Happiness Is the Road
Encyclopedia
Happiness Is the Road is Marillion
's 15th studio album
, released as two separate album-length volumes respectively entitled Essence and The Hard Shoulder. The overall playing time is 110 minutes (116 including a (semi-)hidden track
), taking it to double album
length. According to the band, the album combines their rock sound with "elements of pop, dub
and soul
and draws influence from artists as diverse as The Beach Boys
and Marvin Gaye
to Interpol
, The Doors
, Traffic
, Pink Floyd
and David Bowie
. The album also sees Marillion experimenting with a host of new instruments including, Dulcimer
s, Glockenspiel
s, a Harmonium
, French Horns and even Sleigh bells
, a Harp
and Zither
." The title track "Happiness Is the Road" was inspired by Eckhart Tolle
's book The Power of Now
. The album's artwork was created by the Spanish artist Antonio Seijas in cooperation with Marillion's long-time designer Carl Glover.
. This version has been available since 2 February 2009.
(2001) and Marbles
(2004). As with Marbles, the names of everyone who pre-ordered before a certain date are listed in the special edition.
The first single released ("Whatever Is Wrong With You") was released as a download, and fans were invited to enter a competition to make their own video to the track. Videos were to be uploaded to YouTube
and the video with the most views by 1 December 2008 won £5000. In addition, there was a further £5000 prize for the video judged by the band to be the best.
On September 19, Marillion made the album available for free on peer-to-peer
file sharing networks as 128 kbit/s WMA
files. When any of these tracks is first played, a pop-up box appears asking listeners to give the band their email address in return. This was used to contact downloaders with offers on Marillion merchandise. Everyone who submitted their e-mail address is also given the option to download the tracks as 128 kbit/s MP3
files without DRM
, but is asked not to share these on any networks.
Track 12 is listed as Half-Empty Jam on the download version, but was changed just prior to the CD release of the album. This could be seen as a play on words, as the lyrics of the song begin with "I used to be half empty, but now I'm half full..." Track 11 does not appear on the download version.
Marillion
Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, England in 1979. Their recorded studio output comprises sixteen albums generally regarded in two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original vocalist & frontman Fish in late 1988, and the subsequent arrival of replacement Steve...
's 15th studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
, released as two separate album-length volumes respectively entitled Essence and The Hard Shoulder. The overall playing time is 110 minutes (116 including a (semi-)hidden track
Hidden track
In the field of recorded music, a hidden track is a piece of music that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, vinyl record or other recorded medium in such a way as to avoid detection by the casual listener...
), taking it to double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
length. According to the band, the album combines their rock sound with "elements of pop, dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and draws influence from artists as diverse as The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
and Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
to Interpol
Interpol (band)
Interpol is an American indie rock and post-punk revival band from New York City. Formed in 1997, the band's original line-up consisted of Paul Banks , Daniel Kessler , Carlos Dengler and Greg Drudy . Drudy left the band in 2000 and was replaced by Sam Fogarino...
, The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
, Traffic
Traffic (band)
Traffic were an English rock band whose members came from the West Midlands. The group formed in April 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason...
, Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
and David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
. The album also sees Marillion experimenting with a host of new instruments including, Dulcimer
Hammered dulcimer
The hammered dulcimer is a stringed musical instrument with the strings stretched over a trapezoidal sounding board. Typically, the hammered dulcimer is set on a stand, at an angle, before the musician, who holds small mallet hammers in each hand to strike the strings...
s, Glockenspiel
Glockenspiel
A glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
s, a Harmonium
Harmonium
A harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
, French Horns and even Sleigh bells
Sleigh Bells
Sleigh Bells is an American noise pop music duo. The group released their debut album, Treats, on May 11, 2010.-History:Based in Brooklyn, New York, Sleigh Bells is composed of Derek E. Miller and Alexis Krauss...
, a Harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
and Zither
Zither
The zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary citera, northwestern Croatia, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...
." The title track "Happiness Is the Road" was inspired by Eckhart Tolle
Eckhart Tolle
Eckhart Tolle is a German-born Canadian resident, best known as the author of the The Power of Now and A New Earth, which were written in English. In 2011, he was listed by the Watkins Review as the most spiritually influential person in the world...
's book The Power of Now
The Power of Now
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment is a book by Eckhart Tolle. He says the book "represents the essence of my work, as far as it can be conveyed in words", and that it "can be seen as a restatement for our time of that one timeless spiritual teaching, the essence of all...
. The album's artwork was created by the Spanish artist Antonio Seijas in cooperation with Marillion's long-time designer Carl Glover.
Formats
It is available in various formats: Two separate jewel case CDs, high-quality (256 kbit/s) download (by purchasing "Front Row Club" credits at their web page), standard-quality download (128 kbit/s) (legally available on file-sharing networks), and a "deluxe campaign edition" containing both CDs and special artwork (see below). In most of the world, initially the physical formats were only available via mail-order from the band's website; only in the US and Poland has the album been available in retail shops from the start. However, when only about a third of the expected sales were achieved via mail-order, Marillion decided to release a worldwide retail version distributed by EMIEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
. This version has been available since 2 February 2009.
Promotional activities
The recording was financed by a pre-ordering scheme, which asked fans to order about a year in advance. In return, buyers would receive a special edition box-set with book-style special artwork containing both volumes. The band had used the same approach with the albums AnoraknophobiaAnoraknophobia
Anoraknophobia is Marillion's 12th studio album, released in 2001. Following the success of their previous North American tour, underwritten by the band's fans themselves, Marillion turned to their fans to finance the making of Anoraknophobia, asking them to pre-order the album before it was even...
