Happy Rhodes
The Keep
Album Credits

Liner notes of "The Keep"

It was the spring of 1991 when Happy Rhodes released Warpaint. Technically her fifth recording, it was however, the first to be mass marketed. This basically meant, servicing radio stations and using independent distributors as opposed to selling copies from the trunk of a car. Warpaint was also our (her) first release on the ever popular CD format. (Our 8-track sales were starting to decline)

The appeal and acceptance of a little known artist on an even more little known label was far reaching. Many radio stations took to Happy like stunt ducks to water, embracing her incredible voice, haunting compositions and "right between the eyes" lyric. In fact the album's single "Feed the Fire" was reported by Philadelphia's WXPN as the #1 most requested song of 1991. Indeed !

What was once a small cult following of fans, was rapidly becoming a large cult following of fans. All of a sudden, people from all over the world were wanting to know, Who was this woman ? Where'd she come from ? What has she done ? What is she doing next ? When's the tour ? Who's that guy singing with Kate Bush ? The proverbial "splash " had been made.

As with any artist being commercially presented, the challenge of eternal exposure becomes paramount. ("Outta sight, Outta mind") A demand is created for new material, new albums, personal appearences at record stores, radio stations, live shows, solo shows, band shows, and lots and lots of interviews. Meeting this challenge becomes the artist's "new" job description. Probably the best effect of all this commotion is that an awful lot of music gets played. Not just in recor- ding studios, clubs and theatres, but music played at radio stations, cold radio stations, hot radio stations, music played in living rooms, music played with crushed fingers, music played for a guy and his dog, music played for 100,000 listeners, music played on no sleep, music played on too much sleep, music played for people who came to hear someone else.

Most of this music gets recorded, but usually it's for a single broadcast or for the sake of posterity. After about 5 years of this however, you begin to notice that there is this pile of tape threatening to move you out of house and home. A wealth of material that was probably heard only once or twice by people who happened to be tuned into a radio or had caught one of Happy's rare live shows. This brings us to the point of this recording.

We've been very fortunate to have a dedicated listening audience for the music of Happy Rhodes. We're always asked where people can get a hold of copies of all these unique performances. People who missed a broadcast or are interested in what a 48 track recording sounds like performed with one voice and one guitar. People curious aboutwhat Happy sounded like, doing a medley of Yes songs at the group's 1994 New York City convention. What's her trio sound like ? What was that Christmas carol performed on Helen Leicht's WMMR show ? What was her very first recording ? All these inquiries got us wondering if we should go to the "vault" and see if we had enough good material to make an album of interest and merit. What you hold in your hand is the result of that search. We found some pretty rare stuff. We came across recordings once thought to be lost, as well as a few that should have stayed lost. (No offense to Ms. Rhodes, they were technical nightmares). We listened to every tape from every radio station, every recording session as far back as 1984, every gig. Finally we picked out what we thought were the most interesting performances and arrangements. Most of this material is "as is", in it's original state. Some material was too precious to exclude, but didn't make the technical grade. In these cases we opted to rerecord the songs, keeping their uniqueness intact.

So hopefully what we have here is a collection of some very diverse and possibly historical musical moments that will sate the appetite for the more rare and intriguing aspects of a very special artist's career. At least to date. This album is a tribute to the thousands of fans and supporters of Happy's music, as much as it is a tribute to the musical brilliance of Happy herself. This is your record, from the vault, from The Keep.

Thank you for listening.

Kevin Bartlett/Aural Gratification

Full credits:

Tracks 1, 5, 8, 11
Produced by John Diliberto, Engineered by Jeff Towne, For Echoes Living Room Concert Series

Tracks 2, 4, 6, 9
Produced and Engineered by Happy Rhodes and Kevin Bartlett

Tracks 12, 13, 14
Produced by Happy Rhodes, Engineered by Pat Tessitore

Track 10
Produced by Happy Rhodes and Kevin Bartlett, Engineered by George Cowan, Assistant Engineer Dave Martin

Track 3
Produced and Engineered by Bruce Raines for The World Cafe

Track 7
Produced and Engineered by John Patoubas at WDET in Detroit

Digital Mastering performed by D. Toby Mountain at Northeaster Digital Recording

All songs (C) 1984-1995 by Happy Rhodes, Published by Hovering Slab Music BMI
"I Sleep Alone" written by Trevor Rabin. Published by Uni/Chappell Music, Warnell Chappell Music
"Soon" written by Jon Anderson. Published by Topographic Music BMI
"Endless Dream" written by Trevor Rabin, Jon Anderson. Published by Tremander's Songs BMI and Fizz Music Ltd., Warner Bros. Music Corp. ASCAP
"Hearts" written by Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Chris Squire, Alan White, Tony Kaye. Published by Affirmative Music BMI

