Customer Reviews

Beat Happening

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Essentially a rerelease of the '83-85' Beat Happening compilation CD which includes all the tracks from their first single, first album, first 2 EP's, plus a few compilation cuts & rarities...

Be warned, Beat Happening is an acquired taste: the musicianship is rudimentary at best, the singers (to quote a Rolling Stone review) "can't carry a tune in a bucket" and the sound quality is, well it's called lo-fi for a reason!

That said, you really need to hear this stuff; you may not instantly fall in love with the performances but the songs themselves (simple as they are) are relentlessly catchy (Hole, Yo La Tengo, Velocity Girl, Teenage Fanclub, Spectrum, Seaweed and many others others have covered BH tunes), and there's a good chance Beat Happening WILL win you over & you'll kick yourself for not investigating this band sooner.

All of their albums are worthy purchases but this one's probably the best place to start. There are a few clunkers here & there but most of these songs have become underground classics. The influence of this band cannot be overstated; a fair amount of 80's (and early 90's) alt-rock bands either directly or indirectly owe Calvin, Bret & Heather a tip-of-the-hat. Here's where you find out why.

The best thing about Beat Happening is the way they can accomplish so much with so little. Give them a mic and something to bang on, and they'll give you an incredibly catchy, sweet, and wacky tune about whatever (probably a cutesy love song).

Be Warned: This is classic lo-fi (but I'm sure you already knew that). The songs on this record are not glossed over with expensive production, in fact a few of them might even be considered no-fi.

If you're a fan of honest, raw, sweet, hella catchy rockn'roll, buy this record. Indie-rock law mandates it.

I own the box set, and would encourage everyone that is interested to make the investment. The reason why I'm writing this review is to stick up for an album that I believe to be worthy of five stars. This album will show you how diverse and ahead of their time Beat Happening really was. With out a doubt my favorite album by Beat Happening and you'll see that even though it has a rough sound there really is a lot going on here.

Beat Happening is one of those bands you may know but not realise you know it. Calvin from B.H. has an album out with Beck... Luna covers Indian Summer, a fantastic cover of a fantastic song. Most of their stuff seems to be somewhat improvised with simple five note melodies played over two or three chords that will charm your socks off. Sort of reminiscent of Johnathan Richman in spirit. The whole thing is ultra sincere, and so intimate you'll think the band's in your bedroom. This is an essential to children of the new york punk scene. eg. The Talking Heads, The modern lovers, Galaxie 500...

I would call this album garage pop at it's finest. It's sort-of twangy (not country), simple, and off-key in a good way. If you are a perfectionist and want nothing but super-produced songs...sadly, this in not the album for you. Their 3 chord songs tell stories about being in love-- but without the intense, undicypherable lyrics that so many bands thrive on. They definitely have created a style of their own. I would maybe even go as far to say that it's the "punk rock" of pop. A sort-of thrown together, but ingenious, mixture of light heartedness and grit. Calvin's voice is deeper than the sea, and Heather's voice is refreshing because it's anything but dreamy-- which I can appreciate. Many of the songs on this album have a similar taste of each other. "Don't Mix the Colors", "Foggy Eyes", "The Secret" and "The Fall" are my favourites on this album. This Beat Happening record is a staple in my collection. I first got hooked on Beat Happening through a friend, when he played me Cub's version of "Cast a Shadow" (which is unfortunately not on this album).

Beat Happening is one of the most musically inept rock bands of all time. The only band who supercedes them in talentlessness is Half Japanese who had little to no ability to write a melody. Beat Happening at least has melody-writing prowess. This is obviously one of those bands whose feeling is more impotant than their virtuosity and man do they have feeling. "Youth" is one of the most hauntingly real portrayls of the human conditon ever recorded in any art form. They sharpened their chops a bit on their later efforts but this one is extremely rudimentary. Its a great album based on its art alone; the musicality [is bad]. Calvin Johnson is one of the only human beings who legitamately scares me and for that I respect him.

