Beat Happening (album)

Beat Happening is the debut album by American rock band Beat Happening, released in November 1985 through K Records. After the end of Laura, Heather and Calvin, vocalist and guitarist Calvin Johnson and drummer Heather Lewis formed Beat Happening. To help with a gig, guitarist Bret Lunsford joined them soon after. Between November 1983 and February 1985, the band recorded several tracks that subsequently appeared on different versions of their debut album. Two of the recording sessions were produced by Greg Sage of the Wipers, taking place at The Firehouse and Yoyo, both places located in Olympia, Washington. Other tracks were done at Johnson's residence at the Martin Apartments and with friend Pat Maley in a recital hall on the campus of Evergreen State College.

Described as indie pop and jangle pop, Beat Happening was compared to the work of the Cramps with its simplistic guitar work. The artwork for it, with its basic design, previously adorned gig flyers that Johnson had printed up. Photographs of the band in the album sleeve were taken at Capitol Lake in Olympia. They issued to cassettes of songs from the album's sessions in 1984 and 1985 prior to the album. Johnson and company personally sold copies of the vinyl LP to record stores while traveling across the country. Through the help of jouranlist Jerry Thackray, Rough Trade Records issued the album in late 1986.

Beat Happening was met with positive reviews, with contemporary critics praising the songwriting, while retrospective commentators focused on the production of the album. Melody Maker included the album in their list of the top 30 releases from the year. Tracks from all of the album's recording sessions were featured on the 1983–85 compilation; Beat Happening has been issued several times over the years, stand alone and as part of box sets. Musicians such as Ian MacKaye and Phil Elverum of Mount Eerie have expressed admiration for the album, while artists like Ben Gibbard, Scrawl and Seaweed covered tracks from it.