Digital Design & photo manipulation by Melissa McGill / Hippogriff Design

MANY MANY THANKS TO MANY MANY PEOPLE
All the listeners. This means YOU! Susanne White, Michele Clark, Madeiline Chattah, Mitch "Hired Gun" Satalof, Anne Marie Doordan, John Diliberto, Jeff Towne, Kimberly Haas, Bruce Raines, David Dye, Bruce Warren, Christopher Williams, Helen Leicht, Michaela Majoun, Kim Alexander, Kieth Brand, Biff Kennedy, Lisa Riegel, Ann Delisi, John Patoubas, Kevin Griffin, Shawn Fox, Mike Conrad, Jimmy Buff, Dave Dowd, Nic Harcourt, Debby Applebaum, Suzanne Cerquone, Ed Sciaky, David Torn, Pat Tessitore, George Cowan, Dave Martin, Mark McKenna and Bearsville Studios, Mike Morrison, Carl Adami, Kelly Bird, Dean Sharp, Tom Lanahan and Kamen Music, Adam Cohen at Sweetwater Sound, Sharon Nichols, Mike Marone, Ray Terlaga, Ben Sooper, Liz Apoka, Rita Houston, Dave Leonard, Lenny Piazza, Alan Pepper & The Bottom Line staff & crew, all the stations who "gave it a spin", a couple of thousand other folks we have have overlooked. (sorry if we missed you)

CONTACT INFORMATION:

[Contact info deleted. It's all out of date now]

INFO ON ECHOES
http://www.echodisc.com/
e-mail echoes@echoes.org or write:
Echoes P.O. Box 224, Eagle, PA 19480

Echoes is a two hour daily music soundscape,
produced and hosted by John Diliberto and broadcast
over 145 Public Radio Stations.

Additional information about tracks on "The Keep" from the liner notes:

1. Temporary and Eternal (5:33)
   Echoes Living Room Concert series, Spring 1995
   • Originally written and recorded for Equipoise (AGCD0019), this version was arranged and performed exclusively for the Echoes Living Room Concert Series in the spring of 1995. Also known as "The Spacier, The Better" sessions.
   • Happy Rhodes - vox, nylon guitar
   • Kevin Bartlett - electric guitar, loops
   • Carl Adami - bass, devices

2. Life On Mars (3:20)
   New Recording of unreleased song from 1986
   • First recorded back in 1986 around the time of Ecto (AGCD0013), as an all-synth version. Happy opted to redo this one with the acoustic guitar and some EFX.
   • Happy Rhodes - vox, acoustic guitar
   • Kevin Bartlett - electric guitar, EFX

3. Collective Heart (4:45)
   Unplugged version, live at the World Cafe Spring 1995
   • Best known as the single from Building the Colossus (AGCD0029), this song saw many a version played in 1994, from full band, to unplugged, to solo performances. This version comes to us from Happy's unplugged band, live on the World Cafe program, taped at WXPN in Philly.
   • Happy Rhodes - vox, acoustic guitar
   • Kevin Bartlett - electric guitar
   • Carl Adami - bass
   • Kelly Bird - backing vox, acoustic guitar
   • Dean Sharp - percussion

4. The Yes Medley (6:05)
   New Recording of the Manhattan Center Show, 1995
   • In the summer of 1994 Happy was invited to perform at the YesFest in New York City. It was only fitting to pay some homage to a band who've provided her with much musical inspiration. The original recording from the Manhattan Center had it's share of technical woes, so re-recording for this compilation was in order. A rare treat that even includes a song from Trevor Rabin's pre-Yes days in Rabbitt.
   • Happy Rhodes - vox, acoustic guitar

5. Save Our Souls (6:00)
   Echoes Living Room Concert series, Spring 1995
   • Originally recorded for Equipoise (AGCD0019) in full regalia, an acoustic trio re-recorded it for RhodeSongs (AGCD0021), and here even still another version by "The Spacier, The Better Band" for the Echoes Living Room Concert Series. Great songs never die, they just keep getting arranged or deranged, as the case may be. This year's model.
   • Happy Rhodes - vox, acoustic guitar
   • Kevin Bartlett - electric guitar, loops
   • Carl Adami - bass, devices

6. Flash Me Up (2:14)
   New Unreleased Song from 1994
   • Brand new material, written in the summer of '94. Happy actually premiered this one at YesFest.
   • Happy Rhodes - vox, acoustic guitar

