The Cramps | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Conjuring a fiendish witches brew of primal rockabilly, grease-stained 60s garage rock, vintage monster movies, perverse and glistening sex, and the detritus and effluvia of 50 years of American pop culture, the Cramps are a truly American creation much in the manner of the Cadillac, the White Castle hamburger, the Fender Stratocaster, and Jayne Mansfield. Often imitated, but never with the same psychic resonance as the original, the Cramps celebrate all that is dirty and gaudy with a perverse joy that draws in listeners with its fleshy decadence, not unlike an enchanted gingerbread house on the Las Vegas strip. The entire psychobilly scene would be unthinkable without them, and their prescient celebration of the echoey menace of first-generation rock & roll had a primal (if little acknowledged) influence on the rockabilly revival and the later roots rock movement. The saga of the Cramps begins in 1972 in Sacramento, CA, when LSD enthusiast and Alice Cooper fan Erick Purkhiser picked up a hitchhiker, a woman with a highly evolved rock & roll fashion sense named Kristy Wallace. The two quickly took note of one another, but major sparks didnt began to fly until a few weeks later, when they discovered they were both enrolled in a course on "Art and Shamanism" at Sacramento City College. These two lovebirds were soon sharing both an apartment and their collective enthusiasm for the stranger and more obscure sounds of rocks first era, as well as the more flamboyant music of the day. Their passion for music led them to the conclusion that they should form a band, and Kristy picked up a guitar and adopted the stage name Poison Ivy Rorschach, while future vocalist Erick became Lux Interior, after short spells as Raven Beauty and Vip Vop. Ivy and Lux hit the road for Ohio, and after living frugally in Akron for a year and a half, they made their way to New York City in 1975 in search of stardom. While working at a record store, Interior made the acquaintance of fellow employee Greg Beckerleg, who had recently arrived from Detroit and also wanted to form a band. Beckerleg transformed himself into primal noise guitarist Bryan Gregory, and even persuaded his sister to join the nascent combo as a drummer. However, Pam Beckerleg didnt work out on traps, and so Miriam Linna, an Ohio transplant who had gotten to know Lux and Ivy during their sojourn in the Buckeye State, finalized the first proper lineup of the band they called the Cramps. Between Ivys twangy single-note leads, Bryans shower-of-sparks reports of noise, Luxs demented banshee howling, and Miriams primitive stomp, the Cramps didnt sound like anyone else on the budding New York punk scene, and the foursome soon began attracting both crowds and buzz with their shows at CBGBs and Maxs Kansas City. After about a year of gigging in and around New York, Linna left the group (she would later co-found frantic cultural journal Kicks Magazine and exemplary reissue label Norton Records), and another former Ohioan, Nick Stephanoff (known to his fans as Nick Knox and previously a member of infamous Cleveland noise terrorists the Electric Eels) took over behind the drums, and this version of the Cramps released the groups first recordings, a pair of 7" singles recorded in Memphis with Alex Chilton as producer and issued by the bands own Vengeance Records label. In 1979, Miles Copeland signed the band to his fledgling new wave label I.R.S. Records, and their first 12" release was an EP featuring the material from their self-released singles, entitled Gravest Hits. That same year, the band traveled to Europe for the first time, playing as opening act for the Police and stealing the show from the peroxide-addled pop stars many nights. The Cramps returned to Memphis with Chilton to record their first full-length album, 1980s masterful Songs the Lord Taught Us, but what should have been a triumphant U.S. tour following its release was scuttled when Gregory unceremoniously quit the band by leaving unannounced with a van full of their equipment; at the time, a story circulated that Gregory left the Cramps to pursue an interest in Satanism, though in later interviews Lux and Ivy said there was no truth to these rumors and his actions were more likely the result of his addiction to heroin. Lux, Ivy, and Nick opted to move the band to Hollywood, CA, and recruited Gun Club guitarist Kid Congo Powers to take over as second guitarist in time to record their second long-player, Psychedelic Jungle. In 1981, the Cramps filed suit against I.R.S. Records over unpaid royalties; the court case prevented the band from recording new material for two years, and when they returned to Americas record racks, it was with a live album, 1983s Smell of Female, recording during a pair of dates at New York Citys Peppermint Lounge. Kid Congo amicably parted ways with the band shortly afterward, and the search for the right record company kept the Cramps out of the studio until the U.K.