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Artists > A - C > Camper Van Beethoven > Camper Van Beethoven

 
:: Camper Van Beethoven  Ref: COOKCD289
 
 
 
Camper Van Beethoven

Price:   £7.99

Buy Now
Monday 29th March 2004 sees the re-issue of four classic Camper Van Beethoven albums - "Telephone Free Landslide Victory"; "II & III"; "Camper Van Beethoven" and "Camper Vantiquities". The re-issues will include extra tracks (both previously unreleased and re-worked versions) and also feature new inner artwork and photos.

Camper Van Beethoven formed in 1983 in Redlands CA a hot and dusty southern California town 80 miles east of Los Angeles. Founded by vocalist David Lowery, guitarist Chris Molla, and bassist Victor Krummenacher, they later moved to the seaside college community of Santa Cruz, CA in 1983, a town that at one point bore the unfortunate title of "the murder capital of America". CVB soon added drummer Anthony Guess (real name!) guitarist Greg Lisher and Jonathan Segel. The addition of Segel on violins, keyboards and mandolin gave the band their unique sound. Drawing together elements of ska, country, tex-mex, 60's psychedelia and folk, the band aptly described themselves as "surrealist absurdist folk', and quickly gained a reputation for their bizarre folk versions of hardcore songs.

In June 1985, their debut album "Telephone Free Landslide Victory" was released though Independent Project Music/Rough Trade. Featuring the classic "Take The Skinheads Bowling" and a cover of Black Flag's "Wasted", the album became a college radio staple and also made the Top 10 in many critic's polls.

"II & III" and "Camper Van Beethoven" were released the following year. "II & III" saw the band producing a proto indie rock sound, with touches of country as evidenced in "Sad Lovers Waltz" and their cover of Sonic Youth's "I Love Her All The Time". "Camper Van Beethoven" continued this vein and featured outstanding tracks, such as "Joe Stalin's Cadillac", and a reverent version of Pink Floyd's 'Interstellar Overdrive". The band also released an EP "Vampire Can Mating Oven", a bizarre (and intended to be not-so-nice) local nickname for the band. Around this time Chris Molla (for the previous year an on again off again member) left in the middle of a tour and was never invited back to perform or record with the band. Chris Pedersen was now the permanent CVB drummer.

Following the third album's critical acclaim, and national tours with bands such as R.E.M. and 10,000 Maniacs, Camper Van Beethoven signed to Virgin Records and released their major label debut, "Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart" (1988) and their final release "Key Lime Pie" (1989). Jonathan Segel, had by this point, left the band and Krummenacher, Pedersen and Lisher left during a 1990 European tour, effectively dissolving the band. In 1993, Krummenacher remastered "Vampire Can Mating Oven" added some demos, b-sides, unreleased tracks and rare mixes, and released them through IRS as "Camper Vantiquities".

In July 2002, CVB reunited for shows in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Ostensibly to promote the release of their "lost" 1987 4-track recording of Tusk. Yes a note for note cover of the Fleetwood Mac record. Their show at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London in February 2003 sold out.

1 Good Guys And Bad Guys
2 Joe Stalin's Cadillac
3 Five Sticks
4 Lulu Land
5 Une Fois
6 We Saw Jerry's Daughter
7 Surprise Truck
8 Stairway To Heaven (sic)
9 Pope Festival *
10 Love the Witch (Camper Van
Beethoven Version) **
11 Pictures of Matchstick Men (fox demo)
12 The History Of Utah
13 Still Wishing To Course
14 We Love You
15 Deux Foises *
16 Hoe Yourself Down
17 Peace & Love
18 Folly
19 Interstellar Overdrive
20 Shut Us Down

* Previously unreleased ** Original version

"Pope Festival" - "The Pope visited the US in 1987. Victor and I made Monterey Pope festival t-shirts with the Pope benedicting (but we spread his two fingers) on a paisley background. The song was a tribute to the shirt."

"Love The Witch (Camper Van Beethoven Version)" - "At this same time I was starting work on my "Storytelling'' album (the -as Spin magazine put it - "double album art rock horror"), I tried several songs first with Camper on this record - 'Your Own Story', 'Still Wishing To Course', 'Love The Witch' and something else that I can't remember. All were rerecorded for 'Storytelling', but only 'Still Wishing' made it to CVB. 'Love The Witch' was a good rocker, but this version with David on tremolo guitar, never made it to the CVB album."

"Deux Foises" - "is tracks from une fois, reconstructed."

"Matchstick Men" - "This was our original and never duplicated recording."
 


 


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