Reviews (page 6 of 8)
It's a no from me. I've already completely forgotten about this album
This did absolutely nothing for me
Gave up half way through. Don’t get rockabilly/psychabilly… seems a bit sillybilly.
Stray Cats did this ramshackle rockabilly chaos better. As did the Clash.
Rockabilly, kinda fun
cute but no
No variety, everything sounds the same
My ears cramped
While I wouldn’t choose to go listen to this album again, it is indicative of the time it was written in and for those that are fans of this kind of music, I can see why it has been Included in this list. It probably influenced many bands along the way.
Just annoying. I don't understand. It sounds like birds the word.
Kind of a weird album. Some of the songs were very different then each other
Punk, new wave with some rock-a-Billy thrown in. Enjoyable album.
This is fun for one track This is not fun for more than one track
Dick Dale/Link Wray Gitarren mit bisschen Punk und grusligem Psychadellic Gesang. Ganz gut aber nicht der Hammer. 3-4
This is a great album and massive fun to listen to. I regret never having seen The Cramps live! Standout tracks are TV Set, Garbageman and Fever, but the album as a whole is just a great listen throughout and a nice mix of covers and originals.
Nor enjoyable at all
It's okay, a decent debut but there's not a lot to grab onto really. Their energy is good, but I didn't love all of the performances. But it was solid, I can't hate on it really. Fav songs: - Garbageman - I Was A Teenage Werewolf
Fine
I've always thought of The Cramps as a fun band with their whole trashy-goth rock-a-billy thing, but I've never been able to enjoy a whole record start to finish. This is true of Songs The Lord Taught Us though it comes the close to delivering that experience.
Crampy
Los ramones
God bless the punk rock movement. God bless rock-a-billy . And God bless the Cramps for bringing the two together. The Cramps should be thanked and credited with keeping it simple. Great toe tapping and head bobbing music. Loved every second. Music doesn't need to be polished, technical and pretty to be amazing! Liked it so much I was sad when it was over.... Time to relisten! .
Really solid garage-y rock with plenty of offbeat subject matter and creative lyrics! Loved this one.
If Meatloaf’s character Eddie from Rocky Horror Picture Show recorded an album produced by Riff Raff, l think you’d get The Cramps. I enjoyed this album more when they leaned into minor chords. The major chord screaming songs got very old very quickly.
Enjoyable, tongue in cheek. Some great singles too
I didn't like this album. The vocals are unintelligible, the instruments are boring, the mix is awful. It's deep fried rockabilly. Awful, nasty, and I think it took time off my life. 2/10 Would I listen again? No
With the exception of the remake, pretty much every song is the same with slightly faster or slower tempo… Something of a one Trick Pony, and the trick ain’t that good?
As for The Cramps “Songs The Lord Taught Us” – they are definitely original and unique sounding – though pretty simple and basic, and there really wasn’t much diversity throughout the album, as most songs sorta sounded the same… Nothing special here, and the best track IMOP is “I’m Cramped” – and really thought they did a great job with their cover of “Fever”… Would probably give this a 1.25 if I could, but that’s it for this garage punk band…
Despite being pretty much garbage as far as I'm concerned, it's lucky to narrowly escape a 1 star rating, but only because the bluesy instrumentation was tolerable.
This album is really fun. It's just goth, rockabilly all the way through. Every song puts me into the mind of vintage monster movies in the best way. It's a cool vibe that I enjoyed a lot.
2/5
It's the Cramps. I liked it and it brought back memories of the early 80's.
I love Kate bush and this is her at her best
I'm not sure why this album was made; it's got a monsters and aliens theme with a punk rock sound. Nothing about any of those things appeals to me. On the plus side, the songs were all short; on the downside, there were a lot of them.
The first time through I was ready to dismiss this as 80's trash. Too much weird for the sake of weird, too much random noise, too much kitsch. But after the next couple listens it started growing on me. I started to dig that psychobilly groove. Not enough for me to throw this album on again probably, but it ended up being an enjoyable listen.
This is solid. I love punk. I love surf rock. I don't like rockabilly. I like horror. I like horniness. Overall this hits a lot of the right notes. The issue is it gets a little samey and is probably too kitschy to listen to with any regularity. Still, it's good to know this is out there.
Spicy blues a la Sex Pistols. Good but it doesen't strike me as as memorable
Inte så bra.
I've always wanted to like the Cramps a lot more than I do, they really do nail few songs so well but they also have some really just dull songs, at least in the studio. As a live yes there great, they would put on a killer show. Musically for the whole album a 3 but originality get's them to a 4. Curious if a Meteors album will pop up, same sound. same era but British.
I love The Cramps and I love this record. They were just so out there and committed to being only what they wanted. Whatever that was. I guess a B-horror movie punk-a-billy outfit.
I love this weird mix of punk and rockabilly. I also dig how two genres of music at the same time were watching too many horror movies. Instead of the vampire macabre of the goths, this is straight creature feature b-movie.
I like late 70s and early 80s punk rock. And I like this album. Nice mix of some rockabilly with the punk on this one.
Je comprends l'attrait et clairement pour les grands fans de gothic ça doit être un album essentiel, mais pour moi ça ne m'a pas particulièrement accroché. J'ai trouvé qu'il manquait un peu de couches et d'atmosphère que j'ai d'habitude dans les autres trucs goth que j'aime. À revisiter quand même. 6/10
Nope, this was awful, plodding horrible drums, nasty rockabilly guitar, dreadful vocals. I can't think of anything I liked about this, so it gets 1 star.
I imagine seeing these live would’ve been great fun, but sat in my living room listening to a whole album didn’t really do it for me.
