Happy 14½
Encyclopedia
Happy 14½ is an EP
by avant-garde
band
King Missile
. It was released in 1992
, shortly before the band's album
Happy Hour. The EP was intended for promotional
use only, and not supposed to be sold
; nonetheless, copies are sometimes available in "used" sections of record stores
because some people who received the EP sold it anyway.
Just as Happy Hour is approximately one hour
long, Happy 14½ is approximately 14½ minutes in length.
by John S. Hall
(except "All Things Everywhere," by Chris Xefos
).
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
by avant-garde
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
King Missile
King Missile
King Missile is an American avant-garde band that has been led in various disparate incarnations by poet/singer John S. Hall since 1986. Currently, Hall performs with a new version of the first incarnation, King Missile ....
. It was released in 1992
1992 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1992.-January–February:*January 11**Nirvana's Nevermind album goes to #1 in the US Billboard 200 chart, establishing the widespread popularity of the Grunge movement of the 1990s....
, shortly before the band's album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Happy Hour. The EP was intended for promotional
Promotion (marketing)
Promotion is one of the four elements of marketing mix . It is the communication link between sellers and buyers for the purpose of influencing, informing, or persuading a potential buyer's purchasing decision....
use only, and not supposed to be sold
Sales
A sale is the act of selling a product or service in return for money or other compensation. It is an act of completion of a commercial activity....
; nonetheless, copies are sometimes available in "used" sections of record stores
Record shop
A record shop or record store is an outlet that sells recorded music. Although vinyl records and audio cassettes are no longer sold in the majority of music stores, in favour of compact discs and home video recordings products, people in some countries, like the UK, still use the term "record...
because some people who received the EP sold it anyway.
Just as Happy Hour is approximately one hour
Hour
The hour is a unit of measurement of time. In modern usage, an hour comprises 60 minutes, or 3,600 seconds...
long, Happy 14½ is approximately 14½ minutes in length.
Track listing
All lyricsLyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
by John S. Hall
John S. Hall
John S. Hall is an American poet, author, singer and lawyer perhaps best known for his work with King Missile, an avant-garde band that he co-founded in 1986 and has since led in various disparate incarnations....
(except "All Things Everywhere," by Chris Xefos
Chris Xefos
Chris Xefos is an American multi-instrumentalist musician/engineer/producer and former member of band King Missile. He plays various instruments such as accordion, bass, piano, and synthesizer, among others. He began recording/producing various groups in New York during the 1980s, including...
).
- "Martin Scorsese (PG-13)Martin Scorsese (song)"Martin Scorsese" is a song by avant-garde band King Missile, about the film director of the same name. It was the third and final single from the band's 1992 album Happy Hour.-"Clean" version:...
" (Hall, Roger Murdock, Dave RickDave RickDave Rick is an American guitarist and former member of underground rock bands B.A.L.L, Bongwater, King Missile, Phantom Tollbooth, When People Were Shorter and Lived Near the Water, Wide Right, Wonderama, and Yo La Tengo . He is a current member of Atlantic Drone, Dew-Claw, The Martinets, Overcat...
, Xefos) – 2:48- This track is the "clean" version of "Martin Scorsese" from Happy Hour. In the "PG-13" version, Hall omits the original's thirteen instances of the expletiveProfanityProfanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
fuckFuck"Fuck" is an English word that is generally considered obscene which, in its most literal meaning, refers to the act of sexual intercourse. By extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed."Fuck" can be used as a verb, adverb,...
but does not edit the original's hyperbolicallyHyperboleHyperbole is the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is not meant to be taken literally....
violentViolenceViolence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
content.
- This track is the "clean" version of "Martin Scorsese" from Happy Hour. In the "PG-13" version, Hall omits the original's thirteen instances of the expletive
- "Detachable PenisDetachable Penis"Detachable Penis" is a song by avant-garde band King Missile. It was the first single from the band's 1992 album Happy Hour, and became a modest hit, reaching #25 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.-Lyrical content:...
" (Hall, Murdock, Rick, Xefos) – 3:21- This track also appears on Happy Hour.
- "Nietzsche Sneezes" (Hall, Murdock, Rick, Xefos) – 3:27
- "All Things Everywhere" (Xefos) – 2:47
- These two tracks appears exclusively on this release.
- "The Bunny Song" [live] (DogbowlDogbowlDogbowl is an American artist and musician. He was a founding member of the avant-garde band King Missile and has recorded many albums as a solo act....
, Hall) – 1:57- The studioRecording studioA recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
version of this track appears on the 19881988 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1988.-January-March:* January 1 – André Rieu's Johann Strauss Orchestra plays its first concert....
album TheyThey (album)They is the second album by avant-garde band King Missile, released in 1988.-Track listing:# "Now" – 1:53# "I'm Open" – 2:21# "Mr...
.
- The studio
Personnel
- John S. Hall – lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
(except on "All Things Everywhere") - Dave Rick – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s - Chris Xefos – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, lead vocals on "All Things Everywhere" - Roger Murdock – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...