Songs The Lord Taught Us

Okay, the rockabilly elements are really not my thing

I’ve never really watched any of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies but there is like a family of grimy inbred hillbilly murderers in those movies, right? Well, I suppose if those guys got together with the California beach town vampires from The Lost Boys for a concert on Halloween and this band played then they would all have a really nice time. But I didn’t. You know what I think it is that I don’t like about this and any spooky or spooky-adjacent music? Menace. I don’t like music or vocals that sound menacing. I find life in general plenty menacing. I don’t need any more menace than I get from youths walking by my car when I’m stopped at a redlight after 6pm. Sell menace somewhere else. I’m all stocked up.

It's not bad....but it isn't great. Every song kinda sounds like the last. I understand what they mean by this being "gothabilly" as a genre.The vocalist kinda starts to get on my nerves after a while...the guitars are interesting but very repetitive. Actually a 2.5. Liked Songs: "Rock On The Moon" , "Garbageman" , "Sunglasses After Dark" , "Zombie Dance" , "Tear It Up" , "Twist And Shout"

I would call this regressive music. It's doing the same thing as thirty years before, and makes no improvements whatsoever; in many ways, it's just worse. 1.5

Elvis would have been a lot more interesting as a punk rocker.

Was very repetitive

Can’t beat a bit of ramshackle psychobilly punk rock 😀🤘🎸

I really enjoyed the album. Somewhere in between the Clash and the B52's.

Rockabilly punk? Kinda B52 esque? Fun

the cramps are certainly a lot of fun if only in the smallest of doses. i wouldn’t choose to listen to a full album of theirs like this but i enjoy the individual songs. fav tracks: tv set; i was a teenage werewolf

meh

..

Not my cup of tea. I’m sure it’s important for music growth but goth rockabilly was not on my bingo card today

Weird Halloween vibe

Fine garage rock that I would probably like a lot more if it weren’t tainted by being a favorite of an evil ex.

I liked this more than I thought I would.

Kind of a surf, punk album with little hints of rockabilly. Liked the cover of fever. Cool album!

Better than I expected. Fun energy. Not going to return to this

I’m tired boss

A cool half step between surf rock and punk rock. I can hear how they influenced all the bands. I like. A strong album

not for me

Listened Before? N I learned about these guys and their scene today. Fascinating stuff. Good music too. Love the kitsch. Great. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: I Was a Teenage Werewolf

Теперь понятно, у кого Звуки Му взяли своё звучание

Len suffered from the cramps quite severely when Houmous & Chutney were on stage in Nuneaton back in ‘84. It’s funny cos the sounds he was making at the time were quite reminiscent of the sounds on this album. Terrible really. 2.1

Can definitely hear the Mothers of Invention influence. Fever is such a classic. Did not care for the rest of their sound.

Not sure if there's anything original here, but i really enjoyed it!

Classic Cramps.

I Was A Teenage Werewolf sounds remarkably well today. Great album.

They do one thing and they do it well. Gets a little old

i fear that this spooky album was scarily boring. listened on the plane though.

Ok

Wish the lord never taught me these

Crazy this is their first studio album. So many cool things about this album i dont have time to comment. Teenage werewolf and Sunglasses after dark two personal faves

Reminded me a bit of the B-52s. Not sure how much of an influence they were on each other but feel like they were drawing from a similar well. I liked this more than I expected from my initial reaction. I feel a lot of influence from old school rock and roll. Still probably not my favorite style of music, but worth a listen with some fun tracks on there. I particularly enjoyed their cover of "Fever".

Can figure out what size pilot jets to install in the carburetor to make your vintage motorcycle idle better? Listen to this album. Worried that you can't muster the courage to pick up the phone and ask out your crush? Listen to this album. Can figure out how to resolve the main conflict in the great American novel you're writing? Listen to this album. Want to be a better guitar player? Listen to this album. This isn't music, it's a marinade. You soak yourself in it and you become at least 50-75% better at doing cool shit. Don't believe me on this one? Well try this experiment- put in your headphones, hit play on this bad-boy, and go for a walk down a crowded city street. If you don't feel like the main character in a Tarantino flick I'll eat my hat (mesh-back trucker style, natch).

The Doors on sertraline

nope

I’ve heard Fever before but that’s it. Another album where I can’t understand what he’s saying. I thought I heard Frigidaire at one point and turns out I was right. Which was bizarre. Not the album for me.

The Foundation for the music I loved as a teenager and so I have to give it a three. Fun, chaotic, goofy. Faves: i really like the first two-three song run

1/2

Punk rock. Did not really grab me apart from one song. Stand-out: I'm Cramped

- Good stuff .... I've been introduced to the parents of Jon Spencer (he basically copped his entire shtick from this band). This is is the Fugs, The Holy Modal Rounders, rockabilly Pere Ubu, the same vein of Americana that Handsome Family is in, Elvis on acid .... it goes on and on ... too bad it's such a shitty recording .... great fun. -

Aika hyvää punk rällätystä hyvin rasittavavääni tällä melkeen vetää vertoja eräälle helluntaialsis seurskuntaliasellebjoka samassa kerroksessa asuu hoilottaa jumalan ylistystä jatkuvasti huonolla äänrllään. Samaa tässö albumissaz mutta en vihaa ketäänz, olen jeesukseksi ryhtynyt. Ja vielö huonoista puhelimn kaiuttimidta täysillä musiikki. Huono kuulo.

