THE CRAMPS Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Husband and wife singer-guitarist duo Lux Interior and Poison Ivy were the backbone and founding parents of The Cramps, whose lengthy career managed to outlive many of the formative-era punks they broke through with, first catapulting onto the New York gothabilly scene (well, arguably they invented it) circa 1976 and then only finally opting to call time in 2009, following the sad passing of Interior. During that tine, they inspired myriad garage, alternative, and heavy rock & roll bands that wanted to keep things minimal, and their work can still be considered as setting benchmarks today. Across this incredible collection of tracks, or rather Songs of Love & Hate captured live and on stage, the outfit certainly show exactly why their popularity was so long-lasting and their legacy so inimitable. You can hear elements of The Cramps in work from latter day legends such as Ezra Furman and Jim Jones, but ultimately there's nothing that comes remotely close the band themselves.

Review: Some years ago, a limited edition 10" box set of recordings of The Cramps Live At Pukkelpop 1990 emerged, featuring a box, badge, poster and a lathe-cut EP with six tracks from the seminal performance in Belgium on August 26th, 1990. Despite the steep price tag, the musical content was scarce, leaving many buyers feeling shortchanged. It was rumoured that only ten sets were ever produced. This new release offers a substantial upgrade, presenting the complete concert with exceptional sound quality pressed on 200-gram vinyl. Housed in a sturdy sleeve crafted from heavy-gauge material, the package boasts a luxurious glossy finish, elevating the overall presentation to a new level of sophistication.

Review: Amongst the many legendary recordings of The Cramps live in action, the bootlegs of their 'The Last Supper' show in April 1980 in London ranks as one of the most desirable. It captures the band in their ascendance, already legends but equally with something to prove as they clawed their way out of the graveyard and into prominence. Previous editions were from ropey tapes which had sped the music up by some eight percent, but now the original master tapes have been found and the recording is presented in much better fidelity - all the better to hear the greatest psychobilly band that ever emerged from parts unknown.