The Camper Van Beethoven Albums Poll

David Lowery is on the record as a big fan of the Glands which makes him cool in my book.

went back and did a quick run through of the albums, and voted OBRS. I have a vague sense that KLP is better, but the sequencing on OBRS is so amazing that when I listen to it even a filler track like 'The Fool' doesn't sound out of place.

II & II, narrowly over debut

OBRS is one of the great '80s jumps to major label. CVB totally an underrated component of the '80s indie scene.

"KLP" also one of the best sounding albums of all time. Lowery told me once that credit goes to the engineer, Csaba Petocz, this Euro guy working in Nashville. Looks like from that era he'd worked with everyone from Metallica to Vince Gill.

what kind of indie ppl are you? oh

?

i just thought KLP onward was signif less adventurous, no big deal to disappointing, at the time

ie another cleaned up sellout

that's crazy

I mean maybe not about the onward part but KLP is a highwater mark

Well, they def. lose their shambling scuzz and goofiness, but they're really well put together records all the same. And I do think they're highwater marks, unlike "Warehouse" or "Tim" et al. More along the lines of a "Perfect from Now On" step up and over. Just a bit tighter and sharper, if less "fun"/subversive.

This doesn't have to be an either/or. I appreciate the ramshackle first 3 (released in 18 months basically), and when it worked it had an amazing lo-fi charm, but there are a lot more 'Turtlehead's than, uh, 'Skinhead's.
and I don't smoke pot anymore, so I tend to go back to the more polished later work.

hmmm i never smoked and preferred the scuzz

Don't/never smoked, but CVB sure as hell did! Love the scuzz and mystery of the first three and EPs and odds n ends, love the polished stuff equally. Even love the Monks of Doom. Chris Pederson - Crispy Dersen - is one of my favorite drummers.

Agree that II & III and CVB are head and shoulders above the rest. A group of true originals, though.

Crispy's work on OBRS, in particular, is crazy good. I've spent entire spins of that record just listening to the hi-hat. OBRS is one of the best-arranged albums in rock. Too bad the engineering stinks & it sounds all tinny. Still I think it's my pick.

p sure i saw their first nyc gig (Folk City, '85) and my reaction was "cute hippies"

Yeah OBRS is super punchy and condensed. Mesa Boogie

Xpost Want to say the remastered OBRS sounded better.

Yeah, the recent Omnivore reissue sounds good, esp on vinyl. But I still kinda wish it was a little less slicked-up. Still in my top 5 records of all time, probs (but that placement is floated by how great all the surrounding records are, too)

(not to discount the first 2 albums, cuz they're great alzo)

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Even love the Monks of Doom.

Yes!

I saw Victor Krummenacher play at the SF Eagle maybe a dozen years ago; he was a teen jailbait cutie in '85.

http://hys2d3ayt6x6b7ts22ypg68p.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/CVB-with-Morgan.jpg

II & III has "(Don't You Go To) Goleta" which was very important to a younger me

Also "(We're a) Bad Trip." And "Sometimes."

Goleta was an early favorite of mine, but I didn't understand it at ALL.

learned me how to say La Jolla

Goleta was an early favorite of mine, but I didn't understand it at ALL

UC Santa Cruz fight song ie all the other UC campuses suck

Yeah, I picked that up eventually.

"Sad Lovers Waltz" (II/III) ftw

I was in high school from 93-97, so when they were inactive, yet they were probably my favourite band. I love all of their original records so much but voted for KLP because of so many songs that personally brought the teenage me from someone who appreciated novelty and humour to someone who saw beauty in art: the aforementioned 'June' especially, but 'Sweethearts' and 'Come on Darkness' kill me to this day.

I listen to them still a good bit and find inspiration across all of them. 'Form Another Stone' on II&III is an amazing deep cut, it's like the most wicked psych jam they ever did. OBRS sounds big and 80s but has some stunning fucking songs.

Speaking of Crispy Dersen, interesting factoid: as far as I can tell, "Key Lime Pie" is one of the very, very few rock albums to feature no ride cymbal. Lots of weird fills and china crashes and stuff, but no ride, as best I can tell.

Another, more high profile example? "Back in Black!"

I think Throwing Muses generally shunned ride cymbals, at least on their early records

Might be true for sort of high strung tribal stuff like early Cure, too. Though CVB by that late stage is more conventional than both, which makes it absence more conspicuous.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

I love Monks of Doom too. "Meridian" was my favourite album in 11th grade and I still listen to it occasionally, and it holds up fairly well though maybe that's nostalgia.

I only ever had the Insect God ep. I'll have to check out the rest sometime soon. Here's a really good blog post I just found.

http://artintodust.blogspot.com/2008/06/monks-of-doom.html

^primarily the reminiscences of Victor Krummenacher.

Saw em for the first time in Detroit, summer 1988, with Mekons opening up. Crispy and the guitarist were hanging out at a table before the show and I gave them a tape. Very nice guys. It was a classic, epic Mekons performance (at the height of their "fame," with Ghosts of American Astronauts on MTV). They blew the place out, ending completely covered with orange silly string. When CvB came on stage, I remember Lowry saying something like, "I hope you realize that you just saw one of the greatest bands of all time," as if he couldn't believe that *they* were not headlining. And of course CvB was good too. It was a super cool night.

Wow, that Monks recollection was great, thanks for that!

Listening to OBRS right now. Started w/side 2. Fuck, so so good.

I had no idea Key Lime Pie was so well loved. I remember feeling deeply disappointed when it came out. Also very surprised that OBRS didn't get more love.

ditto

u guys r sellouts

Key Lime is pretty spotty, but the run from "Sweethearts" to "Borderline" is my favourite from any CVB record

They're playing Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart in full on some west coast dates:

https://www.facebook.com/CamperVanBeethoven/videos/10153199614402539/

i'm seeing these guys on Friday night at the World Famous "Whiskey A Go Go" on the Sunset strip in Hollywood. looking forward to this and hope they are good live. anyone seen them before, what can i expect?

are any ILXor's going? i would like to say hi if so...

Great live band! Or at least they were in 1989, dunno about these days. Probably better!

They are more pro now, slightly less character, but the songs remain the same: awesome.

They are the only reunited band I have enjoyed live