Camper Van Beethoven
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Camper Van Beethoven was founded in 1983 in Santa Cruz, California as an Alternative rock, new wave music, and punk rock group. Camper Van Beethoven mixed elements of pop, ska, punk rock, folk, country, and acid rock into an eclectic, catchy formula years before the alternative rock movement took shape. The group's trademark violin-coated melodies and ironic, Frank Zappa-influenced lyrics put them one step away from being a novelty act in the eyes of many critics, but the band had gone from silly to experimental with the intricate, psychedelic pop meanderings of their self-titled third album. After signing to Virgin Records in 1988 and releasing two eclectic yet slightly more accessible LPs, they disbanded in 1990; singer David Lowery went on to found the band Cracker, while the other members - guitarists Greg Lisher and David Immerglück, bassist Victor Krummenacher and drummer Chris Pedersen - devoted themselves full-time to the Monks of Doom, which had begun several years earlier as a non-Lowery side project.
In 2000, ex-members regrouped to compile the experimental rarity set Camper Van Beethoven Is Dead. Long Live Camper Van Beethoven. In 2002, they released Tusk. Allegedly recorded in 1987, it had all the same tracks as the Fleetwood Mac album of the same name, and a parody of the original album's cover art. A series of reunion tour dates followed with many of the band's former members. The group officially reformed in 2004 to record New Roman Times, their first official studio album in 15 years. A live concert disc was also released entitled In The Mouth of the Crocodile, capturing a 2004 reunion performance in Seattle. Also, segments of a 2004 performance in Chicago were released the following year as a collection only available at a limited number of record stores. This disc was called Discotheque CVB: Live In Chicago.
CVB's 1985 staple "Take the Skinheads Bowling" was covered by Teenage Fanclub and used as the title track for the 2002 Michael Moore film Bowling for Columbine. A portion of the original Camper Van Beethoven recording can be heard as an introduction to the DVD release of the film.
Members of Camper Van Beethoven collaborated with Eugene Chadbourne on a number of records under the name Camper Van Chadbourne.
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Discography
Albums
- Telephone Free Landslide Victory (1985)
- II & III (1986)
- Camper Van Beethoven (1986)
- Vampire Can Mating Oven (1987)
- Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart (1988)
- Key Lime Pie (1989)
- Tusk (2002)
- New Roman Times (2004)
Compilations & Special Releases
- The Virgin Years (1993) (by Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker)
- Camper Vantiquities (1993) Rarities Compilation
- Camper Van Beethoven Is Dead. Long Live Camper Van Beethoven (2000) Rarities Compilation
- Cigarettes & Carrot Juice: The Santa Cruz Years (2002) Box Set. Includes Telephone Free Landslide Victory, II & III, Camper Van Beethoven, Camper Vantiquities, & Greatest Hits Played Faster, a bonus live disc.
- In The Mouth of the Crocodile - Live In Seattle (2004)
- Discotheque CVB: Live In Chicago (2005)
Trivia
Bass player Victor Krummenacher is now Art Director of the San Francisco Bay Guardian.
External links
- Official Camper Van Beethoven web page (http://www.campervanbeethoven.com)
- Camper Van Beethoven Live Music Archive (http://www.archive.org/audio/etreelisting-browse.php?collection=etree&cat=Camper%20Van%20Beethoven)de:Camper Van Beethoven