If these are the songs that the Lord taught you, well I'm sorry but he's just not a very good musician. I had higher hoper given the Halloween, zombie visuals and song titles but most of this was very one note.
It was an interesting listen, not what I expected. I couldn’t get too into it though. The songs were fine and unique enough to warrant a spin, but it didn’t grab me and I don’t feel the need to listen again.
Great re-listen
Fun but nothing to me that really stood out as exceptional. I can see how they became an influence to bands that followed, but I wouldn't bother listening to this again.
Rating this album halfway through and it’s been awful so far but not the worst…close though
Pretty much a one-trick pony of an album, but I greatly enjoy that one trick. Sort of like an audio version of a music history chart going from 1950 to 1980. I'm guessing this one's going to have a lower average/global rating on here, but for me it's an easy 3.75 (rounding up to a 4) Favorites: TV Set, Mystery Plane, Fever
medium funny punk rock
A strange one, but fun in some places
Shitty and sliced my finger
If Tom Waits had ever been a teenager, particularly an unoriginal teenager with no particular talent that started a garage band after seeing The Misfits, he may have sounded something like this record.Link Wray's brain damaged children. I'm sure they were fun at the time. Rather pointless. Mostly harmless.
Not sure how to clasify this exactly. It was a little bit interesting and worth a listen.
Actual sewer dweller music
love the Cramps and this age of punk music
Very cool vibe to this album, the rockabilly without the stupid look, they had their own more original stupid look(that I love and think improves the whole package).
Did not expect to like this album as much as I did. I guess this is termed as "psycho-billy" instead of Rockabilly, and honestly I don't know that you need to listen to any other examples of the genre. This is it. They nailed it, and the album is a consistent sound that kicks balls.
2.9 almost my cup of tea!
The band and singer reminded me of The Damned a lot. I think I was kind of expecting that, but they seemed a little... sloppier (didn't think that was possible for a punk band, but there you go)? Even so, I thought there were moments that reminded me of early Damned albums. But then there were moments of... yikes. I guess I've gotten old, but it just seems too over the top, like the cover of "Fever." Good, but not WOW good. Top tracks " I Was A Teenage Werewolf."
Reminded me of The Gun Club with that jangly punk sound. But not as good. I guess I should expect multiple entries for a genre and this one (psychobilly apparently) gets another. At times I also thought about Nick Cave, probably more for the lyrical imagery (horror, occult) but also some of the vocal snarlings. Vocals also reminiscent of Iggy Pop. Not bad, but again not as good as the referent artists. Still some good beats to tap a foot to and they do a decent job with the rockabilly thing. Garbageman and I Was a Teenage Werewolf were my favorite tracks. They do a decent cover of Fever too.
Fun album that sounds like the soundtrack from a 50's horror movie retrospective. Most of the album sounds like the same thing over and over, but it's a good same thing (except for some noisy sloppy guitar solos). Solid 3 - I enjoyed listening, wouldn't seek it out again. Favorite tracks - Garbageman, Zombie Dance, Fever (good cover). Favorite lyrics: "My daddy's unidentified / my mom says I just appeared inside / Looks like a case of hit and run / but off the record it's no fun" (from Mystery Plane), "I'm cramped / I'm cramped / I'm cramped/ I'm cramped / I'm cramped / I'm cramped / I'm cramped / I'm cramped / I'm cramped" (from I'm Cramped).
Nope. Can’t get past the screeching guitar and screaming lyrics. I know Punk Rock is a music genre but why?????
Didn’t enjoy this one. They took the beloved rockabilly guitar tones and textures of the 50s and morphed it into punk garage rock… with sloppy results. “Garbageman” was the one exception for me: its spooky rhythm was engaging and had a nice atmospheric vibe that was mesmerizing, but that was about it.
The cramps have a “je ne sais quoi” about them. They shouldn’t really work. But they do. And their musical influence is clear if you like rock & roll or indie or grunge. They just don’t seem to be trying very hard and that’s what makes it so effortlessly cool.
This list of albums seems to be heavily weighted towards one genre...
Garage Punk, chulo.
#214. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that. One of the reviews said they were like the B52s meets the Addams Family, and I think that sounds about right. This was weirdly fantastic. 4/5: yes *this is the twenty fourth album I purchased from this list. Song added to playlist: I Was a Teenage Werewolf I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link
Repetitive and in that aspect very punkish in its delivery. Most of it comes off as raising Elvis from the dead, but it gets that rebelliousness back in his wake, and while it doesn't do much for me, you can still respect the craft. It's fuzzy, noisy, and very slimy, and I think that is exactly the style the Cramps wanted. I think it could've just benefited from either a way shorter run time or more thought put into each individual song. Do yourself a favor if you haven't already, and listen to Human Fly by this group, as it gives off the exact same vibe while being leagues better and still pretty short. In conclusion, average LGBTQIA+ friend group.
Alussa oli enemmän goottivibaa, jota kaipasin levyn edetessä selvemmin punkrockin seuraksi. Hyvä laulu, hyvää intoa, biisejäkin osaavat kirjoittaa. Ilo kuunnella, mutta jos tosiaan olisi gootimpaa, olisi persoonallisempaa ja palaisin varmemmin kuuntelemaan.
Hyvä soundi mutta mitä väliä. Musiikki on parhaimmillaan silloin, kun bändi lähestyy eniten sitä 50-lukua, jonka imagollisia käytäntöjä vääntelemällä he pyrkivät esittämään itsensä kiinnostavina. Silti tonk-tonk-tonk-tonk ja täng-täng-täng-täng käyvät raskaaksi.
Not bad, but kind of feels like a watered down Misfits.
