Key Lime POLL

Inspired by the minor classics thread, let's talk this one out. These guys were superheroes to my friends and I when we were kids, middle school into high school. But it's stuck with me all that time.

All Her Favorite Fruit

the orchestral version on Greatest Hits is totally awesome, huge sound, what's the story on it? Did they play a whole show that way?

or Sweethearts

kinda the best "storytelling"-style songs on the album, which is not really something I previously had associated CVB with. Well, I guess they had story-songs on previous albums but they were always much more joke-y. Here they seemed to have equal parts wry wit and melancholy character studies - sorta more of a Ray Davies tone but with a quintessentially American focus. There are a lot of characters on this album (Jack Ruby, the Win the Lottery hippie-redneck narrator, etc.)

orchestral version?! never heard that. Was very happy to see them do it live on the reunion tour though.

Opening Theme
Jack Ruby
Sweethearts
When I Win The Lottery
(I Was Born In A) Laundromat
Borderline

^^Such a great opening

yeah on the live record cheekily titled Greatest Hits Played Faster, the first song is an orchestral version of "All Her Favorite Fruit". It's very moving.

otm on the storytelling/Kinks angle, it's really well worked on this album.

I love how this album was recorded. Lowery once told me to credit engineer Csaba Petocz. The drum sound alone is killer, and it's one of the few albums (short of AC/DC discs) that eschews the ride cymbal.

This is a pretty hard decision, but it's "When I Win the Lottery" for me, just because I always find it most affecting. It's all about the change in the chorus, the way it lifts up into major chords and harmonies beneath the actual fantasy parts; there's a whole music and lyrics working-in-tandem thing there that's just terrific.

god this is like choosing which which of your children to give up. every one is a classic for me, but lately (meaning the last couple of years) i think the two that i keep coming back to the most is "The Light from a Cake"

I'm alternating between heavy and light
Between meaning and nonsense
And having a drink
I have counted all the lines on the road
Between here and los angeles
That pass straight below
And I'm dreaming of a light, and it comes from your head
'cause you move just like you're a train
Not like a car, no, no, it would never be the same
And the light from your eyes is like the light from a cake
I was thinking of a cake
To lift off this burden
To lighten this weight
One sweet little cake
Dervishes run the head of a pin
We are sleeping like angels
And living like devils again
And I am waiting for the heaviness in the air to break
And reveal some small, irrelevant truth
'cause we move like we are suspended in ether
And the light from your eyes spills from the moon"

and "The Humid Press of Days"

What did it mean to fly
A tremor in your soul
To resist the dull existence of gravity
Upward bound, trees fly
Two meadows and a fields
And the border is a simple line of hills
Ah, didja come uncoiled
Between heavens and the earth
Whispered nonsense into your radio
Now afternoons you seldom move
Grounded to a little bit of earth
And, after all, time barely crawls
Unoccupied, between each breath it sticks
What did it mean to fly
When you were bound to the earth
A release from the humid press of days
Now afternoons it hardly moves
I wonder how you make it through each day
And, after all, time barely crawls
Unoccupied, between each breath it sticks
What did it mean to fly
A tremor in your soul
To resist the dull existence of gravity
What did it mean to you
An early chat with death
To pull your body for a moment from your soul

Each are so evocative and they are meandering but not in a "we don't have a point" sorta way, but instead in a "we're just taking our time getting to the point and enjoying the ride" sorta way. The second one, listened to in my headphones with closed eyes, can take me back to summer nights at my grandparents house in south Georgia, listening to the crickets and the stillness of the air, the humidity just hanging over everything and making the time crawl so slow it actually STUCK in places. i've never felt such a strong reminiscence to any other song, so it's gotta be that one.

I'm going with "Sweethearts", but it's really a really hard choice. At the time I would have gone with "Jack Ruby" (the opening 15 seconds or so, or when the feedback comes in at about 1:00, or when the first "Jack Ruby" gets sung shortly thereafter: so glorious) or "Picture of Matchstick Men". But I love the way "Sweethearts" tells its story by slowly pulling back details, like a camera panning out. The political message is just short of corny, but I think Lowery's vocal is sympathetic enough that they pull it off. That sympathy comes through again and again on this album, which keeps its story songs from being freakshow depictions, and makes them way affecting.

also, this whole album to me is amazing in that it's a california album and a california band, but it to me is the audio equivalent of William Faulkner, Flannery O'connor or even Other Voices, Other Rooms. it's southern gothic, but gently so, celebrating the slowness, the heaviness, the genteel nature of the south. i can hear it in the sounds, in the production, in the pace of the songs and the very pace of the album itself. it makes it feel small, and familiar, sometimes cloying, but always comforting.

