I actually saw their first performance. It was in somebody's kitchen, and Calvin jumped up and started performing on somebody's kitchen top. I thought from the first moment I heard their stuff that he had a very unique take on punk ... It was really quirky and really affected, but they were the ultimate DIY band. They had two instruments, ... Read morewhich they borrowed - they didn't even own the instruments - and they never rehearsed ... So here's this band who don't own instruments, don't rehearse, they didn't even pay for their own records, and yet their first album is being honoured in the book series 33 1/3. You've got the Ramones, Michael Jackson, the Beatles ... oh, and Beat Happening ... I think that Beat Happening got the respect they deserved ... It was them going: 'We are punk. This is who we are. We're not going to conform or change what we do based on peer pressure.'
Gwilym Mumford
The Guardian
'A' is for action, `B' is for Bret, `C' is for Calvin...and so on ... Parker does admirable work here in describing the origins of the band's sensibilities (improvisational theater and early exposure to feminism are both key), and how those sensibilities put them at odds with punk as the scene was getting more violent and exclusionary. As with all volumes of the 33 1/3 series, I'll judge Parker's work on how much it enhanced my understanding of the album and whether or not that enhanced perspective made me want to revisit it with fresh ears. He's successful on both fronts.
Midnight to Six
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