The Weekend Needle Drop 2016 52 Weeks 52 Albums
Week Three of the New Year and I continue to pull out classics from my collection, this week Camper Van Beethoven’s Telephone Free Landslide Victory. Released in 1985 the album was just a little before it’s time.
The Band was often compared with Violent Femmes, the Dead Milkmen and Young Fresh Fellows because of the use of humor in many of their songs. Good company but a little unfair, CVB mixed ethnic melodies often Eastern European Folk, Mexican, Spaghetti Western and SKA. Lo Fi almost garage rock recordings of songs like “Take the Skinheads Bowling”, “the Day Lassie Went to the Moon” and the countrified Black Flag cover “Wasted” set along side of instrumentals like “Border SKA” and “Yanqui Go Home” propelled them onto college radio.
Camper Van Beethoven would help define the sound of MTV’s 120Minutes and alternative music in America.
After breaking up members went on to form Cracker and Monks of Doom as well as playing with Counting Crows.
Reformed in 1999 you can hear the band play several tracks from this album(still a fan favorite to this day) along with a few Cracker songs.
Give this album a listen and check out some of the bands other early works.
