Camper Van Beethoven Albums
Camper Van Beethoven are one of the most important bands of all time, mainly for showing that there were no rules to rock n roll music. Completely independent, they tackled any genre in any fashion and genre they could, something their mentors Frank Zappa and Bob Dylan would also attempt, but rather than trying to be chameleons CVB reveled in the fact that a hodgepodge of sounds was the best way to go. To put it another way: ‘every sound everywhere all at once.’ The lyrics sung by songwriter/ lead singer David Lowery are tales that also only make the minimal amount of sense- some are sung in a nasal, Californian accented way and others are spoken in a similar way. No matter the slacker/surfer personalities, the band were masters at their instruments, especially Johnathan Segal with his mastery of violin which brings a professional quality to anything they perform. CVB could have been an ace bluegrass instrumental band, they could have been almost anything, but influenced by the circus like quality of psychedelic rock music and a knack for penning a good story or melody, they became so much more through their influence on alternative rock showing off the unlimited possibilities of fusion. Record sales be damned, their influence on music is truly incalculable.
Band Members:
David Lowery (vocals, guitar, drums)
Jonathan Segel (violin, keyboards, guitar, vocals, mandolin, sitar, 1984-1988, 1999-present)
Victor Krummenacher (bass, vocals)
Greg Lisher (guitar, vocals, 1985-present)
Chris Pedersen (drums, 1986- 1990, 2004, 2015-present)
Morgan Fichter (violin, vocals, 1989-1990)
Chris Molla (guitar, vocals, pedal steel guitar, drums, 1983-86)
David Immerglück (guitar, lap steel, mandolin, vocals, 1990, 2004)
Frank Funaro (drums, 2004-13)
Biggest Influences:
Pink Floyd, Kaleidoscope, Frank Zappa, John Cale, Robyn Hitchcock, The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Bob Dylan,
Holy Modal Rounders, Fleetwood Mac
Albums Chronologically:
1985 – 85% - Telephone Free Landslide Victory
1986 – 94% - II and III
1986 – 86%- Camper Van Beethoven
1988 – 96% - Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart
1989 – 82% - Key Lime Pie
1985
Telephone Free Landslide Victory - 85%
An oddity of a debut album, Telephone Free stands alone in being ahead of its time in a lot of ways. Camper Van Beethoven's first album is a nice mix of ska and surf rock, with odd song topics thrown in all over dealing with skinheads, dogs, health clubs, Russian traditions and basically anything that pops in their deranged minds. The fact that the album format is mostly instrumental- then song- then instrumental again makes it interesting and different to listen to, the only real issue only some of the ska instrumentals are kind of too long. “9 of Disks” is the best, complete dementia and spiraling out of control while at the same time staying right on course, It is one of the best instrumental rock n roll ever put forth. Others fair well for their loyalty to polka and folk traditions, “Vladivostok” channeling eastern Russia, “Moa Reminisces” channeling oriental music at its best. Ditto for the surf rock of “Yanqui Go Home, the ska of “Border Ska” and polka of “Balalaika Gap”. For those I don’t mention, well like I said some fare better than others.
As for the songs with words, there is an album more attuned with the alternative rock scene of the 1980s with bands like Soft Boys and REM influencing the proceedings. Many of these songs do have odd topics (“The Day Lassie Went to the Moon”, the nursery rhyme endless rant of “Where the Hell is Bill?”) and the songs fall into the novelty cannon more than the timeless melodies cannon of rock music. Best of all is the 1960’s pop jangle of the Byrds influence “Oh No”, the closing conglomeration of sounds and ideas in “Ambiguity Song” (this band really knows how to close an album), and the song they are best known for and one of the greatest nonsense lyric songs ever in “Take the Skinheads Bowling”. As funny as the lyrics are in “Skinheads Bowling”, it should also be known that musically the two chord chugging back n forth of the verse would perhaps be a bigger game changer as it would be ripped off many times by college rock bands after them such as Pixies, Pavement and Archers of Loaf. In all, balancing the sarcastic tone of their idols and putting that side by side with excellent traditional European traditional folk music, you have an album while slightly inconsistent stands as a milestone of creative ideas.
