The Cramps
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The Cramps are a punk rock band originally formed in 1976. Their line-up has rotated much over the years, with Lux Interior and Poison Ivy, the lead singer and lead guitarist respectively as the only permanent members. They were part of the early CBGBs punk rock movement that had emerged in New York and are best-known for their song "Human Fly".
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Characteristics
Their music is mostly in blues form, played at varying, (though usually fast) tempos, with a very minimal drumkit. An integral part of the early Cramps sound is dual guitars, without a bassist. The content of their songs and image is sleaze, trashy Americana (much in the style of filmmaker John Waters), sexual fetishism, clever bad jokes, and cheap, horror B-movie clichés.
Influenced by
Their sound was heavily influenced by Sun Records rockabilly and proto-rock'n'roll like Link Wray and Hasil Adkins, 1960s surf music acts such as The Ventures and Dick Dale, 1960s garage rock artists like The Standells, The Gants, The Trashmen, The Green Fuz and The Sonics, as well as the post-glam/early punk scene from which they emerged. Production-wise they were influenced by Alex Chilton. Their influences and/or the songs they covered were compiled in the vinyl album series Born Bad.
Influential to
In turn, they have strongly influenced subsequent punk and rockabilly revival bands, even creating a genre in their wake. "Psychobilly," a style played by bands like The Meteors and the Sharks, is a term† coined by the Cramps, although Lux Interior maintains that the term does not describe their own style. The Cramps also influenced or anticipated acts like The White Stripes, The Gun Club, The Fuzztones, James Chance and the Contortions and The Birthday Party.
† It is debatable that the Cramps coined the phrase psychobilly. It is perhaps mentioned for the first time in Johnny Cash's song "One Piece at a Time," released in 1976.==Discography==
Albums and EPs
| Album Title | Year | Record Label | UK Chart | UK Indie | US Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gravest Hits EP | 1979 | Illegal Records/I.R.S. Records
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| Songs The Lord Taught Us | 1980 | Illegal Records
| <center>- | <center>1 | <center>- |
| Psychedelic Jungle | 1981 | I.R.S. Records
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| Smell of Female | 1983 | Big Beat Records
| <center>74 | <center>4 | <center>- |
| ...Off The Bone | 1983 | Illegal Records
| <center>44 | <center>- | <center>- |
| Bad Music for Bad People | 1984 | I.R.S. Records
| <center>- | <center>- | <center>- |
| A Date With Elvis | 1986 | Big Beat Records
| <center>34 | <center>1 | <center>- |
| Rockin n Reelin in Auckland New Zealand | 1987 | Vengeance Records
| <center>- | <center>4 | <center>- |
| Stay Sick | 1990 | Enigma Records
| <center>62 | <center>- | <center>- |
| Look Mom, No Head! | 1991 | Big Beat Records
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| Flame Job | 1994 | Creation Records
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| Big Beat From Badsville | 1997 | Epitaph
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| Fiends of Dope Island | 2003 | Vengeance Records
| <center>- | <center>- | <center>- |
| How to Make a Monster | 2004 | Vengeance Records | <center>- | <center>- | <center>- |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 | US Modern Rock | US Mainstream Rock | UK Singles Chart | |||
| 1978 | "Surfin Bird" / "The Way I Walk" (US)
| Gravest Hits | ||||
"Human Fly" / "Domino" (US)
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| 1980 | "Fever" / "Garbageman" (UK)
| Songs The Lord Taught Us | ||||
"Garbageman" / "TV Set" (Fr)
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"Garbageman" / "Drug Train" (US)
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"Drug Train" / "love Me" "I Can't Hardly Stand It"
| …Off The Bone | |||||
| 1981 | "Goo Goo Muck" / "She Said"
| Psychedelic Jungle | ||||
"The Crusher" / "Save it" "New Kind of Kick"
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| 1984 | "Faster Pussycat" / "You Got Good Taste"
| Smell of Female | ||||
"I Ain't Nuthin' But a Gorehound" / "Weekend on Mars"
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| 1985 | "Can Your Pussy Do the Dog?" / "Blue Moon Baby"
| #68 | A Date With Elvis | |||
| 1986 | "What's Inside a Girl?" / "Give Me A Woman"
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"Kizmiaz" / "Give Me A Woman"
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| "Get Off The Road" (Sweden) | ||||||
| 1989 | "Bikini Girls With Machine Guns" / "Jackyard Backoff"
| #10 | #35 | Stay Sick! | ||
"All Women Are Bad" /"Teenage Rage"
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"The Creature From the Black Leather Lagoon" / "jailhouse Rock"
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| 1991 | "Eyeball In My Martini" / "Wilder Wilder Faster Faster"
| Look Mom, No Head! | ||||
| 1994 | "Lets Get Fucked Up" / "How Come You Do Me"
| Flame Job | ||||
"Ultra Twist" "Confessions of a Psycho Cat"
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| 1995 | "Naked Girll Falling Down the Stairs" "Lets Get Fucked Up"
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| 2003 | "Like A Bad Girl Should" / "I Walked All Night"
| Big Beat From Badsville | ||||
"Big Black Witchcraft Rock" / "Butcher Pete"
| Fiends of Dope Island | |||||
Videos
- Human Fly (1978)
- Garbageman (1979)
- Urgh! A Music War (1982)
- Bikini Girls With Machine Guns (1990)
- Creature From the Black Leather Lagoon (1990)
- Ultra Twist (1994)
- Naked Girl Falling Down the Stairs (1994)
- Like a Bad Girl Should (1997)