Garage aesthetic A touch of rockabilly Makes fun, no frills rock

Not doing an hour of this

Fun album, I like this proto-psychobilly sound. The Cramps is a band I've for a long time been aware of and have just never really listened much, but I would for sure want to listen to this more.

Love this album, and love the Cramps. 4.5/5

Love, love, love The Cramps. One of my favorite bands.

Poorly recorded rockabilly. Sounds like a local band at a dive bar, not an album you Must Hear Before You Die.

Was playing red dead redemption whilst listening to this and it fit that vibe very well, but outside of that it’s just rock which I’m not too much of a fan of

Sounds like word vomit, with just 60s rock and roll elements. Nothing special.

Minimalist surf punk rockabilly etc

This was a little bit of a weird album. Their "The Mad Daddy" song sounded "The Bird is the Word" song but it wasn't it, which was a bit disappointing. But then so did "Zombie Dance" and even more - "Tear It Up", so I guess that's just their style, but I checked the it was "The Trashmen" that released the bird song. Nothing too exciting throughout, we survived listening to all the songs but overall a bit meh.

It's ok. Very easy to ignore. Which is... A good thing and a bad thing I guess.

I've never heard a genre of music be created by sarcastically playing a different genre. Loud and weird. I appreciated it more after a second listen

Had its moments but just *slightly* too annoying.

They took rockabilly, a genre that I already didn't think highly of, and shittified it even more! Impressive!

music for people that wear adult diapers

норм, но не зашло

Soooo good.

Kind of like Insane Clown Posse, I enjoy talking about it way more than listening to it.

I’m getting a wannabe Misfits vibe from this band. It’s probably the similar horror aesthetic. To be fair, there are probably other punk rock bands I ended up preferring over these guys. Stuff from the Dead Kennedys and Black Flag that came up around the same time. I think it has to do with the psychobilly part of the album. I can’t tell if I find it annoying or not. It just leads to fast-paced music with a lot of loud noises. And as someone who actually like his hard rock and metal, it takes a lot to make me uncomfortable at loud noises. Some of the tracks are fun, though, such as Strychnine and The Mad Daddy. And I do like me some early 80’s punk, so this one just turned out to be okay. But really, I think I just want the inevitable Misfits album. Favorite track: The Mad Daddy Other hits: I Was A Teenage Werewolf, Strychnine, Zombie Dance, Mystery Plane, TV Set, What’s Behind the Mask

1 cramps song is very fun, 18 cramps songs is toooo many

It's fun, and full-on, and energetic and reminds me of skateboarding as a youth.

I was so bored every song sounded the same but loved fever

Some of it’s alright but his voice is annoying isn’t it

The only thing I liked about this album was the name of it. 😂 1

Cool record. good energy and songs from start to finish.

There was one song I genuinely enjoyed on this album, and a few others had some elements I liked, but overall, I struggle to get into The Cramps. They’ve always come across as trying too hard to be edgy and ahead of the curve. Somehow, though, they managed to convince a lot of people that they were just that, and in turn, those same people ran with it because they wanted to feel the same way. That’s why, to me, The Cramps feel more like a band built on image rather than substance—overhyped and overrated.

The Cramps twist and distort Elvis-style rock ‘n’ roll in a similar way that The B-52’s distort surf rock. They get pretty raw too. I had fun with this and I’d be down to hear another from them.

Nice album of what I believe is probably one of the earliest psychobilly releases. It's never been a niche that I've particularly found myself interested in, but I know that the influence has spread to some interesting areas- like I feel that Mastodon actually has a little bit of that sound in their early records, and that might be the most popular band to have some of this very specific genre. I could be totally wrong though and missing a bigger act. Maybe a little bit of the Misfits? I want to give it a 2 but it's just high enough for a round up to a 3. It's funny and a cool sound.

It might have a place in history, but it all sounds very novel to me. Not enough to be blown away.

God sent this allbum.

3.5, rounded up to a light 4 It’s just completely its own thing, which is very refreshing. Just unapologetically weird, spooky, horny. Like music intentionally made to be in the background of a bad B-horror movie, and I adore that for them.

Lots of manic, punky, relentless up-beat energy to this. Like the B52's, but a bit darker and more kitsch. It's good to get an album like this, if only to learn more about the deeper, niche layers of particular genres. I now have an understanding of 'psychobilly' and 'garage-trash'. It's good. It's FUN. It's so specific though, I don't think you could easily return to it with any great regularity.

Never knew about the rockabilly sound from The Cramps, decent enough just found the singer to be a little annoying

This album should not be on this list. I think anyone with a keyboard could come up with this type of music.

As a mediocre/not professional pianist I could do here than this crap

This was unpleasant. Did not like. Dude's voice was all kinds of wonky that I didn't like, the lyrics were wack, the instruments sounded pretty good thought which is why this isn't a 1. I get it was pioneering a sound, but it's a sound I don't like.

campy, over the top punk. not a fan. really didn't care for vocals, but at least they can play instruments.

Pscho rockabilly goth weirdness. I find the guitar sound really badly produced. Not for me but it carves a distinctive musical niche...

