 |
|
The Cramps, "File Under Sacred Music: Early Singles 1978-1981"
Mixing a fistful of covers with the band’s own original songs, this compilation shows the group at the peak of its messy adolescent period (which they fortunately never grew out of). Everything that made The Cramps one of the most perfect rock groups of all time is here; they were primitive, sexy and gloriously out of time with everyone but themselves. Their music penetrates my brain like a bolt of electricity from Dr. Frankenstein’s lab and I don’t think these songs have ever sounded any better.
What strikes me first when listening to File Under Sacred Music is how The Cramps manage to take something as homogenous as the rock and roll of the ‘50s or schlocky horror-by-numbers B-Movies and turn them into something entirely unique. Granted hundreds of bands have come and gone since The Cramps founded which have tried with varying success to build on this sound (Nick Cave even went as far as to nick Kid Congo Powers for his own band) but none manage to capture the essence. For Lux Interior, Poison Ivy, Nick Knox and Bryan Gergory (and later the aforementioned Powers), rock and roll was the gospel and these were the psalms they needed to worship at the altar.
As such, their cover versions go far beyond an interpretation. Interior’s vocals on the sparse arrangement of "Lonesome Town" pull the song into another dimension and the group’s wonderfully wretched take on Peggy Lee’s "Fever" sounds like a plague of lovesick rockabilly vampires. Even on their original compositions they venerate and desecrate the classics in pursuit of the ideal rock and roll song; "Twist and Shout" takes The Beatles through the hell of Charles Manson to a place where George, Paul, Ringo and John would probably have never gotten to even in their worst trips.
Personal favorites like "Human Fly" and "Garbageman" stand out only because I love them so much. Taken in the context of this compilation, it is easy to see that The Cramps were consistently burning as hot and as bright as an arc welder. Tracks like "The Mad Daddy" and "New Kind of Kick" have always sounded good on other records but here they show their true character and it is hard to see why these did not get the same kind of recognition as some of The Cramps more enduring songs.
While most of these songs have ended up on either their first two albums or one of the many compilations that have surfaced over the years, File Under Sacred Music is a welcome addition to The Cramps catalog as it brings together all these amazing songs into one place while at the same time making available some of the rarer pieces that seem to have been forgotten over the last 30 years. The Cramps are one of those bands that are often cited but I feel always get the short end of the stick when it comes to reissues and remasters of their work so to have such a loving compilation in my hands (and more importantly on my stereo) is a small step towards the respect they deserve. I really hope Munster Records give their other singles and albums similar treatment.
samples:
 
