Mit ihrer bizarren Mischung aus Folk, Country, Ska, Tex-Mex, 60s Psychedelia und Rock'n'Roll gelten Camper Van Beethoven noch heute als eine der einflussreichsten Bands der Achtziger Jahre. Zusammen mit Bands wie den Replacements, Hüsker Dü, Minutemen, Sonic Youth oder den Meat Puppets strebten Camper Van Beethoven eine konsequente Neudefinition von Rock / Pop an. Ihre Strategie lautete: Vielfalt. Bewaffnet mit Violine, Mandoline und Bläsern, einer eklektischen Offenheit für sämtliche Musiken dieser Welt sowie einem beißenden Sarkasmus setzten sie an, die gültigen Regeln und Codes von Coolness und Rock'n'Roll außer Kraft zu setzen, ohne dabei zu vergessen, wie Rock sich anfühlen sollte.

Das Debutalbum von Camper van Beethoven "Telephone Free Landslide Victory" erschien im Juni 1985. Das Album, das unter anderem den Camper-Klassiker "Take The Skinheads Bowling" und das Black Flag-Cover "Wasted" enthält, wurde ein richtiger Hit bei den College Radios, tauchte aber ebenso in den Top 10-Listen renommierter Musikkritiker auf.

They say "never say never," but it's still extremely unlikely something so goofily low-key, inventive, and fun will ever achieve cult status so quickly again, especially in terms of musical range on display. Not simply a rock group but not anything else, Camper Van Beethoven pulled off a series of entertaining fusions throughout its debut record, as the opening song "Border Ska" indicates by name alone. Eastern European folk, tropical grooves, post-punk atmospherics, country laid-back good times, psych/garage band aesthetics, lyrics about Mao, Greece, and more — a lot of stuff went into the Santa Cruz band's brew, and most of it came up trumps on Telephone. Lowery's lead vocals aren't much like what his more famous work in Cracker would indicate, being more speak-singing through shaggy dog stories (even one about Lassie) of all stripes. Hearing his tale of woe on "Wasted" — "I was a punker, and I had a Mohawk/I was so gnarly and I drove my dad's car" — delivered in a "yeah dude" tone of voice is pretty darn funny. Segel's keyboards and violins color the arrangements with a fun touch, while rhythm team Krummenacher and then recently departed drummer Anthony Guess try out nearly everything at least once. The production is eminently suited for the proceedings, sounding a bit like the thick, fuzzy flow of many Shimmy-Disc releases but with just enough of a crisp edge. When it comes to humor, it's everywhere — for instance, the plaintively sung chorus of "Where the Hell Is Bill?," not to mention the various speculative answers ("Maybe he went to get a Vespa scooter"). Or, of course, the song that kick-started the band's reputation, "Take the Skinheads Bowling," two and a half minutes of chiming, goofy nonsense with references to Jah and incomplete rhymes.

(by Ned Raggett, All Music Guide)