7. For We Believe (2:34)
   Live from WDET, Winter 1993
   • Originally contained on Rearmament (AGCD0011), this song was done in Detroit, live on the air, with Ann Delisi at WDET. This was one of Happy's first live radio performances.
   • Happy Rhodes - vox, acoustic guitar
   • Kevin Bartlett - bass

8. Summer (3:28)
   Echoes Living Room Concert Series, Spring 1995
   • This song was originally written for the RhodeSongs collection (AGCD0021). It seemed a perfect choice for the Echoes Show, with it's lush keyboards and chordal ambience. So of course it was done with 2 guitars and a bass.
   • Happy Rhodes - vox, acoustic guitar
   • Kevin Bartlett - electric guitar, loops
   • Carl Adami - bass, devices

9. Oh Holy Night (3:27)
   New Recording of WMMR performance, Winter 1994
   • This traditional Christmas song was performed only once before on Helen Leicht's WMMR show in 1994. Again re-recorded by neurotic perfectionists. Happy Christmas!
   • Happy Rhodes - vox, acoustic guitar

10. Look For The Child (4:20)
    From Radio-only Promo CD, Spring 1995
    • From a "radio only" promotional CD4 compilation. This unplugged version was actually recorded in Happy's living room. Oddly enough, no one called the cops. This title originally appears on Ecto (AGCD0013).
    • Happy Rhodes - vox, acoustic guitar
    • Kevin Bartlett - electric guitar
    • Carl Adami - bass
    • Kelly Bird - background vox
    • Dean Sharp - dobro

11. Hold Me (3:25)
    Echoes Living Room Concert series, Spring 1995
    • The second single from Building the Colossus (AGCD0029), performed once again in John Diliberto's living room by the spacy trio. Probably not the dance mix!
    • Happy Rhodes - vox, acoustic guitar
    • Kevin Bartlett - electric guitar and David Torn-inspired sonics
    • Carl Adami - bass, devices

12. Bye Moon (2:07)
    Studio Recording, 1984
    • This recording was once thought to be lost in the Keep's sub-flooring. Dusted off and remastered, a truly beautiful piece from the early 80's.
    • Happy Rhodes - vox, acoustic guitar

13. Prey Of The Strange (3:36)
    First Studio Recording, 1984
    • This is the very first recording of Happy Rhodes from back in 1984. We thought it deserved inclusion in this retrospective of rare recordings salvaged from the vault. The "Keep's" original resident.
    • Happy Rhodes - vox, acoustic guitar

14. Oh Hand Of Mine (3:49)
    Studio Recording, 1984
    • This song is also from the first Happy Rhodes recording sessions. Played at Happy's first public performance back in 1983, at the famed Cafe Lena's. Wish we had time machines.
      
    • Happy Rhodes - vox, acoustic guitar

More liner notes from the album in this next section

-- Letter to Ecto, the mailing list, from Kevin Bartlett, September 30, 1995--

News from afar:
Hello again,
Got a note from Lovejoy this morning alerting me to the fact that Ladyslipper is already advertising Happy's new record in their catalog. He suggested I post some official info regarding the goings on here.

The Keep's street date is officially Oct 17th. Promotional copies are slated to go out to radio sometime next week, although we have yet to receive any. I think we'll finally see them on the 2nd or 3rd.

I thought it might be interesting to post the actual liner notes from the disc so y'all could see where this record is coming from. It's definitely not just another compilation ! It's all unique stuff. The only cut on it that some of you may already have is "Look For The Child" from the CD4.

Liner notes of "The Keep"

It was the spring of 1991 when Happy Rhodes released Warpaint. Technically her fifth recording, it was however, the first to be mass marketed. This basically meant, servicing radio stations and using independent distributors as opposed to selling copies from the trunk of a car. Warpaint was also our (her) first release on the ever popular CD format. (Our 8-track sales were starting to decline)

The appeal and acceptance of a little known artist on an even more little known label was far reaching. Many radio stations took to Happy like stunt ducks to water, embracing her incredible voice, haunting compositions and "right between the eyes" lyric. In fact the album's single "Feed the Fire" was reported by Philadelphia's WXPN as the #1 most requested song of 1991. Indeed !

What was once a small cult following of fans, was rapidly becoming a large cult following of fans. All of a sudden, people from all over the world were wanting to know, Who was this woman ? Where'd she come from ? What has she done ? What is she doing next ? When's the tour ? Who's that guy singing with Kate Bush ? The proverbial "splash " had been made.

