Saturday, August 10, 2013

The Cramps "Songs The Lord Taught Us" (1980)

My beloved picked this up in London. And it is amazing in a way that would be unimaginable for any band now. As you probably know, the Cramps were this American band fronted by a couple with the delightful names of Lux Interior and Poison Ivy. Mr Interior sang and Ms Ivy played guitar and their songs were inspired by 1960s punk and rockabilly from whenever rockabilly comes from. Like Creedence Clearwater Revival, they were self-consciously retro, aiming to curate the music of the past, but they have managed to accidentally transcend their influences and become their own thing. So I would far rather listen to a Cramps record than a vintage rockabilly compilation.


The tracks are fast and slow and boast throbbing drum lines and buzzing cuts of guitar over which Mr Interior yelps and moans. They really do not make this kind of stuff any more and if you are one of those people who has never got round to exploring the magic of the Cramps then this would be a great place to start.

LATER: I was giving the record another listen when a bonus track featuring studio argy bargy came on - and I discovered that on one track popular Twitter sensation @mysmugcat seems to have travelled back in time to say his name repeatedly in the background.

Image source

An inuit panda production

No comments: