Bikini Girls With Machine Guns

If I would be asked to dig up the history of rock n roll for the most shock-inducing acts ever to hit the stage or the nastiest bands ever to grab your balls through a twelve inch vinyl disc, The Cramps would definitely be in the top ten.

With perpetual members Lux Interior (Erick Purkhiser, vocals) and Poison Ivy (Kristy Wallace, guitar) as its focal point, The Cramps dished out a bizaare but addictive stew of rockabilly, punk, and performance art mixed with twisted references to 50's americana. Their sound has been widely labeled as psychobilly. Rightly so. Listening to The Cramps is like listeneing to a 21-year old Elvis Presley get possessed by the spirit of ol' Sid Vicious. They don't sound like anybody, and it's quite likely that there will never EVER be a band like them again - EVER!

First song I ever heard from The Cramps was "Bikini Girls With Machine Guns". I was totally blown away by that song. I thought they couldn't possibly top that. Man, was I wrong! A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a video of a Cramps live gig and they were doing "Tear It Up"! Holy shit! With Lux screaming into a half-swallowed mic through most of the song, and Poison Ivy - with her gum-chewing Elvis Presley sneer -twanging away nonchalantly, The Cramps definitely remind me of the reasons why I love music that would get me branded as a prime candidate for the loony bin. I mean, a lot of my friends probably wouldn't touch this band with a ten-foot pole. But who cares? The Cramps were, still are, and will always be one of the best examples of the purest strain rock n roll. None of that pretentious emo stuff. Just pure rock n roll - loud, proud, and everything our parents hated about the kind of music we love!

So folks, as I end this post, here's The Cramps - LIVE! - with "Tear It Up"!