "Save Our Souls". (stevev@hexadecimal.uoregon.edu)

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I didn't really expect to like this as much—being yet another compilation album (so shortly after RhodeSongs), but the old songs are done in such delightful new ways, and the new songs are so great, that it has got to make my top 10 for the year. Can't wait for the next "real" album though.
     I like it-my only complaint is that like RhodeSongs its consistently too quiet—but well worth the price for "O Holy Night" and "Look for the Child". The new version of "Temporary and Eternal" is also pretty awesome. (jjhanson@att.net)

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Well, I like the cover. And everything contained within. (pmcohen@voicenet.com)

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How do you argue with that VOICE? You don't. Terrific acoustic redoes of already great songs. They feel warmer on The Keep than on her albums (it's probably the guitar), and I generally prefer them here. INCREDIBLE previously unreleased songs. Drooool. Favorite Track: "Prey Of The Strange." (NyxNight@aol.com)

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my thoughts on it? well it's great. (iflin@speakeasy.net)

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Just listen to her voice and melt. A collection of remixes and new material that reinforce the genius of this unique artist. (jsutton@rahul.net)

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well, I'm preaching to the converted here, but wowowowow. I will note that my housemate has bought himself a Sony Playstation, and one of the demos that come with it is called 'VCD'—it plays CDs, and animates these strange shapes on the screen using the music to affect how it does the animation. Some of the effects are truly bizarre, and best appreciated at 1am when slightly buzzed. The Keep produces some strange relaxing patterns—usually things like techno and dance make the screen move a fair bit, but the slower music is also interesting....
     After listening to The Keep about 3 or 4 times end to end I then had to go and listen to the older ones, of course. A great way to listen to them, I've found, is lying in a bath full of weird bubble gunk, with lots of candles everywhere, and Happy on the CD player. (anthony.baxter@aaii.oz.au)

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For my money, much better than Building The Colossus. The stripped-down sound suits her well. (dixon@physics.Berkeley.EDU)

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I was looking forward to another collection of Happy's acoustic songs, and of course I wasn't disappointed, but on first hearing it all sounded a bit too much the same. I think I would have preferred some more variation, like on RhodeSongs. But there are some really beautiful moments on The Keep. I haven't listened to it enough to really say which are my favourite tracks, but "Temporary and eternal", "Life on Mars", "Flash me up" and "Prey of the strange" stood out the first time. Not too sure about the "Yes medley" yet, perhaps because I've never really listened to anything by Yes except for "Owner of a lonely heart" and "Wonderous stories".... :-) (Marion)

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I finally got my copy of The Keep, and though I'd like to tell you all how much I like it I've been rendered speechless! Totally wonderful. A masterpiece. I love it! (afries@zip.com.au)

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When I first heard tracks from The Keep I was blown away...it's still my favorite, although probably because I think Happy's voice is so fine that it stands best alone or with simple accompaniment. The Keep to me is as if Happy did MTV Unplugged or something.
     I would encourage you to listen to The Keep...and if you find you don't like that one, then pass it along to a friend who likes wonderful voice with an "unplugged" backdrop. (Violaine@juno.com)

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Did I mention that The Keep is brilliant? It most certainly is a wonderful thing indeed. It's thrilling just to listen to these songs, because they're so great!
     The Keep versions were so familiar, but not because I'd heard them before, not because I'd heard anything like them before, and not because of Happy's high voice sounding like Kate Bush's. "Strangely, thrillingly familiar" "Shock of recognition" ...yeah, it's impossible to explain.
     I love her Yes medley, too. I was very very into Yes at a certain time in my life, which is that same '70s time frame. I didn't stop being into them because I stopped liking them, I just...I don't know, was buying other things. Happy's a real Trevor head though. This "Yes Medley" is a revelation. Truly wonderful. (vickie@enteract.com)

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I love it! Absolutely wonderful. Standouts for me are the acoustic "Temporary and Eternal" (I like the original, but this surpasses it no end! :), the Yes medley (shiver shiver :), "Save Our Souls"...the list goes on and on and on.... :) I think I prefer the original "Summer" to the one on The Keep though. (Urs Stafford)

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I think this CD can be summed up with just two words: Hauntingly Beautiful. (smolla@siscom.net)

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I'd stick with The Keep if you like acoustic. This release *really* showcases her range—just listen to "Life On Mars"! (JavaHo@aol.com)

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Been listening for almost two years now, and considering hiring myself out to the CD industry to provide proof of the imperviousness of compact discs to incessant playing. (rkonrad@ibm.net)

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The Keep is really an outstanding CD to me. It fully realizes Happy's acoustic side. It does so in a unique way, though. Happy primarily just uses guitars, percussion and voice to create the mood. The "spacier the better" approach on many of the songs gives such an ethereal dreaminess to them. Happy uses chorus, echo and reverb effects in a very effective way on her acoustic guitars. Kevin is doing some amazing atmospheric work with his guitar playing and use of Fripp-like loops. Many kudos to Carl's otherworldly bass playing as well. Happy's singing is pure and wonderful throughout the disc.
     I feel that Happy and Kevin created a cohesive mood throughout the whole disc considering that these songs were taken from a number of different original recordings that spanned a number of years.
     "Temporary and Eternal" is another one of my favorite Happy songs. I love both versions of the song (The one on Equipoise and this one on The Keep). Other highlights for me are "Life On Mars", "Save Our Souls" and "Look For The Child".
     I feel that Happy does a wonderful job in interpreting other artist's works. The "Yes Medley" is great as far as I'm concerned. Happy's version of "Soon" sends chills up my spine. Her version of "The Endless Dream" is so different than the way Trevor Rabin does it on the Yes album Talk that she really makes it her own.
     I highly recommend The Keep!(wpm@value.net)

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The Keep is proving to be a difficult album for me to get into. I like "Life on Mars," and the acoustic version of "Collective Heart" equals or surpasses the original. "O Holy Night" is nice as well. I'll forever be grateful that she did such a pretty, calm take on a song that too many singers feel obliged to use for roof-raising. As for the rest, I either can't get into it ("Flash Me Up" / "The Yes Medley") or find the original versions superior. But that's just me. It's still all great listening. (Patrick)

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If you want acoustic Happy, get The Keep. The way she sings Yes's "Soon" alone is worth the price. (bill@wagill.com)

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I listened to The Keep. From the first few strains of "Temporary and Eternal" I thought, "Oh, yes!" When Happy's voice comes in, "he is broken, far from free/words were spoken 'tween him and me..." I was thinking, "Oh I LOVE this!" and by the time her lower register voice appears several lines later, "well he walks to the gate and he looks behind..." in my mind I was screaming, "Omigod, omigod!! I *LOVE* this!!! This is my kind of music!!!"
     There is something—as Tom Ditto wrote—strangely, thrillingly familiar about her music. It's as if every single song on The Keep sprang into existence fully-formed and perfect, and has been hanging there in the atmosphere on a different frequency, waiting for those like me to wake up and tune in. These songs of hers lack that quaint, self-conscious awkwardness that most things created from scratch by humans possess. I'm hooked!! : )
     "Temporary and Eternal" is extraordinary and beautiful and transcendent and now owns a special place in my heart. I consider it my first real Happy Rhodes experience. It has a melancholy beauty that really appeals to me, on top of some really spare but profound lyrics. But every song on The Keep touches me; yes, every single one. "Save Our Souls", gives me the ole shivers up the arms. The previously unreleased rather dark lullaby "Life on Mars" beautifully showcases her amazing voice with her placing of the falsetto parts next to the low parts (is this a woman singing bass? Or just a really, really rich alto?) I even love her Yes medley, and Yes is a band that I don't know at all other than those two songs that got radio airplay back in the mid-seventies.
     I came out of my reverie at one point to discover myself sobbing at "Bye Moon", just thinking, "Oh she was SO YOUNG here. So young and so talented: I wish it were me!"
     The Keep is an instant classic for me, like finding a long-lost, much beloved teddy bear that you have a vague memory of from when you were still in your crib. Oh the mix of emotions one would feel if he stumbled across that teddy bear at a garage sale! Again, there is something inexplicably familiar, giving me a strange, dizzy, déjà vu feeling. I've heard that a lot of people feel an unaccountable sense of familiarity, of rediscovery, when they visit Africa for the first time, the birthplace of our species. This is something like the emotions I felt when listening to The Keep (over and over and over again!) this weekend. It is truly angelic music, if I may borrow that description from Kevin E. I also enjoyed reading the playfully witty liner notes. But they made me realize how much I've been missing.
     NOW I understand why this woman inspires such devotion from her fans. We none of us want to be alone in our existence in this life, and we live in constant denial that we ARE alone. Those special ones who make us feel *CONNECTED* to one another through media like music deserve to be admired and, yes, loved, even when we don't know them personally.
     Eternal thanks to all of you for beseeching me with all your might to give The Keep a listen. I feel fortunate to own this recording. It is really a treasure. (oefflep@mis.finchcms.edu)


Happy Rhodes' recordings:

The main Happy Rhodes page


Thanks to Philip Sainty for work on this entry.

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Entry last updated 2008-07-13 14:51:12.
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