Best Songs: 9 of Disks, Take the Skinheads Bowling, The Day Lassie Went to the Moon, Ambiguity Song
Sidenote: make sure you are listening to original track list, as many bonus tracks have been littered through the album on reissues. The best one is perhaps the novelty “Wasted all your Time”.
1986
II & III - 94%
The second CVB album improves in every way on the debut, which was in itself a very good record. The music contained here, perhaps unlike any other before it, gives rise to the fact that anything thing is possible in rock n roll. By taking styles that normally would never go together- surf, rockabilly, bluegrass, polka, punk, waltzes- and having all of the styles shown off in backing with great songs, Camper van Beethoven are showing the world that anything is possible. The styles a still separate, through the borders between genre and possibilities are closer together than ever. We do have plenty of rev up style instrumental dance numbers led by the fiddle- the gorgeous and charming “Sad Lover’s Waltz”, opener “Abundance” , and best of all the aptly titled “ZZ Top Goes to Egypt”. Then there are the more angry with reason, attitude driven numbers: the breakdown in the middle that proved sort of prophetic in the hijacking fantasy “Goltea”, and the blasting “Cowboys from Hollywood” and “Chain of Circumstance” making sense in their own nonsensical way, having a classic rock sort of origin. “Down and Out” seems effortlessly tossed off but holds up remarkedly well. Some songs are so brief but still manage to leave their mark, like the nonsensical breakdown in “Turtlehead” played with the punk fury but also Zappa’s sense of offbeat harmony; the martial tempo of the stately “No Flies on Us”. Closer “No More Bullshit” is an early shot at the commercialism of MTV (in 1986?) and “We’re a Bad Trip” manages to sum up their others better than most with the simple lyric: “Went to the party/ drank All the beer/ yeah we’re a bad trip.”
One of the best cover songs ever exists in the Holy Modal Rounders influenced style rev-up of Sonic Youth’s “I Love Her All the Time”, taking the spirit of that song and making it something very unique to themselves. Psychedelia is more present in this record, whether it be the overtly backward vocals and instruments of “Circles” or the “Form Another Stone” harks back to the 1960s radio. “the two minute “Dustpan” instrumental is a nod to Meat Puppets desert rock, and a hidden gem for sure; with songs like this it feels as though Camper Van Beethoven could do anything. The only songs that slightly fail, numbers that could be done by any group participating in the fashionable ska or polka style of the times like “Four Year Plan” or “No Krugerrands for David” are still performed remarkably well. That’s one thing unique to CVB- they have a casual approach to melodic songs but are already expert players at a very young age. Credit drummer (Chris Pedersen) and bass player (Victor Krummenacher) for keeping the proceedings tight.
Best of all is the glittering ballad “Sometimes” alone is worth the price of admission being slightly off key in the best way and superbly emotional. A song like this might have origins in bubblegum pop, but pushes alternative music forward in the way it has a sort of slacker approach to staying on key. Why is it called II and III? Could be part to Led Zeppelin and how they title their albums, could be that they had enough material for 2 albums altogether, who knows- the satirical heart is alive and well with Lowery and company. It is better than the debut to me, as they are starting to fuse styles together that have never been fused and take chances that other bands would never dare to take. A masterwork for sure, and new surprises await at every listen.
Best Songs: Sometimes, Sad Lovers Waltz, Form Another Stone, Down and Out, Dustpan,
Sidenote: bonus tracks no sewn into the middle of the album “Vampire Club” is a gem, about playing live shows and being treated like shit while doing so, and “Devils Song”’ which would be redone.
