Slapp Happy
Slapp Happy was a German/English avant-pop group formed in Hamburg, Germany, in 1972 by British composer and keyboardist Anthony Moore, who recruited American guitarist Peter Blegvad and German vocalist Dagmar Krause.[1][2] The trio's music blended quirky, cabaret-inflected pop-rock with witty, literate lyrics, drawing influences from Kurt Weill-inspired expressionism, chanson, bossa nova, and tango, often featuring Krause's soulful, eccentric vocals reminiscent of 1960s ye-ye singers.[1][3] Known as cult favorites in the avant-garde and progressive rock scenes, the band recorded their debut album Sort Of in 1972 with backing from the experimental rock group Faust, marking an early foray into surreal, minimalist ditties.[2][3] After Polydor rejected the Faust-produced version of their second album, Slapp Happy re-recorded it for Virgin Records as Slapp Happy (also known as Casablanca) in 1974, adopting a cleaner, more polished sound while retaining their eccentric charm.[1] In 1975, the group effectively merged with the British avant-rock band Henry Cow, resulting in collaborative albums Desperate Straights and In Praise of Learning, which incorporated more experimental and politically charged elements under the influence of Henry Cow's lineup.[1][3] The band disbanded later that year, though Moore and Blegvad pursued solo careers and occasional joint projects, including the 1980 release Acnalbasac Noom (a reversal of "Casablanca Moon").[4][3] Slapp Happy reunited sporadically in later decades, releasing Ça Va in 1998 and performing live shows, including a 2000 tour in Japan and a final series of concerts with Faust in 2016–2017 across Europe and Tokyo, before disbanding again in 2017.[1][4] Their work has been praised for its innovative fusion of pop accessibility with avant-garde experimentation, influencing subsequent artists in the art-pop and Canterbury scenes, and remains celebrated for tracks like "Michelangelo" and "Me and Parvati," which evoke a mix of girl-group pop and blues-rock improvisation.[3]History
Formation and early recordings in Germany (1972–1973)
Slapp Happy was formed in Hamburg, Germany, in 1972 by British composer Anthony Moore, who assembled the initial lineup by recruiting American guitarist Peter Blegvad, a friend from New York, and German vocalist Dagmar Krause through connections in the local music scene. Krause, who became the band's lead singer, brought experience from her time in the Hamburg folk ensemble City Preachers, where she had performed in the late 1960s. The trio began rehearsing and writing material shortly after coming together, establishing the core creative dynamic that defined their early output. In May and June 1972, Slapp Happy recorded their debut album Sort Of... at Wümme Studios in Bremen, with production overseen by Uwe Nettelbeck and backing provided by members of the experimental rock group Faust, including bassist Jean-Hervé Péron and drummer Werner "Zappi" Diermaier. Additional contributions came from Faust's Günter Wüsthoff on saxophone for select tracks. The album was released later that year on Polydor Records in Germany and the UK, marking the band's entry into the avant-garde music landscape. The band undertook early live performances across Germany during 1972 and 1973, often featuring Moore on keyboards and Blegvad handling guitar arrangements alongside Krause's vocals. In 1973, they returned to Wümme Studios to record a follow-up album under the working title Casablanca Moon, again with Faust members providing instrumental support, including Péron on bass. Polydor rejected the recordings due to perceived lack of commercial viability, resulting in no official release at the time; the tapes remained shelved until their eventual issuance in 1980 as Acnalbasac Noom on Recommended Records, with limited unofficial circulation in the interim.Move to England and Virgin Records era (1973–1975)
