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The Cramps – Bad Music for Bad People
Compilation | 1984 | I.R.S. Records
31:18 | 11 tracks | Vinyl
Garage Punk / Psychobilly
New York City, NY, USA
The Early Years, Part 2
When this compilation was distributed via I.R.S. Records, The Cramps had already released their sophomore longplayer Psychedelic Jungle (1981) on the label of Miles Copeland. A year before, another compilation (… off the Bone) of songs from the early phase of The Cramps (1976-79) was released via Copeland’s previous label Illegal Records. Punk Rock has indeed become a cash cow in its early years, and people like Copeland knew how to move their milking stools quickly and flexibly. Nevertheless, for fans of the NYC-based Psychobilly and Garage Punk band, the compilation Bad Music for Bad People is a true gem.
Creep’n’Roll
As a compilation, Bad Music for Bad People brilliantly showed the variety of The Cramps‚ early recordings. The early Punk Rock movement was colourful and versatile, and it reached from glammy sounds such as The New York Dolls to sonic dark à la Siouxsie and the Banshees, and from rough-edged Hardcore Punk like Bad Brains to British adaptions like the Sex Pistols. But The Cramps created something different inside this anarchist field. By adding Rock’n’Roll and Hillbilly motifs as well as Surf guitars, and by providing a creepy atmosphere, they opened the door to a whole new set of genres.
Horror and Surf Guitars
Bad Music for Bad People is an all-killer-no-filler compilation that surpasses its predecessor … off the Bone predominantly in the category of sound quality. It is nevertheless relatable that die-hard fans prefer the compilation from 1983. On eleven tracks and for half an hour, surfers, creeps, punks and horror fans can shake a leg together.
9/10 Mangoes
Next week in this series:
Necrophagist – Epitaph (03/08/2004 | Relapse Records)
We will dance again
Mia Schem
