Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart
OK, so there's no "Where the Hell is Bill" or "Take the Skinheads Bowling" here, butOur Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheartdoes include the best ode to Patty Hearst in all of pop music: the track "Tanya" (which was Hearst's SLA moniker) brings together everyone's favorite Camper Van Beethoven elements, from Jonathan Segal's Eastern European-influenced violin work to the acid-etched wit that David Lowery would take with him to his next band,Cracker. From the traditional "O Death" to the uncharacteristically optimistic "She Divines Water" and "Life Is Grand," this 1988 major-label debut from Santa Cruz's premiere ska-polka-surf-Balkan-country-alternative-pop band is more consistent than its indie predecessors, just not as sporadically brilliant.--Bill Forman