In late 1973, following Polydor's rejection of their second album's recordings due to dissatisfaction with the experimental direction, Slapp Happy relocated from Germany to London, seeking new opportunities in the UK's burgeoning progressive music scene.[5][6] This move was prompted by the label's refusal to release the material, which had been produced with Faust as the backing band, leading the core trio—Peter Blegvad, Anthony Moore, and Dagmar Krause—to dissolve their Polydor contract and establish themselves in England.[5] Upon arrival, they swiftly signed with Virgin Records, a label eager to expand its roster of avant-garde acts, marking a shift toward more professional production resources.[6] Under Virgin's guidance, Slapp Happy re-recorded the rejected Casablanca Moon material at the label's Manor Studio in Oxfordshire, resulting in their self-titled album Slapp Happy (also retrospectively known as Casablanca Moon), released in 1974 with a polished, orchestral arrangement that contrasted the original's raw edge.[7][6] The production, supervised by Virgin, featured session musicians to enhance the songs' pop sensibilities while retaining Blegvad and Moore's witty, surreal lyrics delivered through Krause's expressive vocals. This era also saw their first Virgin single, "Casablanca Moon" b/w "Slow Moon's Rose," issued in April 1974, alongside a BBC Radio 1 session recorded for John Peel on June 25, which captured the band's live energy with tracks like "War Is Energy Enslaved" and "Europa."[8][9] By mid-1974, Slapp Happy began collaborating with the avant-rock group Henry Cow, leading to an integrated lineup that fused their cabaret-inflected pop with Henry Cow's improvisational intensity; this partnership yielded the joint album Desperate Straights in 1975, recorded at The Manor with contributions from Henry Cow members including guitarist Fred Frith.[10][11] The collaboration continued with In Praise of Learning, another co-credited release in 1975, though it emphasized Henry Cow's political themes and complex structures, with reduced input from Blegvad and Moore amid growing creative tensions.[12][11] Within the band, Blegvad and Moore's songwriting partnership drove the melodic foundations, while Krause's prominent, theatrical vocals became a defining element, though divergences in artistic vision strained relations.[6][11] The joint projects highlighted underlying frictions, culminating in Slapp Happy's dissolution in 1975 after Krause opted to join Henry Cow full-time for their extensive touring commitments, leaving Blegvad and Moore to pursue separate paths.[13][14]Dissolution and reunions (1975–present)
Slapp Happy officially dissolved in 1975 after vocalist Dagmar Krause chose to remain with the avant-rock group Henry Cow following their collaborative album Desperate Straights, while guitarist Peter Blegvad and keyboardist Anthony Moore pursued individual projects.[7][5] In 1980, Recommended Records released the archival album Slapp Happy or Slapp Happy (later reissued as Acnalbasac Noom in 1982), which featured the original 1973 German recordings of material from Casablanca Moon, including tracks like "Casablanca Moon" and "The Unborn Swan," presented in their raw, pre-English production form.[15] The core trio reunited in 1990 when Blegvad and Moore were commissioned to compose the television opera Camera, with Krause in the lead role as Melusina; the work was recorded in 1991, broadcast on German TV in 1993, and not commercially released until 2000 as a soundtrack album.[16][17] Slapp Happy reformed in 1997, recording their reunion album Ça Va that summer in London, which was released by V2 Records in 1998 and featured tracks such as "Scarred for Life" and "King of Straw," blending their signature witty lyrics with polished production. This led to a 2000 tour of Japan, with performances in Tokyo, Sapporo, and Kyoto documented on the live album Live in Japan - May, 2000, released in 2001.[18][19] The band reformed again in 2016 for a series of shows, beginning with a November 26 performance alongside Faust at the Week-End Festival in Cologne's Stadthalle Mülheim, their first live appearance in 16 years.[20][21] This was followed by dates with Faust at Cafe Oto in London on February 10–12, 2017; a solo show at Mt. Rainier Hall in Tokyo on February 24, 2017; and a performance at the Rock in Opposition Festival in Carmaux, France, on September 9, 2017, followed by a final solo concert at Les Ateliers Claus in Brussels, Belgium, on November 18, 2017.[22][23][24] In September 2023, Week-End Records issued a 50th-anniversary edition of the band's debut album Sort Of..., limited to 1,000 copies on vinyl, featuring remastered tracks from the 1972 sessions and new liner notes detailing the group's early Hamburg origins.[7][25] As of 2025, Slapp Happy remains inactive with no touring scheduled, though core members Blegvad, Moore, and Krause—all still alive—occasionally reference the band in interviews reflecting on their avant-pop contributions.[26]Musical style and legacy
