Happiness Is the Road
| Happiness Is the Road | ||||
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Studio album by 
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Publication |
October 20, 2008 |
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| Label (s) | Intact record | |||
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Format (s) |
CD, LP |
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Title (number) |
21st |
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running time |
108: 06 |
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| occupation |
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Michael Hunter |
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Studio (s) |
Racket Club, Aylesbury / Buckinghamshire (England) |
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Happiness Is the Road (English for. " Satisfaction is the way ") is the fifteenth studio album by the British progressive rock band Marillion . It was published on October 20, 2008 and consists of two parts: Happiness Is the Road Vol. 1: Essence and Happiness Is the Road Vol. 2: The Hard Shoulder .
background
After a pre-order campaign with a deluxe edition had been dispensed with on the previous album Somewhere Else , which led to some displeasure among the fans, something was again offered for the fans with Happiness Is the Road . In October 2007 the "Deluxe Campaign Edition" was announced and pre-orders could be made. Michael Hunter was hired again as producer.
Formats
In addition to the “Deluxe Campaign Edition”, which consists of the two CDs and two 96-page hard covers with many pictures by the Spanish artist Antonio Seijas, Essence and The Hard Shoulder were also available as individual 1CD jewelcase versions. From February 2009 there was the EMI - Retail version, both CDs in a double jewel case. Later, from the end of 2009, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 were also offered as 180g vinyl discs with 45rpm (one double album per volume).
Track list
Volume 1: Essence
- Dreamy Street - 02:02
- This Train is my Life - 04:50
- Essence - 06:29
- Wrapped Up in Time - 05:06
- Liquidity - 02:12
- Nothing Fills the Hole - 03:23
- Woke Up - 03:40
- Trap the Spark - 05:43
- A State of Mind - 04:33
- Happiness Is the Road - 10:05
- (Silence) - 01:59
- Half-Full Jam - 06:48 ( Hidden Track )
Volume 2: The Hard Shoulder
- Thunder Fly - 06:24
- The Man from the Planet Marzipan - 07:55
- Asylum Satellite # 1 - 09:32
- Older than Me - 03:11
- Throw Me Out - 04:01
- Half the World - 05:08
- Whatever Is Wrong with You - 04:16
- Especially True - 04:37
- Real Tears for Sale - 07:34
Single releases
The only "single" was Whatever Is Wrong with You? published as a free download for promotional purposes. Associated with this was a competition for the video with the most views on this song on YouTube .
Reviews
Volume 1: Essence
“On the first listen, 'Essence' seems uncoordinated, unorganized, half-finished and disoriented. I've also heard significantly better productions from Marillion. In my opinion, the sound leaves a lot to be desired and I also don't entirely agree with the choice of producer. I would like to have Dave Meegan back [sic], who has always tinkered the guys with a thick, fat and sublime sound. It's not that bad after all. I would like to say “Brave II”, uh, “Essence” that after several listening sessions a certain fascination develops if you invest a little time. That doesn't mean that I heard the album nice [sic], but rather that the good songs carry the concept and make the whole thing seem somehow coherent, apart from 'Nothing Fills the Hole'. "
"From some quarters I heard in advance that this work in particular is strongly oriented towards 'Brave', but to be honest, 'Happiness Is The Road, Volume 1: Essence' exudes neither this special atmosphere nor the passion of 'Brave', because, strictly speaking, none of the songs at hand really gets to the point. "
“One is too inclined to say 'close your eyes, enjoy and dream.' In the case of 'Essence', this is even true in terms of content. This concept album has a dream - the concept - as its content. Whether it is a dream or a conscious metaphysical consideration of the meaning of life is up to the listener to interpret. But it is fascinating how perfectly Marillion manages this dream experience musically and lyrically. "
“Essence is the weaker of the two; it has a regrettable touch of AOR that makes it difficult for the listener to remember what they have heard. "
Volume 2: The Hard Shoulder
“These are not compositions, they are strung together fragments with no greater vision. The texts are one-dimensional, didactic and annoyingly obvious. "
“'Happiness Is The Road, Volume 2: The Hard Shoulder' works great. Although the new material doesn't really manage to get close to the band's classics, a band like MARILLION, which at least tries to advance and develop itself with each subsequent album, does not have to copy itself in the end to still publish excellent songs that move."
