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Album Description
Closing in on 20 years after their formation, Camper Van Beethoven proudly announce the release of a box set entitled "Cigarettes & Carrot Juice: The Santa Cruz Years." "Cigarettes and Carrot Juice" contains 4 albums of classic recordings dating primarily from 1984-1987, the prime years of the bands existence in Santa Cruz, California, a sleepy coastal college town which proved to be an idyllic place for the prolific young band to woodshed their talents. Camper Van Beethoven are looked upon as one of the seminal "college rock" bands of the 1980s, predating the 1990s wave of micro-marketed alternative rock. A wildly diverse mixture of personalities and music, "Cigarettes and Carrot Juice" features the work of a unique band as they captured their voice on outings for small independents such as Independent Project Records, Rough Trade, and their own Pitch-A-Tent label.
Camper Van Beethoven are looked upon as one of the seminal "College rock" bands of the 1980’s, predating the 1990’s wave of micro-marketed alternative rock. A wildly diverse mixture of personalities and music, Cigarettes and Carrot Juice features the work of a unique band as they captured their voice on releases for small independents such as Independent Project Records, Rough Trade, and their own Pitch-A-Tent Records.
Amazon.com
Before Camper Van Beethoven, no "punk" band would've thought to blend Eastern European folk rhythms with Tex-Mex, ska, reggae, psych-rock, punk-rock, pop-rock and...well, whatever else was out there. This five-disc box set features all the early CVB albums on compact disc. Their first outing, Telephone Free Landslide Victory, sounds as unique and fresh today as it did in 1985. Mostly remembered for the sublimely ridiculous "Take the Skinheads Bowling" and their take on Black Flag's "Wasted," it set the bar high for subsequent releases. The band followed the oddball masterpiece with more cleverness and irresistible charm on II & III. Dabbling in Mekons country-punk turf for the first half, they slid into a wry psychedelia in the second. It really is two albums in one. The band's self-titled third outing found the California boys scratching their heads out loud, wondering exactly what to do next, and not arriving at a consensus. It's an adventurous jumble, with a few really outstanding tracks. Also in the box is the Vantiquities collection of various 1980s recordings, originally released in 1993 after their two-record stint with Virgin Records and a live collection, Greatest Hits Played Faster, which opens with a magisterial "All Her Favorite Fruit" and ends, appropriately, with a sad-sounding "One of These Days." --Lorry Fleming
Cigarettes & Carrot Juice - The Santa Cruz Years Reviews
Cigarettes & Carrot Juice - The Santa Cruz Years Reviews
| 19 of 21 people found the following review helpful  Boxed Evolution, By This review is from: Cigarettes & Carrot Juice - The Santa Cruz Years (Audio CD) Long live Camper Van Beethoven!! This is a blessing for long time CVB fans who didn't have a chance to upgrade their collection to CD before most of this went out of print. Wow, where to begin? CVB was a band that matured on record, so to speak, so this is really a fascinating and entertaining listen from beginning to end.Of course you get the endearing and humorous debut album with goofy anthems ala "Take the Skinheads Bowling" and various folk/ska instrumentals; the increasingly warped and psychedelic "II & III"; and this collections' centerpiece: the self titled 3rd album!! Forget the editorial remark above about them "scratching their heads out loud" on this because there's nothing confused, unfocused, or tentative about this album. I'd say it's a characteristically irreverent and eclectic psych-rock masterpiece. The song writing has fully matured with the sarcastic humor still intact, and it seems to be intentionally conceived as an album that gets stranger and... Read more 5 of 5 people found the following review helpful For a CVB fan, this is a gem., By This review is from: Cigarettes & Carrot Juice - The Santa Cruz Years (Audio CD) The notoriously out-of-print early albums of Camper Van Beethoven get a bare-bones presentation (CDs come in cardboard single sleeves).The price is exceptionally cheap, there's a full-length live album, and also included is a lengthy booklet with essays on the Santa Cruz college rocker lifestyle of the early Campers. For any CVB fan, this is a sure thing, a godsend for those who didn't snap up early CD printings of the first albums. For those curious about Camper Van Beethoven, this is the set to get. 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful  I got some funny ideas of what sounds good., By A Customer This review is from: Cigarettes & Carrot Juice - The Santa Cruz Years (Audio CD) Last year a friend of mine invited me to see Camper Van Beethoven on their recent limited reunion tour, and although I only had Key Lime Pie, their last full album of new studio material, I agreed. While still a pretty good record, their set proved "Key Lime Pie" to just scratch the surface of their musical diversity. Basic guitar pop songs would rest beside russian can can ska instrumentals, straight country ballads, hardcore punk satire and power-book enhanced Fleetwood Mac covers. Needless to say, I was intrigued by their earlier releases, and the next time I had enough cash to blow, I found myself the proud owner of this box set. Although the first disk is the best in my opinion, all three of the original albums show a creative, clever, unique, and musically talented band at work. In addition, the rarities colection camper vantiquities, despite being a compilation of 3 years worth of material, doesn't feel any more or less cohesive than the rest of their albums, a credit to... Read more |
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