The Cramps were an American punk band, formed in 1976 and active until 2009. The band split after the death of lead singer Lux Interior. Their line-up rotated much over their existence, with the husband and wife duo of Interior and lead guitarist and occasional bass guitarist Poison Ivy the only permanent members. The addition of band members guitarist Bryan Gregory and drummer Pam Ballam comprised the first complete lineup in April 1976. The Cramps are noted as influencing a number of musical styles: not only were they one of the first garage punk bands, they are also widely recognized as one of the prime innovators of psychobilly. (More from Wikipedia)
I got Varshons myself, because it includes a cover of one of my TOP TEN favorite songs of all time (maybe my VERY FAVORITE even): “Green Fuz”, a minimalist song by a Texas garage rock band called Randy Alvey & Green Fuz. The Cramps previously included “Green Fuz” as the opening track on their album Psychedelic Jungle. Any version of “Green Fuz” is welcome in my record collection; but (despite truly terrible sound quality) the original is simply untoppable, with 15-year-old Randy Alvey’s growling lyrics backed by a fine band that includes drums that are unlike any that I have ever heard before. To this day, when the original “Green Fuz” comes up on an album I’m playing, it is as if the world stops spinning: My mouth goes slack, my muscles freeze up, and my mind focuses entirely on this incredible recording.
The Cramps were careful to match the timing of their recording of “Green Fuz” to that of the original song (2:06) – though they made only a half-hearted attempt at the drum solo toward the middle of the song – but the Lemonheads took a more leisurely approach to the song.
(March 2013)
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Allmusic gives The Richmond Sluts 4 stars and says of the Richmond Sluts that “they explored the glam-slam-thank-you-ma’am side of punk”. Jo-Ann Greene comments about their inventiveness on the album in ways that are a little beyond my capacity to figure out: “Since categorization is a necessity in this age of overspecification, punk rock will do nicely, but doesn’t begin to encompass just how cleverly the group churns other genres through its blender. The Sluts connect the dots between ’60s garage punk and old school ’70s style, then toss just a dash of new school into the mix. Variations on this recipe reverberate across the album, and answer a slew of niggling questions along the way. Ever wonder what the [New York] Dolls would sound like covered by a psychedelic band? Kept up at night trying to imagine a cross between the Cramps and the Velvet Underground? Curious what the result would be if a time warp sent Richard Hell circa 1978 a decade into the past? And what if Eddie & the Hotrods were really the Ramones with English accents? The Richmond Sluts answer all these brain teasers and more you’ve yet to even imagine, and they do it without an ounce of pretentiousness or braggadocio.”
In 1986, Mick Collins was a founding member of the seminal garage/punk band the Gories; the group had a female drummer, Peggy O’Neill plus a second guitarist Dan Kroha (all were from metro Detroit). In other words, the group had two guitarists but no bassist, like the Cramps and Sleater-Kinney. Of the Gories, Wikipedia notes: “They were among the first 1980’s garage rock bands to incorporate overt blues influences.” Alexandra Zorn writing for Allmusic states in the article on the band: “The emergence of the Gories heralded a new Golden Age of Detroit rock beginning in the late ’80s; a renaissance of noise and rust-belt rock that lasts through to today.”
(December 2014)
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Wanda Jackson’s album Heart Trouble (2003) includes a new rendition of “Funnel of Love” and features as guest artists the Cramps, the alt-rockabilly punk rock band that often played the song in concert.
(July 2015)
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