Posted in: Musicouching by Mark Gordon Brown on February 5th, 2010 | 17 Comments
Have you ever imagined what Western popular music would sound like if The Great Depression or World War II had never happened? The band Slapp Happy may be the answer to that question.
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In 1974 Slapp Happy and Henry Cow merged, which resulted in two albums. The first being “Desperate Straights”, under the name Slapp Happy/Henry Cow, followed by “In Praise of Higher Learning”, under the name Henry Cow/Slapp Happy. The former was comprised of songs composed by members of both bands , while the latter was mostly composed by the members of Henry Cow, thus making the bulk of Slapp Happy’s contribution to the album Krause’s vocals. The only exception to this being the composition “War” by Moore and Blegvad. Shortly after Moore and Blegvad quit because they felt the music was becoming too serious. Krause remained the vocalist for Henry Cow.
Cover of Acnalbasac Noom
In 1980 Recommended Recorded released the original version of “Casablanca Moon” under the title “Acnalbasac Noom”. Slapp Happy has also had a few short lived reunions. In 1982 the trio released “Everybody’s Slimmin’ (Even Men and Women)” on their own label Half-Cat Records. In 1991 the BBC commissioned the trio to produce an opera for television called “Camera”. Finally in 1997, they reunited on Virgin’s V2 label to record their final album “Ça Va”. This was the only release in which the trio played all of the instruments without aid of a backing band. Their only other release as Slapp Happy was “Live in Japan” which was released in 2001, seemingly because as the cliché goes they are big in Japan.
Now back to my sense that Slapp Happy has tapped into some type of of alternative reality. At times I like to image how the world might be different had certain events not happened. One of the mental exercises that I do in regards to this is to imagine how popular music might have been impacted if things had just went a little differently. When I listen to Slapp Happy, I do not have to rely solely on my imagination. The music of Slapp Happy gives me a sense that I have been transported to a world where The Great Depression did not happen. It transports me to a world where World War II and the Nazi atrocities did not happen.
If we really think about where popular music was going in the 1920s, before The Great Depression, or about the music lost because many musicians and composers that were killed during the reign Hitler, the music of Slapp Happy would be one of the most logical models of which to glean what popular music would sound like if the events had never happened. Their music is very reminiscent of the Cabaret music that was being performed in Berlin of the 1920s and 1930s and is often compared to it. It is not exactly like that music. It sounds like what I feel would have been the natural progression of popular music from that time period to the time that in was recorded, in the 1970s, had those events not plagued the world.
I believe that if The Great Depression and World War II had not happened, that music like that of Slapp Happy would be the norm in popular culture, instead of a little gem found in a dusty part of a record store. Had those two events not happened, then certain trends in popular music may not have happened. It just might be that Western popular music would be just a little bit musically and lyrically complex than it has been in the last fifty years. We may not have had the rise of Rock and Roll music in the 1950s. We may not have had the British Invasion of the early 1960s in quite the same way. Had World War II not happened, maybe The Beatles would have been writing in the tradition of Cabaret music. I am aware that the trends of Big Bands and Cabaret music were not completely lost because of either The Great Depression or World War II, however, I feel that, had those two tragic periods not happened, that the progression of popular music would have taken another course. I believe that by listening to Slapp Happy we can hear what popular music would have sounded like had things gone just a little differently. The subtle differences may be purely a product of my own imagination, yet I ask you to listen to the included pieces of music from Slapp Happy with these questions in mind, to see what you think.
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qasimdharamsy February 5th, 2010 at 4:49 am
Great post…very well written….
joyhyena29 February 5th, 2010 at 6:13 am
great share^^
ganeshgolha February 5th, 2010 at 10:57 am
Great one! Its interesting.. keep it up. N thanks for the post,also go tru the one which I recently posted.. Thanks!!!
Brenda Nelson February 5th, 2010 at 11:06 am
I cannot watch the videos, but have heard their music, some songs I like.. others are just too weird.
martie February 5th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
interesting to say the least.