I predict I will be the only vote for June.

Man I love June so much. The swoony way the song just rides on the violin, and that amazing bridge with the dissonant, klezmer-tinged soloing, before it all comes crashing back in. Can I vote for that one too?

On the back of the album it says that "the closing theme bit the dust. Sorry, this record was just too damn long." Boy I'd love to hear that.

liner notes for this are hilarious

Crisoy Derson

er CRISPY Deron

hahah okay I give up

"June" is great; it opened side two of the LP in a pretty striking way (if your compact disc player didn't take care of that for you automatically).

yeah I'm reading the liner notes too; where does Garth Hudson play on this?

dunno - maybe the pump organ tune?

On the back of the album it says that "the closing theme bit the dust. Sorry, this record was just too damn long." Boy I'd love to hear that.

― Euler, Friday, April 3, 2009 3:13 PM (15 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Is available on the compilation "Camper Van Beethoven Is Dead. Long Live Camper Van Beethoven" and is great.

Shakey you really need to hear that orchestral live version, it is undeniable and perfect.

this is v v hard

fwiw this is the only band I was ever excited to see reunite and perform live.

ok wow on the compilation thing! I will track that down to hear the closing theme.

Terrific album. I wish any of their others sounded like this. Anyway, "All Her Favorite Fruit."

Mine will be the lone vote for "Borderline," one of my favorite songs ever. Great album start to finish tho

Their best album, narrowly beating out the 3rd one for me. Tour was great also. Morgan Fichter really made a big difference in their overall mood.

I vote for "Humid Press", both for structure and guitar tone.

how anyone can prefer this to the preceding albums floors me. J Segel's fiddling and the weirdo hippie shit way better... I don't even remember most of the tracks.

we prefer it because it's awesome

I probably haven't listened in 15 years, if it ever comes out of storage I'll try again.

or maybe you all just saw the Staus Quo cover on MTV when yr pubes were comin in.

yes I did, but I was familiar with their previous albums - it was not my first exposure to them

also I don't really hear that much of a demonstrable drop in quality in the fiddling - Morgan directly copied J Segel's style and effects set-up (so much so that he vocally complained about it for years afterwards)

heard the Status Quo cover in a record store, bought the thing, took it home and loved it

pretty sure my pubes were all in at this point, but i was still growing and stuff

btw I think my pal has this on his bar's jukebox, come to Brooklyn and we'll play it.

When I when the lottery for the line "Gonna donate half my money to the city so they have to name a street or a school or a park after me."

yers,
Austin in Austin

I know more people like this than I care to admit

Well I lost an eye in Mexico
Lost two teeth where I don't know
People see me comin' and they move to the other side
of the road.

I robbed a liquor store
To make myself at home a few times
Borrowed myself a car when I needed it.

I got me a shack at the bottom of the road
Fixin' cars and givin' tows
Spend all my money on the lottery.

When I win the lottery gonna buy all girls on my block
A color TV and a bottle of French perfume
When I win the lottery gonna donate half my money to
the city
So they have to name a street or a school or a park
after me
When I win the lottery

Never run a flag up a pole
Like Mr. Red, White, and Blue down the road
But I never called myself a hero for killing a known
communist.

Now I can walk into any old bar
Find a fight without looking too hard
But I never killed someone I don't know just 'cause
someone told me to.

And when I win the lottery
Gonna buy the house next to Mr. Red, White and Blue
And when I win the lottery
Gonna buy Post 306 American Legion, paint it red with
five gold stars.

When I win the lottery.

When the end comes to this old world
The rocks will cry and the rest will curl up
And God won't take the time to sort your ass from
mine.

'Cause we zig and zag between good and bad
Stumble and fall on right and wrong
'Cause the tumbling dice and the luck of the draw
just leads us on.

And when I win the lottery, gonna buy all the girls
on my block
Silver-plated six shooters and a quart of the finest
highland scotch
'Cause when I win the lottery, the rocks will shake
their heads and say that
God is good but surely works in mysterious ways.

