It crashed through me
Davy | Athens, GA | 07/11/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"i haven't experienced a band like this so deeply and so enthusiastically since pavement. and that's saying tons. i had one beat happening album, the last one, but then they came out with this ass-kicking box set last month which ate away at my brain everytime i saw it in my favorite record store until eventually i took the plunge and bought it. oh holy god, that is the best 60 bucks i ever spent (and i only had to spend about 30, cause i traded in some old cds). if you like any band that is even remotely outside of the mainstream, then you owe beat happening your appreciation. kurt cobain often cited the olympia, washington trio as an influence. hell, they basically created the seattle scene. the frontman, calvin johnson (known for his deeper-than-hell baritone voice) also created K records, which released early nirvana and early beck, as well as countless other groundbreaking bands. look his name up at allmusic.com, and gawk at his credits. they go on and on. but he'll never top beat happening, man. all of their albums went straight to my heart. i've listened to very little else besides those six discs in the past two weeks. and it's been wonderful. let's see, the first, s/t album gets a 4, really rough stuff, but irresistable... jamboree gets an easy 5, black candy a 5, dreamy a 4, you turn me on a 4.5, and the odds and ends compilation, music to climb the apple tree by_ is a 4 or so. but all together with the great booklet and video disc, the set is a wonderful treasure. thank you, K records."
I can't believe no 1 reviewed this yet, shame on all of you
doug | Rocky River, Ohio United States | 05/18/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"All there really is to say about this band is that they are by far one of the most important bands in indie rock history. They started K records and they basically built themselves up from Cramps copiers to fun twee-pop geniuses. Are they musically geniuses? No, but for there genre they are at the top, and I think that anyone who actually knows this music and knows this band will agree. This band simply put out great music. Even though the first record and Black Candy aren't as strong as the rest Jamboree and You Turn Me On make up for all of that. You Turn Me On is simply one of the greatest indie pop/rock records of all time. This box set is worth all the money you pay for it, but to just get You Turn Me On would be worth it. All the songs are really killer and Calvin is at his best lyrically. Oh and the box set comes with some live videos that also make the box set essential along with a collection of non-lp singles and eps. Trust me, all you indie poppers and rockers need this just as badly as you need Slanted and Enchanted."
Minimalist Rock at its Fullest
David Vinson | Birmingham, AL United States | 09/20/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It is sort of crazy that only two people, including myself, have reviewed this set of enormously influential and important music. Beat Happening have been cited by everyone from Fugazi to Nirvana as makers of seminal American music, and to say the least they're one of the most original and endearing rock bands to ever be conceived in America. Calvin Johnson's voice--his deep, droning baritone, matched with his child-like honesty, is an absolute brilliant pairing. And let's not forget Bret or Heather either; Heather is even a modern-day Moe Tucker, the voice, the drum set and all. Their music is often silly, always engaging, always so bright with honesty and affection that it should make any cynical musical snob bow his head in shame: music isn't about snobbery, it's about celebrating life, and that's exactly what Beat Happening represent to me: a celebration of music, of youth, of freedom, and of each other. Buy this collection. You won't regret it. It's the stuff you play in the morning and have bouncing in your head throughout the day."
Track Listings (23) - Disc #1