Another reviewer mentioned the genre being Punkabilly, which I find very fitting, as I drew a blank when trying to come up with a fitting term. Trouble is, I don't like the kind of music the term describes. 2/5

хз обычный брит рок (хоть группа и американкая), сейчас уже это слушается очень вторично

nah

engang i mellem har jeg svært ved at kende forskel på punkalbums, der er indflydelsesrige, og punkalbums, der bare er gamle - på den ene side kan man godt høre, at fx Jack White helt sikkert har lyttet til The Cramps på et tidspunkt, og på den anden side har jeg svært ved at se, hvad The Cramps gør, som fx Misfits ikke gjorde i 70'erne. Men altså stadig et sjovt album, det her er helt sikkert den definitive version af Fever i mit hoved og I Was A Teenage Werewolf er en banger

Dybt mærkeligt og over the top, men også virkelig underholdende og stilsikkert. Ekstra point for at være fredagstråd.

Almost surfin' bird turf!

Nice

I was well aware of The Cramps- "Cant Hardly Stand It" was an old roommates favorite song. While I'm not typically a huge punk fan, I found myself really enjoying this album. It is high energy, surprisngly catchy and does a good job of being rough just to the edge of dissonant but not crossing that line. Overall- I liked it a lot. Pribably just shy of a 4 but I feel like it earned the bump up.

I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed this. I’ve criticised some other albums for being too much of the same thing with the twelve bar blues as it can feel too unimaginative, whereas this album uses that same chord progression a lot, but makes it very interesting. It’s a funk mix of punk with vibes of rockabilly at times. I like how odd the vocals are, and how rough and ready the music sounds. It’s almost as if it was recorded in a garage, but by people who really knew what they were doing in order to make it not sound TOO rough. This is a fun album.

Good, like the rolling Stones but without the fatigue it's having heard it all a load

nothing special, but cool sound. could be better, but im pretty sure than i can listen to it more than just one time

Some of the albums on here make me a little sad as I think I would have loved them if I'd heard them when I was 15. Now this just sounds like yer basic rock & roll with a Halloween accent :(

Alternative 80s rock band. Garage trash, rockabilly. Very cool and edgy in a retro way. Sci-fi, horror, fast and dirty. Halloween punk, surf horror.

Album 659 of 1001 The Cramps - Songs The Lord Taught Us (1980) Rating : 3.5 / 5 Psychobilly. The blending of punk rock with rockabilly and garage rock. That's a new one for me. Good listen. Notable tracks are "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" and a cover of "Fever".

I bet this was played at every Halloween party in the 80's

weird and worth a listen

Maybe my rating would be higher if it was September/October, but not my current vibe.

sp00ky garage rock! Kinda fun, kinda not for me.

Halloween kitsch and rockabilly revival. Doesn’t seem to belong on this superlative list, but hey, what do I know? It was only okay

One of the albums of all time

January 12, 2025 HL: "Garbageman", "Teenage Werewolf", "Fever" An album I will perhaps appreciate more over time, although the ghoulish lyrics grabbed me from the get-go. Some nice Duane Eddy/Venture-like guitar in the middle of the album

Not my jam but well produced and good musicianship

A dreadful album. Punk meets Rockabilly and creates PsychoBilly. Apparently, in 2020, Rolling Stone praised the band for its "psychobilly sound that went way beyond the kitschiest moments of the Ramones or Blondie and into a whole new realm of garage-trash novelty" - what a load of pretentious crap, just like this album.

It was ok

Pretty good punkish music. I have heard of them but never heard their work. The lyrics are excellent, I really enjoyed them and the delivery is very interesting sort of theatrical. This was a fun album to listen to and I'm sure I will listen to it again maybe around Halloween, it has that kind of vibe to me.

I remember more song the. I thought I would, still enjoyed them

I usually am a sucker for rockabilly, and this is full of that rhythm. But the lack of melody really is bothersome.

A classic record from a classic band. The punk/psychobilly blended genre has a great sound. It's never grabbed me the way other things adjacent to it has, but it's a good time and a good vibe for sure.

Munster-esque bops

Love the punk vibe but a bit too repetitive

I’ve actually got some leg cramp right now… you could say I’m cramped…. Cramps are kinda like kiss in the way they’re mainly out for the aesthetic and if I want the spooky aesthetic I’d rather listen to agents of fortune by blue öyster cult. Also I am a teenage werewolf is one of those hits that I’m not a huge fan of. One thing I do appreciate is the fact that with their style you can see they have a respect for both rockabilly and Proto punk with their style. Like I completely forgot about the sonics before seeing this album again, I wanna revisit that album now.

This album was a pleasant surprise! I don’t normally go for this kind of psychobilly punk, but "Songs The Lord Taught Us" is a wild, gritty, and fun ride from start to finish. It’s raw, ridiculous, and oddly addictive.

Er rokkabillý skemmtilegt? Það getur sloppið fyrir horn í algjöru hófi, en nei, það er ekki skemmtilegt. Er pönkrokkabillý skemmtilegt? Nei, ekki einu sinni í hófi. Og nei, ekki einu sinni hér.

Pretty uneventful.

Nervtötendes Punk & Psychodellic Album mit kaum ansprechenden Passagen. Trotz des krampfhaften Versuches rockig zu sein, klingt ein Song wie der andere und das nervt.