They have good energy. I bet they were fun to see live. The songs themselves are OK.
The first song or two, I was like: This is a fun rockabilly sound. By song 5, I had my fill amd was wishing they'd switch things up more. Not bad, just too same-same. They may have been pioneers of this sound, but it's now been so heavily done by other bands this feels unoriginal.
Lo fi rockabilly with some monster mash vibes. Not bad, but not really my thing - and just too much of a sameness as the album wore on.
weird gimmick halloween 60s rock. teenage werewolf
I was very excited for this to be over! Not my type of thing. No headaches from this, but not really anything worth returning to for me and my delicate sensibilities.
Sleazy, scuzzy B-Movie songs abound and how trashy they are - exactly what a touchstone of the psychobilly genre should be. Slap back echo, movie monsters and Elvis goes Goth vocals. Best Tracks: I Was a Teenage Werewolf; Strychnine; Fever
Irgendwie cool. Schön rockig und trashig.
I was already at university when a mate told me about this band; the bloke was really into the rockabilly scene, which seemed a bit of a paradox at the time and already a bit outdated (1989 - 1990). But I found their songs quite funny. With this project, I’m finding myself with an increasingly strong punk side! My problem is that I can’t listen to this sort of music for very long at a stretch - that is, an album or two, fine, I have a right good laugh and it gives me energy! A whole week of this and I find myself throwing up my guts… Anyway, a 4 for the good bits and -1 for the rest
Love me some goth punk
Some over the top rockabilly by a deranged sexually disordered bunch of freaks. It's a delight!
This is a great debut from the inimitable Cramps, led by the sadly departed Lux Interior and the vampish Poison Ivy. The concert I attended at Hammersmith Palais in 1985 still stands out as the greatest gig I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing! Some might say that their music is purely derivative, one dimensional rehashed rock 'n' Roll, but it's so much more than that! The humour and wordplay evident in so many of their songs is as big a feature as the raucous performances and Lux's manic screams. Standouts here are 'I was a teenage werewolf' and the riff-tastic 'Sunglasses after dark'. There's a fine portrait of the band in Kid Congo Power's excellent recent memoir, and for those who want to delve further into the band's oeuvre, I would recommend the follow up album, 'Psychedelic jungle' and the live set 'Smell of female'. The band weren't pc or subtle but were so entertaining and powerful. Check it out! After all, any band who can release an album called 'Look mom no head' surely deserves half an hour of anyone's attention!chance
Psychobilly!! 1950s rock n roll / rockabilly meets..whatever awesome pushover shit this is
Cool bands, cool songs, I dig The Cramps goth rockabilly punk vibes.
Yeah totally fine but wasn't that fussed. Maybe need to pay more attention
This wasn't bad, generally my cup of tea but I didn't like it as much as I thought I would to be honest.
Very rockabilly, very DIY. I wish the vocals sounded a little more thought-out and the production was a little more intentional, but solid debut from a band that would help solidify a whole subgenre.
Ik vind dit een beetje vreemde muziek. Best slecht eigenlijk. *
i like the cramps but man 40 minutes of them is a bit much and nothing on here is as good as whats on gravest hits. still good though. 7/10
Eh, wouldn't turn it on again. Best song on the album is a cover.
Oh god, if your unfamiliar with the music of this time you might think this has a few worthy elements to it. However if you know this time in space you know the cramps were the the crusty part of an infected scrotal pustule
A bit one note. Enjoyable but it dragged on too long
I feel like this is for people that really like the B52’s but are a little bit shy. Not really my thing.
Sort of a more hardcore version of the B 52’s.
The Cramps rings a bell but not sure I’m just imagining that. Rock album from 1980. Quite a decent start. It’s alright but nothing special. So far a 3.
Decent enough
It was weird (but I had a feeling it would be). At times I dug the weirdness (The Mad Daddy) and other times it was a little too weird for me (Mystery Plane and I am a Teenage Werewolf). I appreciated that the music was something outside my comfort zone but it pulled from genres that I could appreciate. Side note...the individuals in this band would be fascinating to travel with and follow around. I don't think I would fully understand their outlook on life and the world, but it would be fascinating to learn about it and experience it for at least a short amount of time!
I'll just be upfront about this. I own 6 Cramps albums. But this is not one of them. I recommend Bad Music for Bad People. It's a compilation of all of their best early stuff. The sound wasn't very good on this album. I know it's supposed to sound trashy but it felt like Lux's vocals were kinda buried. Garbageman is one of my favorite songs.
I love The Cramps for their campy fun. They fall into whatever genre you want to call them, The B-52’s, and The Slits. Rockabilly. Or Post Punk I guess. It’s like they are all weird for weird sake.
This had a fun energy. Weird, but not unlistenably weird. Had some good grooves! The 50s/60s bop vibe was neato in some of the tracks too.
I guess I can appreciate its place, and it has a cool roomy aesthetic to it, but is possibly a tad too rock and roll/straight ahead for me. Favourite tracks: The Mad Daddy, Tear It Up.
4/5. Angry punk and rockabilly. I have no idea what he is saying ever but I did enjoy the energy for sure. It's almost scary at times with the ambience, like the Crickets mixed with Tom Waits. It's a little aggressive at times and although I do dig it at times, the vibe can throw me off a little. No doubt, I do really like this, especially Fever, Teenage Werewolf, and Garbageman, just gotta be in the mood for sure.
Feels like something that would be on in the background of the diner scene in pulp fiction.
They sound like a bootleg Elvis Presley.
