How to Make a Monster

The Cramps, unlike many other bands that stick around too long, have remained consistently good from day one. This is a double CD collection of their various line-ups and locations, recording quality and so forth. Great “History of The Cramps” booket, to boot. Like Russ Meyer and Screaming Jay Hawkins, the Cramps are an eternal American trashy treaure trove.
((((1))))) Big ass beat with twangy guitar and super lo-fi recording.
(((2))) Tweaked guitar (as if they don’t really know how to find the right notes but hell, that’s PUNK!) then some slow early 60’s Rn’R style instrumental.
(((3))) Slow & swampy
((((4)))) More lo-fi & vocal-laden version of “TV Set”
((((5)))) NOTE: This says it’s “Domino” but it’s actually “Love Me”
(((6))) Swaggerin’ ultra lo-fi that recycles the riff to “TV Set” in some places but why not?
((((7)))) NOTE: This is “Domino” and NOT “TV Set”. Nonetheless, this a rip roarin’ raw, rock n’ roll number. Some giant reverb-heavy chords goin’ on. The drums sound is hideous but still it’s of the same ilk as listening to an early Pussy Gallore session.
(8) Just ugly & noisy, so much so that it doesn’t make it very listenable.
(((9))) Slow, bluesy romp with some rawness but a GREAT down-trodden, horrified r n’ r sound. Funny lyric: “You know I have puberty rites and...I have puperty wrongs!”
(((10))) Even slow, sloth-y blues clunker (but in a good way), somewhere around Gene Vincent meets Link Wray on some moonshine.
((((11))))) CLASSIC rockabilly! Instrumental with 4 chord “walk” pattern, harmonica and actually REALLY good playing.
((((12))))) -15 are all takes on Link Wray’s “Rumble” some great & some twisted. The BEST is #12 which is a KILLER cover of Link Wray’s “Rumble” complete with harmonic and fucked up Killdozer-like vocals. Ya gotta LOVE this!
((((16)))) Some guitar noodling and a lot of uncomfortable pauses. Then it gets into a decent swampy early 60s cover tune (I forget who did the original).
((((17)))) Now we’re getting a little more modern but in this case the recording quality sounds like it’s about 1968. No problem there - this sounds like some AWESOME Animals or Chamber Brothers late 60’s tune. GREAT guitar playing and vocals.
((((18)))) CLASSIC Cramps sound, with groovy beat, funny lyrics (FCC “apeshit” 0:31-32)
(((19))) Big crazy, repetitive psychobilly number.
((((20)))) GREAT thudding beat laden, basic rn’r with TONS of double entendres
((((21)))) Fuzzed out garage-a-punk-a-billy! Killer stuff!
((((22))) Big ‘ol beat , then rockabilly madness.
((((23)))) More punk sounding crossed with psyhobilly. Repetitive chorus but it totally works.
(24) Non-listed track it’s just a bunch of (after about 16 secs. of blank space) with a bunch of outtakes from songs. Why they even added this is beyond me.

DISC II
(((1))) Noisy, beat with wailing guitars
(((2))) Awesome thudding version “I.W.A.T.W.”
((((3)))) Raw & live version of “Sunglasses” this one’s a lot better than the one on disc I. Lots of crowd babble - like you can even hear the waitress taking orders from the bar! (WTF?)
((((4)))) Strumming & wacked out early goofy rock n’roll with more babble with the audience & band
((((5)))) Weirded out Gene Vincent on bad moonshine groove. Dig the guitars - classic sound! Some asshole yells out “get a job!” if you listen closely.
((((6)))) Screamin’ Lux Interior beats you over the head and then says “Love Me”. (Note there’s somebody in the audience that says “Fuck” but not it’s not in the song). Audience idiots “how ‘bout another disco song”, “Isn’t this the Gong Show?”, “Why don’t you play some rock n’ roll, maaan!”
((((7)))) Has the same tempo & structure as Flipper’s “Ha ha ha” but it sounds more uh...”Crampified!”
((((8)))) Rippin’ live & raw version of “TV Set” guitars. Idiotin crowd “whea ahr da resta da girlz?”
((((9)))) More fantastic revved up guitars & “big sex beat” goin’ on.
(((10))) Slow creepy walkin’, rockin’ number., I think the crowd sounds is lifted from “Frampton Comes Alive” or something.
(((((11))))) Another romp through “Love Me” and this time it’s better than before!
((((12))) Another groovy take on “Domino”
(((((13))))) “Human Fly”!!! One of the greatest psychobilly, garage rock whatever tunes --ever!
((((14)))) More horror rock! (at 0:17 you can hear the cash register going off, weird!),. A great live at CGBG’s version of “I.W.A.T.W”
((((15)))) Noisy, feedback heavy version of “Sunglasses”. Great guitar sound and beat.
(((16))) Slinky & swaggery “my baby did me wrong” number.
(((17))) Twangy, raucaous, swamp rock n’ roll. Idiots in crowd “eat shit & die” (it’s not too loud but might be potential FCC if you have it potted up high),
(((18))) Mid-tempo stomper with lots of sexual innuendo (no FCCs tho’)
((((19)))) Pretty close to “TV Set” and “Teenage Googoo Muck” but some of the Ramones tunes were kinda of similar but that the greatness of them and this is no different.
((((20)))) Funny intro then na slow lunging twangy & fuzz blow to the head.
(((21))) Rockin’ strum-heavy number with a rad drum breakdown.
(((22)))) Lux tells the crowd about a future reality show where Led Zeppelin goes down in flames! Ha-ha! Wacked out version of TV rawer than the “Gravest Hits” but better than the eariler version on here.