Style and influences
Slapp Happy's music is characterized by an avant-pop aesthetic that fuses elements of waltzes, bossa novas, chansons, tangos, and rock, often juxtaposed with whimsical and surreal lyrics crafted primarily by Peter Blegvad and Anthony Moore.[27][7] This blend creates an intricate, unpredictable sound emphasizing melodic structures over rhythmic complexity.[7] Dagmar Krause's vocals are a defining feature, delivered in a Brechtian style that draws from German cabaret and folk traditions, spanning a wide range from intimate whispers to piercing shrieks.[7] Her approach evokes Weimar-era influences like Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, adding theatricality and emotional depth to the band's ironic and abstract compositions.[7][27] The core instrumentation centers on a minimalist trio setup, with Moore's experimental keyboards providing textural foundations, Blegvad's angular guitar riffs introducing dissonant edges, and sparse rhythm sections—often augmented by collaborators like Faust in early work—that prioritize melody and space over dense arrangements.[27][28] The band's influences encompass the Canterbury scene's progressive jazz-rock (e.g., Soft Machine and Robert Wyatt), German krautrock's avant-garde experimentation (e.g., Faust and Can), 1960s pop's melodic catchiness (e.g., The Beatles and The Beach Boys), and literary absurdism rooted in surrealism and pataphysics, as seen in Blegvad's lyrics inspired by figures like Alfred Jarry.[28][29] These elements inform a songwriting process that is collaborative yet dominated by Blegvad and Moore, focusing on irony, wordplay, palindromes, anagrams, and non-narrative structures to explore unlikely subjects through incongruous pairings of text and music.[29][27] Over time, Slapp Happy's sound evolved from a raw, lo-fi aesthetic in their German period—marked by unpolished recordings and experimental freedom—to a more refined and produced style during their English Virgin Records phase, while retaining core whimsical and surreal qualities.[27][7]Legacy and influence
Slapp Happy has attained cult status within avant-garde and progressive rock communities for their eccentric blend of pop and experimental elements, often classified under the Rock in Opposition (RIO) and avant-prog subgenres.[6] Their music's playful yet innovative approach has been recognized as a bridge between 1970s experimentalism and later developments in post-punk and indie pop, with critics noting how their progressive sensibilities anticipated the punk rock interregnum by combining accessibility with avant-garde quirkiness.[7] The band's critical reception has grown over time, with publications praising their innovation and the recontextualization of their work in modern reissues. Sort Of..., their 1972 debut, has been lauded for its period charm and likable songs, though initially seen as too self-consciously quirky for mainstream pop success.[30] The 2023 50th-anniversary reissue of Sort Of... on Week-End Records highlighted their role in linking progressive rock to punk's ethos, sparking renewed interest in their underappreciated contributions to female-led avant-garde music through Dagmar Krause's distinctive vocals.[7] This reissue, without new material, underscored gaps in historical coverage of 1970s experimental pop acts led by women, positioning Slapp Happy as precursors to more subversive forms.[30] Slapp Happy played a pivotal role in connecting the Canterbury scene's art-rock with German experimentalism, particularly through their 1974 collaboration with Henry Cow on Desperate Straights, which merged cabaret-informed pop with the British group's austere prog complexity.[31] This partnership exemplified their function as a conduit between krautrock influences and the RIO movement, fostering cross-cultural exchanges in European avant-garde music.[32] The archival preservation of Slapp Happy's work by Recommended Records has been crucial to their legacy, with the 1980 release of Acnalbasac Noom—the original 1973 recording of material later reworked as Casablanca Moon—serving as a key artifact of their uncompromised vision, free from major-label production gloss.[33] This reissue emphasized the album's rich arrangements and varied ensemble, making it a cornerstone for understanding their early experimental pop innovations.[33] In modern contexts, Slapp Happy receive recognition in documentaries on krautrock, such as Romantic Warriors IV: Krautrock, which details their collaborations and evolution from Polydor to Virgin Records. Members' subsequent solo careers have amplified this legacy; for instance, Peter Blegvad has referenced Slapp Happy motifs in his later albums, maintaining ties to their whimsical style.[3] Their influence appears in academic discussions of 1970s experimental music, including analyses of collective authorship and anti-individualist aesthetics in avant-pop.[34]Personnel
