Faust. The songs here were more sophisticated and artful than those on Sort Of. Moore's music was harmonically richer, and Blegvad's lyrics more serious and poetic. Blegvad said, "We were snobs about pop music ... Anthony was more interested in making modern classical music." But they acknowledged that their attempts at commercial music were naïve and called their approach "the Douanier Rousseau sound", after the self-taught French artist. But Polydor did not like the direction Slapp Happy were taking and rejected the album. England In early 1973, Slapp Happy left Germany for England. Henry Cow, who had recently signed a record deal with the then emerging Virgin Records, heard a cassette tape of the trio's rejected second album, and were impressed and recommended that Virgin sign them. The record label, however, was concerned about how receptive English audiences would be to Krause's German accent. But after several other musicians and critics advocated them, including Robert Wyatt and Ian MacDonald in New Musical Express, Virgin added Slapp Happy to their roster later in 1973. Soon after signing, Slapp Happy went to Virgin's Manor Studios in Oxfordshire in early 1974 to re-record Casablanca Moon. Blegvad said Virgin felt that their unreleased second album was "a good demo, but too crude for radio, so we re-recorded the same songs with swisher production". Session musicians were used, under the direction of violinist , with new arrangements of the songs by Roger Wootton of Comus. Virgin released the album as Slapp Happy in May 1974. The new recording attracted the attention of the press, particularly after Wyatt endorsed it. But Henry Cow were not so complimentary. Blegvad remembers them saying, "Well, it's OK, the songs aren't bad, but it's really a missed opportunity. You made a conventional pop record and you could have done something more." It was not until 1980 that Recommended Records released the original Casablanca Moon (with Faust) as Acnalbasac Noom (the words of the original title written backwards). Comparison of the two releases revealed two very different musical arrangements. Acnalbasac Noom had a raw and unsophisticated feel about it, whereas Slapp Happy tended to be more sentimental with more complex arrangements, including a string orchestra. In June 1974, there were plans for a joint appearance by Slapp Happy and Virgin label mates Henry Cow and Wyatt at a free concert in Hyde Park in London, but this was cancelled at the