THE CRAMPS
Smell Of Female (Vengeance)
Date With Elvis (Vengeance)
Rockin'NReelin'inAuckland,NewZealand (Vengeance)
Stay Sick! (Vengeance)
Look Mom No Head! (Vengeance)
Big Beat From Badsville (Vengeance)
Reviewed by John Sekerka

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What amounts to a box set, without the box thank you very much, a slew of past Cramps releases are upon us. And the world is livable again. Lux Interior and Poison Ivy (not their real names I'm told) have always had tiffs with record companies, so it only made sense that they resurrect their very own (Vengeance) to keep the back catalogue screaming and kicking into the new millennium. The first six reissues cover the post IRS era (hopefully those early releases will also see the light of day) starting with '83's stinky Smell of Female and finishing up with '98's red hot Big Beat From Badsville. This is the post Bryan Gregory era, introducing Kid Congo Powers to the fold (albeit briefly) and an actual bass. And though Cramps purists may argue over the latter releases, there's no denying that Lux and Ivy have managed to hurl out wonderful psychobilly and deviant subject matter in a remarkably consistent manner, somehow retaining a dangerous glam/punk/smut edge well into their silver jubilee. Yup 25 years later The Cramps are still at it and what better way to celebrate than with shiny new versions of their perverse slabs? With the addition of bonus tracks of course: out of print b-sides, rare live versions, previously exclusive comp and movie cuts. More Cramps material than you can shake a dead rat at. Worth it just for the song titles alone: "Can Your Pussy Do The Dog?," "Bend Over I'll Drive," "Two Headed Sex Change," "The Creature From The Black Leather Lagoon," "Her Love Rubbed Off," "What's Inside a Girl?," "It Thing Hard-On"... She-ite my head's spinning just thinking about 'em. Few have pulled off a better trashy image, and The Cramps have managed not only to capture the raw essence of rock'n'roll, but also to resuscitate a vast collection of obscure music in their choice covers. Theirs is a legend in the making, and surely deserves yer utmost attention. Vinyl junkies will be in sheer ecstasy when they spy the crazy colours of wax available. There just ain't no losing in this proposition.

© 2001 - John Sekerka