The Sea Cat
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Edited Mar 12, 2010, 10:03
Cramps
Mar 12, 2010, 10:03
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I've got to get some Cramps back in my life again. I've just been on the library website and ordered Off The Bone/Songs The Lord Taught Us/Date With Elvis & Flamejob. Can't wait! Anything similar I need to check out?
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Stevo
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Re: Cramps
Mar 12, 2010, 10:21
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Did you get Psychedelic Jungle?
Outside of the Cramps themselves there's Gun Club's 1st couple of lps.
All of their material's good but not neccessarily Crampsy. Fire of Love is their postpunk meets blues lp which is the closest comparison, Miami is more psychedelic as is Las Vegas Story. Later stuff is more overtly showing later influences (psych, early 70s garagey rock) while still being in love with the blues and other roots music.
Panther Burns were a Memphis based band whose early material featured alex Chilton, not sure how much studio stuff has him on. tav Falco then took over the band completely and went through several players who'd been on New York's No Wave scene.
I think the best & definitely the most Crampsy lp is Behind The Magnolia Curtain the 1st one. some of the cd versions also feature the earlier Blow Your Top e.p.. The lp consists of a bunch of covers of classic r'n'r,blues & soul material including a fantastic drone version of Leadbelly's Bourgeois Blues.
I love them around the end of the 80s when they had George Reineke on guitar. this guy had a thalidomide or similarly damaged hand but could still play amazingly. A couple of live sets from this era appeared on Dime over the last year, but may be gone. I got them if you need.
Blasters were a straighter roots post punk combo. Plenty of fire in the sound but none of the Gun Club etc's mixing up of other influences.
8-Eyed Spy
Lydia Lunch's band who she said tried to mix the influence of Creedence Clearwater Revival & Al Green (I think this is the '69/70 version oh him when he was at his rockest) but still retaining No Wave's serrated edge.
Birthday Party
Nick Cave, RS Howard etc's early band and one of the greatest ever got a lot of Cramps comparisons but you should know them already.
Stevo
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Kid Calamity
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Re: Cramps
Mar 12, 2010, 10:25
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The Sea Cat wrote: Anything similar I need to check out?
You don't need me to tell you that there really isn't much that'll ever be similar to The Cramps. However, there is Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzP75sxx980&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQCagfQe_Jc
BTW That's my current fave band name!
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The Sea Cat
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Re: Cramps
Mar 12, 2010, 10:26
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Thanks Stevo for your usual dependable and exhaustive advice. Apart from The Birthday Party/Nick Cave angle, I'm unfamiliar with the rest of your recommendations. I have heard of Gun Club but not actually listened to them. I'll do another search, initially on the Libraries West site. It's astonishing what relatively obscure/non-mainstream stuff I've unearthed there. It's like a lucky dip treasure box.
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The Sea Cat
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Re: Cramps
Mar 12, 2010, 10:37
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Great links. I've not heard those before and I like very much. Nice one KC.
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Stevo
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Re: Cramps
Mar 12, 2010, 11:11
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Kid Congo was the connecting member of The Cramps, Gun Club and Bad Seeds btw.
No Comprendo the lp he did with his boyfriend Khan was also a pretty decent lp. Has stacks of guests on too.
Congo Norvell another of his bands did a good lp called Abnormals Anonymous
There was also the Knoxville Girls who were more rootsy and featured members of Chrome Cranks (whose own swampy rock is reminiscent of The Scientists(a band I should have included in my own list)) and Bob Bert (once drummer for Sonic Youth (who along with most No Waveists were big Cramps fans)me I like parentheses)
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anthonyqkiernan
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Re: Cramps
Mar 12, 2010, 11:49
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Smell of Female
In reply to:
Cramps (The Sea Cat) |
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handofdave
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Re: Cramps
Mar 12, 2010, 11:50
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I want to get my hands on 'How to Make a Monster', their collection of outtakes and unreleased stuff.
'Smell of Female' is the hottest EP ever made... it makes you want to have been there when they recorded it. It's a good slice of what made them such a great live band.
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The Sea Cat
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Re: Cramps
Mar 12, 2010, 11:54
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Thanks Dave/Anthony. I'm going to track it down today when I'm in town later.
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Eduardo
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Re: Cramps
Mar 12, 2010, 13:48
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I recommend some of the british psychobilly bands from the early 80s like Guana Batz, Meteors & Sting Rays. Also the Vibes Inner Wardrobes of your Mind EP was a fave that has sadly gone missing & I'm trying to replace 2nd hand.
Also recommend the Big Beat compo LP Rockabilly Psychosis & the Garage Disease which featured the Cramps (doing Read Headed Woman with Jimmy Dickinson - although not sure who Jimmy Dickinson is/was!) along with older stuff from the Sonics, Hazil Adkins, Trashmen etc.
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