From Acnalbasac Noom To Casablanca Moon

Introduction

This is just to let you know about two excellent incarnations of effectively the same album. I will include a playlist so you can sample the music for yourself and make your own judgement on the music.

I have both albums in my collection and find them wonderful to listen to, almost pop or intellectual easy listening.

Both albums are still available.

The Story

The history of the albums is covered in this article:

The first version, which was the band's second album was rejected by their record label, Polydor. Today the band could have recorded and released it themselves, but then you really did need a studio to record in and a record company to release your work.

I love the cover that is almost hieroglyphic in style, probably done by Peter Belgvad although the booklet and label were done by Chris Cutler of Henry Cow.

The core of the band are

• Peter Blegvad
• Anthony Moore
• Dagmar Kraus

On "Acnalbasac Noom" they are backed by Faust

On "Casablanca Moon" they are backed by Henry Cow

These are the liner notes from Peter Blegvad for the second version of the album:

"BLATANT ECCENTRICS GET RECORD DEAL" (Headline in N.M.E.-June 8, 1974)

Welcome to the strange world of Slapp Happy Listening to this CD even once, instantly confers on the listener honorary membership in one of the most exclusive "cult followings" in the history of pop music

This CD contains Slapp Happy's second and third albums - "Casablanca Moon" ('73), and "Desperate Straights (74), Polydor (Germany) had released our debut, in a few remote territories, two years previously. It was called "Sort Of which summed up our attitude pretty well. We recorded it near Hamburg, in Faust's communal studio. We considered it a subversive act to have suckered Polydor into paying us to make a pop record.

Anthony and I thought of ourselves as imposters, but with the cocky insecurity of youth, we were sure we could come up with something that listeners might mistake for pop music. That it worked had a lot to do with Dagmar's weird and wonderful voice. She hadn't sung since mysteriously losing said voice two years before. When she heard Anthony and me trying to sing she suddenly recovered.

Our producer was one Uwe Nettlebeck, a maverick critic and bon viveur. He encouraged us to develop the music we called "Naive Rock, the Douannier Rousseau sound."

"Casablanca Moon" was recorded with a new producer (Steve Morse), and various session players. It's an eccentric record. Our ambivalence towards pop music expresses itself in a kind of sinister whimsy. Slapp Happy's trademark "charm" saves the songs from pastiche. I once heard a stranger whistling "The Secret" in a New York City Health Club shower ten years after this record was deleted. It's a catchy tune.

Influenced by Henry Cow, whom we'd been impressed by live, we cut "Europa" as a single. It was a turning point, probably the first time we'd given our "all" as composers and performers.

I think "Desperate Straights" holds up well , if you ignore the last track. Dagmar's music for "In the Sickbay" makes me wish she'd written more.

The Henry Cow/Slapp Happy alliance made another album together, "In Praise of Learning. (75) and then broke up, fairly acrimoniously. Anthony quit and I was actually fired("aah, the Cow is full of bull - PB., 75). Dagmar stayed to explore the new music and life on the road in various line-ups of Henry Cow culminating in the Art Bears at the end of the decade.

All three of us have continued as solo acts with several records between us. At the time of writing, Slapp Happy have only played live once, (at the I.C.A. in London, in 1982, wearing luminous fish masks and singing "Everybody's Slimmin', Even Men and Woman", the single we had out on our own label, Half Cat records), But Slapp Happy refuses to lie down and die.

Various artists, on both sides of the Atlantic, do us the honour of occasionally "covering" one of our tunes. And, in 1991, our most ambitious project to date, Anthony, Dagmar and I collaborated on an hour-long "opera" commissioned by Channel Four, called "Camera", which is due for broadcast, late '93.

Sometimes I wish we'd made "Teach Yourself Slapp Happy", (to have been based on the popular "Teach Yourself" manuals). Sometimes I'm glad we didn't. Oh, and the concept album we were planning to follow "Desperate Straights" with: "Slapp Happy Salutes the United Nations", featuring us slaughtering various ethnic musics. Ah, well... Peter Blegvod

(with help from Anthony & Dagmari, July 93, London)

The Music

"Casablanca Moon" from "Acnalbasac Noom" with Faust

I love this song slightly Brechtian and how this could be rejected by Polydor I don't know. I think it's a beauty and love Dagmar's voice.

"Casablanca Moon" from "Casablanca Moon" with Henry Cow

This is slightly more melancholy with the violin on the intro, but still a wonderful record.

"Mister Rainbow" from "Acnalbasac Noom" with Faust

This is quite ponderous but wonderful and in the album lyrics, two poems by Rimbaud are printed "Jeune Goinfre" and "Young Glutton" but are not included in the song.

"Mister Rainbow" from "Casablanca Moon" with Henry Cow

A little slower and darker than the original, but Dagmar's voice is absolutely beautiful, until some evil witch steals in (which is probably Peter or Anthony). Though a third version featured Anthony on the "B" side of the single "Jonny's Dead", sung in French.

Conclusion

Although I have only included versions of two songs, I think they will be enough for you to decide whether you want to hear more.

Thank you for reading and I hope I piqued your interest.