In celebration of their 25th anniversary, 80’s alternative rock band Camper Van Beethoven are not only releasing a long-overdue greatest hits collection on CD and digital format on June 24, they are also performing a handful of special celebratory shows this week in California.
“Popular Songs” (Cooking Vinyl Records) features 18 of Camper Van Beethoven’s most beloved genre-mutating tracks that span from their groundbreaking 1985 debut “Telephone Free Landslide Victory” to their 1989 effort “Key Lime Pie.” These songs retrace the band’s broad and often eclectic influences – from punk rock (“Club Med Sucks”) and ska (“Border Ska”) to Eastern European flavored instrumentals (“Skinhead Stomp”) and two-step country (“Sad Lover’s Waltz”) to their own whirling dervish of psychedelic pop (“Circles”).
Also included are early college radio favorites: “The Day Lassie Went to the Moon,” “Good Guys & Bad Guys” and, perhaps their most well known number, “Take The Skinheads Bowling,” which is still a staple at alternative, college and rock radio. Teenage Fanclub’s version of the song was featured as the title track to Michael Moore’s controversial 2002 film “Bowling for Columbine.”
This collection also features five songs from CVB’s critically acclaimed albums on Virgin Records – 1988’s “Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart” and 1989’s “Key Lime Pie.” However, after Virgin Records refused the band’s request to buy back the rights to the original masters for inclusion on “Popular Songs,” CVB faithfully re-recorded these five tracks for this collection.
For CVB’s special shows this week, the line-up will consist of original band members David Lowery (lead vocals / guitar), Jonathan Segel (violin / keys / guitar / vocals), Victor Krummenacher (bass) and Greg Lisher (lead guitar), along with drummer Frank Funaro (Cracker / Joey Ramone / The Dictators).
Camper Van Beethoven tour dates:
| June 24 | Point Arena, CA | Point Arena Theater |
| June 25 | San Luis Obispo, CA | Downtown Brewing Co. |
| June 26 | Los Angeles, CA | House of Blues (with Everclear and Soul Asylum) |
| June 28 | San Francisco, CA | The Fillmore/Silver Anniversary Show |
| Sepember 11-13 | Pioneertown, CA | 4th Annual CAMPOUT / Pappy & Harriet’s |
