Various Artists - Songs the Cramps Taught Us - Vol.4 - LP

For many of us with a penchant for raw 50s and 60s garage and rock n roll, the Cramps were our doorway to a whole new world of sleazy guitar music. It didn't matter that they hadn't actually written most of the songs, to paraphrase the band themselves "they had good taste". They'd tracked down these amazing old records, reworked some of them, merged others and stamped them boldly as their own.

Many different comps have appeared over the years that have gathered the original source of the Cramps trash genius. This brilliant series is the latest and gathers much of what's previously appeared but adds a few more gems too.

Imagine the songs of the Cramps, dripping sleaze and spoof horror and then strip back some of the campness and modern production techniques and you'll get an idea of the raw sound of most of the material on these LPs. Rumbling basslines and gruff vocals, seemingly recorded in an old septic tank, are the order of the day.