The Cramps - Songs The Lord Taught Us

Continuing the spooked-out and raging snarls of their Gravest Hits EP, the Cramps once again worked with Alex Chilton on the group's full-album debut, Songs the Lord Taught Us. The jacket reads "file under: sacred music," but only if one's definition includes the holy love of rockabilly sex-stomp, something which the Cramps fulfil in spades. Having spent Gravest Hits mostly doing revamps of older material, the foursome tackled a slew of originals like "The Mad Daddy" and "TV Set" this time around, creating one of the few neo-rockabilly records worthy of the name. Years later their songs still drip with threat and desire, testament to both the band's worth and Chilton's just-right production. "Garbageman" surfaced as a single in some areas, a wise choice given the immediately catchy roll of the song and downright frightening guitar snarls, especially on the solo. The covers of the Sonics' "Strychnine" and Billy Burnette's "Tear It Up" not to mention the concluding riff on "Fever" all challenge the originals. Interior has the wailing, hiccuping, and more down pat, but transformed into his own breathless howl, while Ivy and Gregory keep up the electric fuzz through more layers of echo than legality should allow. Knox helms the drums relentlessly; instead of punching through arena rock style, Chilton keeps the rushed rhythm running along in the back, increasing the sheer psychosis of it all.

Ripped from the 1998 re-release with bonus tracks to MP3 @ 320kbps

The Cramps; Songs The Lord Taught Us

1.      TV Set

2.      Rock On The Moon

3.      Garbageman

4.      I Was A Teenage Werewolf

5.      Sunglasses After Dark

6.      The Mad Daddy

7.      Mystery Plane

8.      Zombie Dance

9.      What’s Behind The Mask

10.   Strychnine

11.   I’m Cramped

12.   Tear It Up

13.   Fever

14.   I Was A Teenaged Werewolf (With False Start)(Original Mix)

15.   Mystery Plane (Original Mix)

16.   Twist And Shout

17.   I’m Cramped (Original Mix)

18.   The Mad Daddy (Original Mix)

More blood gurgling sacred music from The Cramps here