Songs the Lord Taught Us The Cramps, a band I’m aware of as being very influential and much loved, but I’m not sure I could name one of their songs. I must have heard at least one of them but not that I can recall. Pretty interested to hear this though. I thought it might be a bit thrashy in a Germs kind of way, but actually it’s a great garage rock n roll rockabilly Carl Perkins surf punk thing. I really liked its immediacy, where the enthusiasm and attitude are more important than the musical proficiency. The Alex Chilton production is great - exactly what the songs and band need. I really love the buzzy tone of the lead guitars and the whole echoey sound, all with the drums bashing away at the back. The cover of Fever is excellent, the riff picked out in the guitar with loads of echo and the sharp lead parts. You can hear how influential it was on that 2000s kind of garage revival. I bet the Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Hives, Raveonettes, Black Keys, White Stripes, Kills etc would all name it as an influence. I can also hear a bit of Nick Cave, particularly on Fever. Maybe not the best from a pure musical/technical point of view, but that’s not really the point. I thought this was great - rough, loose, direct, dynamic. Just what you want from this kind of album from this kind of band. ⭐⭐⭐⭐️
Raw, rockabilly 80's punk. Love, love, love it.
One of my favorite bands as a kid. I still think Bad Music For Bad People is superior overall, but then it's essentially a greatest "hits" album so wouldn't make it onto this list. The debut is still fun, maybe a bit repetitive. 3.5.
Pretty standard rockabilly song structure but the camp horror-themed lyrics help them stand out. I like their style, marking this album down for lack of variety though.
Huh.
A bit one note, but it's an enjoyable note. A nice dose of psychobilly which was, overall, a lot of fun.
This is awful. 1
If the lord taught you these songs you have a false God.
I liked this but I like some terrible stuff. You'd need to be in the right mood, but this took me right back to a specific time and place. It feels strongly genetically linked to my genre horcrux, Horror Country.
I enjoyed the nostalgia of this album. I didn’t think I would enjoy a whole album of psychobilly rock but I did! Probably wouldn’t go looking for it, but it was nice to find it! Again - fuck those bonus tracks!
I might be a bit into this if I was in the right mood, but today is not that day. I got through about half and will revisit it another time - giving it 3 in anticipation
1/10 terrible but not as bad as the sex pistols
I highly doubt The Lord taught them any of those songs. I couldn’t understand a single word they were saying behind the garbage disposal concoction of guitar and other music. Did not enjoy this at all
Ganz lustig.
Elvis wäre stolz gewesen 😊
There is a time and place for this kind of music and in my opinion, it's during a montage of a B level horror movie. Not really a big fan of the album.
I had to DNF it about halfway through. It was just too painful.
Mix Rockabilly, a bit of Punk, RnR and a lot of 50s movie themes together and you get this.
hyvä asenne...koulu vittu paskaa!!! fuck the cops THE PIIIIGS!!!! Fuck the TEACHERS!!!! en tee läksyjä VITTU ENÄÄN KOSKAAN.. .ja virkavalta hoi kun uuukkkometsoooo... ei tee politiilan pää kärki viher veikot leikkasi asumistuki!! joka 190 eurea massiivinen rahavuoto ottakaa pois siitä max money goes to him right now...cut in half...ai olikin perussuomolainen rock on the moon
If you like punk, you'll probably like this. If you don't like punk, it won't be for you. This is unashamedly punk through and through. Personally I quite like this, but I will say I think I'd get pretty tired of it if I tried to listen more than once every few weeks or so.
Halloween themed rock with Elvis screamo in there. This album was not quite up my alley. It was hard for me to be invested in it because of how difficult it is to hear the singer for a lot of the songs. Definitely a garage sound, which I can commend, but still wasn’t quite what I like. Fever is a cool closer track. A very defined first album for the band. Standouts: I Was A Teenage Werewolf, Zombie Dance, Tear It Up.
Meh was ok, couple of good punky tracks
This is THE psychobilly album. These guys combined punk and rockabilly and make it seem like the perfect marriage. It has the spirit and energy of both, and is recognizable as either. You can't deny what these guys tried to do, and how successful they were. The lyrics are silly and childish full of teenage rebelliousness, covering 1950s horror and sci-fi subject matter like werewolves, zombies, and UFOs. The song structure is minimalist with simple repeating beats and surf rock riffs, built on abrasive, gritty recording, high distortion, and an out-of-control vocalist that evokes both Iggy Pop and Jerry Lee Lewis. It's quite an outstanding creative record, and I enjoyed all the tracks. There were some consequences for the poor recording that it made it a bit of a hard listen, including inaudible lyrics in some tracks, and repetitive directionless riffs. It's clustered and messy, which is part of the charm, but nevertheless makes the songs a bit repetitive and inaudible at times.
The smiths but punk is what I thought and I don't like the smiths!
Only "Fever" is worth listening to.
Even if “I Was a Teenage Werewolf” was the only good song on the album, this would still be excellent. But this awesome song is surrounded by other similarly great goth-punk/psychobilly songs. It’s like The Cramps committed to a weird novelty aesthetic but then really stuck the landing and came out with some awesome tracks that were ahead of their time while still relevant for the shifting music scene of the early 1980s. Their covers of classic rock and roll artists are just as at home as their original tracks, and they really make the covers their own. Particularly “Sunglasses After Dark” with the fun “Ace of Spades” interpolation thrown in the middle.
To me. It’s a mixture of white stripes, queen and Halloween music. Fun listen and will add a couple of songs to my Playlist.
super cool but that’s it right? garbageman is the only essential track
Yeahhh not bad, not great 2,5!
I feel like if I would have heard this in 1980 it would have dropped me on my head. Very unique surf/punk/early rock sound but the songs all kinda sound the same
So much fun! I appreciate how they inspired Rev Horton Heat
Perfect from start to finish!