Trakiya February 5th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
good article.thanks
deep blue February 5th, 2010 at 7:04 pm
Nice music with a different delivery style.
Alistair Briggs February 5th, 2010 at 8:02 pm
Good argument about how things could have been different had it not been for the great depression and the second World War.
I think there are arguments both ways. For example, look at what the likes of Robert Johnson was doing in the 1920’s. Even on to the likes of Muddy Waters in the very early 40’s. A lot of that is only one step away from what some of the 60’s bands were doing (Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin etc).
The irony of the British invasion was that it had its roots firmly in the German music scene to start with.
During their Hamburg days, the Beatles performed quite a lot of Cabaret style music and show-tunes, more through a time issue requiring it rather than a wanting to do it.
Anyway, I think I am kind of rambling here without making a point. lol Very interesting read and it is always good to think how music could have progressed differently had certain things not happened.
Ruby Hawk February 5th, 2010 at 11:02 pm
Mark, I think I agree with you. The war did change everything including music. I had never heard of this group before but I like them.
Daisy Peasblossom February 6th, 2010 at 1:22 am
It reminds me of a strain of underground music known as “filk”. Although filk has been infiltrated by rock in recent years, well into the ’90’s it had a folk quality that has been lost to mainstream music. Worm at Work reminded me of my favorite genre.
taypai February 6th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
i have never heard of them but as i listened to the music i feel pulled into the song, another band that was created during the same era was orange marmalade, a scottish band that had a unique sound as well, they didn’t make it far but the sound was one i enjoyed as much as slapp happy
clickmarbin February 6th, 2010 at 11:46 pm
nice information you have here
kakiss February 7th, 2010 at 3:24 am
very nice info
Mark Gordon Brown February 8th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Alistair, it is interesting that you bring up what Robert Johnson was doing in the 1920s musicially. I personally think that most of Western popular music that is around today can be traced back directly to Johnson. Not really a new idea. Many have suggested as much. If I actually believed in a devil, I might even suggest that the Faustian deal Johnson allegedly made “down at the crossroads” might have been a contributing factor to The Great Depression. Maybe the fodder for another article on alternate realities and how things could have been different. I am aware that it has been suggested that Rock and Roll, R and B, and even to some extent Modren Country has been crused by the alleged deal that Johnson made with the devil. For example, the Rock and Roll death curse theory that took the likes of Hendrix, Joplin, Morrison, and Cobain, etc etc etc… something about them being taken at the same age Johnson died 27????? .. I may or may not write something on this other idea I have about that deal having a part in causing the Great Depression for the reason that Johnson’s influence to be felt on a larger scale would need some serious economic problems on a larger scale than purely the plight of poor minorities and such. But then again I am not quite sure if I am invested enough in the idea to relate it beyond this response.
Alistair Briggs February 8th, 2010 at 2:52 pm
I think you should consider writing something about the link between it and the great depression, even if it is written a bit at a time over a longer period. I, for one, would be interested in reading it.
lol, the musicians that died aged 27. I wrote a piece on that a while ago called ‘Dead Musicians: The Curse or 27′
@ taypai: were you refering to Marmalade? (Scottish band from the late 60’s to the early 70’s), They had a huge number one in the UK with a cover version of ‘Ob-la-di Ob-la-da’.
In there earlier days they were known as ‘the Gaylords’ lol
BradONeill March 4th, 2010 at 9:37 pm
AHHHHHH mARK i LiSTEnED to the first video and want to poke my ears with pencils So i never have to hear anything like that again!!!
sorry I know you like these guys we just have differing ideas of what constitutes torture. You probably consider water boarding torture and I consider this torture.
Mark Gordon Brown March 5th, 2010 at 2:12 am
Yeah Brad, Slapp Happy is a love or hate thing for sure. Actually I lived in a house during art school with a bunch of other people. They would put on my Slapp Happy records when they wanted people to leave after a party. lol