Casa Blanca Moon / Desperate Straights

Recorded in Faust's studio in Hamburg, Germany, Casablanca Moon is the 2nd Slapp Happy record. It's an eccentric yet melodic record with addictive songs... Blegvad, Dagmar Krause and Anthony Moore work in a short song format, and understandably quirky and great things happen. Desperate Straights is something else, the first fusing of Henry Cow and Slapp Happy (who went on to make in Praise of Learning as well. This is a powerful album, musically sophisticated and quirky as all get-out. Songs like "A Worm Is at Work" or "Some Questions about Hats" have to be heard to be believed. EMI. 1996.