Core members
Slapp Happy's core lineup consisted of three primary members who shaped the band's avant-pop sound from its inception: Anthony Moore on keyboards and arrangements, Peter Blegvad on guitar and lyrics, and Dagmar Krause on lead vocals.[6] All three contributed to songwriting, with Moore providing backing vocals and Blegvad occasionally taking lead vocals on select tracks.[4] This trio formed the band's fixed creative nucleus throughout its active periods and reunions. Anthony Moore, born August 13, 1948, in London, is a British experimental composer, performer, and producer who founded Slapp Happy in 1972 in Hamburg, Germany.[35] He handled the band's keyboard work, arrangements, and backing vocals, drawing from his prior experience with avant-garde recordings for Polydor.[36] After Slapp Happy's initial dissolution in 1975, Moore pursued a solo career, releasing albums such as Out (1976) on Virgin Records, and later explored electronic music in projects like Arp & Anthony Moore (2010) and Arithmetic in the Dark (2019).[35] Peter Blegvad, born August 14, 1951, in New York City, is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and cartoonist who joined Slapp Happy through his connection with Moore, whom he met at boarding school.[37] As the band's guitarist, Blegvad was renowned for his witty, surreal lyrics that infused the group's songs with oblique humor and poetic wordplay.[38] Following the band's early years, he developed a solo career highlighted by albums like The Naked Shakespeare (1983) on Virgin Records, continuing his eclectic style in subsequent recordings.[39] Dagmar Krause, born June 4, 1950, in Hamburg, is a German vocalist whose dramatic vocal range and expressive delivery defined Slapp Happy's lead singing.[40] With a background in Hamburg's folk and theater scenes, starting her professional career as a teenager in local clubs, she brought a theatrical intensity to the band's material.[41] After 1975, Krause collaborated with groups like Henry Cow and Art Bears, while also undertaking solo vocal projects focused on interpretive and avant-garde works.[40] The core members remained active in Slapp Happy's reunions, including the 2016 Week-End festival in Cologne and 2017 performances at Cafe OTO in London and the Rock in Opposition festival in Carmaux, France.[36] As of 2025, Moore, Blegvad, and Krause are all alive and continue to perform individually in experimental and avant-garde contexts.[42]Additional contributors
During their early sessions in Germany for the album Sort Of... (1972), Slapp Happy enlisted members of the experimental rock band Faust to provide rhythmic support, including bassist Jean-Hervé Péron and drummer Werner "Zappi" Diermaier on several tracks, while saxophonist Gunter Wüsthoff contributed to the avant-garde textures.[43] The album was produced by Uwe Nettelbeck, a key figure in Faust's production, and engineered by Kurt Graupner.[43] In the Virgin Records era, the self-titled 1974 album featured session musicians such as drummer Marc Singer, bassist Dave Wintour, violinist and mandolin player Graham Preskett, adding pop-oriented elements to the core trio's compositions. Produced by Slapp Happy, with engineering by Simon Heyworth and Steve Tayler. String arrangements were provided by David Cunningham, enhancing the album's eclectic sound without altering the songwriting credits.[44][45] The collaborations with Henry Cow on Desperate Straights (1975) involved core Henry Cow members as additional contributors, including guitarist Fred Frith, drummer Chris Cutler, bassist John Greaves, clarinetist Tim Hodgkinson, oboist Lindsay Cooper, and flutist Geoff Leigh, who supplied experimental instrumentation and rhythm sections to support Slapp Happy's vocal and compositional focus. On In Praise of Learning (1975), the contributors included Fred Frith, Chris Cutler, John Greaves, Tim Hodgkinson, Lindsay Cooper, and percussionist Pierre Moerlen, emphasizing textural depth rather than co-writing.