Interestingly, my curiosity about The Cramps started in the ’80s purely from their imagery. A lot of the bands I liked wore t-shirts of The Cramps or played shows with them, and their horror-filled logos piqued my curiosity.
Unfortunately, since they are so eccentric and diverse, the teenage me couldn’t appreciate their gothabilly and horror-punk ways. However, the middle-aged me is onboard, and this 1984 compilation album was just reissued on vinyl for both the unwavering fan and first-time listener.
The bluesy hints and raw, retro rock of “Garbageman” starts with Lux Interior’s signature pipes that are both soft and animated. Congo Powers’ dense guitar then populates the thumping and charged “New Kind Of Kick,” while “Love Me” offers an atypically romantic tune that yelps with scrappy garage rock.
“She Said” finishes the first side, and howls and bounces with spoken word and Nick Knox’s sturdy drumming. What might be The Cramps’ most recognizable song now due to placement on Netflix, “Goo Goo Muck” opens side two with their version of grooves and vintage melodies.
Further along, “Human Fly” makes great use of Poison Ivy’s frisky guitar progressions and Bryan Gregory’s buzzing guitar, and “Uranium Rock” finishes with plenty of rockabilly nods surrounding the gritty energy.
The list of artists who cite The Cramps as major influences is vast and includes White Stripes, Faith No More, The Black Keys, Fugazi, Queens Of The Stone Age and My Bloody Valentine, to name a few. You might think that most of those bands don’t sound much alike, which is further proof of the unclassifiable and iconoclastic spirit of The Cramps.
Somewhat of a “Best Of” collection that some might say was also a way for a record label to cash in on the success of The Cramps in the early ’80s, either way, this album is full of great songs that have stood the test of time.