The Cramps

[Stacy Heydon]

They're a sort of semi-permanent fixture on Preludin because of Dayodead's avator, but we don't talk about them much, but here's your chance!
I was a big fan as a teenager, but bailed out around the time they got the monstrous girl with the mohican in the band. But for a few years they were a hell of a lot of fun. Personally two or three albums was enough for me (I'm not sure you need more than the 'Off The Bone' comp really), but no one did that trash aesthetic better and live they were great. Bryan Gregory was the scariest looking man in rock!

This is probably my favourite thing from them. Great title and I always like things with those kind of twisty 'Eastern'  guitar solos (see also 'Magic Potion').
Thoughts, favourite songs etc.

[fonz]

I just couldn’t get into them. They were a big deal in the club(s) I went to as a youth, but they just seemed like a scabby Stray Cats thing at the time. I know there’s a lot more to them that, but as a youth I wrote them off quickly. Style over substance m, and in the microcosmic place I lived in it wasn’t ‘my’ style.

[Stacy Heydon]

Jul 15, 2023 8:09:36 GMT fonz said:

 Style over substance 

That's a compliment!

["BING E BONG"]

They always seemed too limited by a kind of 'blues format' - two or three chords, twelve-bar structures - that meant they were kind of predictable and one-dimensional.

Having said that I liked a couple of things, loved their whole aesthetic and would have loved to see them live. And the Songs The Cramps Taught Us... series introduced me to a lot of great stuff.

[Stacy Heydon]

Wouldn't say they're particularly 'bluesy'.

["BING E BONG"]

Neither would I!

[Charlie O.]

I love good three-chord songs, I do. Wish I could write them myself.

I agree that Off The Bone, or it's American analogue Bad Music For Bad People, is the one must-have - but I also really love Songs The Lord Taught Us, and there are killer cuts on all of the releases up through A Date With Elvis. They pretty much lost me after that album. Never saw 'em live. Wish I had.

Some faves:

"Human Fly"
"The Mad Daddy"
"New Kind Of Kick"
"Goo Goo Muck"
"Mystery Plane"
"What's Behind The Mask"
"Love Me"
"Can Your Pussy Do The Dog?"
"I Can't Hardly Stand It"
"Cornfed Dames"
"Tear It Up" (from URGH! A Music War)



Early Cramps cover that I sought for years that turned out to be far better in theory than in practice:

"Hurricane Fighter Plane"

[DayoRemix]

There are many twisted delights to be had in the run after A Date with Elvis (Stay Sick!, Look Ma no head, Flamejob, Big Beat from Badsville, Fiends of Dope Island) In fact, I may prefer a couple of those to Elvis..Sure, they don't land as well as the first two LPs and the initial ep, but they are still interesting..

[Stacy Heydon]

I prefer them to The Ramones.

["BING E BONG"]

That would make an interesting poll. I think I probably prefer the Ramones.

[fange]

I definitely prefer the Ramones, but i love a bunch of songs by The Cramps too.

Here's one that has always rocked my world...


You just can't imagine a song like this being done today, huh. 

[DarknessFish]

I never really delved deep into their discography, never felt the need to. Off the Bone is a work of absolute perfection, to some extents it's probably too good. I don't really listen to this type of thing much, so if I'm in the mood, that CD does the trick, captures that sound better than anything else.

The Ramones suffer from a similar thing, though i dont think they're half as interesting. The first album is all I need.

[DarknessFish]

You know, I was listening to Psychedelic Jungle a couple of times earlier this week, after rediscovering that I owned the CD, and it got me thinking about how surprisingly little traction they get on preludin. And then I see that in this thread, I kind of dismiss them a bit myself. I still don't think their own tracks are that strong, but with the energy, attitude, and really perfect kind of production aesthetic and sheer passion for the rock n roll era, I'm surprised they're not closer to the heart of all preludiners. Especially as they're slap-bang in the punk/post-punk era, too. You know, I don't want to make this about nuggets stuff, as The Cramps really obviously love that thing too. But don't they just do those songs better?

[fearlessfreap]

I own their first EP and the next 3 albums plus the live EP The Smell Of Female. I was at the show this was taken from at the Peppermint Lounge in New York in 83. Snarfyguy from BCB was at the show as well, though I didn't know him. I love their whole aesthetic, I like the same movies and trash rock that they do. I never bothered with any of their albums after the mid 80's, but I'm glad they existed.

[Sneelock]

I LOVE the Cramps. "Psychedelic Jungle" is my favorite CRAMPS l.p.
I think they were a stronger cup of coffee with Kid Congo Powers on guitar.
not to knock other albums or other guitar wranglers - they all have that special something I just think the sound on PJ is very much to my liking.

you know something? music sure sounds better than it used to.