For a couple years, I had a few Beat Happening tracks on my hard-drive that I'd randomly downloaded simply because I'd heard the name and how influential they were. Too cheap to invest, I left it at that for a while. I received the Beat Happening box set as a birthday present, and was excited to find out what the band was really all about. I popped Disc One into my CD Player while I had a couple of friends over, and minutes into it grew truly embarassed at how amateur and just plain "AWFUL" it sounded, and removed the disc. As days passed, I began to get really into some of their more developed discs, like "You Turn Me On" and "Dreamy"; this was a really amazing band...

To make a long story short, I will say that Beat Happening quickly became the most frequently played band in my stereo. As I got more into them, I decided to give Disc One ("Beat Happening") another chance, and let me tell you... THIS IS NOW BY FAR MY FAVORITE BEAT HAPPENING RECORD.

Is it their most finely crafted album? No. Is it their most mature? Definitely not.

I must say, though, that there is something about the songs on this disc (yes, ALL of them!) that blows me away, no matter how many times I listen to them. Calvin's lyrics are so simple--almost as though they were written/sung by a kindergarden student--yet they are profound in their simplicity, perfectly expressing the very essence of the most basic human emotions--love, loneliness, fear, excitement, etc.

I never thought I'd claim that a song consisting of fuzzed-out droning vocals and some random guy beating on a tin can was an absolute classic--but this is what makes Beat Happening such a phenomenal group. This is where lo-fi began, and I doubt if any super-hip band in the 2000's will ever match the simplicity and utter beauty of these early recordings.

If you have the patience to really give this album a chance, I am sure that you will agree that it is a hands-down classic--five stars, no doubt. I do not lie when I say that this record changed my life and will always be remembered as THE soundtrack to the random, confused, but exciting years of my early 20's. Thank you Calvin Johnson.

THIS RECORD IS AMAZING.

I first heard of this band about 9 years ago, reading the local music publications in Seattle, and had the fortune to find one of their tapes in a 99 cent bin in a music store. They've since become one of my favorite bands, and are to indie rockers what Led Zeppelin is to classic rock.

He's the way I see Beat Happening: either they are intentionally making crap, or they don't know how bad this actually is. Either way, it's crap, and this is one of--maybe THE--most over-rated albums ever. The singing is not singing, it's merely off-key, monotonous groaning. The lyrics are no better constructed than a simple dialogue or random thoughts in one's head. The strumming is utterly boring and un-inventive. The banging on pots in the background is just that. The recording technique is contrived. If they were really serious about their music, the would spend an extra $[...] on a better tape recorder.

I'm pretty sure I understand what they're trying to do here, but then almost anyone could make this same noise. It's simple sing-song jingles in nursery rhyme meter. And if you don't fully believe that, and you like the hooks that much, then you should demand better production and musical accomplishment. I mean, if they're that great, think how much greater they could be if they acted like a real band. Not trying to be judgemental, I just believe that intentionally "sounding bad" should not really be a viable gimmick in the music industry. Especially when I'm paying $[...] for the CD.

It's a good thing Beat Happening started their own label, otherwise this would have never been released. If you've listened to their later albums "Dreamy" or "You Turn Me On" and are looking to further explore Beat Happening, avoid this. The only really good song is "Foggy Eyes," while "I Let Him Get To Me" and "I Spy" are passably OK. Pathetic doesn't begin to describe the rest of it.

This isn't controversial "art rock" like Sonic Youth or Syd Barrett era Floyd exploring innovative sonic structures and don't let anyone convince you otherwise. It's not even an aquired taste. If I had put this together one night goofing off with friends, I would count it as a supreme embarrassment if it ever made it to the web. Like the Jedi kid video.

The best that can said of this is that maybe it's one of those "Emperor Has No Clothes" gaffs to find which music critics are full of it.

I would also like to point out that 4 and 5 star reviews gave it also used words and phrases like "musically inept," "talentless," "tuneless," "rudimentary musicianship" and so on. Everyone here is in agreement, but those are qualities I normally associate with BAD reviews.