The Cramps were an American punk rock band formed in 1976. They were known for their unique blend of punk, rockabilly, and garage rock, as well as their outrageous stage presence. The band was led by the charismatic duo of Lux Interior and Poison Ivy, who were married both on and off stage. Just a quick look at the tracks on this CD will tell you that they were heavily influenced by 1950’s rockabilly and other genres from that decade.

The first track sets the tone for the set with the instrumental “Unitar Rock”. Released on Specialty in 1956. Willie Joe Duncan invented the “unitar” a one stringed guitar influenced by the square body guitar of Bo Diddley. The instrument had a unique sound and like several other tracks in this set, it must have sounded futuristic in the 1950s. “Bop Crazy Baby” by Vern Pullens is pure rockabilly with a stinging guitar sound and great slap bass. Charlie Feathers is rightly a rockabilly legend, but the track here is one of his lesser known ones. “Can’t Hardly Stand It” is a slow, moody track better suited to strolling than bopping. Charlie’s hiccupping vocal style features heavily. The version by the Cramps is considered a classic example of their psychobilly style. Andy Starr’s “Give Me A Woman” has a similar pace and feel to it. Dave ‘Diddlie’ Day’s 1957 release on the Fee Bee label, “Blue Moon Baby” is a faster number with a native American feel to it. Glen Glenn’s “Everybody’s Movin’ became popular on the UK rockin’ scene in 1977 when it was released on the UK based Chiswick label’s “Hollywood Rock ‘n’ Roll” LP. I wonder if that release is what brought the song to the attention of the Cramps? Walter Brown’s “Jelly Roll Rock” is another classic rockabilly tune. Track eight, “Please Give Me Something” by Bill Allen & The Backbeats is not such a well-known number, but it does have a very distinctive sound. It is mid-paced, moody and the singer has a great scream. “I Got A Rocket In My Pocket”  by Jimmy Lloyd is a great rocker, with a honky tonk piano, a nice guitar break and “interesting” lyrics. Track ten, Dwight Pullen’s “Sunglasses After Dark” sums up how to look super cool – a classic rockabilly number. Track eleven, Keith Courvale’s “Trapped Love” is rather obscure. It was issued on the Val label in 1958 but it’s a good rocker that deserves to be better known and also features an exciting guitar break and slap bass. “Tornado” by Dale Hawkins is definitely not one of his best known recordings, but it has a similar feel to his version of “My Babe”.

Track thirteen is by Herbie Duncan With Red Wells & His Caravans From St. Louis. ”Hot Lips Baby” is basic, raw, rockabilly at its best. 14. Jett Powers is none other than PJ Proby and his “Go Girl Go” is him at his rockin’ best. This is nothing like his later pop hits, “The Green Mosquito” is a novelty instrumental with some interesting sound effects from The Tune Rockers a group from Buffalo, New York. Track sixteen is another moody number. “Fire Of Love” by Jody Reynolds is similar in style to his massive hit “Endless Sleep”. Allen Page’s “She’s The One That’s Got It” is raucous rockabilly. Track eighteen takes back to the moody side of music with Kip Tyler’s 1958 single on the Ebb label “She’s My Witch” that has a great honking sax break and an almost obligatory scream. Tommy “Jim” Beam & The Four Fifths gives track nineteen. Their “Golden Boy” is pop rocker with eavy backing vocals and could be good to stroll to. Jimmy Stewart’s “Rock On The Moon” is a popular bopper that is still played at rocking gigs today, “Pretty Plaid Skirt (And Long Black Sox)” by Mel Smith & The Night Riders is one of those tracks that is hard to describe. There’s a bit of Bo Diddley in there, some wild lyrics and an odd ending. I can see exactly why it would have appealed to the Lux Interior and Poison Ivy!

When it comes to futuristic guitar based instrumentals, Mac Rebennack’s “Storm Warning” is right up there with the best of them. Mac, also known as Dr. John had it released in the States on the Rex label in 1959 and was a regional hit. In the 1980s, a resurgence of interest in rockabilly music, especially in England and through the revivalist recordings of the Cramps, whose recordings included  a version of Ronnie Dawson’s “Rockin’ Bones”, led The Blonde Bomber to tour Britain for the first time in 1986 hence the inclusion of his original version here. Track twenty four, The Riptides with “Machine Gun” is a good rocking instrumental with some fine sax playing and driving guitar riff. The Shades Featuring Lee Cook give us another instrumental, “Strollin’ After Dark.” This is a slower, meaner sounding track from 1959 when it was released in the USA on the Scottie label. Track twenty six is a prime candidate for any Halloween playlist. “Werewolf” by  The Frantics is basically an instrumental with the regulation spooky sound effects found on most “horror” recordings. There are few tracks wilder than The Phantom’s now legendary rockabilly killer “Love Me” and I would have been amazed if it hadn’t been included on this CD. Jerry Warren & The Tremblers give us a rocking/surf instrumental from 1960, “Rompin’”  Track twenty nine is as morbid as the title “The Girl On Death Row” suggests despite it being quite a pleasant sounding track by Lee Hazlewood backed by Duane Eddy and an orchestra. Three Aces & A Joker add a bit of heer to proceedings with 1960 rockabilly track “Booze Party”. It’s back to the darker side of live with track thirty one. “Sinners” Freddie & The Hitch-Hikers from 1960 is one of the first recorded to feature a theremin, a clever little instrument to give some ethereal sound effects. The Runabouts sound down as you might expect for a track called “When I Get The Blues” a slow stroller, 33. Hasil Adkins with his unique guitar style is often linked with psychobilly and his blues-bopper “Chicken Walk” is one reason why. The final track comes from Ronnie Cook & The Gaylads. “Goo Goo Muck” is stroller paced novelty track. The Cramps took the rather quaint original and transformed it into a sinister, Duane Eddy-eque nightmare for their second album, Psychedelic Jungle.

This is an eclectic collection with many of the tracks not usually available today that should appeal to fans of the Cramps and those whose tastes lean more to traditional rockabilly. As always with Jasmine it is a great value for money purchase.

Jailhouse John Alexander

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