Camper Van Beethoven

Camper Van Beethoven were one of the great, pioneering indie rock bands. When Spinart released the Cigarettes & Carrot Juice box in 2002, legions of Camper fans probably rushed out to pick up remastered versions of great albums that had been out of print for years. Two years later, when Spinart made the individual albums available again, this time augmented by bonus tracks (the box set contained just the original albums, as issued), those who bought the box most likely felt like they were being taken advantage of. After all, it was the dedicated fans who rushed out to buy the box, the same fans who would most desire bonus tracks. For II & III (Camper's second album), there are four tracks added to the album, including an early version of "Devil Song" (later to appear on Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart) and an interesting dub version of "Circles." In addition, the versions of "Chain of Circumstances" and "Form Another Stone" are slightly different, with the vocals mixed higher and much more discernible. All that and the original lyric sheet is reproduced inside. It may not totally remove the sting of purchasing most of this music a second (or third!) time, but it does add up to a sufficiently different listening experience that serious fans should be pleased. After all, it can be fun to hear a classic album in a new way (provided you can hear the original as well). ~ Sean Westergaard, All Music Guide