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Beat Happening & Calvin Johnson

grant

14:58 / 16.04.03

Sax somehow got Beat Happening (featuring the indie pop's favorite baritone, Calvin Johnson) mixed up with Reverend Horton Heat on a CD sampler.

This topic is about the neo-beatnik, post-lo-fi underground pop phenomenon.

Here's what Trouser Press have to say about Beat Happening.

They mention both the Cramps and Jonathan Richman as influences. These two are as musical gods to me, so Beat Happening is something I'm going to have to investigate more.

What I know: when Nirvana put Seattle grunge on the map, K Records was putting out another answer to punk rock from nearby Olympia. They were more "poppy" sounding than the grunge bands, tended to be less sonically aggressive but equally home-made and in yer face about it (only in a self-deprecating way).

I have a mix tape with "Fortune Cookie Prize" on it, and Calvin's ultra-deep voice shows up in a few songs I know (including, I think, the "Little Sally Tutorial" by The Blow).

What else is vital?

Ethan Hawke

15:13 / 16.04.03

My favorite Calvin Johnson project has to be the Halo Benders, his band with Built to Spill's Doug Martsch. Two of indie rocks most um, distinctive vocalists together at last. Guaranteed to drive at least half of your friends screaming from the room ("Why, dear god, is he singing like that? him, too?")

pomegranate

18:29 / 16.04.03

lol@ todd...so, so true.
i think beat happening have a box set now. (you know yr old when...)
black candy and dreamy are great.

rizla mission

19:52 / 16.04.03

I'm sure I'd dig the Beat Happening, but like many others it seems I've never had the oppurtunity to hear them.

I did hear an LP by the Halo Benders, thought that was pretty, um, nice I suppose.

Beat Happening seem to be worshiped by all the people who are into the whole lo-fi 'outsider art' kinda thing - Daniel Johnson, Jad Fair, Jonathan Richman etc. Fair enough.

Come to think of it, I do actually own a whole swathe of stuff that's on K records - Beck and the Make Up, and less obviously, Mirah and Wolf Colonel/Jason Anderson. I think those last two would be right up grant's street.

Sax

10:10 / 17.04.03

Having overcome my embarrassment at mixing up two bands who sound completely nothing like each other (I think I just liked the name Reverend Horton Heat and it stuck in my head ever time I played the Revolution Come and Gone sampler... which, by the by, kicks arse and you should pick up if you can find a copy) I'd like to reiterate that the song Revolution... is sublime. Is there other stuff of a similar ilk or is this a stand-out track?

pomegranate

15:18 / 17.04.03

[threadrot]
i used to have the k record fleece mittens...they were so cool...they had giant k shields on them and a little tag that said 'handmade by nikki mcclure.' i don't know where they are now, i suspect at an ex's house.
[end threadrot]

gergsnickle

15:37 / 17.04.03

Yes, Revolution Come and Gone is an awesome sampler! I love Beat Happening - some of their best stuff is out of print (except for the box set of everything) but if you can find a copy of "Dreamy" (from which 'Revolution Come and Gone' is taken), I think it's their best. 'You turn me on' is still in print, but has a few droning songs, like Spacemen 3. Those are my favorites - other CDs have good trackss, but aren't as consistent.

pony

02:47 / 24.09.04

just in response to the original post, i thought it worth mentioning that:

1. nirvana is essentially an olympia band, with most of their best work done while living in oly.

2. kurt and calvin played together on some of the go team recordings.

3. k is the only record label kurt memorialized in tattoo form.

at the scarwash

03:04 / 24.09.04

I'm occasionally a fan of the Microphones, especially Mt. Eerie. If you're looking for poppy songwriting, it's not always there, but it's one of the most interesting sutdio-as-an-instrument records I've heard in a long time. The drum sound is amazing enough to merit buying the record alone. The richness of the tape noise is almost tangible.

haus of fraser

14:01 / 27.09.04

Weird- I just got back into Beat Happening.
Hot Chocolate Boy was always a favourite song of theirs.
I sadly know nothing about them other than their music- dirty cool very bassy vocals..
maybe i should hunt out some of their albums- I only new them from a compilation tape someone made for me about 12 years ago. I downloaded a couple of other tracks the other day in a nostalgic moment while trying to find someof those lost greats from chewed up tapes of yesterday...

bio k9

20:41 / 27.09.04

most of their best work done while living in oly.

Oh, Jesus...

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