Bad Music for Bad People: Songs the Cramps Taught Us by Various Artists (CD, 2009)

Righteous

5013929982024

20050147500

Various Artists

CD

2009

Bad Music for Bad People: Songs the Cramps Taught Us

Rock

They might never have risen above cult status, but the Cramps helped popularize a lot of obscure, early rock & roll that very few collectors other than themselves were aware of. This CD has the original versions of 26 such songs, which in the words of the liner notes "are records they've spun over the years on their various radio shows, some of which they've covered or re-imagined as the Cramps." In other words, it's not exactly a compilation of the original versions of songs the Cramps covered on their own albums. But the concept is still pretty solid, and it's a good cross-section of material that inspired them and/or shaped their particular brand of twisted revivalism. And you'll have a hard time finding any collectors other than the Cramps themselves who have the original discs of all of these items in their household, as none of them ever approached hit status. Yeah, there are a few famous performers here -- Carl Perkins, Slim Harpo, Lightnin' Slim, Charlie Feathers, Dale Hawkins, Dr. John (under his original name Mac Rebennack), and P.J. Proby (under his original billing, Jett Powers) -- but the solid majority is occupied by artists about whom precious little is known, though a few (like Sonny Burgess) have something of a cult reputation. The music, as you'd expect, is raw to the verge (and sometimes over the verge) of crudeness, even by the name players. It's often trashy, and almost always fun in spite of and because of its relative lack of sophistication. It's actually a shade less raucous and outrageous than you might expect given the Cramps' notorious sleaze factor, but if you want some of that, it's here too, especially on the Bangers' were-they-really-singing-those-lyrics-back-then "Baby Let Me Bang Your Box." And while rockabilly's the usual style of choice, there's some other stuff on tap here as well, like the blues of Slim Harpo and Lightnin' Slim, and the mournful, jazzy, doo wop of Donald Woods & the Bel-Aires' "Death of an Angel." A rap on the knuckles, however, for lacking better annotation, which doesn't even supply original years of release for the tracks, especially considering a label like Ace would have really gone to town on the no doubt colorful stories behind these oddities and absurdities. ~ Richie Unterberger

Record Collector (magazine) (p.98) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "The Phantom's 'Love Me' is deranged, pitiful and wonderful, while Slim Harpo's 'Strange Love,' which follows it, tempers that oddness with a near-macabre meltdown."

Dark Peak

Stereo

1

USA