Off the Bone

• Artist: The Cramps
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1983
• Total Time: 52:12
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Rock

Review

This British compilation includes the entirety of the Cramps' first release, the Gravest Hits EP, along with selections from Songs the Lord Taught Us, Psychedelic Jungle, Smell of Female, and a live version of "You Got Good Taste" (shortened here to "Good Taste"). It covers the years 1979-1983, a formative period in the band's long career. Ten of the tracks can also be found on the domestic compilation Bad Music for Bad People, which was released the following year. Although the bulk of the material consists of covers, you can hardly tell (barring an intimacy with any of the originals). Once the Cramps get hold of a song, they always make it their own -- even the more recognizable numbers like "Surfin' Bird," "Lonesome Town," and "Fever." All benefit from Lux Interior's vocal prowess. He's a proto-punk screamer like Screamin' Jay Hawkins or the Sonics' Gerry Roslie on the rockin' numbers, but can caress a ballad like mid-period Elvis when the need arises. None of the songs sound as if they could possibly have been written anytime after the '60s. Alex Chilton produced the first ten tracks, the Cramps the remaining seven. The cover art for ...Off the Bone has varied over the years; the 1987 Illegal edition is rendered -- appropriately enough -- in 3-D. ~ Kathleen C. Fennessy, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Human Fly	Lux Interior	The Cramps	(2:16)
The Way I Walk	Jack Scott	The Cramps	(2:40)
Domino	Sam Phillips	The Cramps	(3:08)
Surfin' Bird (Lyrics)	Stephen Wahrer	The Cramps	(5:07)
Lonesome Town	Baker Knight	The Cramps	(3:03)
Garbage Man	Lux Interior	The Cramps	(3:31)
Fever	John Davenport, Eddie Cooley	The Cramps	(4:19)
Drug Train	Lux Interior	The Cramps	(2:37)
Love Me		The Cramps	(2:02)
I Can't Hardly Stand It	Charlie Feathers, Jody Chastain, Jerry Huffman	The Cramps	(2:43)
Goo Goo Muck	Ronnie Cook	The Cramps	(3:07)
She Said	Hasil Adkins	The Cramps	(3:17)
The Crusher	Bob Nolan	The Cramps	(1:48)
Save It	Mel Robbins, Mary Biggs	The Cramps	(2:57)
New Kind of Kick (Lyrics)	Lux Interior	The Cramps	(3:31)
Uranium Rock	Warren Smith	The Cramps	(2:28)
Good Taste [Live]	Lux Interior	The Cramps	(3:28)

Credits

Dead Jaw (Artwork), The Cramps (Producer), Anton Corbijn (Photography), Alex Chilton (Producer), Dead Jaw (Illustrations), Carl Glover (Reissue Producer), Tim Davies (Photography), Stephanie Chernikowski (Photography), Nigel Reeve (Reissue Producer), Carl Glover (Photography)