Camper Van Beethoven: Pictures of Matchstick Men (original: Status Quo)

Is it any good?

Yessir! Even without knowing the original, CVB's version of this song will stick to your brain much like, but not quite, the first kiss you received from your highschool sweetheart.

Is it better than the original?

No. Status Quo's original is a cypto-psychedelic freakbeat evergreen, featuring a vintage 1968 überchorussed soundscape and sloshing buckets of over-the-top wah-wah. You can't possibly beat that. But CVB's version is a brilliant song in its own right, with a haunting violin, an irresistible drum track and David Lowery singing like he's really on to something.

What the hell were they thinking?

CVB were a radically eclectic band, mixing psychedelics with a wide variety of other musical styles, often casually referring to other bands, songs and musical phenomena. These guys really knew their artistic ancestry, so their cover of this particular song is as logical as, say, summer following spring. You don't have to think about it. It just sort of happens. Like the Daily Cover Christmas party.

Does it make the world a better place?

Yes. In the late eighties and early nineties, the Santa Cruz area was an interesting, freaky kind of place. This cover song reminds us of sun, sea, crappy veggie cuisine and the innocence of it all. And that is a good thing.