This sounds like it was recorded in the mines of Tajikistan, roughly 3000 feet below the ground. Weird caveman mosquito music. Not a fan.
I like punk rock, cheesy science fiction, and slasher movies. As a result, I am legally required to enjoy The Cramps. It cannot be helped. This is just some punkabilly fun. Highlights - TV Set, I Was a Teenage Werewolf, Mystery Plane, Strychnine, Tear it Up, Fever
Not really my thing
Huh
FUCK YEAH top 3: strychnine, garbagemen, I was a teenage werewolf honorable mention: TV set
Oh fuck yeah. I'd like to thank the owner of Rabbitfoot Records, Rob, for getting me into garage rock and psychobilly music back in 2013. I used to run the shop on weekends, and we had a ton of 60s garage music. I'd spin The Cramps frequently to get customers invested in their shopping experience. If you don't involuntarily light up a cigarette and put pomade in your hair when I Was A Teenage Werewolf comes on, you might not be human.
I throw this record on and am immediately transported to an eerie, edgy Halloween party where everyone’s costume incorporates leather and lung darts are passed out in lieu of candy.
Yeah, no!
I can here The Shadows, Hank Mizell, Link Wray, and all sorts of other influences - but none of it helps. This is terrible.
Not my style but think it’s pretty cool as a whole
I like music that doesn’t take itself too seriously but this got tiresome very quickly.
crampy goodness. 4 stars.
Decent but not particularly memorable. Some songs are slightly better than others but it's a consistent 3 stars.
This is annoying. No thanks.
The Cramps don't play by anyone's rules. They create their own reality. It's a reality where surf rock , rockabilly, punk rock, and goth sensibilities are perfectly harmonious neighbors and it's a reality I'll gladly often revisit. There's nothing less goth than surf rock, and look how they pull off sonically referencing Link Wray's "Rumble" in "I Was A Teenage Werewolf".. it's as if there was something dark and brooding about the prior genre that only they noticed.
Too much noise
Allemaal hetzelfde, 1 brei
I was not familiar with the artist or album. The music was not what I was expecting from the album cover. It's basically rockabilly with punk influences. It's mostly (entirely?) covers and it's a fine listen, but nothing particularly stands out for me.
Non mi fa impazzire questo genere di musica voto 2 (se non 1) vedo come mi gira
This is kinda shit but also kinda fun and I will never listen to it again.
That's my jam!
Now I know what Psychobilly means
This album has not stood the test of time well. It's raw garage appeal is apparent, but by no means is this album in the top 1000. Good enough "vibe", but that's about it. 2/5.
Genre: Garage rock, garage punk, psychobilly, neo-rockabilly 1980 5/5: I Was a Teenage Werewolf, Garbageman, Fever 4/5: TV Set, Sunglasses After Dark, What's Behind the Mask, I'm Cramped, Rating: 3.5
Kept losing my attention but it filled time. Good background music.
Belle découverte. Ressemble aux Ramones en terme de vitesse, mais plus original. Belle folie.
Paradoxical review incoming. I might never listen to this album ever again because it's just not my thing. Still, it's getting five stars. It seemed so clear that The Cramps were just saying what they felt like saying and making whatever sounds they thought matched that. That's cool in my book, even if the music isn't my thing. I think this album is the first time I felt a real appreciation for punk. It has an edge for sure because "just saying what we feel like saying". But for whatever reason it doesn't feel like the same pretentious rebellion and anger that I get from other punk bands from that era. Good job Cramps. I both dislike and love this record and I'm OK with that.
This is well worth the listen. I've heard the Cramps before, they're cool. But I never explored further than what crossed my path. A lot of fun, not all great, but certainly felt like an album. I can appreciate this.
Okay, I get what they were shooting for, the rockabilly and the surf rock sounds etc; but that doesn’t make it good. I mean, I can play baseball but that doesn’t mean I can make a living at it, nor should I pretend I can. This album is crap.
Wenig interessanter Garage Rock.
Everything sounded like a bad version of the Surfin' Bird
The Cramps will always be a sideshow band. Much like Southern Culture On The Skids. They can have a few good songs, but the tin can production and rockabilly sound will always make it scene music.
Ironici, potenti, energetici e anche un po’ folli!
4.5
This wasn’t as grating as some other 80s punk rock albums I’ve gotten on this list but it still gets a two. Just because it wasn’t *that* bad doesn’t mean I’m not still sick of getting these types of albums. The mad daddy was a good song.
треш и угар какой-то, не)
Meh
Pois gustoume bastante a verdade, non estivo nada mal
I listened to 2 songs and that was enough
another group that i have heard the name of but didn't know anything about except that they were "punk" - holy cow I was not expecting this. I absolutely loved everything about this album. it's like a mixture of 60s garage rock, surf rock, and punk. it feels slimey and grungy and just everything it ought to be. excellent stuff!
enough!! enough!! enough with the 12-bar blues prog!! i've counted at least 6 or 7 songs that had it and it's genuinely pissing me off!! jfc what did you guys do, smoke a blunt, find that progression and think "HOLY SHIT WE COULD MAKE AN ENTIRE ALBUM OUT OF THIS"? the lord taught you that?? the whole aesthetic is so cool but it's just been taken down so much by the lack of compositional value.
Not my thing, OK I guess but wouldn't listen again
Psychobilly! Wanted to like more than i did. Rockabilly influence pervasive enough in all punk to make it hard to differentiate. Still cool names and some songs get it done
I liked this much more than I thought I would. In the end though, I bet they were far more of a blast live and that was a large part of their appeal. I want to give this 3.5
I sometimes wonder what it would’ve sounded like that I played in a band in junior high school. It would’ve sounded like this crap. I hear nothing original or interesting in this music.
