A friend told me that when he was growing up in Zimbabwe his father had a copy of this James Last record record "Barcarolle" and that he would listen to it constantly. It was the record that got him into music. I think it's a lovely track. And fascinating.
I think I had only heard more recent James Last tunes which have a more modern veneer. However, this from 1966 still has a little tuffness to it. The bassline has some raw physicality and weight, the drums bite, and Last's piano has a jazzy swagger to it. Obviously, it's striving as hard as it might for smoothness, but the limits of technology keep that air brushed perfection at bay. It reminds me a little of soundtrack music by Lalo Schifrin and John Barry.
What's most prominent about James Last's "Happy Music" is its smooth rolling rhythm. It's not angular dance music like the syncopated breaks of funk but nevertheless you could imagine bopping away to it quite cheerfully. To my ears it conjures up the physical experience of once being driven in the Rolls Royce of one of my mother's friends in the 1970s. Damn it was smooth... However, beneath that effortless sensation, behind its inane grin, I feel like I can sense a society exploiting the huddled masses, and burning the world down for its own gratification.