“Marillion succeeded in producing the rock album that they have been trying to produce for years. This time the album, which was again financed by fans, seems to have finally relieved the pressure of the band to write hits and you can feel this relaxed atmosphere from the first to the 53rd minute. Even this time, no hits that will dominate the radio charts have succeeded - probably no song will make it 'on air' - but the fan and every buyer is happy about nine successful, if not all outstanding songs, without a failure . The 'skip button' does not have to be pressed, for the first time since 'Brave' and that was 14 years ago. "
"... with part two of the" Happiness is the Road "series, Marillion has the ship back on course."
Happiness Is the Road
“Conclusion: With 'Happiness Is The Road' Marillion has succeeded in creating a double album which is unmistakably Marillion, but still presents new elements. The two albums are a real treasure trove for the fans and should reverberate for a long, long time, as you can go on an almost endless journey of discovery here. "
“'Happiness Is The Road' is definitely not an album for quick consumption, it challenges the listener across the board. The days when gentlemen were still thinking about how to sound suitable for radio are definitely over. However, the really progressive times also seem to be over. Or rather, this album is probably a good topic for discussion about what is Prog-Rock and what is not! "
Web links
- Vol. 1 Essence on Allmusic (English)
- Vol. 2 The Hard Shoulder at Allmusic (English)
- Reviews of Vol. 1 Essence on the baby blue pages
- Reviews of Vol. 2 The Hard Shoulder on the baby blue pages
- Explanations of the album on marillion.baldyslaphead.co.uk
- Cover artwork by Antonio Seijas on antonioseijas.com
Individual evidence
- ↑ You're going get what you asked for: We are planning to create an exclusive Special Edition of Album 15 which we are making available as a PRE-ORDER directly from us. , marillion.com, accessed August 23, 2012.
- ↑ AVAILABLE VERSIONS FOR HAPPINESS IS THE ROAD , marillion.com, accessed August 23, 2012.
- ↑ Each one is a double album and has been cut to 180gram black vinyl at 45rpm in an effort to keep the quality as high as possible. , marillion.com, accessed August 23, 2012.
- ↑ Marillion's Whatever is Wrong With You Video Contest ( Memento of the original from June 10, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , thewebgermany.de, accessed on August 20, 2012.
- ↑ Marillion's Whatever is Wrong With You Video Contest , marillion.com, accessed on August 20, 2012.
- ↑ ANOTHER spot prize of £ 5000 , marillion.com, accessed on August 20, 2012 (English).
- ↑ Video contest results ( Memento of the original from June 9, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , google.de, accessed on August 20, 2012.
- ↑ In my opinion, the sound leaves something to be desired , babyblaue-seiten.de, accessed on August 22, 2012.
- ↑ because, strictly speaking, none of the available songs really get to the point , metal.de, accessed on August 22, 2012.
- ↑ Close your eyes, enjoy and dream. , cdstarts.de, accessed on August 22, 2012.
- ↑ The Essence is the weaker of the two simultaneous releases, having an unfortunate AOR sheen that leaves the listener struggling to remember much about it. , scenepointblank.com, accessed August 22, 2012. (English)
- ↑ These are not compositions, they are strung together fragments without a greater vision. , babyblaue-seiten.de, accessed on August 22, 2012.
- ↑ "Happiness Is The Road, Volume 2: The Hard Shoulder" works great. , metal.de, accessed on August 22, 2012.
- ↑ The “skip button” does not have to be pressed, for the first time since “Brave” , cdstarts.de, accessed on August 22, 2012.
- ↑ ... and with volume two in the “Happiness is the Road” series, Marillion has the ship back on course. , scenepointblank.com, accessed August 22, 2012.
- ↑ an almost never-ending journey of discovery ( memento of the original from December 1st, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , soundbase-online.com, accessed August 22, 2012.
- ↑ The days when gentlemen were still thinking about how to sound suitable for radio are definitely over. ( Memento of the original from February 27, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , home-of-rock.de, accessed on 22 Aug 2012.