[46][47] Later reunions saw additional involvement; for the 1998 album Ça Va, featuring additional contributions from musicians such as Andy Diagram (trumpet) and Marc Marder (cello). The 2000 Japan tour relied primarily on the original members, with no documented extra performers. In 2016, performances in Cologne included Faust members Jean-Hervé Péron and Werner Diermaier joining onstage for select shows, reviving the early collaborative dynamic in a live context.[21][48] Throughout their history, additional contributors to Slapp Happy were strictly session-based, providing bass, drums, winds, and production support to bolster the experimental and rhythmic elements, while the core trio of Peter Blegvad, Anthony Moore, and Dagmar Krause retained all songwriting and leadership roles, ensuring no expansions to full membership.[6]Discography
Studio albums
Slapp Happy's debut studio album, Sort Of..., was released in 1972 on Polydor in Germany.[43] Recorded at the Wümme Workshop in Bremen with backing from members of Faust, the album features 12 tracks and was produced by Uwe Nettelbeck.[49] It was originally issued on vinyl and later reissued on CD by labels including Recommended Records in 1980 and Blueprint in 1999; a remastered 50th anniversary edition on vinyl, limited to 1,000 copies, was released in 2023 by Week-End Records, including bonus material from outtakes, with a further SHM-CD reissue by Belle Antique in Japan in 2024.[25] The band's second studio album, titled Slapp Happy (also known as Casablanca Moon), appeared in 1974 on Virgin Records in the UK.[45] Recorded at Virgin's Manor Studio in Oxfordshire, it consists of 11 tracks that re-record material from earlier 1973 sessions originally backed by Faust, featuring polished arrangements with additional instrumentation like tabla and violin.[45] The album was initially released on vinyl and later on CD through reissues by Virgin Records. In 1980, Recommended Records in the UK issued Acnalbasac Noom, an archival release of 11 tracks from the band's 1973 Wümme sessions, presenting the original German versions of songs later re-recorded for the 1974 album.[50] These recordings, again backed by Faust, were shelved at the time but surfaced as a vinyl LP; subsequent CD editions, including those from ReR Megacorp in 1990 and Tapete Records in 2024, added bonus tracks from the group's private collection.[51] Slapp Happy reunited for their fourth studio album, Ça Va, released in 1998 on Cuneiform Records in the US (with a European edition on V2).[48] Recorded in summer 1997 at Helicon Mountain Studios in London, the 13-track album features updated production on material written during the reunion.[52] It was originally issued on CD and vinyl, with later reissues including a 2009 SHM-CD edition in Japan and a remastered paper sleeve SHM-CD by Belle Antique in 2024. No further studio albums have been released by the trio since 1998.[4] None of Slapp Happy's studio albums achieved significant commercial chart success, instead gaining a cult following through independent label distributions and reissues.[6]Collaborative and live albums
Slapp Happy's collaborative efforts with the avant-garde rock band Henry Cow resulted in two notable albums released in 1975, marking a shift toward more experimental territory while blending the groups' respective pop and progressive styles. Desperate Straights, credited jointly to Slapp Happy and Henry Cow, was issued on Virgin Records in the UK and Caroline in the US, featuring 13 tracks that fuse Slapp Happy's witty pop sensibilities with Henry Cow's avant-rock improvisation.[46][31] The album's eclectic sequence includes short, twisted compositions like "Bad Alchemy" and "The Owl," highlighting the integration of Dagmar Krause's vocals with the expanded ensemble's acoustic and electric textures.[53] Following this merger, In Praise of Learning, also a co-credited release on Virgin and Caroline, appeared later that year with five principal tracks (though some editions delineate seven segments), emphasizing experimental structures and Krause's prominent role in the vocal arrangements.[54][55] Tracks such as "Living in the Heart of the Beast" and "Beginning: The Long March" showcase a denser, more politically charged avant-garde sound, incorporating free-form improvisations alongside composed pieces that reflect the bands' shared Rock in Opposition (RIO) ethos.[12] These joint albums were pivotal in the RIO scene, bridging accessible songcraft with radical experimentation and influencing subsequent avant-prog collaborations.