(2001) and Marbles
Marbles (album)
Marbles is the 13th studio album from rock band Marillion, released in 2004. Unlike their previous studio album, Anoraknophobia , which was financed largely by a preorder campaign, it was the publicity campaign that fans financed for the album...
(2004). As with Marbles, the names of everyone who pre-ordered before a certain date are listed in the special edition.
The first single released ("Whatever Is Wrong With You") was released as a download, and fans were invited to enter a competition to make their own video to the track. Videos were to be uploaded to YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and the video with the most views by 1 December 2008 won £5000. In addition, there was a further £5000 prize for the video judged by the band to be the best.
On September 19, Marillion made the album available for free on peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application...
file sharing networks as 128 kbit/s WMA
Windows Media Audio
Windows Media Audio is an audio data compression technology developed by Microsoft. The name can be used to refer to its audio file format or its audio codecs. It is a proprietary technology that forms part of the Windows Media framework. WMA consists of four distinct codecs...
files. When any of these tracks is first played, a pop-up box appears asking listeners to give the band their email address in return. This was used to contact downloaders with offers on Marillion merchandise. Everyone who submitted their e-mail address is also given the option to download the tracks as 128 kbit/s MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
files without DRM
Digital rights management
Digital rights management is a class of access control technologies that are used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals with the intent to limit the use of digital content and devices after sale. DRM is any technology that inhibits uses of digital content that...
, but is asked not to share these on any networks.
Volume 1: Essence
- "Dreamy Street" – 2:02
- "This Train Is My Life" – 4:50
- "Essence" – 6:29
- "Wrapped Up in Time" – 5:06
- "Liquidity" – 2:12
- "Nothing Fills the Hole" – 3:23
- "Woke Up" – 3:40
- "Trap the Spark" – 5:43
- "A State of Mind" – 4:33
- "Happiness Is the Road" – 10:05
- (blank) – 1:59
- "Half-Full Jam" – 6:48 (hidden trackHidden trackIn the field of recorded music, a hidden track is a piece of music that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, vinyl record or other recorded medium in such a way as to avoid detection by the casual listener...
)
Track 12 is listed as Half-Empty Jam on the download version, but was changed just prior to the CD release of the album. This could be seen as a play on words, as the lyrics of the song begin with "I used to be half empty, but now I'm half full..." Track 11 does not appear on the download version.
Volume 2: The Hard Shoulder
- "Thunder Fly" – 6:24
- "The Man from the Planet Marzipan" – 7:55
- "Asylum Satellite #1" – 9:32
- "Older Than Me" – 3:11
- "Throw Me Out" – 4:01
- "Half the World" – 5:08
- "Whatever Is Wrong with You" – 4:16
- "Especially True" – 4:37
- "Real Tears for Sale" – 7:34
Band members
- Steve HogarthSteve HogarthSteve Hogarth also known as "h", is the lead vocalist and occasional keyboardist/guitarist with the British rock band Marillion. Hogarth was formerly a keyboard player and co-lead vocalist with The Europeans and vocalist with How We Live...
– vocals, keyboards - Mark Kelly - keyboards, backing vocals
- Ian MosleyIan MosleyIan F. Mosley is a drummer in the progressive rock band, Marillion.Mosley joined the band in 1984 after a long search for a replacement of Mick Pointer, who had been left the band in 1983. Mosley had previously, among others, played with former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett, both on two of his...
- drums, backing vocals - Steve RotherySteve RotherySteve Rothery is the guitarist of the English rock band Marillion. He was born in Brampton, South Yorkshire, England. From the age of six he lived in Whitby, North Yorkshire.-Biography:...
- guitars, backing vocals - Pete TrewavasPete TrewavasPete Trewavas is an English musician. He joined Marillion in 1982, taking over the role of bassist, from Diz Minnett, while acting occasionally as a backing vocalist and acoustic guitarist.Although he was born in Middlesbrough, Trewavas spent much of his childhood in the Buckinghamshire town of...
- bass guitar, backing vocals, guitars, clarinet on "Throw Me Out"
Additional musicians
- Sam Morris – French horn on "Real Tears For Sale"
- S. Claydon – Arco BassElectric upright bassThe electric upright bass is an electronically amplified version of the double bass that has a minimal or 'skeleton' body, which greatly reduces the size and weight of the instrument. The EUB retains enough of the features of the double bass so that double bass players are comfortable performing...
- S. Audley – DulcimerHammered dulcimerThe hammered dulcimer is a stringed musical instrument with the strings stretched over a trapezoidal sounding board. Typically, the hammered dulcimer is set on a stand, at an angle, before the musician, who holds small mallet hammers in each hand to strike the strings...
- P. Bisset – "Additional Tuned Percussion"
- Jon Hotten – "Overworked Tambourine"
- Emil Hogarth – "Ultrasound Heartbeat" on "Dreamy Street"
- Dawn Roberts – Finger Cymbal on "Essence"
Production
- Produced by Michael Hunter and Marillion
- Recorded and Mixed by Michael Hunter
- Assistant Engineers: Roderick Brunton, Jon Cameron
- Mastered by Simon Heyworth
- Artwork and Photography by Antonio Seijas
- Graphic design and Layout by Carl Glover