Humans - Happy Hour

Review by Critical Knowledge

Happy Hour by Humans: A Wild Ride Through 80s Rock Vibes Let’s talk about Happy Hour, the quirky little gem from Humans, released back in ‘81. This album is like a time capsule stuffed with Pop Rock hooks, Surf grooves, New Wave vibes, and just enough Punk edge to keep things interesting. It came out on I.R.S. Records (and Illegal Records for those Dutch fans), so you know it had that underground-meets-mainstream energy going on. The band—led by Eric Gies on vocals and bass—wasn’t trying to reinvent the wheel here, but man, did they make the wheel sound fun. With David Kahne pulling double duty as producer and engineer, this thing feels tight without losing its scrappy charm. And props to Su Shuttle for the artwork; it’s got that DIY coolness that screams “we’re not taking ourselves too seriously.” Now let’s get into the tracks because, honestly, some of these songs just stick with you. Take "Lightning", for example. The opening riff hits like… well, lightning. John Anderson’s guitar work is sharp enough to cut glass, and when Eric Gies starts singing, there’s this raw urgency in his voice that makes you feel like he’s telling your story. It’s one of those songs where you can almost hear the sweat dripping off the amps. Every time I listen to it, I’m transported straight back to my teenage years, cruising around town with the windows down, feeling invincible. Then there’s "Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark." Oh man, this track has an eerie vibe that sneaks up on you. Rick Walker’s percussion adds this creepy undertone, like something bad might happen if you turn your back on the song. But instead of freaking me out, it pulls me deeper. Maybe it’s Sterling Storm’s writing or maybe it’s just how damn catchy it is, but this tune lingers long after the needle lifts off the record. It’s dark, yeah, but also kinda comforting, like being scared while knowing you’re safe. What gets me about Happy Hour isn’t just the music—it’s the attitude. These guys weren’t chasing trends. They were making what felt right at the moment, blending genres like they didn’t care who was watching. You can hear it in every drumbeat Jim Norris lays down, every keyboard swirl from David Larstein. Even the lyrics have this unpolished honesty that feels refreshing compared to today’s hyper-produced stuff. Here’s the kicker, though: listening to Happy Hour now, decades later, it still sounds fresh. Like, weirdly fresh. Maybe it’s because we’ve cycled back to loving lo-fi garage rock vibes, or maybe it’s just proof that good music doesn’t expire. Either way, this album deserves more love than it probably got back in the day. So grab yourself a copy (if you can find one!) and crank it loud. Just don’t blame me if your neighbors start banging on the walls—you’ve been warned.

Artist: Humans
Album: Happy Hour

Rock

1981

Rating: 3.55

Review
About Album
Download
Tracks
Video
Images
Catalog Numbers
Labels
Listen online
Formats
Companies
Credits
Notes
Barcodes
About Artist
Interesting fact
Comments
Related albums

Download

Filename: humans-happy-hour.zip

MP3 size: 79 mb
FLAC size: 461 mb

Download

Tracks

Track	Duration	Preview
Waiting At The Station	3:04
Change	3:44
Obituary	6:10
You Don't Wanna Know	3:09
Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark	3:09
Lightning	4:02
Lost Control	3:45
Invisible Man	3:40
Foreign Culture	4:43
Get You Tonight	3:09

Video

Humans - Lightning

HUMANS - Happy Hour (complete album)

HUMANS -- Get You Tonight

Humans - You Don't Wanna Know (1981 US New Wave)

Images

Catalog Numbers

SP 70025
ILP 85421
CS-70025

Labels

I.R.S. Records
Illegal Records , I.R.S. Records

Listen online

escuchar en línea
ascolta in linea
kuunnella verkossa
ouvir online
online luisteren
lytte på nettet
écouter en ligne
online anhören
lyssna på nätet

Formats

Vinyl
LP
Album
Cassette

Companies

Role	Company
Produced At	The Automatt
Engineered At	The Automatt
Phonographic Copyright (p)	I.R.S., Inc.
Copyright (c)	I.R.S., Inc.
Distributed By	CBS Records

