***Brought up on the radio shows of the legendary rock 'n' roll DJs, the moondogging Alan Freed, Mad Daddy and, later, the ghostly Ghoulardi, it was hardly surprising that The Cramps' Lux Interior and Poison Ivy began trawling the thrift stores for juvenile delinquent tunes, lip-curling bad boy rock 'n' roll, strange exotica, bizarre novelty 45s, dysfunctional doo-wop, psychedelic weirdness and instrumentals made by madmen. In America in the 1950s and 1960s, there seemed to be small town versions of such vinyl madness everywhere that, by the 1970s, were remaindered and to the majority of people, unwanted. To the fledgling Cramps, this was nothing short of heaven. The duo filled their house with novelty memorabilia, schlock horror furniture and a record collection to die for. Lux eventually gravitated to his own Purple Knif Radio Show and the Cramps delivered their versions of some of the stuff they'd found. The duo name-checked many a 45 along the way and seeking them out and sampling their eccentricities is nothing short of mind-blowing. This 24-track collection positively effervesces with eccentricity. Again, the vinyl only double-10" is divided into four themes: "Life's a Scream," "Crazy Guys, Food, Prison and a Guide to the Female Persuasion," "Welcome to the Jungle," and "Wild and Wilder Boppin' Girls." Every track pirouettes dangerously, and at times, haphazardly, around the expected. These are songs for strange times by what can definitely be considered strange people. Gems and nuggets that sparkle even more bright in today's manufactured music maelstrom. The population of Badsville welcomes you aboard. Artists include: Bunker Hill, Ralph Nielsen, Ron Thompson His Rowdy Guitar And The Brougham's, Vince Taylor & Ses Play-Boys, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Lord Luther And The King's Men, Teddy Rich And The Rockets, Fabian, The Moroccos, Richard Berry And Group, Jimmy Witter And The Shadows, Charlie Baker, Buddy Bow, Glenn Reeves, The Playboys, Jape Richards And The Echoes, The Loafers, The Charts, The Bobbettes, Wanda Jackson, Annette, Sparkle Moore, Stormy Gayle, and The Storey Sisters.
