The Pursuit of Happiness by The Beat Farmers

The Pursuit of Happiness is the Beat Farmers' 1987 album, and it finds the San Diego band in a new shape: founding member Buddy Blue was out, and Joey Harris was in, alongside Jerry Raney's tough, R&B-flavored guitar and the gleeful mayhem of drummer Country Dick Montana. Dave Jerden produced it at Indigo Ranch in Malibu, Steve Berlin blew saxophone, and the band's blunt, country-tinged rock takes in a couple of covers too, with Montana singing Johnny Cash's "Big River" and a run at Tom Waits' "Rosie". As a jab at the PMRC, the band allegedly slipped a "positive" subliminal message onto the record.

"Dark Light" went out first and reached 27 on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks chart, and "Hollywood Hills" followed with a video. They toured North America behind it with Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper, and one critic called it the band's best album yet.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.