Punk Retrospective
8Mar/11

Cramps

It's been a little over two years since Lux Interior died. The primitively wild front man of the Cramps was quite possibly the greatest showman of the entire rock era. His penchant for low rider leather pants and high heels, coupled with an overtly sexual performing style and an innate ability to channel the best qualities of all the rockn'roll and rockabilly greats made his performances particularly memorable. Add to this equation the psychobilly vixen known as Poison Ivy, one of the preeminent guitar players of the entire punk scene, and you've got a volatile combination.

The Cramps began in 1976, riding and shaping the wave of punk rock erupting out of New York City. As with most of their peers, they were unique in style and message, combining rockabilly roots with a dark passion for the perverse. The Cramps pulled new life from the remnants of the past and created a legacy of their own.

This 14 track live disc was recorded in 1986 following the release of their 'A Date with Elvis' LP. I'd place this in my Top 10 albums almost any day of the week, and probably in the Top 3 best guitar albums. That's fuzzed out, crazed guitar...not the masturbatory noodlings of the Yngwie Malmsteen crowd...and it will melt your brain.

Here's a somewhat tame version of the first song on 'Rockinnreelininaucklandnewzealand', Hot Pearl Snatch:


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[play-button:http://dl.dropbox.com/u/16850984/Cramps/02%20People%20Ain%27t%20No%20Good.mp3] Cramps - People Ain't No Good Link source

[play-button:http://dl.dropbox.com/u/16850984/Cramps/13%20Georgia%20Lee%20Brown.mp3] Cramps - Georgia Lee Brown Link source

[play-button:http://dl.dropbox.com/u/16850984/Cramps/05%20Sunglasses%20After%20Dark.mp3] Cramps - Sunglasses After Dark Link source

Check out their website for some high res photos and sadness, and their MySpace page for even more.

Look at all these crazy expensive collectible Cramps titles in GEMM!

Posted by ElDorkoPunkRetro

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