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It’s going to be one hot summer for Iconoclassic Records, who’ve got remastered editions of two prog rock classics and the first official release of a late period Dwight Twilley release coming to CD this summer.

On July 4, Iconoclassic will reissue the first two albums by Happy the Man: their 1977 self-titled debut and 1978’s Crafty Hands, originally released on the Arista label. (HTM have become prog’s Taylor Swift of sorts, securing the master rights to these albums themselves to license to the label.) Formed in Harrisonburg, Virginia, the group was influenced by European prog groups like Yes, Gentle Giant and Genesis – but created a sound all their own that expanded the constraints of the genre further through the west.

Founding members Stanley Whitaker (guitar/vocals), Frank Wyatt (keyboards/saxophone/flute), Rick Kennell (bass) and Mike Beck (drums), plus early recruit Kit Watkins on keyboards, had a mostly instrumental, often humorously titled sensibility that remains beloved among genre fans for its compositional complexity. Peter Gabriel rehearsed the group as a potential backing band for his debut album, and the group’s local popularity in the Washington, D.C. area led to two LPs with Arista. (Clive Davis, present at the showcase that clinched their deal, openly admitted the music was “way over [his] head.”) While Happy the Man and Crafty Hands (featuring Ron Riddle on percussion in place of Beck) were never strong sellers, the albums (overseen by famed British  producer/engineer Ken Scott) are treasured among prog enthusiasts, with Happy the Man even rounding out a 2015 list of the greatest prog albums from Rolling Stone.

Happy the Man disbanded in 1979 but reformed in the new millennium, with Whitaker, Kennell, Beck and Riddle still part of the band. (Wyatt was a member until his passing in 2023.) They’ve pulled out all the stops for Iconoclassic’s reissues, with the albums remastered by Ray Staff at AIR Studios in London. Syd Schwartz, a prog aficionado who’s penned essays for Yes, has written liner notes for each set, printed in extensive full-color booklets for each package (28 pages for the debut and 32 for Crafty Hands); the latter will also include extensive mastering notes by Kennell.

Iconoclassic next preps its fifth(!) catalogue title from the late, great rocker Dwight Twilley. Old Time Rock & Roll, billed as a collaborative title with Twilley’s longtime guitarist Bill Pitcock IV, features the locked-in pair leading a small ensemble through a killer assortment of classic rock covers, from songs made famous by Elvis Presley (“Little Sister,” “(You’re So Square) Baby I Don’t Care”), Little Richard (“Good Golly, Miss Molly”) and Bob Seger (the title track) to tunes by Sonny Curtis (“I Fought the Law”), Marc Bolan of T. Rex (“Bang a Gong (Get It On)”) and Wayne Cochran (“Last Kiss”). These tracks (and a few more Beatles covers) were issued under the name Out of the Box in 2009 for the Gigatone label, but this estate-blessed presentation brings the sessions into the Twilley discography done right: resequenced, remastered by engineer Maria Triana, and pressed onto professional compact disc for the first time, with a new black and white cover and liner notes drawn solely from quotes by Twilley and Pitcock about their professional collaboration. Look for the new CD on August 1.

Full track listings and pre-order links for all three titles can be found below. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Happy the Man, Happy the Man (originally released as Arista AL 4120, 1977 – reissued Iconoclassic ICON 1086, 2025) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. Starborne
2. Stumpy Meets the Firecracker in Stencil Forest
3. Upon the Rainbow (Befrost)
4. Mr. Mirror’s Reflection on Dreams
5. Carousel
6. Knee Bitten Nymphs in Limbo
7. On Time As a Helix of Precious Laughs
8. Hidden Moods
9. New York Dream’s Suite

Happy the Man, Crafty Hands (originally released as Arista AB 4191, 1978 – reissued Iconoclassic ICON 1087, 2025) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. Service with a Smile
2. Morning Sun
3. Ibby It Is
4. Steaming Pipes
5. Wind Up Doll Day Wind
6. Open Book
7. I Forgot to Push It
8. The Moon, I Sing (Nossuri)

Dwight Twilley & Bill Pitcock IV, Old Time Rock & Roll (Iconoclassic ICON 1083, 2025) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. Old Time Rock & Roll
2. Secret Agent Man
3. The Last Time
4. Holiday
5. Good Golly, Miss Molly
6. Girls Got Rhythm
7. Last Kiss
8. (You’re So Square) Baby I Don’t Care
9. Big Iron
10. I Fought the Law
11. Town Without Pity
12. Little Sister
13. Bang a Gong (Get It On)
14. Burning Love
15. Stand by Me

All tracks previously released on Out of the Box – Gigagtone CD-R 892265002185, 2009