Camper Van Beethoven is a 1986 (see 1986 in music

1986 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1986.-January-June:*January 23 – The first induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame takes place...

) album by music

Music

Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...

al group Camper Van Beethoven

Camper Van Beethoven

Camper Van Beethoven is an American alternative rock group formed in Redlands, California in 1983.An eclectic band, Camper Van Beethoven mixes elements of pop, ska, punk rock, folk and alternative country, as well as various types of world music. Their aggressive musical pluralism created a...

, released on Pitch-A-Tent. With the six then CVB members joined in the studio by acid-folk eccentric Eugene Chadbourne

Eugene Chadbourne

Eugene Chadbourne is an American improvisor, guitarist and banjoist. Highly eclectic and unconventional, Chadbourne's most formative influence is free jazz. He has also been a reviewer for Allmusic and a contributor to Maximum RocknRoll.Chadbourne started out playing rock and roll guitar, but...

, the album is arguably the zenith of the band's musical experimentation, with surreal lyrics, backwards, speeded-up and slowed down parts, and a great number of ethnic instruments used. In addition to the usual violin parts played by member Jonathan Segel

Jonathan Segel

Jonathan Segel is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist. He has played with Camper Van Beethoven, Sparklehorse, Eugene Chadbourne, and Dieselhed.-Biography:...

, the album also features pedal steel, banjo, tablas and sitar.

While the album features the band's trademark absurdist lyrics by leader David Lowery

David Lowery

David Lowery is an American guitarist, vocalist and songwriter; he is the founder of alternative rock band, Camper Van Beethoven, and co-founder of the more traditional rock band, Cracker...

 and Segel, with CVB staples like affectionate parodies of counterculture and references to drugs and alien abduction, it also features some satirical political lyrics and social commentary on tracks like "Good Guys and Bad Guys", "Joe Stalin's Cadillac" and "We Love You"'.

The songs cover a bewildering range of musical styles: garage punk on "Shut Us Down"', acid-rock jamming on the Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...

 cover "Interstellar Overdrive", bluegrass jamming on "Hoe Yourself Down", folk-ska on "Good Guys and Bad Guys", gentle tabla beats on "Une Fois" and "Folly", psychedelic pop on "We Saw Jerry's Daughter", ominous desert-rock spoken word on "Peace and Love" and grinding raga-rock on "Stairway to Heavan" (sic). While earlier CVB albums had featured influences of Eastern European and Mexican musical styles, this album has more noticeable elements of Indian and Arabic musics, done in the usual irreverent Camper style. These combine with the elements of psychedelic music that dominate the album. There are also more elements of Americana

Americana (music)

Americana is an amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles...

 than on their previous albums. The American Southwest looms large in the music and lyrics as well, especially on songs like "The History of Utah" and "Peace and Love".

There are a number of classic rock

Classic rock

Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...

 references too: "We Saw Jerry's Daughter" is a parody of Deadhead

Deadhead

Deadhead or Dead Head is a name given to fans of the American jam band, the Grateful Dead. In the 1970s, a number of fans began travelling to see the band in as many shows or festival venues as they could. With large numbers of people thus attending strings of shows, a community developed...

s; "Stairway to Heavan" (sic), "Five Sticks" and "Joe Stalin's Cadillac" all contain song titles or lyrics modified from Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...

; and the cover of "Interstellar Overdrive" and several of the album's songs are reminiscent of Syd Barrett

Syd Barrett

Syd Barrett , born Roger Keith Barrett, was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and painter, best remembered as a founding member of the band Pink Floyd. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter during the band's psychedelic years, providing major musical and stylistic...

-era Pink Floyd. "We Love You" also contains a parody of the Charlie Daniels Band song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia". In the original "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", the Devil was portrayed as a negative being who is defeated in a fiddle-playing contest by the song's protagonist, but in "We Love You", the devil, presumably Jonathan Segel, so impresses the band with his violin playing that they allow him to become a band member. The classic-rock influences are a contrast from their first two albums, which contained covers of other contemporary underground bands like Sonic Youth

Sonic Youth

Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...

 and Black Flag

Black Flag (band)

Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...

.

A number of the album's tracks remain staples of the reunited Camper Van Beethoven's live sets, including "Good Guys and Bad Guys", "The History of Utah", "Interstellar Overdrive" and "Shut Us Down".

In an Oct. 4, 2010, entry on Lowery's "300 Songs" blog, devoted to explaining the genesis and meaning behind the songs he has written throughout his career, the band's leader claimed that this album had a hidden title, concealed in the liner notes and etched onto initial vinyl pressings: "Soviet Spies Swim Upstream Disguised as Trout." Lowery wrote that this title was inspired by "an obsessive fan that would write us nearly everyday."