Good time

Vampire Dick Dale

Absolutely essential record from a completely innessential genre.

What a fun album.

Surprisingly good.

No

Essential punk masterpiece. Lots of things to like about this album if you're looking for something off the beaten path. A real nice Sunday listen.

Mediocre

I find this music rather silly, annoying, and musically uninteresting. But I guess it has some charm.

Was expecting this to be "The Craps" but instead I ended up enjoying this album! 4 ⭐️

I know in certain places this would be blasphemy but The Cramps have never really done it for me. Kind of of once you've heard one you've heard them all. This record did nothing to change my mind. The only thing that saved it is their reputation as a live act

Kind of annoying noisy/distorted/low quality punk but still not bad?

Var en form for punk men har lidt svært ved at placere det. Der var nogle punkede covers af gamle rockklassikere der var meget fede. Modsat deep purple var det meget hook-baseret. Næsten umuligt at høre vokalen. Ved ikke hvor godt på album men sikkert super fedt at være til livekoncert med

Hillbilly Halloween punk. A bit niche, but breezed by.

Good fun rockabilly surf garage rock. Great rolling drums and jumpy guitar licks. Would be awesome live.

It's like Elvis got really smashed and they couldn't get him off the stage.

Πολυ επαναλαμβανομενα κομματια δυστυχως. Σαν να ακουω 1 κομματι 20 φορες. Ενω μαρεσει η punk ενεργεια/ φυση του αλμπουμ δεν ειναι στα γουστα μου. Ρισπεκτ στον φαδερ και οποιον ακουγε εκεινες τις εποχες τετοια μουσικη.

Rockabilly punk, dark atmosphere, songs about werewolves and zombies, a bit 'goth'... definitely neat. I put a couple tracks in my halloween playlist.

I didn't take to this; it sounded extremely dated.

Cool vibe, but it wears thin. Yet somehow many, many bands still tried to steal their thing. This is all about individual songs. As an album, it's average at best. "I Was A Teenage Werewolf" is my favorite.

It was okay. Poor recording quality but then again its early punk so what can we expect.

It was alright. I liked a decent bit of the instrumentals, but the vocals dragged the whole thing. The album blends together a lot but not in a good way, it feels very repetitive.

A slightly worse version of the B-52s. Still a fascinating listen.

3-4

Raw excitement

Surf-horror, just like it says on the label.

Sort of like the more experimental bits of The Clash were concentrated down and mixed with Monster Mash levels of camp. Magnificent.

Rubbish

decent. peppy and silly.

This is one of my favorite bands and this is my favorite album from them. Garbageman is a masterpiece If you don't like this music then you are no fun. Not one person in your life actually likes you because you are so boring and they all talk shit about you when you are not around because of how unfun you are. You need to learn to have some fun and appreciate the great things in life, like this band and this album.

It was okay

Not a bad listen at all but I remember when punk exploded on the music scene and this doesn't even touch the sides when it comes to pink. As a fun rock and roll album, great and the cover of Fever was well done too, but punk? No way

01) TV Set - 5,5 02) Rock on the Moon - 5,5 03) Garbageman - 7,0 04) I Was a Teenage Werewolf - 5,5 05) Sunglasses After Dark - 5,5 06) The Mad Daddy - 5,5 07) Mystery Plane - 5,5 08) Zombie Dance - 5,5 09) What's Behind the Mask - 5,5 10) Strychnine - 5,5 11) I'm Cramped - 7,0 12) Tear It Up - 5,5 13) Fever - 7,0 TOTAL: 5,85 (59/100) Current ranking: 309/376

Not fir me

8/10…psychobilly / punk

3.5 Last song is ass.

I don't care

Interesting mix of genres, well-executed. Good listen, but will probably not end up in my heavy rotation :)

This was like listening to a cover band that played a slightly too long set list at a dive bar. I sort of enjoyed it at first but half through it I was ready to pay uo and leave.

I was expecting more of a horrorcore type style, but I still really liked this. This take on punk is a really interesting one, and definitely one I want to explore more.

Their best record - a different league than the Black Keys album from last month (which was also very good).

Too noisy.

An energetic mess, very entertaining.

Pretty boring. Recognisable guitar sound, but very similar riffs. "Singing" was just yelling. I can imagine people like it but not for me 5/10

Pretty good. I didn't know their style and influence.

Three really bad albums in a row! The perfect imperfect trifecta is completed thanks to The Cramps and their amazing and evocative achievement "Songs The Lord Taught Us". 4 songs in I just gave up - maybe I'm not feeling well today, but this album made it much worse. I'd like to go back the the World where cramps were much more enjoyable than this band.

Not for me. 1/5

psychobilly! weird, quirky vocal delivery, songs with dark themes about monsters and such, low fidelity recordings. this album sounds almost like a mix of the dead kennedys and the misfits. i dig it.

Psychobilly is pretty fun for awhile.

Emo B52's

One of my alltime favourites! It has everything a good record needs. The energy level is constantly high and the lyrics are funny and crazy at the same time. What else do you want?

Yeah, I like this gear too. Kind of a halloween inspired rockabilly surfer jam.

I like punk, but I don't like surf rock, and I think my dislike of surf rock outweighs my liking for punk here. I wanted to enjoy this more, but just didn't.