When I win the lottery.

I love the way he pulls off the "killing a known communist" line, with a self-aware sneer, like if he were to push the line a little further he'd be talking about himself.

But I never killed someone I don't know just 'cause
someone told me to.

this is basically how I approach the military

because of this poll, I went to last fm to listen to this album. They don't have "I was Born in a Laundromat" though. What kind of bullshit is that to leave off just one song?

Also this version of "When I Win the Lottery" is different than I remember, like a demo or something.

When the end comes to this old world
The rocks will cry and the rest will curl up
And God won't take the time to sort your ass from
mine.

'Cause we zig and zag between good and bad
Stumble and fall on right and wrong
'Cause the tumbling dice and the luck of the draw
just leads us on.

these verses almost made me vote for that song, man I love this part of the song. and again, this is more serious and dark than anything on their other albums, which is why I love it so.

also, I always thought it was "the RATS will cry...", same with the next verse.

I have alternately seen that line parsed as "the Right" and "the Righteous."

I heard it as "rats" too.

xp oilyrags: Laundromat is one of my favorites on the album. Currently trying to decide between Laundromat, Lottery, and Jack Ruby.

"Laundromat" rocks surprisingly hard. The lyric is pretty minimal but it's effective enough, and the chorus soars in a nice juxtaposition to the chugging of the verses.

Not my favourite album of theirs but it's still great nevertheless. "Jack Ruby", though it's a hard enough choice to be a somewhat arbitrary pick.

I always thought it was "And God won't take the time to sort your ashes from
mine," not ass.

yeah, that too!

or maybe you all just saw the Staus Quo cover on MTV when yr pubes were comin in. - this pretty much sums it up for me, but tho I came for the Quo, I stayed for "Sweethearts" & "When I Win the Lottery." Tough choice..

those lyrics are lazy nihilism btw, the acid & pot was bound to take its toll

(I saw their first NY show -- Feb '86? Folk City)

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

also this has been a good discussion and I'd like to hear more thoughts! I'm not regretting my "Sweethearts" vote but I hope the "Opening Theme" gets some love: the drum sound on it is SO GOOD.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Opening Theme
Jack Ruby
Sweethearts
When I Win The Lottery
(I Was Born In A) Laundromat
Borderline

^^Such a great opening

I put this on again for the first time this decade and apart from the bouzoki-bezerk climax to "June," these are the only songs that made an impact. So for me, it's like Prefab Sprout's Two Wheels Good/Steve McQueen, dividing almost perfectly into a great first side and a blah second. Cept that CVB's first side is nowhere near as great as Prefab's this time out. Gotta go with Morbs here - early CVB's the best. You can feel the zzzz Cracker comin' on way too much here.

I went with "Jack Ruby." Love those fateful harmonies.

Out of interest, what other albums do others like? I sorta thought that this was their only good album - that the rest was half songs and jokey stuff. Which is good for those who like that, but I was drawn to Lottery, Ruby, June etc - whole songs with a darker feel. There are a few good songs on New Roman Times (between the Cracker disappointments). Did they do anything else like those?

This album's not so different songwriting-wise from the predecessor (also on Virgin), Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart. But that album doesn't sound as good for reasons gone over in this thread. The earlier records are a totally different beast. I'd kinda be surprised if they picked up a new audience over the years. Whereas I think this one could continue to pick up a new audience into the future: less silly, more fully fleshed out songs, a lyrical edge that was missing earlier. Though I love everything through this one: this isn't to knock "Shut Us Down" or "Good Guys, Bad Guys" etc.

also only 1 for "Sweethearts"!!!!

I was about to vote for "Sweethearts" - that song is perfect. But then the poll closed.

paulhw - do you know "Big Dipper" (the Cracker song)? It expands upon the themes of "June," though it's not quite as dark. Beautiful song.

I wouldn't have expected All Her Favorite Fruit to take this honestly. I figured people would latch onto Sweethearts and Jack Ruby more.

