Hyena's Only Laugh for Fun
| Hyena's Only Laugh for Fun | |||||
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| Studio album by Roger Chapman & The Shortlist | |||||
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Publication |
December 1981 |
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| Label (s) | Line Records | ||||
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Format (s) |
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Title (number) |
11 |
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Paul Smykle, Terry Barham |
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Hyena's Only Laugh for Fun is Roger Chapman's third solo album . It was released in December 1981 in Germany under the Line Records label and is assigned to the blues rock genre. Unlike its predecessors, the album was released under the stage name "Roger Chapman & The Shortlist". While Chapman was mainly responsible for the compositions on his last albums, he worked on seven out of eleven songs on this project with musicians from his accompanying band. For Chapman, his third work has a special meaning, as he was awarded the German Music Prize for “Best Singer and Artist of the Year” and Hyena's Only Laugh for Fun was named Rock Album of the Year.
Cover
The album title Hyena's Only Laugh for Fun has a real reference to Chapman's singing style, as his distinctive voice has been compared by some critics to a hyena's laugh. The album cover was designed by Jill Mumford and, like the last release at the time, Mail Order Magic , is in comic style. It shows Chapman singing in front of a kind of wheel of fortune ("Fun-Wheel"), which is provided with animals and their sounds. The picture shows the moment of the wheel of fortune, which shows a woman with rabbit ears, who climbs out of a top hat and holds a laughing hyena by her ears - “Huh! Huh! Haha". All other wild animals on the cover, on the other hand, utter their typical animal sounds (“Grr, Chat, Purr”). Two limousines from the 1960s covered in snakeskin can be seen in the background. A woman is sitting in one and a man can only be made out in silhouette in the second.
Music genre
As with his previous album, the music has strong rock influences and is less stylistically varied than his first work Chappo (1979). The opener Prisoner is a mid-tempo blues rock song with 104 BPM. The text contains paradoxes of everyday life that make the protagonist a prisoner because there is no escape for him. Chapman's poetry can be interpreted in different ways because it is ambiguous.
Got me a mynah, but it can't talk,
(I) have a Beo , but he cannot speak
I got a wolfhound, but it don't walk,
I have a wolfhound but he doesn't walk
Climb me a mountain, I can't see down,
If I climb a mountain, I can't look down
Turn me a corner, I can't see round,
If I go around the corner, I can't see around
Wearing shackles - ball and chain,
wear shackles - (as) an iron ball and chain
Working suit - faded gray,
The work suit - faded
Soleless boots - very plain,
simple soleless boots
Gathering darkness - day by day,
increasing darkness - day by day
Want a number - please refer,
a number is required - please note
Prisoner - prisoner,
Prisoner - prisoner,
Want a number - call return, prisoner
a number is wanted - (it) calls back, prisoner
- Roger Chapman, prisoner , 1981
Prisoner is still one of Chapman's most played songs at live concerts.
The title song Hyena's Only Laugh for Fun was the first single from the album. In terms of beat, it is the slowest piece on the long player and is mainly in C and G minor. The text consists of ironic allusions that are attributed to animals as character traits. Whitehorn used a talk box for his guitar solo . The song Killing Time is characterized by Pentelow's strong saxophone playing and contains some harmonies that can be assigned to prog rock . Lyrically, the song deals with a person who tries to survive in difficult times by going out to look for work. A topic that shaped Chapman's own life. Before he became a professional musician, he kept himself afloat with various auxiliary jobs. In an interview with Tommy Millhome in 2007, the singer also confessed that his songs somehow always and often deal cryptically with his life and experiences. Wants Nothing Chained is a quiet pop song that is about a woman seeking sexual satisfaction with men who are not bound.
The Long Goodbye is lyrically and musically a danceable ballad . The sixth track, Blood and Sand , has a strong, fast beat, the e-piano, the slide guitar and Whitehorn's talking box determine the sound. In this song, Chapman's Lyric questions violence and other constraints that others consider necessary in many life situations to achieve their goals, but which are not wanted by those affected themselves.
The seventh track, Common Touch , has strong funk elements and leads to the instrumental piece Goodbye Reprise . Hearts on the Floor is the second single from the album. It's a melodious rock song that is about Chapman's often themed outsider. A lonely, frightened person marked by life (fights, card games, women who disappointed him, etc.) always slips his heart with fear with every new challenge (“Hearts on the Floor”). The penultimate song, Step up Take a Bow , is the heaviest rock track on the album with a driving electric guitar and a classic guitar solo. The album fades in and out with the last track, Juke Box Mama . This short piece of music of 1:22 minutes is held in 3/4 time and contains instruments played backwards that are common in prog rock.