-based Big Beat label released the ultra-lascivious A Date With Elvis in 1986; while several guitarists had come and gone since Kid Congo, for these sessions Poison Ivy ended up overdubbing herself on bass. In 1987, the group finally found a simpatico bassist in the form of tough gal Candy Del Mar, whom Lux and Ivy met in the parking lot of a liquor store. Del Mar made her recorded debut on the live album Rockin n Reelin in Auckland New Zealand, and she was still on board when the Cramps finally signed a U.S. record deal with Enigma Records and recorded the fine and full-bodied Stay Sick! in 1990. Only a year later, the Cramps were back with a new studio album, Look Mom No Head!, but in a surprising move Nick Knox had left the band, and was replaced by Jim Sclavunos; after Jims short tenure with the group, Nickey Beat (aka Nicky Alexander, former timekeeper with the Weirdos) took over the drum throne before one Harry Drumdini signed on. Less startlingly, Candy Del Mar was also out of the lineup, replaced by Slim Chance, a one-time member of the Mad Daddys. Harry and Slim joined Lux and Ivy in 1994 for the Cramps first major-label album, Flamejob, released by the Warner Bros.-distributed Medicine imprint. As usual, much touring followed, and the band even made an appearance on the popular youth-centric soap opera Beverly Hills 90210 in 1995. The Cramps major-label period proved to be brief, with Cal-punk indie label Epitaph inking a deal with the group to release 1997s Big Beat from Badsville, which featured the same lineup as Flamejob. In 2001, Lux Interior and Poison Ivy Rorschach celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Cramps by taking the matters of record-making into their own hands; they revived the long-dormant Vengeance label and reissued their entire post-I.R.S. album catalog (except for Flamejob) on expanded and remastered CDs and colored vinyl LPs. A new Cramps album followed in 2003, Fiends of Dope Island, which (of course) featured yet another personal change, with Chopper Franklin becoming the bands latest bassist. And with the Cramps continuing their unholy mission well into the 21st century, they offered their fans a look back with 2004s How to Make a Monster, a collection of rare live material and demos. They performed live for the final time in November 2006 at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California, before a relative period of inactivity for the band. Then, in February 2009, the sad news came that Lux Interior had passed away, aged 62, at the Glendale Memorial Hospital after suffering an aortic dissection. Tributes were plentiful for such a singular figure and 2011’s File Under Sacred Music: Early Singles 1978-1981 acted as a timely reminder of the passion, prescience and originality that was inherent in the music of The Cramps. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 18 Title: Gravest Hits Released: 1979-06-15 Tracks: 5 Duration: 16:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Human Fly (02:15) 2 The Way I Walk (02:40) 3 Domino (03:08) 4 Surfin’ Bird (05:07) 5 Lonesome Town (02:55) |
 | Album: 2 of 18 Title: Songs the Lord Taught Us Released: 1980 Tracks: 13 Duration: 38:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 TV Set (03:22) 2 Rock on the Moon (01:43) 3 Garbageman (03:32) 4 I Was a Teenage Werewolf (03:05) 5 Sunglasses After Dark (03:47) 6 The Mad Daddy (03:16) 7 Mystery Plane (03:40) 8 Zombie Dance (01:53) 9 What’s Behind the Mask (02:06) 10 Strychnine (02:25) 11 I’m Cramped (02:36) 12 Tear It Up (02:31) 13 Fever (04:16) |
| Songs the Lord Taught Us : Allmusic album Review : Continuing the spooked-out and raging snarls of their Gravest Hits EP, the Cramps once again worked with Alex Chilton on the groups full-album debut, Songs the Lord Taught Us. The jacket reads "file under: sacred music," but only if ones definition includes the holy love of rockabilly sex-stomp, something which the Cramps fulfill in spades. Having spent Gravest Hits mostly doing revamps of older material, the foursome tackled a slew of originals like "The Mad Daddy" and "TV Set" this time around, creating one of the few neo-rockabilly records worthy of the name. Years later Songs still drips with threat and desire both, testament to both the bands worth and Chiltons just-right production. "Garbageman" surfaced as a single in some areas, a wise choice given the at-once catchy roll of the song and downright frightening guitar snarls, especially on the solo. The covers of the Sonics "Strychnine" and Billy Burnettes "Tear It Up" -- not to mention the concluding riff on "Fever" -- all challenge the originals. Interior has the wailing, hiccuping, and more down pat, but transformed into his own breathless howl, while Ivy and Gregory keep up the electric fuzz through more layers of echo than legality should allow. Knox helms the drums relentlessly; instead of punching through arena rock style, Chilton keeps the rushed rhythm running along in the back, increasing the sheer psychosis of it all. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 18 Title: Psychedelic Jungle Released: 1981-03-27 Tracks: 14 Duration: 40:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Green Fuz (02:09) 2 Goo Goo Muck (03:06) 3 Rockin’ Bones (02:48) 4 Voodoo Idol (03:39) 5 Primitive (03:32) 6 Caveman (03:51) 7 The Crusher (01:47) 8 Don’t Eat Stuff Off the Sidewalk (02:04) 9 Can’t Find My Mind (03:01) 10 Jungle Hop (02:07) 11 Natives Are Restless (03:00) 12 Under The Wires (02:44) 13 Beautiful Gardens (03:59) 14 Green Door (02:35) |