If Songs the Lord Taught Us is truly divine inspiration, then I’m happy to remain an atheist. This album comes across as a cacophony of substandard musicianship, topped off with tuneless yelps that pass as singing. It’s chaotic, rough around the edges, and, while clearly aiming for a tongue-in-cheek style, it’s a joke that I just don’t find entertaining. I can see that this album has its fans, but the gritty, unpolished quality fails to resonate with me. The Cramps may have built a reputation for this raw, campy style, but, in my view, there’s a fine line between endearing and unbearable. Here, unfortunately, it lands on the latter. Standout Song: None Score: 1/5

Brash, energetic, surprisingly musical, and deeply enjoyable.

31/10/24 Not my thing, but a fun album.

Диковатое рокабилли, такое готическое и немного более одноплановое, чем хотелось бы. Лучшая песня - Fever.

A bunch of punks got depressed and bought a hollow body guitar... The result isn't half bad, but I will be fine with one listen.

not enjoyable, very angsty, spencer might love it

Fun Rockabilly punk

It's fun, but I don't see myself coming back to listen again. I really don't know here. I want to like it more than I actually do. 3/5 feels appropriate.

This was a fun album to listen to. Noisy, brash, and with crazy lyrics. I won't be adding it to my collection but I liked it a lot. Four stars.

It's been quite a ride over the past three days. The New York Dolls on Sunday and the Cramps on Tuesday and Beck's Odelay in between. I didn't realize that I was a fan of punk. The Cramps throw in some rockabilly which I have always been drawn to. They have a spooky Halloween feel to some of their songs which seems appropriate since Halloween is a two days away. Good stuff!

love the cramps just so fuzzy and dirty.

Messy and energetic, I love it. Finished the first track and it's already 4/5. Very thrashy, very lo-fi. Classic punk sound. I always find this kind of music enjoyable. Definitely 4/5, maybe even higher.

The first and forever greatest psychobilly record ever made. The Lord hath taught The Cramps well.

I found Psychobilly later in life and enjoy it live, but this was not as enjoyable.

Ok. Not great

As performance art, it’s pretty good…as music it’s not good.

Look, it's kitschy fun. Actually good?🤷 But fun... Sure. I think the 3 is about right, personally.

I was a teenage werewolf Braces on my fangs I was a teenage werewolf And no one even said thanks And no one made me stop I had a teen-land mind I had to blow my top And under teen full moon No one could make me stop No one could make me stop A teenage werewolf A parallel bars A teenage girlfriend Got a lot of scars Somebody please, make me stop Please, stop You know, I have puberty rights And I have puberty wrongs No one understood me All my teeth were so long Ooh, and no one made me stop No, good God A Mid-west monster Of the highest grade All my teachers thought It was growing pains, oh no no Ahh, somebody stop this pain The 80's were a great time to be weird. 4/5

This group truly has a unique sound and I'm surprised I've never heard of them before now. I'm not sure many would've thought to combine rockabilly and punk rock together, but that's what we have here. It strangely works too, though I'm sure it might be polarizing to some. When you look closer, both genres are similar in that they are generally stripped down instrumentally, utilizing some sort of sound distortion or echo/reverb as an effect, feature fast tempos, and were "not for the kids" so to speak. As far as The Cramps' take, it all sounds pretty raw and a bit disjointed at first. That's by design though, given this mesh of rockabilly and punk that was introduced. It's frantic and a little spooky. Fitting, as I'm getting this album as we approach Halloween. Tracks like "Zombie Dance" and "I Was A Teenage Werewolf" would fit in nicely into any spooky playlist. These guys probably deserved a bit more commendation too, given their influence and reach on early and later punk rock.

Eh

I can see why this is on the list, the weird punk / glam / rockabilly hybrid is certainly unique I didn't enjoy it, the songs all sound very samey and the vocals are irritating. The only track that adds something is Fever which is the closer, and I'd checked out by then

A hoot.

I very much did not enjoy this.

Not entirely bad, but mostly

Ugh. Having a hard time coming up with anything redeeming about this. I guess the whole psychobilly schtick is interesting, but man is it unpleasant to listen to. Vocals are impossible to understand, the guitars sound like they were recorded over AM radio with a broken speaker. Just not for me at all.

I like the rockabilly/surf punk vibe they are going for, but the production on this thing is awful and abrasive. I got used to it by the end, but because of that, I probably won't listen again. I'll just put on B-52s, Stray Cats, or Dead Kennedys. I'm going to guess this gets a very low user rating. Favorite track: Sunglasses After Dark.

This album was released way too late for this sound to be even mildly original anymore. In general just mid, I thought. 5.5 / 10

For the amount of good stuff I’ve heard about the cramps, this album was disappointing to say the least. Vocalist was bad and the lyrics were just plain nonsense.

The Lord taught us? TheybLord prayed for you to stop!

no de mi agrado corte elvis

Love this album. Always a spooky good time and love the banter at the start of teenage Werewolf

Jesus, What did this sound like before the remastering? I do like the Cramps, they are 1 of 1 when it comes to deconstructed honky tonk with a singer who seems to be perpetually on the run from vengeful ghosts.

not my cup of tea

When goths go to the beach

Not as good as I remember it

This was fine. 2.9

I am glad to hear this record and need more, fast.

