Jamboree (Beat Happening album)
Encyclopedia
Jamboree is the second album by Beat Happening
, released in 1988 through K Records
/Rough Trade Records
. All songs were produced by Steve Fisk
with assistance from Screaming Trees
members Mark Lanegan
and Gary Lee Conner
(who plays a brief guitar solo on "Midnight a Go-Go"), except "Cat Walk," produced by Patrick Maley, and "The This Many Boyfriends Club," recorded live by Rich Jensen. The album marks a darker approach to the Twee pop for which the band is known, due largely to a thicker production than is present on the group's earlier recordings and the dominance of tracks written by Calvin Johnson, while Heather Lewis
only provides vocals on two songs, the uncharacteristically brash "In Between" and the more typically understated "Ask Me." At the time of the album's release, Calvin described Jamboree's sound as "dark and sexy." Still, the band retained their emphasis on exuberance over musicianship, as Bret Lunsford
stated in an interview that, while recording album opener "Bewitched," his guitar string got stuck on a protruding screw and he continued to play through the song, hitting the string a bit harder until it became unstuck.
This album was reportedly one of Kurt Cobain
's favorites. Two tracks from the album, "Bewitched" and "Indian Summer," were listed as essential listening in Pitchfork Media
's 2005 article on Twee Pop entitled "Twee as Fuck." "Indian Summer" is perhaps the group's best-known song, as it was famously covered by Dream pop
group Luna
, whose lead singer, Dean Wareham
, joked in The Shield Around the K, a documentary film on the history of Calvin's K Records
, that the song was "indie's 'Knocking on Heaven's Door'-- everybody's done it." The song was also covered by Ben Gibbard
for the soundtrack to the Kurt Cobain
documentary About a Son. Allmusic said of the album "each cut is a marvel of innocence and ingenuity."
.
Beat Happening
Beat Happening is an American punk band formed in Olympia, Washington in 1982. Calvin Johnson, Heather Lewis and Bret Lunsford have been the band's continual members...
, released in 1988 through K Records
K Records
K Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington, co-founded, owned, and operated by Calvin Johnson, formerly of the bands Cool Rays, Beat Happening, The Go Team, The Halo Benders and presently in the bands Dub Narcotic Sound System and The Hive Dwellers...
/Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
. All songs were produced by Steve Fisk
Steve Fisk
Steve Fisk is a Washington-based audio engineer, record producer and musician.Fisk joined the instrumental rock band Pell Mell in 1982. With vocalist Shawn Smith, he formed Pigeonhed, which released its first album in 1993....
with assistance from Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees was an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington in 1985 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bass player Van Conner and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel had been replaced by Barrett Martin by the time the band reached its most successful period...
members Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan is an American rock musician and songwriter. Lanegan began his music career in the 1980s, forming the grunge group Screaming Trees with Gary Lee Conner, Van Conner and Mark Pickerel. During his time in the band Lanegan would start a low-key solo career...
and Gary Lee Conner
Gary Lee Conner
Gary Lee Conner was the lead guitarist for rock act Screaming Trees, along with his brother Van, who was the band's bassist. Conner began his career with Screaming Trees in 1985 which lasted until their disbanding in 2000...
(who plays a brief guitar solo on "Midnight a Go-Go"), except "Cat Walk," produced by Patrick Maley, and "The This Many Boyfriends Club," recorded live by Rich Jensen. The album marks a darker approach to the Twee pop for which the band is known, due largely to a thicker production than is present on the group's earlier recordings and the dominance of tracks written by Calvin Johnson, while Heather Lewis
Heather Lewis (musician)
Heather Lewis is a multi-instrumentalist and founding member of Beat Happening. Prior to her work with Beat Happening, Lewis was a member of the Supreme Cool Beings, who are notable for having the first ever release on K Records, 1982's Survival of the Coolest. She appeared as a guest vocalist on...
only provides vocals on two songs, the uncharacteristically brash "In Between" and the more typically understated "Ask Me." At the time of the album's release, Calvin described Jamboree's sound as "dark and sexy." Still, the band retained their emphasis on exuberance over musicianship, as Bret Lunsford
Bret Lunsford
Bret Lunsford is a vocalist, songwriter, guitarist, and founding member of the influential bands Beat Happening and D+...
stated in an interview that, while recording album opener "Bewitched," his guitar string got stuck on a protruding screw and he continued to play through the song, hitting the string a bit harder until it became unstuck.
This album was reportedly one of Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
's favorites. Two tracks from the album, "Bewitched" and "Indian Summer," were listed as essential listening in Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
's 2005 article on Twee Pop entitled "Twee as Fuck." "Indian Summer" is perhaps the group's best-known song, as it was famously covered by Dream pop
Dream pop
Dream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s, when bands like The Passions, Dif Juz, Lowlife and A.R. Kane began fusing post-punk and ethereal experiments with bittersweet pop melodies into dreamy, sensual soundscapes. The term was almost...
group Luna
Luna (band)
Luna was a dream pop/indie pop band formed in 1991 by Dean Wareham after the breakup of Galaxie 500, with Stanley Demeski and Justin Harwood...
, whose lead singer, Dean Wareham
Dean Wareham
Dean Wareham is an American musician, who formed the band Galaxie 500 in 1987. Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Wareham moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia, before settling in New York City in 1977. Wareham attended high school at Dalton School in New York, and then attended Harvard...
, joked in The Shield Around the K, a documentary film on the history of Calvin's K Records
K Records
K Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington, co-founded, owned, and operated by Calvin Johnson, formerly of the bands Cool Rays, Beat Happening, The Go Team, The Halo Benders and presently in the bands Dub Narcotic Sound System and The Hive Dwellers...
, that the song was "indie's 'Knocking on Heaven's Door'-- everybody's done it." The song was also covered by Ben Gibbard
Ben Gibbard
Benjamin "Ben" Gibbard is an American musician known as a member of several successful indie rock bands. He is the lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service, and is also known for his project ¡All-Time Quarterback! and his first band, Pinwheel.-Personal life and career:Gibbard was...
for the soundtrack to the Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
documentary About a Son. Allmusic said of the album "each cut is a marvel of innocence and ingenuity."
Track listing
All tracks were written by Beat HappeningBeat Happening
Beat Happening is an American punk band formed in Olympia, Washington in 1982. Calvin Johnson, Heather Lewis and Bret Lunsford have been the band's continual members...
.
- "Bewitched" – 3:06
- "In Between" – 2:21
- "Indian Summer" – 3:05
- "Hangman" – 2:31
- "Jamboree" – 0:58
- "Ask Me" – 1:16
- "Crashing Through" – 1:16
- "Cat Walk" – 1:58
- "Drive Car Girl" – 2:00
- "Midnight a Go-Go" – 2:18
- "The This Many Boyfriends Club" – 3:18