| Psychedelic Jungle : Allmusic album Review : Here, Kid Congo Powers and Ivy form just as fine a team as she and Gregory did on earlier releases, and if things arent always as flat-out fried as on Gravest Hits and Songs, the same atmosphere of swampy, trashy, rockabilly-into-voodoo ramalama reigns supreme. The song titles alone show the band hasnt really changed its sights any: the opening two cuts are covers, "Green Fuz" and "Goo Goo Muck," while originals include "Caveman," "Cant Find My Mind," and the brilliant "The Natives Are Restless." Then theres "Dont Eat Stuff Off the Sidewalk," which almost sounds worthy of a Frank Zappa freakout (at least lyrically). Other legendary tracks like "Primitive" and "Green Door" get the Cramps makeover this time out, with the proper mix of respect and hot-wired energy, while "The Crusher" sounds like Interiors on the verge of going completely insane. The Cramps themselves take over the production this time out, resulting in a cleaner, crisper sound (especially when it comes to Knoxs drums) that isnt quite as wired, for better or for worse. As commanding showmen, though, the quartets style comes through big time, with Interior throwing in appropriate yells, yipes, and other sounds where appropriate; his antics at the end of "Goo Goo Muck" are especially gone. If anything, the moodier strutting throughout increases the creepiness of whats afoot; if things arent psychedelic in the commonly accepted sense, its certainly not easy listening. Interior sometimes sounds almost normal, but with the sense that something strange is lurking just around the corner, and Ivy is still one of the best guitarists around, her snarling reverb worth a thousand fret-shredders. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 18 Title: Off the Bone Released: 1983 Tracks: 17 Duration: 52:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Human Fly (02:15) 2 The Way I Walk (02:40) 3 Domino (03:08) 4 Surfin’ Bird (05:07) 5 Lonesome Town (03:03) 6 Garbageman (03:31) 7 Fever (04:17) 8 Drug Train (02:36) 9 Love Me (02:02) 10 I Can’t Hardly Stand It (02:43) 11 Goo Goo Muck (03:06) 12 She Said (03:17) 13 The Crusher (01:47) 14 Save It (02:57) 15 New Kind of Kick (03:31) 16 Uranium Rock (02:28) 17 Good Taste (03:27) |
| Off the Bone : Allmusic album Review : This British compilation includes the entirety of the Cramps first release, the Gravest Hits EP, along with selections from Songs the Lord Taught Us, Psychedelic Jungle, Smell of Female, and a live version of "You Got Good Taste" (shortened here to "Good Taste"). It covers the years 1979-1983, a formative period in the bands long career. Ten of the tracks can also be found on the domestic compilation Bad Music for Bad People, which was released the following year. Although the bulk of the material consists of covers, you can hardly tell (barring an intimacy with any of the originals). Once the Cramps get hold of a song, they always make it their own -- even the more recognizable numbers like "Surfin Bird," "Lonesome Town," and "Fever." All benefit from Lux Interiors vocal prowess. Hes a proto-punk screamer like Screamin Jay Hawkins or the Sonics Gerry Roslie on the rockin numbers, but can caress a ballad like mid-period Elvis when the need arises. None of the songs sound as if they could possibly have been written anytime after the 60s. Alex Chilton produced the first ten tracks, the Cramps the remaining seven. [The cover art for ...Off the Bone has varied over the years; the 1987 Illegal edition is rendered -- appropriately enough -- in 3-D.] | ||
 | Album: 5 of 18 Title: Smell of Female Released: 1983 Tracks: 9 Duration: 32:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Thee Most Exalted Potentate of Love (03:03) 2 You Got Good Taste (03:26) 3 Call of the Wighat (03:47) 4 Faster Pussycat (02:47) 5 I Ain’t Nuthin’ but a Gorehound (03:16) 6 Psychotic Reaction (03:54) 7 Beautiful Gardens (03:07) 8 She Said (05:18) 9 Surfin’ Dead (04:12) |
 | Album: 6 of 18 Title: Bad Music for Bad People Released: 1984 Tracks: 11 Duration: 31:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Garbageman (03:36) 2 New Kind of Kick (03:30) 3 Love Me (01:59) 4 I Can’t Hardly Stand It (02:42) 5 She Said (03:16) 6 Goo Goo Muck (03:05) 7 Save It (02:57) 8 Human Fly (02:15) 9 Drug Train (02:36) 10 TV Set (03:14) 11 Uranium Rock (02:27) |