As with any artist being commercially presented, the challenge of eternal exposure becomes paramount. ("Outta sight, Outta mind") A demand is created for new material, new albums, personal appearences at record stores, radio stations, live shows, solo shows, band shows, and lots and lots of interviews. Meeting this challenge becomes the artist's "new" job description. Probably the best effect of all this commotion is that an awful lot of music gets played. Not just in recor- ding studios, clubs and theatres, but music played at radio stations, cold radio stations, hot radio stations, music played in living rooms, music played with crushed fingers, music played for a guy and his dog, music played for 100,000 listeners, music played on no sleep, music played on too much sleep, music played for people who came to hear someone else.

Most of this music gets recorded, but usually it's for a single broadcast or for the sake of posterity. After about 5 years of this however, you begin to notice that there is this pile of tape threatening to move you out of house and home. A wealth of material that was probably heard only once or twice by people who happened to be tuned into a radio or had caught one of Happy's rare live shows. This brings us to the point of this recording.

We've been very fortunate to have a dedicated listening audience for the music of Happy Rhodes. We're always asked where people can get a hold of copies of all these unique performances. People who missed a broadcast or are interested in what a 48 track recording sounds like performed with one voice and one guitar. People curious aboutwhat Happy sounded like, doing a medley of Yes songs at the group's 1994 New York City convention. What's her trio sound like ? What was that Christmas carol performed on Helen Leicht's WMMR show ? What was her very first recording ? All these inquiries got us wondering if we should go to the "vault" and see if we had enough good material to make an album of interest and merit. What you hold in your hand is the result of that search. We found some pretty rare stuff. We came across recordings once thought to be lost, as well as a few that should have stayed lost. (No offense to Ms. Rhodes, they were technical nightmares). We listened to every tape from every radio station, every recording session as far back as 1984, every gig. Finally we picked out what we thought were the most interesting performances and arrangements. Most of this material is "as is", in it's original state. Some material was too precious to exclude, but didn't make the technical grade. In these cases we opted to rerecord the songs, keeping their uniqueness intact.

So hopefully what we have here is a collection of some very diverse and possibly historical musical moments that will sate the appetite for the more rare and intriguing aspects of a very special artist's career. At least to date. This album is a tribute to the thousands of fans and supporters of Happy's music, as much as it is a tribute to the musical brilliance of Happy herself. This is your record, from the vault, from The Keep.

Thank you for listening.

Kevin Bartlett/Aural Gratification

[End of The Keep liner notes]

[Return to Kevin's letter to Ecto]

I don't know why it gets all chopped up like this when I paste from MS works? Sorry. [S'ok Kevin, I fixed it. Vickie]

Anyway that's my take on the whole thing. We're very proud of this record and actually quite mesmerized by it's nature. It's truly a vocal showcase, very intimate.

Ambient Vol II was just mastered last week and we think it blows Vol I away. I think they should re-edit Blade Runner and insert Happy's cuts into the soundtrack. She's disgustingly good at this stuff. (Yeah like anyone's surprised.)

Vol II comes out on Halloween. (not sure if that's appropriate or not, but I gues it's cool anyway). Started my solo album this week, also engineering HR's new record due out Feb-Mar '96. Might do a small tour and some interactive instores for my stuff, but I guess that's another story that probably has no bearing here. That's about it from AG at the moment. I hope this gets to where it's gotta go. Thanks for being the world's best support system. I love you all.

KB>>

-- end Letter to Ecto from Kevin Bartlett --

Ecto post from Bob Lovejoy:

Yow! The Hapster 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 o verdubs are gone, replaced by a supply insistant 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 vI and vII. "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.

The cover features a half-shot of her face on a textured background. To her left is a gateway, the entrance to the keep (?). Colors are eerie green and yellow, the kind of colors you'll sometimes see after a storm. The back is a non-textured shot of the gate. The disc itself has her face (well, the same half from the front cover) and the gate printed on it; it's great! The booklet is up to the usual high standards Happy has had lately, great photography and some nifty writing by Kevin. Typical is Kev's blurb on "Summer": This song was originally written for the RhodeSongs collection. It seemed a perfect choice for the Echoes Show, with its lush keyboards and choral ambience. So of course it was done with two guitars and a bass."

Unfortunately, the internet links mentioned on the cover feature the old ecto URL at Helix and leave out the auralg section of their aol address. But they got this list right! And for those who care, the spine is printed properly!

I love the album. But hey, you all knew that years ago!

Suddenly, Robert

(thanks Bob Lovejoy!)