Question:
On a whim, I just downloaded the five disc Camper Van Beethoven boxed
set from Emusic (the description on the site sounded sort of
interesting). It seems like pretty amazing stuff, just based on the
first listen. At the moment I'm really enjoying the early instrumentals
-some of them seem to be trying to create a ska/klezmer hybrid -it's
interesting if nothing else. So, is anyone else a fan of these guys?
And, if so, any recomendation?
Answer:
Yeah, they're awesome. I saw them live in January and was blown away.
You're only missing Camper van Beethoven two studio albums if you have
the box. _Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart_ is by far my favorite
release of theirs, representing the band's creative peak, IMO. After
that release, violinist/etc Jonathan Segel was canned, and the band
was rather divided when it came time to record _Key Lime Pie_. That
album has less goofiness and few instrumentals, though it does feature
some of David Lowery's best writing with the group.
After Key Lime Pie, the group split, but all the former members were
active in various groups after that, many of which will be of interest
to fans of Camper van Beethoven. The best-known of these groups is
Cracker, formed by David Lowery. I like a few of their songs but
can't stand the rest, so I'll let someone else comment on them, if
anyone is so inclined.
Victor Krummenacher, Greg Lisher, and Chris Pederson had already
gotten together with David Immergluck to form the Monks of Doom before
the CvB split, and they released several albums, mostly on the IRS
label. Of these, the best I've heard is _The Cosmodemonic Telegraph
Company_. That one's definitely worth seeking out. _Forgery_ is less
good, but can often be found used, extremely cheap. I picked it up
for a buck, and would gladly have payed $2.50.
Jonathan Segel released a solo double-LP called _Storytelling_, which
is exceptionally varied, and has a lot of excellent moments. Very
hard to find on CD, though, and not so good that a special effort
should necessarily be made, but I like it a bunch.
Segel later formed a band called Hieronymus Firebrain. Their
self-titled album is out of print, but is somewhat mixed in quality
anyway. The gems for HF are _Here_ and _There, respectively studio
and live documents of the band. HF are by far my favorite CvB-related
band, mixing indie-rock, psychedelia, krautrock, surf, and more into a
kettle that boils over with asskicking. _There_ includes fine covers
of Can's "YooDooRight" and Skeleton Crew's (Frith, etc) "It's Fine".
These releases are available on the revived Pitch-a-Tent website:
http://www.pitch-a-tent.com/ (under the Magnetic imprint)
After Hieronymus Firebrain broke up, Segel was in a power trio called
Jack & Jill, which was a fairly stripped-down approach to songs about,
generally, sex and alcohol. _Chill and Shrill_ and _Fancy Birdhouse_
are both fine, but aren't really essential except for obsessives like
me.
Victor Krummenacher has a number of solo albums on Magnetic, which are
in a singer-songwriter vein with some country influence. Songwriting
is uniformly excellent, with _Out in the Heat_ being a major
standout. Segel also has a recent solo album called _Scissors and
Paper_, which is good but not exceptional.
If you're going to get just 1-2 CvB-related albums, pick up some
Hieronymus Firebrain. If you get hooked, though, most of the above is
worth your time.