| Bad Music for Bad People : Allmusic album Review : An extremely skimpy compilation, Bad Music is only 31 minutes long. Still, this dogs breakfast of material, assembled upon the Cramps departure from IRS, was the only place for a variety of B-sides and rarities, at least for a long while. The most well-known is "New Kind of Kick," covered later by the the Jesus and Mary Chain. It isnt as out there sonically as that band, but it has plenty of attitude to burn, with Interior getting lyrically rude more than once and Ivy turning in some fierce, screeching guitar. Another winner is the sassy "Drug Train," originally the B-side to "Garbageman," which celebrates debauchery with the expected gusto. Knox gets to show his command for steady but right drumming on this one, while Interior and Ivy go crazy with the usual vim. The usual selection of covers of rockabilly and garage rarities surfaces, most memorably with a ripping redo of rock & roll wildman Hasil Adkins "She Said." The rave-up qualities are brought out in a full-bodied performance, while Interior sounds like hes been either dug up from a grave or a swamp. More semi-hits like "Human Fly" and "Goo Goo Muck" surface as well, making the whole release a fine if overly short overview of the Cramps vision of the universe. Production at points ventures into the totally primitive -- all the more appropriate for the band in question, admittedly -- giving everything the necessarily rough-and-ready atmosphere for the groups own brand of scummy sleaze. The artwork is notable in its own right, with the fleshless big-haired ghoul on the cover having turned into an icon for the Cramps and goth/rockabilly music worldwide. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 18 Title: A Date with Elvis Released: 1986 Tracks: 11 Duration: 36:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 How Far Can Too Far Go? (04:10) 2 The Hot Pearl Snatch (03:19) 3 People Ain’t No Good (03:45) 4 What’s Inside a Girl? (03:21) 5 Can Your Pussy Do the Dog? (03:21) 6 Kizmiaz (03:01) 7 Cornfed Dames (05:26) 8 Chicken (01:40) 9 (Hot Pool of) Womanneed (03:09) 10 Aloha From Hell (02:35) 11 It’s Just That Song (02:36) |
| A Date with Elvis : Allmusic album Review : After Psychedelic Jungle, the Cramps experienced personnel and record label difficulties; they would not release another studio album until this one, four years later. Gone here are the tinny sound quality and horror-flick-based lyrics of prior releases, replaced by clearer sonics and an often hilarious obsession with sex (examples of the latter can be found on "Whats Inside a Girl?," "The Hot Pearl Snatch," "Cornfed Dames," "(Hot Pool of) Womanneed," "How Far Can Too Far Go?," and the uproarious single "Can Your Pussy Do the Dog?"). There are numerous sly references in the verses to high and low cultural icons, including "Shake it one time for me" (a line from Jerry Lee Lewis "Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On"), "Ill be dancing through the flames/Like a devil in disguise" (a nod to the Elvis Presley hit), and "Now theres more things in Tennessee/Than is dreamed of in your philosophy" (a paraphrase of a line from Shakespeares Hamlet). Most of the songs here are in various rockabilly-derived styles featuring either garage rock fuzz or Duane Eddy twanging guitar from Poison Ivy. Vocalist Lux Interior is in excellent form here, exhibiting a fair bit of variety within his usual 1950s-derived approach. "Kizmiaz" is unique in the bands oeuvre, being a smarmy parody of 1960s hippie feel-good music; Ivy joins Interior on vocals here. Intonation is off in a few numbers (notably on "Kizmiaz," "The Hot Pearl Snatch," and "Can Your Pussy Do the Dog?"), but this is not enough to detract from the overall excellence. This rollicking and energetic platter in particular is the equal of any in their canon, and an essential listen. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 18 Title: Kizmiaz Released: 1989 Tracks: 3 Duration: 08:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Kizmiaz (03:00) 2 Get off the Road (03:11) 3 Give Me a Woman (02:23) |
 | Album: 9 of 18 Title: Psychedelic Jungle / Gravest Hits Released: 1989 Tracks: 19 Duration: 56:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Green Fuz (02:09) 2 Goo Goo Muck (03:06) 3 Rockin’ Bones (02:48) 4 Voodoo Idol (03:39) 5 Primitive (03:32) 6 Caveman (03:51) 7 The Crusher (01:47) 8 Don’t Eat Stuff Off the Sidewalk (02:04) 9 Can’t Find My Mind (03:01) 10 Jungle Hop (02:07) 11 The Natives Are Restless (03:00) 12 Under The Wires (02:44) 13 Beautiful Gardens (03:59) 14 Green Door (02:35) 15 Human Fly (02:15) 16 The Way I Walk (02:40) 17 Domino (03:08) 18 Surfin’ Bird (05:07) 19 Lonesome Town (03:14) |