1986
Camper Van Beethoven - 87%
For their second album of 1985, CVB have released yet another electric mix of sounds. The melodies are strong and confident for some of their most polished songs yet- the power pop of the Grateful Dead fantasy in "We Saw Jerry's Daughter", the jam band hard rock swinging in "Surprise Truck" that follows, and the awesome closing anthem bluegrass of "Shut Us Down". When they are blending genres together, they get more smooth than ever, like the blues rock weirdness of "History of Utah" and the Charlie Daniel's homage "We Love You" which sounds like they wanted to cover "Devil Went Down to Georgia" but just decided to be influenced by it instead and make a song even better! And there is plenty of room for whimsy with hilarious tales like “Joe Stallin’s Cadillac” which dote on legendary historical figures and rock n roll ones as well (“anyone seen the bridge??”).
All of David Lowery’s lyrics still take pride in being as absurd as possible. The converging mesh of styles has never sounded so uniform and makes for some intriguing results, most of all "Still Waiting to Course", which has to be one of the most original songs of the 1980s alt rock scene. “Good Guys and Bad Guys” opens the record in the most unassuming of ways, laid back and full of beautiful instrumental arrangements. On the note of what doesn’t work, well it’s often noted that perhaps the band tries TOO much at times; I would argue the dreary “Lu Lu Land”, short Indian raga “Une Fois” and “Folly” are sort of more looked at as filler than real songs that drive things forward. All of these sort of hark back to the 1960’s still, but not in a charming way. And some songs like “Five Sticks”, “Stairway to Heaven (sic)” or “Hoe Yourself Down” are too brief to really say that much, through they fare a bit better. Still, we end the last part of the record with psychedelic freak outs like “Peace and Love” (which worships the Velvet Underground) and “Interstellar Overdrive” ( a faithful early Pink Floyd Cover), so at times this hero worship works. In all, of the first 3 Camper Van Beethoven albums so far… just pick a favorite as they all have vast rewards. Like Husker Du before them, they are the rare 80’s band that released three amazing albums in a two year period which is beyond impressive- it makes them one of the most memorable rock n roll bands ever.
Sidenote: of the four bonus tracks intertwined in the album, we have the demented dance of “Pope Festival”, the truly almost backwards “Love the Witch”, an early version of “Pictures of Matchstick Men” the sort of meaningless “Due Foises”. The first two would have made the album stronger with their inclusion.
Sidenote two: Dave Matthews Band song “Rapunzel” from Before these crowded Streets 1998 album takes a more serious take on “Still Waiting to Course”.
1988
Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart - 96%
While many independent rock groups would find the move to a major label a step in the wrong direction, CVB made their fourth album their best one ever by focusing in all of the right places. They have never sounded tighter- “Waka” is some real hard rock meets blues and Eastern Europe folk with an excellent Greg Lischer guitar solo. “My Path Belated” has the vocals and guitar solo follow each other, but time signatures change on a whim and styles know no limits. Sure it sounds 1980’s, but its impeccably performed (as usual) and their passion has never shown through brighter.
They have never sounded more confident- They open with two version of “Eye of Fatima”, part one being a typical country influenced and calmed down #, and two being a power instrumental showing off Segel as the true instrumental leader of the band. “She Divines Water” has the ability to be bluegrass psychedelic of the highest order, reaching an emotional climax and even finds an ending more special and out there than any other band would. “Devil Song” has grown from an obscure b-side to a powerhouse of a demented rock song, and they fare even better for “Turquoise Jewelry” which just might be the best song the band ever cut (I know I say that a lot, but for real this time!). This song has a mix of crescendos and horns that bring stylistic wonder to everything. They have never sounded more timeless- their cover of a traditional folk tune “O Death” they surely heard first on Kaleidoscope’s Beacon from Mars (1969) album (if ever there was a California band to influence CVB, that was it), is played through their own usual filter of ambience giving it a unique spin. “Change Your Mind” brings in ragtime, polka, and folk together in a way that is emotionally touching. “Tania” could be the song from a Russian musical and no one would question it.