History of origin
The album Hyenas Only Laugh for Fun was released after Chapman's appearance at the Rockpalast on October 18, 1981 in December of the same year. The concert was broadcast live on radio and television across Europe in 14 countries at the same time and reached 25 million viewers, which made Chapman known throughout Europe and finally helped him achieve his breakthrough. Chapman used the tailwind of the performance. The singles Hyenas Only Laugh For Fun and Hearts On The Floor were released in September 1981 . At his appearance on the 9th Rockpalastnacht with “The Shortlist”, the songs Killing Time , Prisoner , Hyena's Only Laugh for Fun and Blood and Sand from the album were presented. His friend and former bandmate John Wetton supported the production of the album with some bass parts, although during this time he was busy founding the supergroup ASIA in London. Production and mixing took over again, as with Mail Order Magic , Paul Smykle and Terry Barham.
Track list
- Prisoner (Chapman, Whitehorn, Hinkley) - 5:38
- Hyena's Only Laugh for Fun (Chapman, Whitehorn, Rimson, Hinkley) - 3:10
- Killing Time (Chapman, Whitehorn) - 5:35
- Wants Nothing Chained (Chapman, Whitehorn) - 3:00
- The Long Goodbye (Chapman) - 4:39
- Blood and Sand (Chapman, Chapman – Whitehorn) - 4:55
- Common Touch (Chapman) - 5:10
- Goodbye Reprise (Chapman) - 1:10
- Hearts on the Floor (Chapman) - 4:30
- Step up Take a Bow (Whitehorn, Chapman) - 3:30
- Juke Box Mama (Chapman, Seals) - 1:22
Publications and chart successes
The album was released in 1981 only in Germany and the Netherlands, a year later in Norway and only in 1992 was this long player available throughout Europe without import duties. The album reached its fans, but could not place in the top 100 charts. The album was released again in Great Britain in 1999, as Chapman had not been able to gain a foothold as a solo musician in his home country. He had his largest and most consistent fan base in Germany, and he relocated there for the next 20 years.
reception
The reviews from his fans were mixed to mostly positive. On Allmusic , the user ratings were four out of five stars. Four out of five possible points were also achieved on Discogs , and users on the music collector platform gave an average of 7.31 points out of 10.
Individual evidence
- ↑ discogs: Roger Chapman - Hyena's Only Laugh For Fun. Retrieved March 29, 2019 .
- ^ Roger Chapman & The Shortlist - Hyenas Only Laugh For Fun. Retrieved March 29, 2019 .
- ^ Roger Chapman - Family & Friends. Retrieved March 29, 2019 (UK English).
- ↑ Get Ready to ROCK! Interview with singer Roger Chapman formerly of rock band Family, February 2007. Retrieved March 29, 2019 .
- ↑ Roger Chapman | Biography & History. Retrieved March 29, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ ROGER CHAPMAN. In: Music Minder Online. April 8, 2018, Retrieved March 29, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ Heinrich Oehmsen: Again and again "Shadow On The Wall". February 13, 2013, accessed March 29, 2019 .
- ↑ Roger Chapman: Roger Chapman / Shortlist: Hyenas Only Laugh For Fun. Retrieved March 29, 2019 .
- ^ BPM for Prisoner (Roger Chapman). Accessed April 10, 2019 .
- ↑ 'X' Town by Roger Chapman and the Shortlist Song Statistics. In: setlist.fm. Retrieved March 29, 2019 .
- ↑ Hyena's Only Laugh For Fun (Roger Chapman). Accessed March 29, 2019 .
- ^ Roger Chapman And The Shortlist - Hyenas Only Laugh For Fun (Chords). Accessed March 29, 2019 .
- ^ Roger Chapman - Hyena's Only Laugh For Fun. Accessed March 29, 2019 .
- ↑ Roger Chapman. In: FamilyBandstand. April 4, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ Tommy Millhome with Roger Chapman in the domradio studio. In: DOMRADIO.DE. Retrieved March 29, 2019 .
- ^ Roger Chapman - Wants Nothing Chained. Accessed March 29, 2019 .
- ↑ Roger Chapman - Blood And Sand. Accessed March 29, 2019 .
- ^ Roger Chapman & Mitch Ryder - Roger Chapman + Mitch Ryder. Retrieved March 29, 2019 .
- ↑ Rockpalast Archive - Roger Chapman at Rockpalast. Retrieved March 29, 2019 .
- ^ Roger Chapman & Mitch Ryder - Roger Chapman + Mitch Ryder. Retrieved March 29, 2019 .
- ↑ About. In: Original Asia. May 14, 2012, accessed March 29, 2019 .
- ^ Roger Chapman & The Shortlist - Hyenas Only Laugh For Fun. Retrieved March 29, 2019 .
- ↑ Roger Chapman. Retrieved April 10, 2019 .
- ^ Hyenas Only Laugh for Fun - Roger Chapman | Songs, reviews, credits. Retrieved March 29, 2019 (American English).
- ^ Roger Chapman & The Shortlist - Hyenas Only Laugh For Fun. Retrieved March 29, 2019 .
- ^ Carsten Henkelmann: Review: Hyenas Only Laugh For Fun (1981) by Roger Chapman And The Shortlist. Retrieved March 29, 2019 .