[6] In 2000, the original trio of Dagmar Krause, Anthony Moore, and Peter Blegvad reconvened for Camera, a limited-edition soundtrack to their 1982 television opera of the same name, released on the US label Table of the Elements with 14 tracks.[16] Credited to the individuals rather than the band, the album captures fragmented, atmospheric compositions evoking the opera's themes of perception and voyeurism, distributed in a boutique pressing that underscored its archival nature.[56] Slapp Happy's sole live album, Live in Japan - May, 2000, documents their post-reunion tour across Tokyo, Sapporo, and Kyoto, initially released in 2001 exclusively in Japan on the Eastworld label (later reissued internationally) as a CD-only product with no accompanying video, featuring 16 tracks drawn from their catalog.[57] The recording preserves the trio's intimate, art-pop delivery on songs like "Casablanca Moon" and "King of Straw," serving as a rare document of their onstage chemistry after decades apart.[19] The Japanese edition sold out rapidly due to limited availability, reflecting sustained cult interest in the band's work.[58] No further live recordings have been released following their 2016–2017 reunion performances.[4]Singles and EPs
Slapp Happy released a small number of singles during their active periods, primarily in 7" vinyl format, often as promotional items or limited editions tied to album promotions. These releases did not achieve significant commercial success or chart placements, reflecting the band's niche avant-pop audience.[4] The band's debut single, "Just a Conversation" backed with "Jumpin' Jonah," was issued in 1972 on Polydor Records as a 7" 45 RPM promo single in Germany. Recorded during sessions for their initial album Sort Of, it featured the core trio of Peter Blegvad, Anthony Moore, and Dagmar Krause, with production support from Faust. The A-side runs 4:00, while the B-side is 3:03.[59] In 1974, Slapp Happy released "Casablanca Moon" / "Slow Moon's Rose" on Virgin Records as a 7" 45 RPM single in the UK, with additional pressings in France and Germany. This single drew from their self-titled album (also known as Casablanca Moon), capturing their whimsical, lounge-influenced style; the A-side lasts 2:43 and the B-side 2:53. Limited variants included test pressings and white labels.[60] The 1975 single "Johnny's Dead" / "Mr. Rainbow," credited to Slapp Happy featuring Anthony Moore, appeared on Virgin Records as a 7" 45 RPM promo single in the UK. Tied to the collaborative album Desperate Straights with Henry Cow, it showcased Blegvad's lyrics and Moore's arrangements, with the A-side at 2:57 and B-side at 4:03. A standard stereo version also exists alongside the promo.[61] Post-dissolution, the trio issued "Alcohol" in 1981 on Recommended Records as a one-sided 7" 45 RPM single in the UK, often bundled as a bonus with the reissue of Sort Of. Credited to Peter Blegvad, it originated as a 1974 demo from Desperate Straights sessions and emphasized experimental rock elements.[62] A final single, "Everybody's Slimmin' (Even Men and Women)" / "Blue-Eyed William," emerged in 1983 on Half-Cat Records as a 7" 45 RPM single in the UK, from the 1982 reunion sessions. Composed by Moore and Blegvad, the A-side highlighted satirical themes, while the B-side offered a more introspective tone; both tracks were published by Arcade Music.[63] Slapp Happy produced no formal EPs, though some promotional bundles incorporated single tracks. All originals were limited-run vinyl releases without major chart impact. Tracks from these singles have been digitally reissued in compilations, including the 2023 50th anniversary edition of Sort Of on Week-End Records, which remasters and contextualizes early material but does not replicate physical singles.[25]| Year | Title | Label | Format | Country | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | "Just a Conversation" / "Jumpin' Jonah" | Polydor | 7", 45 RPM | Germany | Promo |
| 1974 | "Casablanca Moon" / "Slow Moon's Rose" | Virgin | 7", 45 RPM | UK (also FR, DE) | Album tie-in |
| 1975 | "Johnny's Dead" / "Mr. Rainbow" | Virgin | 7", 45 RPM | UK | Promo, Henry Cow collab |
| 1981 | "Alcohol" | Recommended | 7", 45 RPM (one-sided) | UK | Bonus with Sort Of reissue |
| 1983 | "Everybody's Slimmin' (Even Men and Women)" / "Blue-Eyed William" | Half-Cat | 7", 45 RPM | UK | 1982 reunion sessions |