I can't believe I missed this poll entirely. I could have added another vote for "The Humid Pres of Days" just because I love the guitar/violin doubled lines and that huge pause just before "GRAV-vi-TEE!" and the extremely wonky violin part immediately thereafter. But at other times it's been any number of other songs on this wonderful album. I try to play "June" at full volume every June 1, but don't usually remember to. I might just play the whole album at full volume RIGHT NOW.

those lyrics are lazy nihilism btw, the acid & pot was bound to take its toll

― Dr Morbius,

That statement is a lazy reading, btw. They're coming out of the mouth of a very peculiar narrator, not the personal philosophical diary of David Lowery.

also I don't really hear that much of a demonstrable drop in quality in the fiddling - Morgan directly copied J Segel's style and effects set-up (so much so that he vocally complained about it for years afterwards)

― This Board is a Prison on Planet Bullshit (Shakey Mo Collier)

On this record, the fiddling sounds tremendous! Much better, IMO, than anything Segel ever did (not to knock him, tho); his sound is so attenuated. But maybe it's the improved engineering & production I'm hearing, not the playing. Also, I never saw them live (til the 2004 reunion show) so can't comment about that end of things.

can we talk about whether there are any jokes on this album...? The Status Quo cover seems pretty tongue-in-cheek (altho it sounds great), but there's nothing as openly comic as on previous records. I don't think that's a fault - I think II & III and the s/t are epic near-masterpieces and the humor on those is well-placed and well-executed (not an easy task) - but it does seem like KLP has an overall more serious and somber tone to it.

That's a great question, and I'll have to think it over. But it's connected with something I've always wondered about "Life Is Grand", at the end of Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart. A main lyric of that song is, "Life is grand, and I will say this at the risk of falling from favor with those of you who have appointed yourselves to expect us to say something darker". But who expected CVB to say something darker? The preceding albums aren't particularly dark (is "Ambiguity Song" as dark as it gets?). OBRS was their darkest record to date (their take on "O Death" doesn't seem especially tongue-in-cheek), but that was exceptional for the band to that point.

At the time KLP took some heat for being too dark and hence un-fun, and I can see why: "Come On Darkness" doesn't seem to be a joke. "Flowers" is pretty morbid, and "All Her Favorite Fruit" is creepy in a kinda classic psychedelic way. I don't see any jokes on this one: the Quo cover seems to play it pretty straight (unlike "Wasted" e.g.), and anyway in the US it wasn't a big joke to cover Status Quo (maybe in the UK it was seen that way).

"Life is grand, and I will say this at the risk of falling from favor with those of you who have appointed yourselves to expect us to say something darker". But who expected CVB to say something darker?

ya rly, I have often wondered this as well. The only way I can figure it is that its an accusatory questions directed at the larger subculture of indie rock which, at least at that particular time, was fairly serious and humorless in a lot of ways. I mean there was They Might Be Giants (who were always pretty marginalized as a "cult" band, altho maybe not any moreso than CVB), the Replacements (occasionally), and I dunno, Faith No More (maybe?) but in general there were not a lot of other bands on their level who were willing to do anything humor-based - the post-punk American stuff tended to be pretty earnest and I can see how Lowery might have felt pressure at the time to be a "serious" artist with a negative world view and "important" things to say.... which is kinda what he turned into with KLP haha

The humour on KLP is not nearly as gaggy as on previous albums, but it's there; I've always thought that "When I Win the Lottery" was hilarious, and "Sweethearts" even has a punchline, of sorts. "Interlude" is funny by its placement. Overall it's a more serious album than the others, but I like it better for that - Lowery's wry worldview is best appreciated with tongue only slightly in cheek, IMO (contrast with "we would fight for hippychix, we would die for hippychix").

Only two votes for the Status Quo cover? SHAME ON YOU ALL.

contrast with "we would fight for hippychix, we would die for hippychix"

wait - what is this a reference to...? I don't recognize this quote

It's from New Roman Times.

An album I wanted to want to buy.

yeah I never heard it.

I do still laugh at some of their joke songs. Where the Hell is Bill anyway

maybe he went to get a British flag

yeah, "We Workers Do Not Understand Modern Art" may be my favorite song title of all time, measured by the lols I get even typing the fucking thing out, let alone saying it.

Maybe he went to get a sideways haircut.

Shakey Mo OTM, btw, about the indie-cultural interpretation of "Life is Grand." At least, that's the way I always read it.

Listening to KLP right now, and I'm hearing little jokes all over the place. The way Lowery delivers the lines is often the funniest bit. "pepper steak ... with corn."

"I'm alternating between heavy and light
Between meaning and nonsense
And having a drink"

and his peevishness over nice weather in "June" I always thought of as a funny, backhanded celebration.