Songs the Lord Taught Us

by The Cramps

Overview

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 fulfill 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 Songs still drips with threat and desire both, 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 at-once 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. ~ Ned Raggett

Product Details

Release Date:	09/25/1990
Label:	A&M / I.R.S. Records
UPC:	0044797000720
Rank:	27712

Tracks

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 Teenage Werewolf
15. Mystery Plane
16. Twist and Shout
17. I'm Cramped
18. The Mad Daddy

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Cramps   Primary Artist
Poison Ivy   Guitar,Vocals
Byron Gregory   Guitar
Nick Knox   Drums
Booker C.   Organ,Keyboards
Lux Interior   Bass,Vocals

Technical Credits

Alex Chilton   Producer,Engineer
John Hampton   Engineer
John Davenport   Composer
Link Wray   Composer
Johnny Burnette   Composer
Gerry Roslie   Composer
Phil Medley   Composer
Rosalind Michelle Pullens   Composer
Ivy Rorschach   Composer
Gerald Roslie   Composer
Dwight Pullen   Composer
Paul Burlison   Composer
Bert Russell   Composer
Jimmy Stewart   Composer
F. L. Wray Sr.   Composer
The Cramps   Composer,Producer,Performer
Dorsey Burnette   Composer
Lux Interior   Composer
Eddie Cooley   Composer