An odd but unique mixture between disco and punk. The Cramps definitely paved the way for musical blends that came after them.
Rhythm guitar sound is cool when it's doing simple chord stabs. Hard not to think of worse bands that used the template when listening to this, both direct style and uninspiring 'punk as theatrical performance' stuff. Before psychobilly was an obnoxious genre it might have been fun to see the early days of the Cramps. B-movie schtick isn't for me, just didn't enjoy this and didn't make it through. music: hated. (⌐■_■)
There’s only room for one punk band that sounds spiritually similar to Vincent Price saying “Ghouls and goblins! Spiders and snakes!” and they’re called the Misfits, and even they aren’t that good.
Awful. 1.69
sembra punk, ma allegro. Interessante la cover di fever
This album is pretty cool. Not mind-blowing, but it has some good songs.
No this wasn't for me at all. I'd be pretty annoyed if I had to listen to this again.
Fun!
Een bloedvervelend album. Ze zijn helemaal losgegaan qua galm en dat maakt dat het vervelend is om naar te luisteren. Dead Kennedys met extra galm. Doe dan maar liever gewoon Dead Kennedys. De zanger doet ook echt z'n best om kut te klinken, als een soort hakkelende Elvis. Met galm dus. Godverdomme die galm. Eigenlijk alles wat ik vervelend vind aan oude punk komt hier bijna tot in het extreme tot uiting. En dan heb ik nog het geluk dat ik naar de remaster luister. Ik kom er nog niet achter of dit serieus bedoeld is of als soort grap/persiflage en dat stoort me. Zonder die galm was dit een 3 of 4 geweest. Nu moet ik gaan kiezen tussen een 1 of 2. Eigenlijk is het absurd dat ik een 1 overweeg, maar ik heb zo'n zin om het af te zetten dat ik er toch nog eens goed over moet nadenken. Ontzettend vermoeiend album.
Has that distinct groovy rock feel from the early 80s. Reminded me of some other things I've heard that I know have come up in this project. Another Elvis Costello adjacent vibe album. 3.5
Straight forward punk and psychedelic.
Garbageman is fun but the album as a whole is pretty bad. It kind of feels like they were trying to make bad music though. Am I playing into their hands here?
I’ve never really been a punk rock fan and this album is no exception. Nothing about it really impressed me, not the writing, playing or singing. sure it had its moments but I don’t think i’ll ever listen to it again.
Good album!
Really enjoyed much more than I thought I may, given that I haven't heard this before.
I think this hit me at the right time. I got into what i felt was halloween themed rockabilly. Its raw and punky and delivers a high energy payload. Enjoyed!
Really struggling to see how this is essential listening by any stretch of the definition. I actually enjoyed their treatment of Fever, but otherwise there was really nothing appealing here to me.
Rockabilly-Punk mit B52-Einschlag. Nur fürs Laut-Hören sn besonderen Tagen …
Some of these tracks were kind of cool, not sure I'd listen again.
Fuck me that's a difficult listening experience. Quite proud I made it through the whole album, once is more than enough though.
Not what I was expecting from the title but actually although it didn't rock my world it was better than I was expecting! Abrasive punk rock, maybe I'm just a bit worn down by it after the Germs yesterday, but, meh.
I'm not a big post-punk guy, but this one kind of grew on me. Some of the beats were fun and the singing wasn't as abrasive as some similar bands. Still not something I would normally listen to but I didn't mind it
Two consecutive albums featuring "Fever" (Elvis being the other). As long as you don't take this work too seriously and recognize it for the novelty project that it is, it is great fun! 3 dancing zombies out of 5. 🧟🧟🧟
I'm sure it's hugely influential, but I just didn't enjoy this.
I really liked the sound. Enjoyable at most times. As always, additional star for being an 80’s album without those silly hideous synths.
Frantic surf punk meets psychobilly. I can imagine it being the pre-match music at a roller derby game. It would be an important album in the subgenre, it's just not for me. Overall: 3/10
Not really my thing but it's got something to it
"Songs the Lord Taught Us" by The Cramps is a 1980 album that is a wild and eclectic mix of rockabilly, punk rock, and psychobilly. The album is full of catchy melodies, distorted guitars, and Lux Interior's distinctive vocals. Some of the standout tracks on the album include "TV Set", "Garbageman", and "Sunglasses After Dark". Here are some of the specific things I liked about the album: The album is a wild and eclectic mix of rockabilly, punk rock, and psychobilly. The album is full of catchy melodies and distorted guitars. Lux Interior's vocals are distinctive and memorable. The album's dark and spooky atmosphere is captivating. The album's lyrics are often dark and disturbing, but also humorous and insightful.
Oh man, I love this. Never heard of psychobilly before, but it sounds like rockabilly meets the Misfits, and I dig it. I love me some dirty, surf rock/rockabilly-style guitar, and this album's got it in spades. There isn't a weak link in this particular chain. Their cover of "Strychnine" by the Sonics isn't as good as the original, but that song's about as close to perfect as it gets, so it's hard to blame the Cramps for not clearing that high bar. I see myself listening to this album many more times in the near future, and I'll definitely be delving further into their discography.
Spooky rockabilly. What a fun album! Sure The Cramps are kitschy, but I bet their live shows were wild & raucous. This band makes me wanna dance every time I hear them (which I did in my kitchen during a work break). Thoroughly enjoyable.
This was a great, super-fun listen. I love The Cramps, so it was fun to revisit this one.
