Psychedelic Jungle/Gravest Hits

I had this album on cassette about 20 years ago. They are an excellent band combining punk/surf music and a touch of like psychedelic similar to music in the late 60’s. I would recommend it to anyone.

Since Lux Interior passed away 2/4/09, I've been buying all the old Cramps stuff on CD to complement the vinyl I have of the original releases. On hearing "Lonesome Town" on this CD, I was overjoyed and saddened to hear Lux's spoken-word intro, speaking as Ricky Nelson (who popularized this song) - this wasn't included on the original track on Gravest Hits and I'd never heard it: Some people call me a teenage idol They smile and say they envy me I guess they got no way of knowin' How lonely it can be ...followed by the Cramps' incredibly sad and desolate version of this great tune. Hearing this brought tears to my eyes. Long live The Cramps!

It was what I wanted

Gotta love these guys. The Cramps are an odd band indeed. Combining the primitive and aggressive stylings of punk rock with a classic surf guitar sound and old-time rock 'n roll sensibilities with lyrics about B-movies movies, sex, and just plain weirdness delivered with a winking sense of whimsy makes for one wacky psychobilly band. The "Psychadelic Jungle" album was recorded in the early 80's and as a gift to those who buy this album the EP "Gravest Hits" (1977) is presented on this CD as well. The production is nonexistent, the band is chaotic, the lyrics are nonsensical, but it's damn near impossible not to enjoy The Cramps' music. They are the perfect band for a Halloween bash and sound like they should be scoring a Robert Rodriguez flick . You have likely heard them singing "Surfing Dead" (not from this album) in the film The Return of the Living Dead . Right from the get-go Poison Ivy's stone-groove rhythm guitar draws you in. "Green Fuzz" may be about marijuana or maybe charismatic frontman Lux Interior is just singing nonsense as usual, but I'll be damned if it doesn't sound great. The album oozes, throbs, and lurches along from there with an eery groove that brings to mind some sort of voodoo ritual. Interior's perpetually off-kilter delivery is nothing if not entertaining. "Rockin' Bones" has him insisting that his skeleton be hung up on the wall after he dies so he can keep on rocking while the percussion sound seems to suggest that it would make a good musical instrument. "I'm proud of my life, but I don't know why" he sings on "Primitive" which is sort of the band's mission statement. The Cramps make primal music about primal things and they are indeed proud of it. The humor is carefree but the tone still manages to be foreboding. Whether paying noisy homage to the violence of pro-wrestling in "The Crusher", buzzing loudly into the microphone as a "Human Fly", or making lurid double-entendres in "Goo Goo Muck", Lux Interior makes you love him. Seriously, if you don't smile at the sagely "Don't Eat Stuff Off the Sidewalk" then you hate funny. Other highlights for me include The Cramps' tribute to insanity, "Beautiful Gardens", which features among it's unhinged laments "the vampire lesbos are after me!". But those are the best kind of lesbos, man! The song eventually collapses into an incomprehensible mess, which is fitting when depicting a man's descent into madness through music. The double shot of "Jungle Hop" and "The Natives Are Restless" give cannibals their rockin' due. Among the old-time covers from "Gravest Hits" is "Surfin' Bird". So how do you make one of the most obnoxious songs ever written even more so? Add multiple noise jams and sloppy production, that's how. The Cramps may be far from horrific, but they are still an indispensable addition to any Halloween soundtrack. The groove is undeniable, the delivery irresistible, and the sound is as classic as they come. If you could distill your favorite B-movies into a sound, then this band would likely be that sound. Their sensibilities are firmly tongue-in-cheek and their love of all things tacky is worn on their sleaves. Like I said, gotta love 'em.

I love The Cramps. Had them for years, but now listening to them since the 1970's. These 2 discs are insanely decadent......

So happy to hear the cramps goo goo muck on the Wednesday series. The perfect dance song for that scene. This cd covers quite a bit of ground and should give you a good taste of an underappreciated but great band.

Been a couple years since I bought this so its cool can still leave my review... What can I say? Cramps kick it up and down the street with there gumbo of seminal (fluid) roots influenced r n' r. Strong album all around. Green Fuzz, Dont Eat Stuff off the Sidewak, and I Can't Find My Mind really do a number on me. Googoo Muck, Jungle Hop too. Crusher makes me laugh every time. No serial fillers or preservatives just good ol s*x, dr*gs, and rock and roll! Oh, and a smidge of violence to make it even better... Mama's not gonna like this.

Psychedelic Jungle is without a doubt the best Cramps album and combining it with Gravest Hits puts this CD at the top of the musical heap. Definately one of my favorite albums and I cannot recommend it enough. Entire album is just great but The Crusher and Natives are Restless are 2 of my fav Cramps songs. You need this. RIP Lux

J'ai néanmoins une préférence pour le EP ("Gravest hits", 1979) qui regroupe des titres ("Human fly" / "The way I walk" / "Domino" / "Surfin' bird" / "Lonesome town") qui sont, à mon humble avis, meilleurs encore que ceux du CD (Psychedelic jungle, 1981) qui sont pourtant déjà excellents (l'album "Songs the Lord Taught Us", 1980, étant intercalé entre les 2 albums précités). Ce CD est donc une pépite

BUY IT OR DIE NORMAL, AVERAGE, LACKING. . .

Buen disco

Wer Screamin Jay Hawkins, Nick Cave, oder späte Doors mag wird sauber bedient. Mehr Blues als Punk, Stimme erinnert mal an David Bowie, mal an Lou Reed. Recht gute Soundqualität.

CD case was crushed. CD was not damaged. Fast delivery.