| Psychedelic Jungle / Gravest Hits : Allmusic album Review : Combining what is arguably the bands finest full-length album with their debut collection of covers, Psychedelic Jungle/Gravest Hits offers up a substantial dose of the Cramps punk-strained mix of rockabilly music and 50s horror flick aesthetics. Lux Interiors ghoulishly manic vocals, Poison Ivys treble-heavy guitar distortion, and Knick Knoxs tribal beat are all ideally showcased on such Cramps classics as "Goo Goo Muck," "Primitive," "Green Door," and "The Crusher." While these are all fine covers, originals such as "Caveman," "Cant Find My Mind," and "Beautiful Garden" demonstrate the Cramps could take their rockabilly roots to fetchingly Gothic extremes. Adding to the riches from Psychedelic Jungle, the five-song EP, Gravest Hits, features inimitable versions of the Trashmens "Surfin Bird," Roy Orbisons early rockabilly side "Domino," and the Ricky Nelson hit "Lonesome Town." With quality roundups hard to come by, Cramps fans would do well to pick this two-fer of the bands prime early material. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 18 Title: Stay Sick! Released: 1989 Tracks: 13 Duration: 39:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Bop Pills (02:24) 2 God Damn Rock ’n’ Roll (02:38) 3 Bikini Girls With Machine Guns (03:18) 4 All Women Are Bad (03:08) 5 The Creature From the Black Leather Lagoon (03:11) 6 Shortnin’ Bread (02:47) 7 Daisys Up Your Butterfly (02:38) 8 Everything Goes (03:46) 9 Journey to the Center of a Girl (04:49) 10 Mama Oo Pow Pow (02:33) 11 Saddle Up a Buzz Buzz (02:43) 12 Muleskinner Blues (02:48) 13 Her Love Rubbed Off (02:58) |
| Stay Sick! : Allmusic album Review : "I dig that god damn rock & roll/The kind of stuff that dont save souls." Less than three minutes into 1990s Stay Sick!, the Cramps had summed up their entire aesthetic in a mere 16 words, and even if Lux Interior hadnt bothered to wail that deathless phrase, the buzzy, reverb-soaked report of Poison Ivy Rorschachs guitar and the primal earthquake stomp of Nick Knoxs drums reminded us this band liked its music dirty, both sonically and thematically. If 1986s A Date with Elvis was an impressive return to form after a long recording layoff, 1990s Stay Sick! was in some respects an even more powerful example of the Cramps singular oozing psychobilly madness; with Candy del Mar, they had their best fourth wheel since Bryan Gregory left the band, a bassist whose solid, ferocious low-end thump made more room for Ivys feral guitar work, and the band rarely sounded tighter or more effective than it did here. Songs the Lord Taught Us was arguably Lux Interiors high point as a vocalist, but he rarely sounded as strong and committed as he does on Stay Sick!, howling and hiccupping like a madman and keeping up with the band at all times. The Cramps remained obsessed with sex at its least wholesome on Stay Sick!, but "Daisys Up Your Butterfly," "Creature from the Black Leather Lagoon," and "Journey to the Center of a Girl" demonstrated they were capable of finding new varieties of perversity around every corner, and the opening cover of Macy Skippers "Bop Pills" is on hand to reassure us that they hadnt forgotten about the importance of dangerous drugs. The production (by Poison Ivy herself) is big and boomy but absolutely fits the outsized personality of the band, and these celebrations of all manner of bad behavior are funny, exciting, and suitable for exotic dancing. Stay Sick! would prove to be the bands last album with Nick Knox on drums, and the Cramps were never quite this good again, but these wild grooves are a pulsating reminder of what they could achieve at the height of their powers. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 18 Title: Look Mom No Head! Released: 1991 Tracks: 13 Duration: 48:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Dames, Booze, Chains and Boots (04:35) 2 Two Headed Sex Change (02:52) 3 Blow Up Your Mind (04:29) 4 Hardworkin’ Man (04:02) 5 Miniskirt Blues (02:39) 6 Alligator Stomp (04:04) 7 I Wanna Get in Your Pants (04:19) 8 Bend Over, I’ll Drive (04:05) 9 Don’t Get Funny With Me (03:23) 10 Eyeball in My Martini (03:20) 11 Hipsville 29 B.C. (02:32) 12 The Strangeness in Me (03:17) 13 Wilder Wilder Faster Faster (04:55) |
| Look Mom No Head! : Allmusic album Review : The Cramps humor has always relied on trashy tastelessness, but even at its most offensive, it is usually delivered with a wink, preventing it from degenerating into mindless vulgarity. Unfortunately, Look Mom No Head! doesnt do a good job of retaining this balance, as the flat performances and lack of intensity and energy fail to supply the irony necessary for the Cramps music to work well. Sleaze without fun is simply embarrassing. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 18 Title: RockinNReelinInAucklandNewZealandXXX Released: 1994 Tracks: 14 Duration: 46:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Hot Pearl Snatch (03:21) 2 People Aint No Good (03:18) 3 Whats Inside a Girl? (03:06) 4 Cornfed Dames (04:49) 5 Sunglasses After Dark (04:10) 6 Heartbreak Hotel (03:35) 7 Chicken (01:37) 8 Do the Clam (02:43) 9 Aloha From Hell (02:41) 10 Can Your Pussy Do the Dog? (03:38) 11 Birdfeed (04:09) 12 Blue Moon Baby (02:43) 13 Georgia Lee Brown (03:21) 14 Lonesome Town (03:35) |