I liked this! Anyone ever argues with you that all rock n roll, even this second-wave punk/psychobilly stuff, isn't just faster blues with a backbeat, play them Teenage Werewolf. Basically a BB King son--minus the angsty ass lyrics, "NO ONE UNDERSTOOD ME!!!!" lol There was a time--brief, but real--when Kristy/Poison Ivy was a wet-dream staple baby yowzah.
This is awesooooome!! I love the simple, dirty smash up of rockabilly and punk with some of those surf rock licks sprinkled around. If I would have been cooler as a kid I would have listened to the Cramps - good thing I’m so fuckin cool now!!
If think if you like rockabilly you are in for a treat! If you don't... UHOH!
This one was quite cool, though pretty weird at the same time. But I liked the punky feel to the songs. The lyrics seem pretty silly, but it's part of the charm. Nice hybrid type of Punk, Rock and Psychobilly! 7,5 out of 10
HOW BOUT NO! -Us
Nicht so besonders 1.9
Ok
Love the mix of genres they have. Fever I knew from the hangover movies. But this song is just a cover from elvis I guess. Should more listen to music like that! personal top3 in no order: Rock On The Moon Sunglasses After Dark What‘s Behind The Mask
Die Album Struktur verstehe ich nicht ganz, weil manche Songs doppelt vorkommen. (vermutlich hat das was mit Schallplatten zu tun, aber damit kenn ich mich aufgrund meines Alters weniger gut aus) Insgesamt ein solides Album! 5.9/10
3.5 “Elvira does Ed Wood Vampire Surf Rockabilly” That what it sounds like to me. And I like it. I’m not gonna listen to The Cramps every day, every week or even every month, but if they came on the radio, I wouldn’t turn it off.
Maschine: Aür Audio Aurora Mische: ordentlich aber doch eher am LoFi-Ende des Spektrums Musik: Text und Gesang erstaunlich düster - wie eine Rockabilly Upbeat-Version von Suidice. Interessant! Meinung: 3/5 (inkl. +1 für das "Fever" Cover)
Wild!
Love The Cramps!
Take the B52’s but make it 50’s B-Movie “Psychobilly”
The Cramps are nuts - great records that I have in rotation around Halloween time
A bunch jerks goofing and riffing, making punky surf music. Yes please.
So far, I feel like we’ve heard a lot of not well known British punk albums and this is no exception. With surfer rock riffs and off-key singing, this album didn’t sound uniquely different from others we’ve heard before and its influence doesn’t carry quite an impact on 2023 ears. “I Was a Teenage Werewolf” is a Halloween Playlist track though, so I have to give some credit there. Otherwise, not a super memorable album that maybe went on a bit too long. At least it didn’t fall into the punk trap of every song sounding the same.
18 tracks is a LOT. didn't get through the hole bit, didn't seem to build as apiece, lots of 'songs Though I hear things deff picked up by future artist in the punk scenes, and inspired by rockabilly and surf, garage rock
This was great fun to listen to. Love a bit of punk and always good to hear something nice and early
Pretty meh. A lot sounded the same. I can see why included but prob won’t listen again
So I listened to this album as background noise and I think it was alright. I think I was vibing along. I do need to start analyzing these albums more so I will do that.
nice bass. ... "BUT IT'S ALL aTtItUuUuUdE!!!!!" ... 1/10 1 star.
I liked this album a lot more than I expected having gone into it with some trepidation. The only thing I knew going in was that it fell into the punk category, not a genre that I would typically seek out or particularly enjoy. Their raw take on rockabilly quickly won me over with their fun energy and humor. A surprising, fun discovery that deserves more listens.
Listened to some, love the first song and put it on my songs that are me playlist "I watch TV"
Bad quality sound
Sounds like the soundtrack to a Jim Jarmusch film. Wait, was Jim Jarmusch actually in this group?
2.5 - 3.0
3.6
This is enjoyable and fun maybe a bit gimmicky but they seem all in. Not something I want to dig back into so it’s a high 3 for me.
The album title is great, but punk Elvis? Pass. I liked the cover of Fever the most, but there are much better versions of it out there. Rating 2 stars.
Punk-rockabilly-gótico. Un 4.
Garage Punk, chulo.
love these guys
Good energy on "TV Set" but the solo was mostly noise lmao. I think as a starting tune it's not the best one. "Rock On The Moon" is good so far. Super rock with the classic blues progression. Nothing fancy but gets the job done. So many blues progression god damn. 1 year before the 90's come on... Lol at the riff/tuning "Sunglasses After Dark" Skipping the rest of the album for now. It's not my thing and I LOVE rock.
Nice
I love The Cramps. I was very happy to see this here. I just love their overall sound that just "oozes". I'm assuming the Misfits didn't make the list (shame) but this works for some Halloween time music
Rating: 3/10 Awful production on this album. The guitars sound like total crap. The mix is absolute garbage as well. Some interesting ideas, but overall a little one-note. Combines punk rock with rockability with a gothic theme and doesn't deviate from that. Ideas are sometimes good, execution is what is lacking here. Definitely won't listen to this again. Rock on the Moon and Garbageman are good songs though and Fever is decent.
