Camper Van Beethoven “Telephone Free Landslide Victory” 1985. Independent Project Records. Today, September 10th, is CVB’s founder, songwriter, guitarist and vocalist David Lowery’s 60th birthday (b. 1960). Telephone Free Landslide Victory was their debut album and has the band’s most well-known original song: “Take the Skinheads Bowling” (their other best-known is their cover of Status Quo’s “Pictures of Matchstick Men” that appears on their 1989 album, Key Lime Pie). “Take the Skinheads Bowling” went to #8 on the UK Indie chart in ‘86. It’s a weird, silly and nonsensical song that Lowery wrote because “It was the early 80′s and all our peers were writing songs that were full of meaning. It was our way of rebelling. BTW this is the most important fact about this song. We wanted the words to lack any coherent meaning. There is no story or deeper insight that I can give you about this song.” I also really like their cover of Black Flag’s “Wasted,” “Where the Hell is Bill?” (also super-silly, a track that wonders if their friend Bill is out getting a mohawk, riding his skateboard or at a Circle Jerks show), “I Don’t See You” and the hardcore punk parody “Club Med Sucks.”