Search - Cramps :: Flamejob

Take a lonnnnnggg fall down into that Surrealist bucket...

Pamela Scarangello | Middletown, NJ USA | 07/10/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Cramps are another one of my most favorite bands. I possess every studio album they released, including 2003's "Fiends of Dope Island." With their own warped rockabilly rhythms and catchy lyrics, the Cramps have developed a huge and faithful cult following of college graduates (like myself), and artsy freaks. This 1994 album features the classic "Ultra Twist," which to me is the most infectious dance song since "The Time Warp" from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. A few of the other songs, most notably "Nest of the Cuckoo Bird" and "Sado County Auto Show" contain both easy chorus hooks and lots of obvious sexual innuendos. It also seems that the Cramps (after coming off the excesses of the late 1980's) have been inspired by past historical art movements and have taken them in as part of a way of life. "Let's Get F*cked UP" is not only about psychedelic drugs, but also about leaving behind society's oppressive views on "good" art, and instead immersing onself in Surrealism (which became famous because its images came straight from both dreams and the mind)The funny, punk-style "Naked Girl Falling Down the Stairs" was actually inspired by the "Nude Descending a Staircase" painting by Dada artist Marcel Duchamp. Lux even mentions Pablo Picasso in "I'm Customized." "How Come you Do Me" and a couple the other later tracks are in the style of Rhythm & Blues, with Lux's famous Elvis-impersonator vocals. I must recommend this album to savy music buyers all over the world. Let Amazon know that the Cramps will never die!"

High Water Mark

mencken61 | Metairie, La. United States | 09/29/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Here we find Lux and Ivy (and hired guns) at their best. Here is the album to pop on at the party, and a good one to play when driving 100 mph late at night. The production and performances are superb."

Square 1 for all the squares....

Monkey Knuckle Asteroid | 10/13/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is a perfect introduction to just what it is that makes the Cramps such a special slice of pure, unadulterated rock and roll. The thing is, the Cramps have been around since the mid-70's and have never let up being the hardest-working band around, never relenting and never slowing down for a second. This album only proves that they set the pace and everyone else is out of breath trying to catch up. This is a 1994 album and outdoes the whole bratpack of rockabilly and garage rock newcomers 20 years their juniors. Lux and Ivy have got it down on this album, an album that never lets up for a second; even when it dips into the slower numbers, it's still got you firmly by the throat, it's just shaking you a little bit softer. There are so many good songs on here that the mind reels. Stuff that could easily make for a decades worth of underground classics and minor-league hits all get crammed together here. From "Let's Get F'd Up" (a personal favorite and an anthem for all time) to "Naked Girl Falling Down the Stairs" to "Strange Love" to their knee-trembling cover of "Route 66." This surely ain't the best that the Cramps have to offer, but, if anything, it's a clearly marked billboard announcing they never left and they surely aren't going away anytime soon. Get it, redeem your faith in rock and roll."