Camper Van Beethoven is an American rock band formed in Redlands, California in 1983, later based in Santa Cruz and San Francisco. Their style mixes elements of pop, ska, punk rock, folk, alternative country, and world music. The band initially polarized audiences within the hardcore punk scene of California's Inland Empire before finding wider acceptance and, eventually, an international audience. Their strong iconoclasm and emphasis on do-it-yourself values proved influential to the burgeoning indie rock movement.
The band's first three independent records were released within an 18-month period. Their debut single was "Take the Skinheads Bowling". The group signed to Virgin Records in 1987, released two albums and enjoyed chart success with their 1989 cover of Status Quo's "Pictures of Matchstick Men", a number one hit on Billboard Magazine's Modern Rock Tracks. They disbanded the following year due to internal tensions.
Lead singer David Lowery formed Cracker, David Immerglück joined Counting Crows, and several other members played in Monks of Doom. Beginning in 1999, the former members reunited and made several new records.
Links to Peel[]
Peel played tracks from their first two albums on his shows, but didn't seem to play follow ups to it. The track, Take The Skinheads Bowling, from their debut album, as well as a single, was voted in the 1986 Festive Fifty and peaked at number 47.
Festive Fifty Entries[]
- 1986 Festive Fifty: Take The Skinheads Bowling #47
Shows Played[]
- 07 April 1986: Take The Skinheads Bowling (v/a LP - Here's Egg On Your Face!) Rough Trade
- 12 April 1986 (BFBS): 'Take The Skinheads Bowling (LP-Telephone Free Landslide Victory)' (Rough Trade) (JP: 'Well, quite amusing really, but one fears that there's a Jonathan Richman in the making there: "lick your knees" isn't good enough, for example.')
- 22 April 1986: Take The Skinheads Bowling (LP - Telephone Free Landslide Victory) Rough Trade
- 23 July 1986: ZZ-Top Goes To Egypt (album - II & III) Pitch-A-Tent PITCH A TENT 01 (JP: 'More Egypt than ZZ Top I think')
- 30 July 1986: Sad Lover's Waltz (album - II & III) Pitch-A-Tent PITCH A TENT 01
- 09 August 1986 (BFBS): Sad Lover's Waltz (album - II & III) Pitch-A-Tent PITCH A TENT 01
- 28 October 1986: Vladivostok (LP - Telephone Free Landslide Victory) Rough Trade
- 03 November 1986: Where The Hell Is Bill? (LP - Telephone Free Landslide Victory) Independent Project
- 30 November 1986 (BFBS): Take The Skinheads Bowling
- 22 December 1986: 'Take The Skinheads Bowling (12 inch)' (Rough Trade) FF #47 (JP: 'I always thought the 'lick your knees' line let that down a little bit.')
- 1987
- 07 August 1987 (BFBS): 'ZZ Top Goes To Egypt (LP-II & III)' (Rough Trade)