Not a rockabilly fan
Listened Before? No Album Art: 3 / 5 for a quality spooky season team photo. Each band member has a different emotion. Also the band name font reminds me of that used by the Creature skate brand. Had this one on in the background and enjoyed it quite a bit more than I was expecting from the cover art and band name. I will say this one has one of the best album titles I've ever seen. Rock on the Moon reminds me of a lo-fi Brian Setzer -- kind of forgettable. I don't care what James says, I enjoyed Garbageman; tight drum-led song with scratchy / echoey guitar drifting in and out of focus lending surf-rock vibes. Intro to I Was a Teenage Werewolf has that old western honky tonk swang about it. Like something you'd hear in Peaky Blinders or something. A lot of the rest (particularly The Mad Daddy) lost me a bit with its overt campiness, but I enjoyed this album more than I didn't. This is a fine background album and it meets a certain particular mood. I don't love it for a deep listen; leaning low 3 / 5. Added to Library? No Songs Added to Playlists:
This all felt the same. There was one good jam towards the end, that was about it for me.
This sounds like if South Park were to make a parody of a punk band. The singing is just so ridiculous that I can't pay attention to anything else. And the generic ass guitar and drums makes it sound like a highschool band playing in a talent competition. I was hoping that I would be able to start liking the album more as the songs went on, but I just absolutely hate this singer and he keeps getting worse and worse. Them having ridiculous songs like Garbageman is not helping at all. This album stinks like garbage. PEEYEW!!
This was a strange mixture of genres I feel like. Really would like some surf rock parts but then it would crumble into something I didn't necessarily dig. 2.5 but rounding down.
Tight, atavistic rock'n'roll. You can tell their songs on this album were honed over years of playing live. Easily the greatest Cramps album.
Barely enjoyable for me
Pank nice
Niet zo heel goed
So I just went to a Tool concert last night. You're telling me that today I have to listen to the Cramps? That's like spending the night with Scarlett Johannson then coming home to Lena Dunham. There's just no way to make it work.
I really enjoyed this. It's camp but so much fun
But which lord? The Dark Lord? The Lord of the Dance? Jack Lord?
Don't eat before swimming.
what they did in the shadows
Une énergie punk frénétique et des thèmes empruntant à l’horreur qui me les rendent sympathiques.
It was a punk album but it was fun. Relatively short.
When I saw that Songs The Lord Taught Us had a global rating of only 2.8, I was pretty concerned about the album's quality but after listening to it, It was actually pretty okay. It was weird but it had its catchy moments and could be quite enjoyable at points. Best Song: Strychnine Worst Song: Rock On The Moon
Messy, sloppy, noisy proto-punk, a clear influence on a bunch of bands I love. The germ of an idea, yet to be fully realised, but interesting and important.
A not very good novelty rock album. Plenty of not very good cover versions, the worst of which being 'Fever'. A few okish original compositions, the pick of which being 'I Was a Teenage Werewolf'. Rating: 1.5/5 Playlist track: I Was a Teenage Werewolf Date listened: 10/10/23
Let's be honest. The Cramps were not famous for being great musicians. Their main claim to fame is the manic freakshow they put on live. That was really something. The music is a very punk version of rockabilly. Horror lyrics, but the real horror is the music: out of tune, off the beat. Favorite song by far: their cover of Fever.
Really did not enjoy. Not many understandable words and every song seemed to flow together with guitar.
nit so special wie erwartet
I’m a sucker for surf rock/punk so I’m down for this one. Fun dumb themes on here, zombies, teenage werewolves, mystery planes. Several tracks would fit right in on a Halloween playlist and I’m a sucker for Halloween too. 4 stars
More like the craps
Not what I expected at all from the title and album cover, fun rockabilly/punk mix.
I like punk but don’t really care for pyschobilly. Only gave 1 listen but had trouble staying interested
Is this rockabilly goth punk? Because that's what it sounds like. This was different. Not my bag, but not necessarily terrible. It was alright for a couple of songs. 18 songs comprising of a total of 54 minutes seemed excessive. And most of them sounded the same.
Not my bag. I'm sure it's good if you're into the edgy and weird vibe and listening to the same song over and over again.
Interesting punk / rockabilly
just ok for me.
Fun! Strong 3
Very cool very swäg i like it
Groovily atmospheric at times, with the retro-vintage feel and surf and rockabilly vibes of a cool-kid sort of projects. But both the jokes and sounds get samey after a time. They are still touring which may be as embarrassing for them as their fans.
Good albums, I liked Garbageman, I Was A Teenage Werewolf, Mystery Plane and Fever
I love the style and the aesthetic. The production feels kind of rough on this but overall a fun album.
It's definitely a unique blend of rockabilly, punk, blues and surf rock, but it does get a bit tiring after a while.
Leading figures in the psychobilly subgenre. It sounds like if you mashed up The Sonics, The Ramones, 60s surf rock, and B horror films. They must have been intense live.
Pari hittiä sieltä tunnisti
The world would have been a better place if this band were atheists instead. Seriously, where did this website's curators dig this album up from?
Pshicybilly rock på en fed måde
I learned a new genre today - "psychobilly". I do not care for it.
If the Lord really taught them these songs, you should seriously consider renouncing your religion.
Another great band from the 70s NYC punk movement. The stripped bare rockabilly punk would inform generations of garage bands for decades to come. Produced by the legend Alex Chilton, this is music at its rawest, most amazing best.
Pretty rockin' and I appreciated The Sonics cover
Niet interessant
Gotta give it up. I mean, they gave us some great songs for Halloween playlists to come. In all seriousness, though, solid album from an iconic band.
I had never heard any of the Cramps' music prior to getting this album. I sorta knew a bit about them; I knew they were important in the punk scene and had a bit of a goth vibe. The actual musical content on this record was different than I was expecting. It has a dark surf rock vibe to it. Like surf rock but for skaters, if you will. The production is pretty muddy which gives it a cool lo-fi garage rock feel. I also like how they incorporate some elements of old school horror movies into their lyrics.
It’s not terrible but the whole Psychobilly thing gets old pretty quickly.