Raw sound and weird energy. Enjoyed well enough

While I like the idea of The Cramps, the product is a bit come-and-go for me. It has a minimal appeal. Camp is always borderline with me. Are you edging too far into the different for different's sake? Or weird for weird's sake. Hard to listen to a whole album's worth. Attitude on its own only goes so far before it becomes just tedious.

Fridays and Saturdays- 1980s - elbow dancing to the Cramps in a hot and sweaty club. That”s my youth right there.

The Cramps are great but this is not my favorite album. Great music for all us punks and creepy kids. I love the raw, surf music mixed with catchy lyrics that you "sing" even if you don't want to.

I think the Cramps were one of Tiger Army’s influences.

I like the description and the notion of The Cramps a lot more than I like the music of The Cramps.

I dig their whole psycho-billy thing. It's fun and playful and somehow dangerous at the same time. It's new, it's old, it's exciting. The singer is great. Like Johnny Rotten or Karen O, he's so much a part of the sound, it can be a bit overwhelming, but most of the time I was perfectly whemled. Wish they had a standup bass—or any bass—to flesh out the sound. But what do I know?

Blondie lite

The Cramps came on my radar after Goo Goo Muck was featured on the Netflix show Wednesday. I've wanted to check out more of their stuff, so I was excited when they showed up on my review list. I loved it and will listen again.

Garbage

Well, this is sorta rocky fun, not as good as Echo and the Bunnymen or the B52s, but very similar. Could use a writer and some variations of tone and pace.

No surprises here - exactly what you would expect from the cramps

Punk yelling no

Rock-a-Billy / almost B-52s feel on some songs

Very energetic and intense, got some of those classic sounds mixed in. Made me want to dance. Really liked some of the tracks, and when it was good it was really good. The stuff I like. I ended up wanting more tracks. Highlights: Rock On The Moon Garbageman The Mad Daddy Mystery Plane Strychnine

Good music. Garage rock with lots of fusion of sounds like Gothic.

Pretty middle of the road for me when it comes to punk albums. Like most of the punk I listen to, I like the instrumentals and the production itself but find the vocals annoying and irritating and this album was no exception. Favourite song: Sunglasses after dark

Spooky Elvis music. *Heard before

Wilder Rock 2/5

Some great stuff, pretty raw and fun. Less convinced by some of the more rockabilly stuff, but hard to argue against what the band is doing with it all.

Love this album! Not every song is top notch, but those who are, really are! A unique band

Ok album. Didn't know I heard Fever (The Hangover).

Toe-tapping psychobilly. I loved this from start to finish!

Fun, rockabilly style with some garage rock. Vocalist Lux Interior (RIP) has a very unique sound. Including this with monster-filled lyricism makes for a fun and weird album.

A perfect dark side match to the B52s.

I like the drum intro. This is a lot of fun. I like the jangly rock sound with the goofy lyrics. I wish the words were a little clearer and easier to understand. The energy is great.

Simple concept... What if 1950s rock and roll was as depraved as Christian America feared? The answer... IT WOULD BE AS AWESOME AS YOU'D IMAGINE! Side note - Lux Interior may be the greatest stage name ever.

Absolutely love The Cramps. Everybody should. Distilled rock n roll chaos. Met my beloved after she'd been to see them and she excitedly told me about seeing Lux's bare arse. I showed her this record this afternoon and she got shivers so it had quite the impact. The riffs in I Was A Teenage Werewolf are ABSOLUTELY FILTHY and I love it. Lux yelps like he's insane and I love it. And noone even said "Thanks"(!!!) There probably isn't a perfect Cramps album but they're all good and contain 2 or 3 stone cold bangers (Sunglasses After Dark here), and this one is popular. Resurgence in popularity thanks to Wednesday, I really hope Ivy is rolling royalty cheques now.

Kuullostaa ihan hirveältä. Jotkut kappaleet yrittää kummiskin kuullostaa ees hyvältä. Jotain sekopää rokkia. Parhaat: I Was A Teenage Werewolf,

If you took all the Ramones, Misfits, and Cramps t-shirts in the world and piled them up horizontally, you could reach the moon and back three times. I completely made that stat up, but the fact that it feels vaguely believable shows just how ubiquitous these bands—or rather, their logos—have become. While all three are rooted in punk, share a fascination with the macabre, and have been portrayed as oddball figures, it’s The Cramps who, at least to my ears, have the least accessible sound. Let’s get it out of the way: The Cramps are weird and chaotic. Not exactly what you’d put on while driving your grandmother to run errands. But if we were to measure an artist's worth solely by their appeal to octogenarians, not many albums would make the cut. For those of us who thrive on weird and chaotic, Songs The Lord Taught Us is the perfect way to occasionally let loose. The album takes 1950s rock and surf music, injects an (un)healthy dose of horror movie schtick, and creates a sound that, even 40-plus years later, feels a bit left of centre. It’s Halloween music that you can (and should) play year-round, with its spooky atmosphere and campy, theatrical energy. Reverb-heavy guitars and Lux Interior's echoing, wild vocals make parts of this album sound unhinged—in the best possible way. While the psychotic surf rock vibe might get a bit exhausting over a full album, this record inspired a long list of modern acts, including The White Stripes, Queens of the Stone Age, Nick Cave, Ty Segall, and The Hives. For me, that’s a net positive. Did/Do I own this release? No Does this release belong on the list? YES Would this release make my personal list? If I am being honest, probably not Will I be listening to it again? infrequently.

