Slapp Happy – Slapp Happy Or Slapp Happy Acnalbasac Noom [IMPORT 1973 Berlin Green Vinyl RSD]- New LP

2020 green vinyl reissue of this 1973 oddball outing, second album, originally recorded as Casablanca Moon for Polydor but the label rejected the album, and upon landing at Virgin, the trio re-recorded the disc in its entirety, releasing it as a self-titled effort in 1974.  The 1973 original versions were finally released in 1980 with this sleeve art, and this is a reissue of that album--that 1980 album of the 1973 recordings.

Acnalbasac Noom -- meant to be the German-English-American avant-pop group Slapp Happy's second album -- was originally recorded in 1973 but did not see release until 1980. Recorded with legendary German art-rock group Faust accompanying the Slapp Happy core of Anthony Moore on keyboards, Peter Blegvad on guitar, and Dagmar Krause on vocals, and with Faust's brilliant producer Uwe Nettelbeck at the helm, Acnalbasac Noom was initially rejected by the group's label Polydor as not being commercial enough. As a result, the band left Polydor, signed with Virgin, and released this album's tracks in a completely re-recorded version for their official second album, the self-titled Slapp Happy from 1974. Far from being simply an "alternate version" of that album, Acnalbasac Noom is a completely different beast from Slapp Happy. Simultaneously low-key and high-brow, the versions found here are damaged art-pop par excellence; the combination of Slapp Happy and Faust create a sound that defies era, sounding at times like anything from the artsier side of their contemporaries in the British folk-rock movement to damaged '90s indie-pop, the more accessible end of Yoko Ono's 1970s to an alternative universe Lynchian cabaret-lounge act. It's not often that an unreleased or "lost" album marks the pinnacle of a group's career, but with Acnalbasac Noom there's a strong argument to be made. Limited edition of 1,000 copies on translucent green vinyl.

01. “Casablanca Moon” 02. “Me & Paravati” 03. “Mr. Rainbow” 04. “Michelangelo” 05. “The Drum” 06. “A Little Something” 07. “The Secret” 08. “Dawn” 09. “Half-Way There” 10. “Charlie 'N Charlie” 11. “Slow Moons Rose”

AllMusic Review by Richie Unterberger: "The history of this album is a bit complicated. Originally titled Casablanca Moon, it was recorded for Polydor in 1973, but scrapped when the group signed with Virgin; their first Virgin release was an entirely re-recorded version of the same material, although it was entitled Slapp Happy when released. To compound the confusion, the Virgin version was retitled Casablanca Moon when it was reissued on CD in 1993 (on a single-disc release that also included their 1974 Virgin album Desperate Straights). Acnalbasac Noom is the original, 1973 recording of the Casablanca Moon material, and not a mere archival curiosity; it's quite worthy on its own merits. The group's songwriting had improved since their debut, and Krause's German chanteuse-influenced vocals found catchier, more rock-oriented settings. The lyrics are witty and oddball without being pretentious. Tracks like "Mr. Rainbow" recall Yoko Ono's early-'70s song-oriented material, with an important difference: Krause's vocals are much better than Ono's, while just as distinctive. "The Secret," with its almost girl-group-worthy catchiness, and "Charlie 'n Charlie," with its nifty surfish guitar riff, even sound like potential commercial singles."

German / English avant-pop group founded in 1972 in Hamburg. Their lineup consisted of Anthony Moore (keyboards), Peter Blegvad (guitar) and Dagmar Krause (vocals). The band members moved to England in 1974 where they merged with Henry Cow but the merger ended soon afterwards.

Avant-pop cult favorites Slapp Happy formed in Hamburg, Germany in 1972; there vocalist Dagmar Krause, a veteran of the folk group the City Preachers, first met British experimental composer Anthony Moore, who had previously issued a pair of solo LPs, Pieces from the Cloudland Ballroom and Secrets of the Blue Bag, on Polydor. When the label rejected a third Moore record, he instead proposed a pop project, recruiting Krause and New York-born guitarist Peter Blegvad to form Slapp Happy; recorded with input from members of the famed Krautrock band Faust, the trio issued their debut album Sort of... in 1972, its commercial prospects severely limited as a result of the band's refusal to perform live. Still, Polydor assented to a follow-up, with Slapp Happy soon convening to record Casablanca Moon; the label rejected the album, however, and upon landing at Virgin, the trio re-recorded the disc in its entirety, releasing it as a self-titled effort in 1974.