Album Info

Popular Songs of Great Enduring Strength and Beauty

Rock - 2008

Camper Van Beethoven brought an undeniably American energy to college radio in the ‘80s, counterbalancing the dour and dance-driven sounds... more

Tracklist

1

The Day That Lassie Went to the Moon

3:14 min
2

Border Ska

2:56 min
3

Take the Skinheads Bowling

2:32 min
4

Pictures of Matchstick Men

4:15 min
5

Skinhead Stomp

1:47 min
6

Opie Rides Again/Club Med Sucks

3:53 min
7

Eye of Fatima Parts 1 & 2

4:55 min
8

ZZ Top Goes to Egypt

3:07 min
9

Sad Lover's Waltz

4:03 min
10

When I Win the Lottery

3:43 min
11

The History of Utah

2:53 min
12

Seven Languages

4:12 min
13

All Her Favourite Fruit

5:14 min
14

Good Guys and Bad Guys

3:56 min
15

Circles

2:52 min
16

One of These Days

3:31 min
17

Ambiguity Song

6:23 min
18

Shut Us Down

1:26 min

About Popular Songs of Great Enduring Strength and Beauty

Camper Van Beethoven brought an undeniably American energy to college radio in the ‘80s, counterbalancing the dour and dance-driven sounds of English bands like the Cure and New Order. A cheerily deadpan irony and a healthy dose of Zappa-inspired humor were at the core of some amazingly good music, threaded together with global flavors of Eastern European folk and Jamaican ska. This collection focuses on CVB, Phase I (through the late ‘90s), before the breakup and eventual reunion of the band, and is a worthy representation of their work. Catchier numbers (and pseudo-hits) like “Take the Skinheads Bowling,” “Pictures of Matchstick Men,” “Sad Lover’s Waltz,” and “Good Guys and Bad Guys” are here, but so are plenty of quirky, folky and instrumentally driven numbers such as “Border Ska,” “ZZ Top Goes to Egypt,” and “Skinhead Stomp.” The band’s affection for jangly, evocative guitars, a fiddle that would alternately howl and purr, and psychedelic shadings of all colors, set them apart from their peers in the scene. Those who missed out the first time around will do well to start here. Note: Denied permission for the use of “Matchstick Men,” “When I Win the Lottery,” “All Her Favorite Fruit,” and “Eye of Fatima (Pts. 1 & 2),” the band — still owning publishing rights — re-recorded each of these tunes for this collection. Now that’s dedication.)