The Cramps: Lux Interior (vocals); Ivy Rorshach [Poison Ivy], Congo Powers, Bryan Gregory (guitar); Nick Knox (drums).
BAD MUSIC FOR BAD PEOPLE is a compilation of songs from the first two Cramps albums--SONGS THE LORD TAUGHT US and PSYCHEDELIC JUNGLE--as well as some tracks from concurrent singles. It consists of five originals and six impeccably chosen covers, and it demonstrates everything that made the Cramps such a brilliant band. Their grasp of early rock & roll is second to none and the guitar playing of Poison Ivy, Brian Gregory, and Kid Congo Powers provides the perfect background for Lux Interior's vocal swaggering.
Among the standouts from this collection of classics are the positively inspiring "New Kind of Kick," the obnoxiously entertaining "She Said," and the seriously un-PC "Drug Train." The first is a sneering, sleaze-ride through a forest of heavily distorted guitars and pounding percussion. On the second, Nick Knox's drumming pummels along while Interior sings lyrics best heard for yourself (oddly enough, the song is a cover!) with his mouth full of cotton wool. And "Drug Train" features clapping, call-and-response vocals, and a guitar line designed especially for air guitarists the world over. Listening to the Cramps, it is possible to imagine why our parent's parents thought rock & roll was a dangerous influence.