Side one

1. "Good Guys and Bad Guys" – 3:54
2. "Joe Stalin's Cadillac" – 2:32
3. "Five Sticks" – 1:37
4. "Lulu Land" (Paul MacKinney) – 2:40
5. "Une Fois" – 1:24
6. "We Saw Jerry's Daughter" – 2:10
7. "Surprise Truck" – 3:27
8. "Stairway to Heavan" – 2:29

Side two

1. "The History of Utah" – 2:51
2. "Still Wishing to Course" – 3:50
3. "We Love You" – 2:03
4. "Hoe Yourself Down" – 1:49
5. "Peace & Love" – 2:37
6. "Folly" – 1:56
7. "Interstellar Overdrive
   The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
   The Piper at the Gates of Dawn is the debut album by the English rock group Pink Floyd, and the only one made under founding member Syd Barrett's leadership. The album contains whimsical lyrics about space, scarecrows, gnomes, bicycles and fairy tales, along with psychedelic instrumental songs...
   
   " (Syd Barrett
   Syd Barrett
   Syd Barrett , born Roger Keith Barrett, was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and painter, best remembered as a founding member of the band Pink Floyd. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter during the band's psychedelic years, providing major musical and stylistic...
   
   , Roger Waters
   Roger Waters
   George Roger Waters is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. He was a founding member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, serving as bassist and co-lead vocalist. Following the departure of bandmate Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became the band's lyricist, principal songwriter...
   
   , Richard Wright
   Richard Wright (musician)
   Richard William Wright was an English pianist, keyboardist and songwriter, best known for his career with Pink Floyd. Wright's richly textured keyboard layers were a vital ingredient and a distinctive characteristic of Pink Floyd's sound...
   
   , Nick Mason
   Nick Mason
   Nicholas Berkeley "Nick" Mason is an English drummer and songwriter, best known for his work with Pink Floyd. He was the only constant member of the band since its formation in 1965...
   
   ) – 7:44
8. "Shut Us Down" – 1:25

1988 CD reissue bonus tracks

17. "Heart" - 3:08
18. "Never Go Back" - 3:24
19. "Seven Languages" - 4:11
20. "Ice Cream Everyday" - 4:03
21. "Processional" - 3:48
22. "Photograph" - 3:14

• Tracks 17-22 originally released as the Vampire Can Mating Oven
  Vampire Can Mating Oven
  Vampire Can Mating Oven is an EP released in 1987 by the alternative rock band Camper Van Beethoven. The EP includes satirical liner notes relating false stories behind the songs...
  
   EP.

2004 CD reissue

1. "Good Guys & Bad Guys" - 3:55
2. "Jo Stalin's Cadillac" - 2:32
3. "Five Sticks" - 1:37
4. "Lulu Land" - 2:55
5. "Une Fois" - 1:28
6. "We Saw Jerry's Daughter" - 2:09
7. "Surprise Truck" - 3:27
8. "Stairway to Heavan" - 2:32
9. "Pope Festival" - 2:46
10. "Love the Witch (Camper Van Beethoven version)" - 2:41
11. "Pictures Of Matchstick Men (Fox Demo)" - 4:26
12. "The History of Utah" - 2:52
13. "Still Wishing to Course" - 3:50
14. "We Love You" - 2:03
15. "Deux Foises" - 1:25
16. "Hoe Yourself Down" - 2:14
17. "Peace & Love" - 2:39
18. "Folly" - 1:57
19. "Interstellar Overdrive" - 7:45
20. "Shut Us Down" - 1:26

• Tracks 9-11 and 15 are bonus tracks.

Personnel

• Victor Krummenacher
  Victor Krummenacher
  Victor Krummenacher is an American musician and bass guitarist who is a founding member of alternative rock band Camper Van Beethoven. He also helped form CVB offshoots Monks of Doom and Camper Van Chadbourne and has pursued a solo career as a singer-songwriter...
  
   - bass guitar, backing vocals, spoken word
• David Lowery
  David Lowery
  David Lowery is an American guitarist, vocalist and songwriter; he is the founder of alternative rock band, Camper Van Beethoven, and co-founder of the more traditional rock band, Cracker...
  
   - lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar
• Greg Lisher
  Greg Lisher
  Greg Lisher is the lead guitar player for Camper Van Beethoven, from 1986 until 1990, and again from 2000 to present.He was the lead guitarist for the Monks of Doom, from 1986 until 1993, and again from 2003 to present....
  
   - lead guitar
• Chris Molla pedal steel guitar, guitar, lead and backing vocals
• Chris Pedersen
  Chris Pedersen (musician)
  Chris Pedersen is an American-born musician, best known as the drummer of the groups Camper Van Beethoven and Monks of Doom. He currently resides in Australia.-Musical career:...
  
   - drums
• Jonathan Segel
  Jonathan Segel
  Jonathan Segel is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist. He has played with Camper Van Beethoven, Sparklehorse, Eugene Chadbourne, and Dieselhed.-Biography:...
  
   - violin, guitar, keyboards, mandolin, sitar, lead and backing vocals
• Eugene Chadbourne
  Eugene Chadbourne
  Eugene Chadbourne is an American improvisor, guitarist and banjoist. Highly eclectic and unconventional, Chadbourne's most formative influence is free jazz. He has also been a reviewer for Allmusic and a contributor to Maximum RocknRoll.Chadbourne started out playing rock and roll guitar, but...
  
   - guitar, banjo
• Tom Fox - engineer