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Average: 4.5 (11 ratings)
- Date Released: June 24, 2008
- Genre: Rock/Pop
- Label: Cooking Vinyl USA / IODA
Wackiness with a little weight.
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We Say...
Part of a post-Jonathan Richman wave of “quirkiness,” Camper Van Beethoven vied for our attention in the 1980s alongside They Might Be Giants, Dead Milkmen and Mojo Nixon. Shambling college rock with a rich vein of dumbass humour was the order of the day, and “Take the Skinheads Bowling” (later covered by both Teenage Fanclub and Manic Street Preachers) almost broke them into the mainstream.
This compilation of past glories, including a handful of tracks re-recorded due to former label difficulties, shows that there was always some musical substance behind the sniggering. The mock country of “When I Win the Lottery” marries rustic Americana to a Tom Petty drawl, while the off-kilter violins and garage band chug of “The History of Utah” suggests a pantomime Nick Cave. The jokes don’t always work (“The Day Lassie Went to the Moon” is maybe too twee), but the instrumental invention constantly surprises. -
They Say...
Popular Songs of Great Enduring Strength and Beauty collects 18 cuts from mercurial post-punk/indie pop/garage folk legends Camper Van Beethoven, marking the group's first foray into the murky world of the "career overview." Like the band's nearly 25-year career, Strength and Beauty is built on the CVB holy trinity of endurance, charisma, and attitude, all three of which were put to the test when the band approached Virgin Records about buying back the rights to 1988's Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart and 1989's Key Lime Pie. In keeping with big-label stereotypes, the answer was no, so CVB re-recorded five tracks for the anthology, doing everything in their power to re-create the magic as faithfully as they could. David Lowery's voice tries admirably to emulate its '80s incarnation on classics like Key Lime's "All Her Favorite Fruit" and "When I Win the Lottery," and the musicianship and production are top-notch, but fans who held those final two records close to their hearts during the ensuing Cracker years will notice the difference. That said, the rest of the album is top-notch, featuring enough instant classics like "Take the Skinheads Bowling" and "The Day That Lassie Went to the Moon" to turn a whole new generation on to punk-infused, ska-kissed Americana. At best, it's a tasty sampler on which to judge whether or not a listener is ready to dive into the mammoth five-disc Cigarettes & Carrot Juice: The Santa Cruz Years, and it dutifully doles out all of the quirky charm, genre-bending musicianship, and good-natured invective that infected so many people during the band's heydays.
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You Say...
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| 01. |  |
The Day That Lassie Went to the Moon |
3:15 |  |
| 02. | |
Border Ska |
2:49 | |
| 03. | |
Take the Skinheads Bowling |
2:31 | |
| 04. | |
Pictures of Matchstick Men |
4:15 | |
| 05. | |
Skinhead Stomp |
1:46 | |
| 06. | |
Opie Rides Again - Club Med Sucks |
3:53 | |
| 07. | |
Eye of Fatima (Parts 1 & 2) |
4:55 | |
| 08. | |
ZZ Top Goes To Egypt |
3:10 | |
| 09. | |
Sad Lover's Waltz |
4:06 | |
| 10. | |
When I Win the Lottery |
3:43 | |
| 11. | |
The History of Utah |
2:53 | |
| 12. | |
Seven Languages |
4:11 | |
| 13. | |
All Her Favorite Fruit |
5:14 | |
| 14. | |
Good Guys and Bad Guys |
3:56 | |
| 15. | |
Circles |
2:52 | |
| 16. | |
One of These Days |
3:31 | |
| 17. | |
Ambiguity Song |
2:29 | |
| 18. | |
Shut Us Down |
1:26 | |
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18 Total Tracks, 60:55 Total Length
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Credits
- Camper Van Beethoven - Engineer // Jonathan Segel - Guitar // Jonathan Segel - Mandolin // Jonathan Segel - Violin // Jonathan Segel - Keyboards // Jonathan Segel - Vocals // Jonathan Segel - Group Member // Frank Funaro - Drums // Frank Funaro - Group Member // Bruce Kaphan - Engineer // Victor Krummenacher - Bass // Victor Krummenacher - Vocals // Victor Krummenacher - Group Member // Greg Lisher - Guitar // Greg Lisher - Group Member // David Lowery - Guitar // David Lowery - Vocals // David Lowery - Group Member // Chris Molla - Guitar // Chris Molla - Vocals // Chris Molla - Group Member // Mary O'Neil - Vocals // Mary O'Neil - Group Member // Wally Sound - Vocals // Wally Sound - Group // Tom Fox - Engineer // Dave Gill - Engineer // Bruce Licher - Project Design // Edie Winograde - Cover Photo // Michael S. Wertz - Design // Michael S. Wertz - Illustrations // Crispy Derson - Drums // Crispy Derson - Group Member
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