Every day this month, I’m listening to an album to get into the mood for Halloween. Either I’ll pop on something new, or dig up an old one I hadn’t listen to in a while. Today was Songs The Lord Taught Us, because it felt like a day to listen to The Cramps.
The Cramps are akin to The Beatles, though never reaching the popularity of the latter. But both bands, when first arriving, were very connected to their influences. The Beatles covered “Twist and Shout” and The Cramps covered “Sunglasses After Dark.” The Cramps upcycled a lot of forgotten and abandoned rockabilly songs, thanks to Lux and Ivy’s endless collecting off-the-beaten-path sounds. It’s a bit jarring when you hear the iconic lick from “I was a Teenage Werewolf” from some clearly-older song.
The Cramps were mad scientists and they took a lot of dead things and made them live again. If you haven’t listened to Songs The Lord Taught Us, then you really should. I can’t believe I wrote that. I might have well typed out HEY THIS STUFF CALLED PIZZA? YEAH, BETTER GIVE IT A GO. I THINK IT’S GOING TO BE A KEEPER.
Anyway, here’s a bit of Lux Interior Halloween Goodness for you.