| RockinNReelinInAucklandNewZealandXXX : Allmusic album Review : From 1986 to 1990, the Cramps eschewed studio work in favor of extensive touring; this album documents a live show from August 1986. The sound quality is crude at best, but the Cramps music and attitude are just as crude, so the already wild performances are actually somewhat enhanced. The repertoire relies heavily on A Date With Elvis and also features covers of "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Do the Clam." | ||
 | Album: 13 of 18 Title: Flamejob Released: 1994 Tracks: 15 Duration: 44:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Mean Machine (03:57) 2 Ultra Twist (03:48) 3 Let’s Get Fucked Up (03:55) 4 Nest of the Cuckoo Bird (03:26) 5 I’m Customized (03:04) 6 Sado County Auto Show (02:59) 7 Naked Girl Falling Down the Stairs (02:44) 8 How Come You Do Me? (02:17) 9 Inside Out and Upside Down (With You) (02:27) 10 Trapped Love (02:00) 11 Swing the Big Eyed Rabbit (03:39) 12 Strange Love (02:49) 13 Blues Blues Blues (02:24) 14 Sinners (02:06) 15 Route 66 (Get Your Kicks On) (03:17) |
 | Album: 14 of 18 Title: Big Beat From Badsville Released: 1997 Tracks: 18 Duration: 55:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Cramp Stomp (03:24) 2 God Monster (04:06) 3 It Thing Hard-On (02:48) 4 Like a Bad Girl Should (03:05) 5 Sheena’s in a Goth Gang (02:44) 6 Queen of Pain (03:50) 7 Monkey With Your Tail (03:37) 8 Devil Behind That Bush (03:33) 9 Super Goo (02:26) 10 Hypno Sex Ray (02:26) 11 Burn She-Devil, Burn (02:23) 12 Wet Nightmare (03:36) 13 Badass Bug (02:25) 14 Haulass Hyena (02:48) 15 Confessions of a Psycho Cat (03:31) 16 No Club Lone Wolf (02:28) 17 I Walked All Night (02:49) 18 Peter Gunn (03:08) |
| Big Beat From Badsville : Allmusic album Review : The Cramps could always be relied upon to deliver an impressive degree of rock & roll lunacy, but the truth is the band simply wasnt as consistent in the 90s as it had been in the 80s, especially after drummer Nick Knox left the lineup. While Knoxs style was brutally simple, he brought ominous, just-behind-the-beat pulse to their music that was the perfect complement to Poison Ivys dirty rockabilly leads and Lux Interiors wailing vocals, and when they lost him, the band was never quite the same. Released in 1997, Big Beat from Badsville was a genuine improvement on 1991s Look Mom No Head! (probably the groups weakest album) and 1994s Flame Job, but at the same time, the album never sounds or feels as inspired as the bands best work. Percussionist Harry Drumdini is more than competent, but he lacks Knoxs narcotic genius; bassist Slim Chance provides a solid pulse without adding much flavor or texture to the chaos of these songs; and Lux Interiors vocals, while a fine example of his trademark style, dont conjure the glorious mania that drove Songs the Lord Taught Us or A Date with Elvis, with the singer sounding just the slightest bit tired. After close to two decades, the Cramps were as obsessed as ever with sex, drugs, sex, rock & roll, and sex, but they were starting to run out of fresh perspectives on their own deviance. That said, Poison Ivys guitar work was still a gloriously twisted evocation of a dozen rockabilly guitarists run through a wall of reverb, and even at their weakest, the Cramps were truly the gold standard of psychobilly and Big Beat from Badsville is still filled with more fire, sweat, and sheer rock & roll snazz than nearly anything created by the dozens of acts that emerged in their wake. Ultimately, Big Beat from Badsville is a lesser work from a great band, which means it manages to satisfy even if it doesnt live up to the Cramps most iconic work. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 18 Title: Greatest Hits Released: 1998 Tracks: 10 Duration: 35:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Can Your Pussy Do the Dog? (03:20) 2 What’s Inside a Girl? (03:21) 3 Bikini Girls With Machine Guns (03:18) 4 I Aint Nothin but a Gorehound (03:16) 5 Journey to the Center of a Girl (04:49) 6 The Most Exalted Potentate of Love (03:03) 7 Shortnin Bread (02:45) 8 Mama Oo Pow Pow (02:45) 9 She Said (05:18) 10 Psychotic Reation (03:54) |
| Greatest Hits : Allmusic album Review : Its a little funny to think of any Cramps song as a "hit," since none of their singles even made passing acquaintance with the charts, but BMG Special Products Greatest Hits does a good job of rounding up highlights from their idiosyncratic catalog, including such cult favorites as "Can Your Pussy Do the Dog?," "Whats Inside a Girl," "I Aint Nothin But a Gorehound," "Journey to the Center of a Girl," "The Most Exalted Potentate of Love," "Mama Oo Pow Pow," "Psychotic Reaction" and "Bikini Girls with Machine Guns." Certainly its not enough to satisfy the hardcore fan or the informed listener, but casual fans will find it a nice, affordable sampler. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 18 Title: Fiends of Dope Island Released: 2003 Tracks: 13 Duration: 44:20 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Big Black Witchcraft Rock (03:21) 2 Papa Satan Sang Louie (02:45) 3 Hang Up (02:42) 4 Fissure of Rolando (03:50) 5 Dr. Fucker M.D. (Musical Deviant) (03:15) 6 Dopefiend Boogie (04:19) 7 Taboo (03:40) 8 Elvis Fucking Christ! (03:12) 9 She’s Got Balls (02:56) 10 Oowee Baby (03:05) 11 Mojo Man From Mars (02:56) 12 Color Me Black (03:58) 13 Wrong Way Ticket (04:21) |
