‘Magnificent: 62 Classics From The Cramps’ Insane Collection’ reviewed

❉ A treasure trove of oddball rockabilly, R&B, blues, and general weirdness..

magnificent

You’d best get hip to this type of trip. Lux Interior and Poison Ivy’s record collection is shoving you in the back of a long black Cadillac and taking you through a day-glo rainbow time warp to the flipside of mid-Twentieth Century pop culture, where the Blob shimmied and shook to its own theme tune, the “natives” somewhere were restless, voodoo drums pounded, heads were shrunk, and flying purple people eaters sure looked good to us.

This exquisitely curated lowbrow two-CD set is the latest in Cherry Red’s trawl through the Cramps’ famous lovebirds’ treasure trove of oddball rockabilly, R&B, blues, and general weirdness. Particular favorites include The Mogambos’ exotica-with-a-beat Bi-Aza-Ku-Sasa and Jerry ‘Ivan’ Allison’s (of Buddy Holly’s Crickets) brain-damaged, slurred take on Johnny O’Keefe’s Wild One (Real Wild Child).

Audio quality ranges from crackly needledrops from incredibly rare 45 RPM singles to tunes straight off the master tapes, but the variations in sound only add to the vibe that you’re listening to a tape compiled for the best psychobilly party ever. The groove never stops and you can smell the Brylcreem, cheap cologne, whiskey and sweat from here. We can’t recommend this collection and its predecessors such as ’60 Songs From The Cramps’ Crazy Collection: The Incredibly Strange Music Box’ enough. Ten mutant thumbs straight up.


❉ ‘Magnificent: 62 Classics From The Cramps’ Insane Collection’ (PSALM2387D) is out now from Cherry Red Records, RRP £10.95

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