Credits

Role	Credit
Arranged By	David Kahne, The Humans
Artwork By	Su Shuttle
Photography	Su Shuttle
Drums	Jim Norris
Guitar	John Anderson
Keyboards	David Larstein
Producer	David Kahne
Engineer	David Kahne
Vocals	Eric Gies
Bass	Eric Gies
Written-By	Eric Gies (tracks: A3, B3), Sterling Storm (tracks: A1, A2, A4, A5, B1, B2, B4, B5)
Design	Su Shuttle
Photography By	Su Shuttle
Percussion	Rick Walker (tracks: A5)

Notes

Bag is printed in black on white paper.
Release included a 1981 tour merchandise flyer
Produced and engineered at The Automatt, S.F.
(P) & (C) 1981 I.R.S. Inc.
Distributed by CBS Records / Printed & made in Holland
Dolby System

Barcodes

Matrix / Runout (Side A): SP-070025-A T1
Matrix / Runout (Side B): SP070025-B T
Rights Society: BIEM/STEMRA
Label Code: LC 7014

About Humans

Name Vars

Humans

Members

Jerome Deupree
David Larstein
Eric Gies
Sterling Storm
John Anderson
Jim Norris

myspace.com

Interesting fact about Album

Here’s a fun fact: The Humans' 1981 album *Happy Hour* is a wild mix of genres—Pop Rock, Surf, New Wave, and Punk/New Wave—all rolled into one. It’s like they couldn’t decide what vibe to go with, so they just said, “Why not all of them?” The band even had David Kahne, who later became a big-name producer for acts like Fishbone and Bon Jovi, wearing multiple hats as the arranger, engineer, and producer. Oh, and get this—Su Shuttle handled both the artwork and photography, giving the album a cohesive look that matched its eclectic sound. Not bad for an underground release on I.R.S. Records and Illegal Records!

Comments

llepetitprince

2025-03-12

My first rock concert was The Humans at The Catalyst in Santa Cruz when I was 14. The Medflys opened.

nossopequenomundo

2025-03-12

Halloween at the Coconut Grove w/Huey Lewis opening. Epic! (I was in the Mr. Peanut costume.)

karapirotoru

2025-03-11

Thank you for putting this up. Had this among my sacred 80's vinyl, which was all stolen DJ'ing a show. CLASSIC!!

julrod

2025-03-10

Foreign culture is one of my all time favorite.
It stands out of the rest of the lp tracks.
Thanks for the post.

recrutocombr

2025-03-10

Does anyone have a copy of their lyrics for "Don't be afraid of the dark"?

neber

2025-03-09

Great band, great album ! ❤

buytshirtsblog

2025-03-08

Can't believe it took me 30 plus years to finally find "Humans" again. Was there ever a follow up to Happy Hour?

harishruthi12

2025-03-07

I love this band! Listen to my Happy Hour LP all the time.

woodentires

2025-03-07

Eric Gies was a brilliant visionary of a writer. Why these guys from Santa Cruz, Ca never hit the top of the big time can only be due to poor management because they were one of the greatest new wave bands of the day.

bassfishncliff

2025-03-07

I thought humans was just my imagination..glad 4smart phone

nativeambition951

2025-03-07

Hard song to find . If it’s out there YouTube has it

livecleanbycedric

2025-03-07

Loved this band. Saw them open for Squeeze in Berkeley and two days later in SF. Absolutely killed and I followed until I left Bay Area in ‘83. Go Stone Club in North Beach!!

rahmicakar

2025-03-07

GRACIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS <3

costumedebaieieftine

2025-03-07

I remember having this on a cassette playing it on a portable Walkman.

nathatida1999

2025-03-07

back on coast guard cutter Duane..lots of us liked punk rock

holliebx

2025-03-06

Awesome!!!... haven't heard this since the early '80s. Oh the good ol' days of KROQ!

caiopassarelli

2025-03-06

Thank you for posting this. I've been looking for it for years. I've even requested it during flashback weekends on both KROQ and 91X and no one seemed to know what song I was talking about.

amandacsides

2025-03-05

Thanks for posting. It was posted a few years ago, but only temporarily.

radhikatandon14

2025-03-04

i turned 18 summer of '77. i know i heard this before then cause i remember going to K-Mart for the very 1st time soon afterwards. Red &blue lights flashing, sirens wailing, speaker broadcasting a 5minute sale on aisle number whatever starting RIGHT NOW. I walked into this song & i've been searching for it ever since. A TRILLION THANK YOU'S.