The Living Rockumentary

Yesterday I got Smile and the new Camper Van Beethoven, "New Roman Times".

Now, that's a lotta ambitious music! I think I'll be alright for awhile.
I'm going to see CVB (right in a row on your keyboard!) tomorrow at Pearl St. Henning, Ken, Kevin, Andrea and I had tickets to see them 2 or 3 summers ago in NYC at the Knitting Factory, but a transformer blew in the lower east side, and the power went out and the show was cancelled, after we already drove there.
I remember my sister saw them at UMass in '88 or so .I think Ning said he was at that show too.
CVB were one of the first modern bands I was turned onto, when I was strictly a classic rocker. Summer of '88, I think it was. I had a dub cassette of 'Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart' on one side (taped from my sister's vinyl) and Jane's Addiction's 'Nothing's Shocking' (taped from a friend's tape). These served the purpose of weaning me off Zeppelin and Grateful Dead, and putting my feet firmly in the present.
I used to write lyrics all the time (my friend Matt and I were songwriters, and I'd just submit pages of lyrics to him, which he'd edit to suit his needs , and many songs would result). I remember one summer night, listening to '..Beloved Revolutionary...' and getting all sorts of new ideas and writing a whole bunch. I played Matt CVB and he thought they sucked.

Now, around that same time Dec '88, my sister got me a birthday present: Doinic Priore's Look, Listen, Vibrate, Smile!! which is a book in a super fanzine form, compiling all the press surrounding "Smile", in '66-68. From the "look out, world...here IT comes! The be-all end-all in pop! I've heard some of it and it's going to change the world, AAHHHH!!!....." of '66 to the "wha'happened" of '68. (this is kind of what every Sox season is like).
It's an awesome book. Anyway, so yeah. Smile's here. It's all re-recorded, and beautiful, and you gotta just take it all in in one 45 minute bliss session. It's insanely well done, beautiful and funny.
"Out in the barnyard, the chickens do their number....jump in the pigpen, next time I'll take my shoes off..."

Oh, and the new CVB? I give it a B+. It starts off a little clumsy, but by track 4 or 5 (out of 20), the CVB fan will be in familiar terretory. Like returning to a vacation spot you loved 15 years ago, and, wow--some things have really changed, but oh...there's that great nook we used to hang out at and it's still how we left it. My least favorite aspect of the new CVB is actually what my least favorite aspect of '..beloved revolutionary..', which is the occasional heavy metal guitar solo and over the top drums. But overall, a great return.