Psychedelic Jungle

Here, Kid Congo Powers and Ivy form just as fine a team as Brian Gregory and Ivy did on earlier releases and if things aren't always as flat-out fried as on Gravest Hits and Songs The Lord Taught Us, the same atmosphere of swampy, trashy, rockabilly-into-voodoo, ramalama reigns supreme. The song titles alone show the band hasn't really changed its sights any: the opening two tracks are covers, "Green Fuz" and "Goo Goo Muck," while originals include "Caveman," "Can't Find My Mind," and the brilliant "The Natives Are Restless." Then there's "Don't Eat Stuff Off the Sidewalk," which almost sounds worthy of a Frank Zappa freakout (at least lyrically). Other legendary tracks like "Primitive" and "Green Door" get the Cramps makeover this time out, with the proper mix of respect and hot-wired energy, while "The Crusher" sounds like Interior's on the verge of going completely insane. The Cramps themselves take over the production this time around, resulting in a cleaner, crisper sound (especially when it comes to Knox's drums) that isn't quite as wired, for better or for worse. As commanding showmen, though, the quartet's style comes through big time, with Interior throwing in appropriate yells, yipes, and other sounds where appropriate; his antics at the end of "Goo Goo Muck" are especially gone. If anything, the moodier strutting throughout increases the creepiness of what's afoot; if things aren't psychedelic in the commonly accepted sense, it's certainly not easy listening. Interior sometimes sounds almost normal, but with the sense that something strange is lurking just around the corner and Ivy is still one of the best guitarists around, her snarling reverb worth a thousand fret-shredders.

Looking remarkably like this was ripped from the vinyl to MP3 @ 320kbps

The Cramps; Psychedelic Jungle

A1.  Green Fuz

A2.  Goo Goo Muck

A3.  Rockin’ Bones

A4.  Voodoo Idol

A5.  Primitive

A6.  Caveman

A7.  The Crusher

B1.  Don’t Eat Stuff Off The Sidewalk

B2.  Can’t Find My Mind

B3.  Jungle Hop

B4.  The Natives Are Restless

B5.  Under The Wires

B6.  Beautiful Gardens

B7.  Green Door

More psychedelic fuzz from The Cramps here