The Cramps - Bad Music For Bad People

The Cramps – “Bad Music For Bad People”, 1984

Compilations often serve as a great introduction to a band and “Bad Music for Bad People” is no exception.  This album gathers the early Cramps material from previously released albums and b-sides.  The recording quality of the songs varies and some like “Love Me” have an underproduced sound.  Lux Interior sounds more possessed and evokes more danger than a Kool-aid carrying Jim Jones when he sings like a rabid evangelical preacher on LSD on the cover songs.    The Cramps ride the surf guitar on “Goo Goo Muck”.  As The Cramps put their identity stamp on another cover song.  The perfection of the screeching guitar, rockabilly horror b-movie soundtrackvibe in “Human Fly” has caused the investing in many large fly swats.  There’s free education here too as The Cramps give a lesson on how to get aboard “The Drug Train”.   Watch your head because psychoticness with murderous tendencies never sounded as appealing as it does on “TV Set”. Purists would argue that this isn’t an album.  There’s no doubt that The Cramps would balk at the thought of ever being considered pure.  “Bad Music for Bad People” is a dirty collection of mind-soiled songs and there’s no denying that the album cover makes for a great poster.

3.5/5

The Cramps - A Date With Elvis

THE CRAMPS “A Date With Elvis”, 1986

“A Date with Elvis” is an inquisitive record. Three song titles beg answers for questions while rock and rolling along. “How Far Can Too Far Go?” is THE CRAMPS letting us know that they’re going to be the ones to find out and let us know. “What’s Inside a Girl?” showcase both the band’s psychobilly swamp rock rhythm section and surf guitar. Throughout the album the sleaze is poured on abundantly but the cake is taken when THE CRAMPS inquire “Can Your Pussy Do The Dog?” People Ain’t No Good” is an infectious dizzingly stomping heavy bass rocker with devilish female backing vocals that assist Lux Interior in menacingly spitting out his disdain for the human race. “Kizmiaz” features the assistance of Poison Ivy’s vocals and this mellow moment on the album sounds like a smutty version of THE CARPENTERS. “Corn-fed Dames” blows the psychorockabilly wind on the thick. Shut the door…you born in a barn? The ideas and sounds on this album definitely contain the hallmark stamp of the twisted deranged minds of THE CRAMPS.


Peacedogman.com has a full overview of The Cramps discography.