Every song sounded the same

Jack White must have been a fan

yeah I don’t care

Important for the development of psychobilly, but doesn't come off particularly well with age. I wish they had a bit better equipment to record and produce the album so it feels more full. Going to the bands' page and learning about Lux and Poison made the whole experience better. Definitely not your average band

Wanted to like it, but didn't get there

I actually like this way more than I was expecting to. It reminds me of a John Waters movie. Rockabilly punk (punkabilly?) that doesn't take itself too seriously. I like how high-energy it all is!

A little goofy but the instrumentals are pretty good. Basically if the monster mash was a whole album with better backing instrumentals.

This is so much fun. Love this band. Enjoying this way more than expected. It’s fucking rad. Atmospheric, sexy, cinematic vampire Rockabilly. No one can do it like they did. No flaws. 5/5

It was alright. Nothing special. They have one song and it wasnt even this album.

Punk is a vast world of various genre fusions that definitely makes it one of the most over encompassing spaces in music. But it’s truthfully not one I find much interest in. There are very few punk records that I have been super on board with. It’s why Another Music in a Different Kitchen stood out so much. That album felt like it was made for me. I also haven’t heard too many big names yet. No Bad Brains or Dead Kennedys. I get that Sex Pistols count. But I’ve probably spoken enough about why I don’t like them by now. I guess you could make the argument that this album is anything but normal punk music. Which wouldn’t be totally wrong. It’s more like punk for the kids who are obsessed with Halloween. The only experience I’ve previously had with “psychobilly” is The Gun Club. Which was ok, I guess. But probably still better than this. This released in 1980. The 80s were very much the decade for punk. And it’s when everything really took off. Some of its best releases came out within a year of this. But I wouldn’t lob this into that group. It’s a strange set of rather simple songs, that feel very flat most of the time. But it has a dark and twisted sense of lyricism. It’s sort of a glimpse into the early workings of what The Cure would do better only a few years later on Pornography. It’s just as overtly and creepily sexual and hedonistic as Nico on the Velvet Underground debut. I mean, the husband-and-wife duo that leads the band are named Lux Interior and Poison Ivy respectively. If that doesn’t give you a good idea of what this is like, I don’t know what will. But it’s not that entertaining to say the least. And something I will not be coming back to. Rating: 4/10

Jeez, no thanks! Not good punk rock. In fact, very bad punk rock. It might actually have been OK if it had come in at 25 minutes or something, like the recent-ish Minor Threat album, but it dragged on, and that's the one thing the genre isn't meant to do.

Feisty. Yelly. Chaotic. Stresses me out. Ok I tried. I can’t.

Ehh.. it’s alright. Has its moments.

This makes me think the Lord must have been asleep at the wheel, because whatever they were taught in Sunday school clearly didn't take. I can appreciate bands leaning into lo-fi camp and schlocky B-movie horror tropes with the best of them, but here the whole psychobilly novelty wears razor thin within minutes, collapsing into a disjointed, muddy mess of cheap gimmicks and grating noise. The rhythm section is amateurish, the guitars clash, and the deranged screeching is exhausting. Their sluggish take on "Fever" highlights a total lack of songwriting craft; being deliberately sloppy isn't the same as being good. It’s an abrasive test of endurance.

Psychobilly and rockabilly are silly, stupid subgenres. I’m too much of a Hardcore Kid™️ to even stomach it. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t at least respect The Cramps. And if there was just a shift here or there, I could really love them. The best moments on Songs The Lord Taught Us are the ones that either veer far enough away from the path of pastiche that it sounds actually punk, like “Garbageman” and “Mystery Plane,” or, more frequently, where they use reverence as an excuse to reinvent, like “Strychnine” and “Fever.” I’d say about half the album hits these marks, and with the added layer of goth/horror-obsessed lyrics, I’m satisfied. Maybe not sold, but content, or at least not angry. 
Unfortunately, the other half of this album is strictly pastiche, like all rockabilly tends to be. It’s not bad for pastiche, honestly, but it’s still bland, because it’s still, by definition, unoriginal. Couple that with the pretty rough production throughout and the lack of bass to fill out the literal sound of this album, and I’m pretty close to being actually angry. This split opinion is interesting, but at the end of the day, I still think psychobilly and rockabilly are silly, stupid subgenres. I don’t hate Songs The Lord Taught Us, but I’m not going out of my way to buy a glittery hollow-body that could match some thrifted Go-Go boots and a latex poodle skirt, y’know?

Good album. I found the psychobilly sound really interesting. There's a horror campiness to the album with excellent guitar licks and some psychedelic influence. ***

Bizarre, weird and fantastical. Horror movie music in the oddest sense, theres not really a way to describe this album beyond rocky horror picture show and honestly thats a great thing. Im giving this album such a strong score partly because theres nothing quite like it ive listened to so far, its fun its original and its bold.

Sort of punky, I enjoyed this a decent amount, not 100% sure I'd ever listen to again but it was fun

Taught by the Lord of Trash, but damn if it ain't a treasure for all.

p454. 1980. 3 stars Surfer/rockabilly/punk hybrid with a love of B-movie tropes and sense of humour. Points deducted for the lack of variety and the redundant covers.

