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Produced with a suitably scuzzy feel by sleazy alternative rock icon Alex Chilton, the title of The Cramps' live-sounding 1980 debut is most certainly a bum steer. Featuring the magnificently monikered Lux Interior and Poison Ivy, the less than sacred, bass-less Songs The Lord Taught Us sees this pale-faced, big-haired group mashing the frenetic mid-20th century rockabilly of Charlie Feathers, and the reverb-heavy surf guitar of virtuosos Dick Dale and Link Wray, with lyrics and song titles inspired by trashy American B-Movies from that same era. Clangourous originals like the opener 'TV Set', snarling 'Garbageman', and the self-explanatory 'I Was A Teenage Werewolf', show that their then novel approach could work very well. They are complemented here by surprisingly faithful renditions of The Sonics' deranged garage-punk classic 'Strychnine', Johnny Burnette's rip-roaring 'Tear It Up', and the much-covered, finger-clicking jazz-y number 'Fever', on what is widely regarded as the theatrical foursome's best album.
Limited LP : Black and purple marbled vinyl. Due to the custom dye process, each unit will be slightly different in coloration.
Tracklist
1 TV Set
2 Rock On the Moon
3 Garbageman
4 I Was A Teenage Werewolf
5 Sunglasses After Dark
6 The Mad Daddy
7 Mystery Plane
8 Zombie Dance
9 What's Behind The Mask
10 Strychnine
11 I'm Cramped
12 Tear It Up (Original Mix)
13 Fever