Beginnings  

1990
Cuneiform Records

1 Leave That Kitten Alone, Armone (Wyatt) 9:16
2 Passion's Passing (Wyatt) 8:40
3 Don't Look to The Running Sun (Fortney) 9:52
4 Gretchen's Garden (Wyatt/Ken Whitaker) 11:04
5 Partly The State (Fortney) 9:20
6 Broken Waves (Watkins) 5:49
7 Portrait of a Waterfall (Whitaker) 6:45

Mike Beck: Drums, percussion
Cliff Fortney (tracks 2-5) Lead vocals, flute, Rhodes
Rick Kennell: Bass
Kit Watkins: multi-keyboards, vocals
Stanley Whitaker: Electric guitar, vocals
Frank Wyatt: Keyboards, Alto Sax, Flute, Vocals

This recording is a collection of music from Happy The Man's first two years - 1974 and 1975. Featuring material never before released, the album offers an hour of meticulously-crafted compositions from one of America's best progressive bands - featuring Cliff Fortney on vocals and flute, Mike Beck on drums and percussion, Kit Watkins on keyboards, Frank Wyatt on electric piano and sax, Stanley Whitaker on guitar and Rick Kennell on bass.

All Titles arranged and produced by Happy The Man and published by Peripheral Music, ASCAP

Tracks 4 and 5 recorded live at the first band-house, Rockbridge Circle, Harrisonburg, Virginia, February 1974 with 2 mikes onto 2-track tape. Additional processing and transfer to DAT by Kit Watkins, 1990.

Tracks 2 and 3 recorded at Mennonite Broadcasting, Harrisonburg, April 1974 onto 4 track tape, engineered by Abe Ritenhouse. Re-mixed by Kit Watkins onto DAT, 1989.

Tracks 1, 6, and 7 recorded live at the band's "warehouse" in Harrisonburg, July 1975 with 2 mikes onto 2-track tape. Additional processing and transfer to DAT by Kit Watkins, 1989.

Special thanks: Kenny Bailey, Fred Brown, Wane Garber, Jeff Garringer, Johnny Hornberger, Ed Kenestrick, David Knapp, Ken Whitaker and Steve Witt.