Customer Reviews

Jamboree

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

 

 

I bought this album and listened to it. It didn't take very long, but every minute was used to the limit. Every song is good. I absolutely love the band, the sound. They seem naive and experienced at the same time. They aren't geniuses at playing their instruments, but they are at writing catchy, bittersweet songs about adolesence.

I have no personal favourite record from the magnificent Beats but this one is a good start to new listeners. I was introduced to this masterpiece sometime ago by listening to Luna's cover of "Indian Summer". I was then and I'm still now crazy for so called 80' s Twee or Jangle Pop stuff from Pastels to Tallulah Gosh, scottish Postcard Records stuff, early Go-Betweens and so on...Then Beat Happening...How lucky my ears are! Before any new Yo La Tengo yet to come, listen to this magic songs.

Yes, Beat Happening is not for everyone. Let's just clear that up now. If you only really enjoy listening to high-quality productions in the vein of nu-metal, teen-pop, rap, etc. (not that ALL of those genres are bad necessarily), then you most likely will NOT enjoy this band's music. However, if you like indie rock, DIY punk, early Velvet Underground, or simply put, music that doesn't really care what the listener's opinion of the music is, than you should really check out Beat Happening.

Beat Happening were Northwest indie rock legends, influencing the music scene in so many ways. Hell, Cobain even went and got a K records tattoo on his arm. And for me, this album is them at their best-and yes, in many respects, also them at their most unapproachable as well.

There are several great punkish tunes here that really rock in the B.H. way: 'Cat Walk', 'Midnight a go-go', and 'Hangman' are all awesome, and want to make you pogo and wave your arms in the air. Heather, of course, contributes a couple of slower, ballady numbers that are very sweet and endearing. 'The This Many Boyfriends Club': you either love this or you think it is the biggest piece of junk ever written. I love it. Out-of-key guitars, background cafe talking, feedback, Calvin singing out of tune-this song is sooo cool.

The true highlight here though, is 'Indian Summer', which by now should be considered a true indie rock classic, being covered by the likes of Luna and Eugenius. There is a simple, timeless perfection about this song. I honestly think that anyone should be able to appreciate and enjoy it.

So, sure, this album is by no means a universal crowd pleaser (Nevermind it is not), but it certainly has its appeal for the right music fans out there. Give it a try: if you enjoy it, then check out Black Candy, which also is awesome, and even darker in tone.

The second full-length release from the Beat Happening (after their self-titled debut and an EP collaboration with Screaming Trees) finds them showing all sides of their collective personality. Jamboree contains eleven songs, due to the punk aesthetic covering only twenty-four minutes, that range from the powerful, catchy "Bewitched" to the seeming test of listener tolerance "The This Many Boyfriends Club."

"Bewitched" begins Jamboree with feedback and some nice grinding fretwork. Calvin Johnson easily holds our attention with the repeated chorus of "I've got a crush on you." I'm consistently amazed at how simple a song can be and still be entertaining, and "Bewitched" is a perfect example; it appears to be composed of only two chords yet is immensely satisfying. Heather Lewis follows with the beach rock-influenced jangle pop of "In Between." I find myself continually drawn to her offerings. Neither of them is a particularly great singer but the difference in Calvin and Heather's vocal styles makes one a respite from the other and doesn't let monotony get in the way of a solid listen.

Calvin returns for another venture into what is essentially Beat Happening's forte: love songs of either nostalgia or longing. The plaintive "Indian Summer" is a highlight of the album, with memorable lyrics and a sweet tone. "Hangman" (along with "Bewitched") show signs of the darkness that would lead to the recording of Beat Happening's next work, Black Candy, with its tale of an executioner who seems to enjoy his job a little too much but otherwise is just a normal Joe. I love it.

Jamboree's title track is actually one of the low points of the album, seeming to have been recorded on the fly, but it's improvisatory feel is charming. It is the first of three tracks that each come in at around a minute. The sound on "Ask Me" has a bit of echo, but Heather's a capella rendering of the musical question "Oh, hey, well okay, aren't you gonna ask me what I did today?" is nonetheless engaging. A fuller production is evident on "Crashing Through," but it still makes a lesser impression than "Ask Me" simply due to the catchy pop feel of the latter.

"Cat Walk" is a distinctly humorous ditty that begins with Calvin observing his girl out with another guy. He doesn't mind ("he's an okay fella," "she's got a bad habit of being pure"), but wishes "she'd leave my sweater home" while doing it. "Drive Car Girl" and "Midnight A Go-Go" are musically similar--the one feels almost like a continuation of the other--with Calvin offering comparable vocalisms. The only difference is that "Midnight" ends with Calvin (and whoever happens to be guitarist on this track--it's not always easy to tell on Beat Happening records) getting a little excited at the end, making it a slight improvement on its predecessor.

The less said about "The This Many Boyfriends Club," however, the better. Playground noises, atonal guitar and Calvin defiantly following an unidentifiable melody combine to make a very unpleasant listening experience--and it's the longest track on the album. It ends with a girl's scream and Calvin throwing the microphone down, just for good measure. Jamboree may be less than half an hour long, but it would be much more enjoyable if this track were completely left off. You've got to say this for the album, though: it puts all its good eggs up front and, realizing that it won't entertain forever, at least attempts to be experimental.

Their minimalistic pop music was revolutionary at its time, but their incessant plugging of the same old ideas has yielded countless incompetant musicians who believe mugging and wearing cute clothes is equivalent to making an artistic statement.

So, thanks for nothing Beat Happening, but thanks a lot for this album which, along with Daniel Johnston's early work, and the Shagg's opus, create the triumverate of beyond basic pop love.

Album: 4 stars.
Beat Happening's impact on music, resulting in lots of pretentious, annoying, entitled white kids dressing up like Doby Gillis: 2 stars.

Beat Happening can't play worth a s**t.

Neither can I. That said, I feel a certain affinity for what Beat Happening was doing. This is a trio fronted by Calvin Johnson, who owns a low bass voice, piercing at times in its intensity. Most of the songs are laden with feedback, poetic in nature, and never profane, interestingly enough. Playful, bashful, simple. That's Beat Happening, and if that's you, this is for you.

If you like indiferent out of tune guitar playing and drumming that makes Mo Tucker seem like a virtuoso then this album is for you. The singing and song writing are occasionally interesting but the general atmosphere of boredom and sloppy indifference ruins the experience for me. This sounds as if several of my musically less than talented friends decided to form a band and a week later recorded an album. It's not charming, just weak and one more reason to hate indie pop.