Key Lime Pie (album)

Key Lime Pieis a 1989albumbyCamper Van Beethoven(CVB).  It was the band's final album before breaking up in 1990, although the band has reunited and released new material in recent years.  It was produced byDennis Herring, who had also produced the band's previous album,Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart.
Key Lime Piewas the only Camper Van Beethoven album not to feature founding violinist/multi-instrumentalist/vocalistJonathan Segel, who left the band before the album was recorded.  The band's core lineup on the album consisted of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/frontmanDavid Lowery, bassistVictor Krummenacher, lead guitaristGreg Lisherand drummerChris Pedersen.  Most of the violin parts were played by Don Lax, who was hired only for recording sessions and was not a band member.  Near the end of the recording of the album, violinist Morgan Fichter was hired as the replacement for Segel.  Fichter played only on the tracks "Opening Theme", "Pictures of Matchstick Men" and "Flowers," although she sings harmony vocals on a few other tracks and appears on the record's cover.  On the tour for the album, the band was also joined bysteel guitarist/mandolinist/guitaristDavid Immerglück, a member of CVB's side projectMonks of Doom.
Lowery has been quoted in interviews as saying that, although the entire band (save for Fichter) played on the basic tracks, Greg Lisher was the only other member to have contributed significantly to the album's recording, with most of the overdubbing and studio polishing having been done by Lowery, Lisher and producer Dennis Herring.Lisher's distinctive psychedelic lead guitar playing is arguably the album's most distinctive instrumental feature, although the band's use of violin also has a great influence on the sound of the record.
The album featured a darker lyrical outlook as compared to the band's previous record, although there is still a great deal of the band's trademark humor.  It was also the most political record that CVB had released, with tracks like "When I Win the Lottery," "Sweethearts" and "Jack Ruby" providing some humorous political and social commentary. Lowery said in an interview that "All Her Favorite Fruit" was based on the romance between Jessica Swanlake and Roger Mexico from theThomas PynchonnovelGravity's Rainbow.
It also featured less of the band'sworld musicinfluence, although there are still elements of CVB favorites likeskaand Eastern European music in songs like "Opening Theme" and "Borderline."  In place of theworld-musicinfluence, there are even more elements ofAmericanaevident in many of the songs.Psychedelia, another staple of the band's eclectic sound, is also very much in evidence, although songs like "The Light from a Cake" and "Flowers" feature a more-orchestrated, less-dissonant version of psychedelic music than did the band's earlier albums.
The album was CVB's most commercially successful record, with theStatus Quocover "Pictures of Matchstick Men" becoming an alternative rock hit and peaking at number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.
All songs written by Krummenacher/Lisher/Lowery/Pedersen, except where noted.
Album-Billboard(United States)
Singles-Billboard(United States)