La Costa Perdida (429) kicks off Camper Van Beethoven’s 30th-anniversary year amidst an orchestrated (if deserving) surge in recognition for the group—everything from Paul Rudd donning a vintage Camper concert tee in the film This Is 40 to glowing quotes from members of R.E.M. and the Meat Puppets. The LP is CVB’s first album since 2004’s New Roman Times and was mostly recorded at multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Segel’s Oakland home studio a year prior to his move to Sweden. “The process was similar, perhaps, to the recording of Camper’s third album, in that we could experiment and had time to work on things,” says Segel. “The first two CVB albums were recorded in a weekend.” Segel will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new feature on the band.
Segel: Speaking of bands that have been around and back again, Big Dipper made a new record.
Big Dipper was one of those lovely ’80s “alternative” rock bands that Camper used to play with a bunch. This band was a super group of sorts, made from members of the Volcano Suns and the Embarrassment. In fact, my last show with CVB (before getting the boot a few months later) was Halloween 1988, when we dressed in drag and Big Dipper wore diapers and played as Big Diaper.
They subsequently succumbed to the torture of having been signed to a major label and probably broke up because they “owed the company” money and so they couldn’t legally be Big Dipper anymore. Their canon of records on Homestead Records, and even, yes, their Epic Records’ release, Slam, remain as pop masterpieces. I was pleasantly surprised to see a rerelease of their earlier oeuvre come out on Merge Record in 2008, and even more to see that they have a new album called Crashes On The Plutonium Planet. Even my one-and-a-half-year-old likes it.
And speaking of bands being together long enough to actually learn how to play, it’s so obvious in how they play together.
Video after the jump.
6 replies on “From The Desk Of Camper Van Beethoven’s Jonathan Segel: Big Dipper”
Thanks, Jonathan! It is NOT hyperbole to say that touring with and getting to know CVB members in teh ’80’s was one of the very best things about being in Big Dipper. Seeing you again in Boston a couple weeks ago was an incredible treat, and you sounded superb. Next time we shall tip a glass and chat! Best, Gary
thanks for the kind dipper words, Jonathan. It’s nice to be remembered by a guy and a band we had so much respect for. Even tho I was only a cheerleader on the new CD I think it’s great. See you in PDX.
I saw the mighty big dipper at dingwells in camden not long after i saw you with cvb there…big dipper played Jet as an encore and were ace…i was really pleased they have returned and on such form.
its really strange that when sixties and seventies bands reform they are so often just pale shadows of what they once wer,e where as when 80’s and 90’s bands reform they are generally even better than before both live and on record. I see The Three O’Clock are back and i’ll bet they too will be at their very finest.
i was dipper’s roadie for the shared tour that year and took a slew of photos that night, camper in drag and the dipper in diapers with gary as the mommy. was that in alabama or someplace? at such time as i find those pix, i’ll scan and share…
my friend Gil Ray is playing drums fro Rain Parade on tour now too! You’re absolutely right, Mick.
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