The Happenings - 'The Happenings' (1966) + 'Psycle' (1967)
2 LP on 1 CD, Remastered 2003
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 414 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 170 Mb | Scans included
Label: Collectables | # COL-CD-7499 | Time: 01:04:10
Genre: AM Pop, Sunshine Pop, Pop/Rock
The Happenings are best-known for their hit single "See You in September," which is a sunny slice of sunshine pop featuring happy, bouncy vocals and intricate harmonies reminiscent of great white doo wop groups like the Four Seasons and the Tokens, who were not-so-coincidentally the Happenings' mentors and producers. Collectables has reissued both of the Happenings' records on one disc: 1966's The Happenings and 1967's Psycle. Both discs feature the stunning vocal gymnastics of their hit single and their updated doo wop sound coated with an easy listening gloss of strings on a not-very-thick Wall of Sound. Most of the songs on their debut were written by the members of the Tokens and are not bad but not that memorable, as they follow the formula of their hit but pale in comparison. An exception to this is the strange "You're in a Bad Way," which is a spooky track filled with death-related imagery that sports a surprisingly funky backbeat.