Our Blog

Beat Happening “Beat Happening” (K, 1985)

K Records founder Calvin Johnson and his Beat Happening band mates Heather Lewis and Bret Lunsford spearheaded the influential international pop underground movement in America, where a not insignificant number of youths clamored for twee, sensitive indie rock in the wake of hardcore’s macho aggression. And Beat Happening were all too gleeful to give ’em the low-fidelity, bare-bones goods on their self-titled 1985 debut album. (The original Beat Happening release contained 10 songs; it was later expanded to 23 on various editions.)

The Olympia, Washington trio released some very good records after their first one; 1988’s Jamboree, with its oft-covered, swaying ballad “Indian Summer,” particularly resonates. But Beat Happening represents the band in their purest and most moving form. One would have to be among the planet’s most hard-hearted people not to be affected by these rickety, awkward, and charming tunes.

The members’ rudimentary instrumental skills, the lack of low-end frequencies, and Johnson’s flatter-than-Herman Munster’s-noggin singing didn’t prevent Beat Happening from creating a grip of classic songs. Accusations that they can’t really play or sing ring hollow when the results are this compelling. Beat Happening’s modestly sized catalog testifies to the players’ ingenuity within limited abilities. Sure, virtuosity’s nice, but there’s a lot to be said about cool ideas expressed in a shambolic manner. (The Shaggs, for one, built a rabid cult following out of it.)

The very unpolished nature of Beat Happening’s songs allowed them to impact listeners harder. The lack of sonic clutter enabled Calvin, Heather, and Bret’s raw, untutored voices to convey cleverly relatable emotions regarding love, sex, and food with a winsome effectiveness. The songs on Beat Happening are the sonic equivalent of stick figures, yet they’re somehow imbued with a vivid dimensionality.

Album opener “Foggy Eyes”‘s endearing jangle-pop is like waking up from a pleasant dream on a sunny Sunday with no pressing obligations, ably demonstrated by Lewis’ earnest and unadorned singing—which is not quite as flat as Johnson’s. Although her voice is limited, Lewis effectively communicates romantic obsession in the 93-second gem “I Let Him Get To Me.” Another Lewis-sung tune, the bouncy, peppy rock of “Down At The Sea,” is adorably child-like, anticipating the C86 sound that animated UK indie-pop in the mid ’80s.

Johnson asserts himself on the mic with “Bad Seeds,” radiating belligerence on this malcontent cousin of the Cramps’ cover of Ronnie Cook And The Gaylads’ “Goo Goo Muck.” A garage-rock anthem for the world’s misfits, this might be the most sinister cut in Beat Happening’s catalog, although it’s nowhere near the intensity of, say, Birthday Party. The live rendition included here is nastier than the studio version and as murky as the Mississippi River. Johnson informs the urgent rock of “I Love You” with a lustiness seldom heard in the era’s indie scene. But the mesmerizing “Our Secret” stands as the album’s musical peak, as it slackly, almost funkily chugs and boasts the group’s most infectious guitar riff, while Johnson paints a portrait of a surreptitious romance in his foghorn, plaintive tones.

I’m not gonna lie: Beat Happening hits differently when you’re middle-aged or older. This is definitely young-people music. Nonetheless, your graying self can still appreciate it, deriving amusement from the fresh-faced drama and poignancy that Beat Happening forged with beguiling amateurishness. -Buckley Mayfield

Located in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood, Jive Time is always looking to buy your unwanted records (provided they are in good condition) or offer credit for trade. We also buy record collections.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *