Camper Van Beethoven - Popular Songs (Cooking Vinyl) This is a greatest hits album, although it comes from an age when "indie" wasn't synonymous with "rock" and when the "hit" parade was possibly a little harder for bands with that tag to break into. Camper Van Beethoven released these songs between 1985-1990 (although five of the tracks here have been re-recorded as they don't own the recording rights to the original versions on their third album) but they don't sound particularly dated. While they can broadly be categorized as an indie band they manage to cover ska, punk and middle-eastern instrumentals throughout the course of this record. 'The Day Lassie Went To The Moon' and 'Take The Skinheads Bowling' are perhaps their best known tunes, and they are both lyrically clever, jangly of guitar and upbeat in rhythm. This is a great introduction to a band, championed by the likes of Teenage Fanclub and more recently Electric Soft Parade, who are happy to have a bit of fun with their music. www.campervanbeethoven.com Ian M. Review originally published by CMU Music Network www.cmumusicnetwork.co.uk