Desert Island Recordings: Tusk by Camper Van Beethoven

Isolation causes people to do funny things. Sometimes brilliant,
sometimes mad, often both. We're both under the recommended
self-quarantine and as we're waiting for this pandemic to hopefully
quickly subside. We started thinking about albums that were made
while in confinement. Many came to mind quickly. The Rolling Stones
recorded Exile on Main Street while holed in France avoiding tax
penalties. Of course, that is less like quarantine and more like a
weekend at Caligula’s. Bon Iver’s post-break-up self induced
retreat in a hunting cabin turned into For Emma, Forever Ago. Songs
of Pain by Daniel Johnston was recorded in his parents basement as
his bipolar swings made social engagements tremendously difficult.
The majority of Cat Power’s Moon Pix was written during a
terrifying hallucinatory nightmare while left alone in a farmhouse
in the middle of nowhere. And of course, David Allen Coe, Charles
Manson, that psycho guy from Burzum, and countless hip hop artists
made records while incarcerated.  That's when we remembered
Camper Van Beethoven’s Tusk. As we recalled, the band got snowed in
at a cabin somewhere in the depths of the California mountains in
the late 80s. To stave off boredom, the band did a track by track
remake of the Fleetwood Mac maligned bizarro AOR classic, Tusk. CVB
got through most of the tracks before the thaw, stashed the tapes,
and went about their merry way. Many years later, about to embark
on a reunion tour, the band found the tapes, cleaned them up, added
and rerecorded bits, and released the record. We both love Camper
Van Beethoven and Tusk, so we decided it would be a good exercise
in exploring what happens to bands when cabin fever sets in. So,
today, break into your emergency vodka, settle into your
confinement, and check your supply of toilet paper as we cover the
bizarre tale of Camper Van Beethoven’s Tusk. Highway Hi-Fi is a
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