Camper Van Beethoven have learned from their experiments in genre hoping to do it even more effortlessly here. “One of the Days” stand tall with other Reggae and country icons of the past (Peter Tosh meets Dwight Yoakum), and “Never Go Back” is both of these with a touch of psych harmonies. If the circus music of “The Fool” feels like a retread it is still miles above of what other groups can pull off and shows their stylistic mastery is still at play. When I listen to music like this, I truly go into another world where not much else matters and life can soar into the universe- great music has this power. Every song on here has much to offer and there is not a clunker in this whole bunch of tunes, pure artistic excellence closing with “Life is Grand”, Lowery’s supreme outlook on life sung in jovial fashion. The lyrics are brilliant but you can look those up on your own. Everything great about Camper Van Beethoven is present on this record, Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart, unique as a snowflake to what CVB brings to rock music.
Best Songs: Turquoise Jewelry, She Divines Water, Never Go Back, Devil Song, Life is Grand
Sidenote: though I own it on vinyl, I do find it sad you cannot stream this album properly on Spotify or other streamers. Good thing I also own it, on CD! And yes I still have a CD player…
1989
Key Lime Pie - 82%
For the band's fifth and final album of the 80's and before their initial break up, they decided to sort of dwell on the darkness and somber side of things. Each song here either rocks pretty hard or has a down out sort of element of 'sadness’ that the band had perfected. It makes sense- the last album was probably the best that could be done with that sort of merging of all the styles/genres of all the world. They lose Segal (arguably the artistic soul of the group) but gained Morgan Fitcher who is as capable replacement as they could hope for. On Key Lime Pie, they are now an interesting college rock band that writes good songs- not one that necessarily tackles every sound that pops in their head though.
They begin with an instrumental, as per usual "Opening theme" proving they really don't care at all what these songs are called. It's decent, followed by a couple of dirges that really show the band's comfort level with their material. "Jack Ruby" is sort of trying to show them becoming mere storytellers, as warped as those stories may be about historical figures of yesterday. It might work better as a story, then a song. Then we have "Sweethearts" which tells the tale of...I don't even know what, but it's told beautifully which to me is what matters and that’s the albums first great song at #3. Like any Camper Van Beethoven record there are some many highlights: the rock n roll futuristic guitar of "Laundromat" that just might have influenced some 90s groups (ha); the ballad that is surprisingly emotional for them in all “All Her Favorite Fruit" but with some odd lyrical choices (if you hear the song you will know what I mean); the glorious viola playing on the forefront of the cover to end all cover songs- " Pictures of Matchstick men" which was the bands largest hit ever.
As much are those are the well touted songs, I feel like underrated we still have the fantasy of "Borderline" another great reggae classic; the down-on-luck noir character featured in “When I Win the Lottery”; the bizarre and sharp edges of “Flowers” which might be the strangest take on a symbol known for beauty ever made. There are some other interesting songs, some work to an extent - “June” has a nice plodding pace, and “Come on Darkness” is an aptly titled closer to their career though a bit depressing. But there also a couple of songs that for the first time sort of stand out like sore thumbs, as “The Light from a Cake” and “The Humid Press of Days” are more duds than songs that work. While still a band of great capability, it’s probably my least favorite of CVB albums and there was some notable strain on the proceedings hinting the band might be at its end. Still, to their credit there is plenty of greatness here and the band never made an album that wasn’t at least of high artistic quality. Their sound has become normalized to a point and while Lowery is a great songwriter capable of catchy punchy songs, they no longer seem to know which direction to head.
Best Songs: Laundromat, Borderline, Flowers, All Her Favorite Fruit
Afterthoughts: after the 80’s, David Lowery would famously go on to explore a more country version of root-rock in Cracker in which the first tow albums are very much worth exploring. They had a huge alt-rock hit in 1993 with “Low” which has a special place in my heart as it’s the first song I ever loved written by Lowery. David Immergluck who sat in on the last tour the band did went on to form the Counting Crows which is an interesting factoid.
CVB did reunite for some albums in the 21st century, New Roman Times (2004) which has a more serious political vibe and a complete cover album of Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk which is as bizarre as you hope it would be. They have also reunited several times for reunion shows, and Lowery now teaches college in Georgia.