Happy Birthday

It's with great thanks to The Post Punk Monk for reminding me about Altered Images. The album Happy Birthday bears little resemblance to the cute and bubbly new wave pop of the Martin Rushent produced title track, for which they're best remembered. Instead producer Steven Severin pushed the band into moodier post-punk territory with minimalist arrangements and simple, driving rhythms. Clair Grogan's little-girl voice was probably better suited to pop, but the combination of the two extremes is certainly interesting, if not as fun and engaging as "Happy Birthday."