Amazing album. Psychobilly and punk classic. All the songs are really energetic and have this nice country rock 'n roll twang to them.

I felt the urge to upchuck -I cannot resist the temptation to go out and buy this album and defeate on it…

i had heard some of these songs before and I love them. I was lucky to get to see The Cramps live in 1994 in SLC and it was such a fun night. One of the all time great live experiences I've had.

Decent, interesting to hear a rock album with no bass. Lots of covers on this album which detracts a bit for me, but good musicians and the music wasn't grating. Like the singer's voice.

rockabilly

Psychobilly isn't my favourite offshoot of punk. That said, this was OK. Liked the their rendition of Fever. But I can only take so much of the rest. Fine but not outstanding.

Cool

.

If these are the songs that The Lord taught The Cramps, then why did He leave us with all the banal preachy ones? Running roughshod for all of fifty-three minutes, bonus tracks and all, The Cramps give us some of the most ragged and demented punk-laden rockabilly that's at once psychotic and confrontational. Surging with adrenaline, Songs The Lord Taught Us ensures itself that it can stay imprinted in the brain of the listener and never leave. Lord have mercy.

What the fuck is this. It has the makings of a great album but just stays slightly shy of achieving those goals. Neo-Rockabilly isn't something I had heard of before this, and one that I hope to not hear much from again...

Ganske ait hørte ikke alle remixene tho

Kind of fun, kind of strange & disturbing.

Honestly, I really quite liked it, band seems very very cool

Rockabilly undead beach party! Love it. Absolutely deserves a spot on this list.

Uninspiring

A total classic of pent up sexual frustration and swampy punk rockabilly. An absolute essential release, and one of my favorite albums of all time.

Ookey spooky Halloween band with kitschy oddball tracks that creep and crawl their way into your haunted house playlist. Classic camp galore.

Good shit

I loved this. I was aware of The Cramps from the Bad Music For Bad People album cover that you see on t-shirts everywhere. But for some reason, I'd never been exposed to the music. But this is the kind of garage punk that I can sink my teeth into. Songs The Lord Taught Us is deeply indebted to 1950s rock, 1960s garage rock, r&b and surf, 1970s punk, and classic Universal Monster movies. I love the lo-fi sound. I love the energy. I love the obvious influence of Link Wray. I want to hear more.

Not high-brow but awesome for what it is.

Stone cold classic - love the cramps

I like the Cramps… but the vocals are so buried… and it was way too long. Why the repeated tracks?

I used to really like these but I’m not sure why. Perhaps I had a greatest hits or something. Some songs are excellent, the others just merge into one. When they are good they are really good, but when they arent they sound a bit like that band Rodney put together in Only Fools and Horses. I think my problem is they verge at times too much on the novelty for me, and they really needent. I’m sure they arent arsed though, they made one hell of a career out of it.

Not really sure about this psychobilly stuff, quite interesting for a track or two but there really isn't anywhere for it to go so you get a dozen variations of the same song. I don't mind the sound of it but it Im not a convert.

The psychobilly genre is not for me. I struggled to pinpoint why I didn't like this album, as it wasn't particularly long, or irritating, and the music and singing was just fine. I maybe found it uninspired - appreciate they started the type of music, but you can't force yourself to like something. Plus it is all far too long and repetitive.

Not sure this is my thing. Reminded me of the rocky horror picture show somehow. A bit showy Don't think this "psychobilly" thing is for me. Not terrible, but not for me. 2

3.65 rym inutile 1/5

Boring

Until this day I had never heard The Cramps and it is now one of my chief regrets. 4 out of 5.

Every song is the same vibe, which is great if you vibe with that vibe, not so great if you don’t.

Not bad, but mostly background listening for minor characters in Grease who don't get to hear all the main songs

Nada relevante. Por lo general suena como un grupo que utiliza un poco la música como entretenimiento, pero no tiene a priori un mensaje muy profundo ni una música que llame especialmetne. Bastante repetitivo a mi gusto en general y nada a destacar, parece algo que haya oído mil veces en otros grupos, pero más estruendoso y hacer ruido por hacer. No me ha llamado nada la atención.

The only Cramps song I had heard before this album was Goo Goo Muck on the Wednesday TV show. So this is new to me. I liked this album it was fun with funny lyrics from a band that don't take themselves too serious

Didn’t consistently enjoy this. I did get into it for bits and pieces, but it feels longer than it’s 38 minutes. Not sure if it’s the singer or the fact that they didn’t have enough ideas to fill an album.

I guess we’re not supposed to take this too seriously, but that being the case it’s surprisingly not that fun to listen to. Maybe it’s the production, maybe it’s the songs, but it’s all a bit samey and uninspiring to me.

It’s shit, but I’m really liking covers of “Fever” by Little Wille John!! 1.5

3 - Not sure, kind of cool but also just meh

Mostly just cra(m)p clammy goth new wave. Not doing it for me. 2.4/5

Every home should have one.

Not for me

#42 is an album I had already listened to. The covers are fine.

I don't know. It sounded cool in the beginning, but got annoying after a while. 2.4*

Didn’t mind this, but nothing special

Boring and not particularly pleasant to listen to. Glad it finished.