| Fiends of Dope Island : Allmusic album Review : Having decided long ago that messing with their one of a kind formula was a fruitless waste of time, the Cramps now seem happy to let albums such as 2003s Fiends of Dope Island perpetuate their unmistakable sound: authentic psychobilly riffs executed with garage punk panache, combined with fun-loving lyrics about bondage, drugs, Satanism, slasher flicks -- in sum, all things kitsch and trash culture. Even better, inexorable advancing age has apparently only served singer Lux Interiors desires, by helping him look like the gloriously decrepit B-movie monster that hes always wanted to be on the records striking cover. Once inside, the Cramps latest amusement park house of horrors of an album confirms that Interior is again up to his patented vocal tricks -- be it howling possessed on "Papa Satan Sang Louie," growling lasciviously on the (Seattle) Wailers "Hang Up," exaggeratedly crooning like the King himself over Jerry Reeds "Oowee Baby," or convulsively "bow-bow-bowing" his way through "Elvis Fucking Christ!" As for his life partner in crime, Poison Ivy, her crunchy grooves shimmy their way across tracks like "Big Black Witchcraft Rock" and "Dopefiend Boogie"; her primal riffs pay tribute to Link Wray with the "Rumble" replica "Color Me Black"; and her stinging, fleet-fingered leads positively electrify anthems both swinging ("Fissure of Rolando") and ripping ("Wrong Way Ticket"), all the while conjuring mental images of her studiously disinterested expression under red bouffant and over high-heeled s**t-kicker boots, her cigarette dangling distractedly. Moving right along, the duo creates twisted surf music with both "Mojo Man from Mars" and "Taboo" (a cover of obscure songwriter Margarita Lecuona), and even makes sure to provide entertaining titles to weaker numbers like "Dr. Fucker M.D. (Musical Deviant)" and "Shes Got Balls." The rhythm section of Chopper Franklin (bass) and Harry Drumdini (errr, drums) handles its appointed task (providing those raunchy stripper rhythms) capably and unobtrusively so the two head ghouls can do their thang. In short, a solid outing -- unmistakable as anyone but the Cramps -- that should neither detract nor add to their established legacy. Their fans could probably ask for nothing more at this stage. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 18 Title: How to Make a Monster Released: 2004-09-21 Tracks: 46 Duration: 2:23:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Quick Joey Small (summer 1976) (02:08) 2 Luxs Blues (summer 1976) (01:14) 3 Sunglasses After Dark (summer 1976) (02:56) 4 TV Set (summer 1976) (02:34) 5 Love Me (summer 1976) (01:16) 6 Subwire Desire (summer 1976) (02:50) 7 Sunglasses After Dark (summer 1976) (03:12) 8 Sunglasses After Dark (summer 1976) (02:29) 9 I Was a Teenage Werewolf (Oct. 1976) (03:08) 10 Cant Hardly Stand It (Oct. 1976) (03:28) 11 Sweet Woman Blues (1981 rehearsal) (04:54) 12 Rumble Blues (1981 rehearsal) (01:49) 13 Rumble Blues (false start) (1981 rehearsal) (00:49) 14 Rumble Blues (1981 rehearsal) (03:28) 15 Rumble Blues (1981 rehearsal) (02:32) 16 Lonesome Town (1981 rehearsal) (04:13) 17 Five Years Ahead of My Time (1982 A&M Studio) (02:10) 18 Call of the Wighat (1982 A&M Studio) (04:35) 19 Hanky Panky (1982 A&M Studio) (02:55) 20 Journey to the Center of a Girl (1988 rehearsal) (03:35) 21 Jackyard Backoff (1988 rehearsal) (03:04) 22 Everything Goes (1988 rehearsal) (01:53) 23 All Women Are Bad (1988 home demo) (03:47) 24 Happy Birthday / Mike Reid Radio Spot / Hanky Panky (1988 home demo) (05:06) 1 Dont Eat Stuff Off the Sidewalk (02:06) 2 I Was a Teenage Werewolf (03:10) 3 Sunglasses After Dark (05:03) 4 Jungle Hop (02:20) 5 Domino (03:18) 6 Love Me (03:21) 7 Strychnine (04:19) 8 TV Set (03:25) 9 Im Cramped (02:33) 10 The Way I Walk (03:27) 11 Love Me (03:01) 12 Domino (03:39) 13 Human Fly (03:04) 14 I Was a Teenage Werewolf (03:25) 15 Sunglasses After Dark (04:43) 16 Cant Hardly Stand It (03:34) 17 Uranium Rock (03:02) 18 Whats Behind the Mask (03:00) 19 Baby Blue Rock (03:01) 20 Subwire Desire (02:53) 21 Im Cramped (02:51) 22 TV Set (03:37) |
| How to Make a Monster : Allmusic album Review : Part of the beauty of the Cramps is the consistency of their vision -- since 1976, their body of work has been one long fever dream of kinky sex, bug-eyed monsters, and switchblade-wielding juvies, married to the primal twang of an electric guitar and the malevolent thud of a drum kit. While the quality of their work has run through some peaks and valleys over the years (theyve made plenty of good records, but just a few great ones), they seem to have known what they were shooting for from the very beginning. How to Make a Monster, a two-disc collection of demos, rehearsal tapes, and live recordings, documents the bands formative years (for the most part), and while a few of these takes push the boundaries of the word "primitive," this is the Cramps, alive and oozing, from the very first lo-fi run-though of "Quick Joey Small." The first two sets of recordings, from 1976, are plenty crude (in terms of both performance and audio quality), but the bands energy and abandon are already in place, and while later tapes (from 1981 through 1988) are cleaner, the band ultimately doesnt sound that much different, just tighter and better at what its doing. While Lux Interior sounds a bit subdued in some of the earlier studio stuff, hes a live wire all through disc two, which preserves two early live shows, one at Maxs Kansas City in 1977 and the other from CBGBs in 1978. The band has to put up with a too-cool-for-school audience for the Maxs show, which periodically heckles the band (gotta wonder what those "hipsters" are up to today), but Poison Ivy Rorschachs deadly guitar is already on the case, and by the time the CBGBs gig rolls up, the Cramps sound loud and proud, and the crowd is with em all the way. How to Make a Monster is hardly the definitive Cramps anthology (this is one band that has earned a box set by now), but its a fun and fascinating look at their early days, and if you subscribe to the notion that the older the Cramps record is, the better, then this little items a must. Great notes from Lux and Ivy, too, along with some classic flyer art and provocative photos. | ||
 | Album: 18 of 18 Title: File Under Sacred Music: Early Singles 1978–1981 Released: 2011-12-06 Tracks: 22 Duration: 1:06:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Surfin’ Bird (05:07) 2 The Way I Walk (02:40) 3 Human Fly (02:15) 4 Domino (03:08) 5 Lonesome Town (02:55) 6 Mystery Plane (02:43) 7 Fever (04:17) 8 Garbageman (03:36) 9 TV Set (03:12) 10 The Mad Daddy (03:48) 11 Drug Train (02:32) 12 Love Me (01:59) 13 I Can’t Hardly Stand It (02:35) 14 Twist and Shout (02:34) 15 Uranium Rock (02:05) 16 Goo Goo Muck (03:02) 17 She Said (03:11) 18 The Crusher (01:48) 19 Save It (02:59) 20 New Kind of Kick (03:28) 21 Rockin’ Bones (02:48) 22 Voodoo Idol (03:39) |
| File Under Sacred Music: Early Singles 1978–1981 : Allmusic album Review : When the Cramps first surfaced on the edges of New Yorks nascent punk scene in 1976, they were a band with a genre all their own; the word "psychobilly" hadnt been coined yet, and while "voodoo rockabilly in the key of death" was accurate enough, it didnt exactly roll off the tongue. The death of Lux Interior in 2009 finally closed the book on the band after more than three decades, but to the last they were an act with a sound and style all their own, a gleaming monument to perversity of all sorts that tapped into rock & rolls most primal influences, presenting its beating heart for all to see. Licensing issues have prevented a comprehensive, career-inclusive Cramps anthology from happening (at least as of this writing), but Munster Records have delivered a worthwhile assessment of the groups first and most musically satisfying era with the compilation File Under Sacred Music: Early Singles 1978-1981. True to its title, this disc pulls together the A- and B-sides from ten singles the Cramps released during their first few years before differences with I.R.S. Records led to a five-year layoff from the recording studio. Since the bands first two singles were compiled on the EP Gravest Hits, most of the remaining tunes later appeared on the albums Songs the Lord Taught Us and Psychedelic Jungle, and the collections Off the Bone and Bad Music for Bad People both featured a number of B-sides and oddities, there is precious little here that can honestly be called "rare," outside of the hard-to-find "Twist & Shout" (not the Isley Brothers classic) and "Uranium Rock" (a Warren Smith cover), but if youre looking for 67 minutes of primal howling, twanging guitars, and echoing madness, you could hardly do better than this set. The Cramps made more than a few fine records after this period (particularly the albums A Date with Elvis and Stay Sick!), but they were never as consistent as they were in their first era with Nick Knox behind the drums and either Bryan Gregory or Kid Congo Powers on second guitar, and these 22 songs still wail as loud and as wild as they did when they were first recorded. As an introduction to the Cramps or a reminder of their curious ascent into the spotlight, File Under Sacred Music is remarkably close to perfect. | ||