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Friday, August 17

The Cramps - Alex Chilton Demos 1977

IRS Demos / Session Outtakes
Sun Studios
Memphis, TN  
June 1977
  
soundboard recording (quality: VG+; sourced from IRS Records in-house cassette)

1-6: What's Behind the Mask?
(various takes, false starts, alt. mixes)

7-9: Rock On the Moon (takes 1-3) 

10: false start

11: Rock on the Moon (take 4)

12-14: Daddy Drives a UFO
(takes 1 & 2 + false start)

Ardent Studios
Memphis, TN
October 1977
  
soundboard recordings (quality: VG-; sounds like a multi-generation tape source)
  
01 TV Set
02 Domino
03 Can't Hardly Stand It
04 Lonesome Town
05 I Was a Teenage Werewolf 
06 Sunglasses after Dark
07 Human Fly
08 Love Me
09 Uranium Rock
10 The Way I Walk
11 Strychnine
12 Surfin' Bird
13 I'm Cramped
   
ROB SEZ: I've covered quite a bit of the Alex Chilton / Big Star story over the years via many ROIOs. Now we bring you an odd little chapter that's not yet been featured: Alex producing The Cramps in 1977. Thanks to fanatical Cramps collectors, here are the (nearly) complete demos & studio outtakes from The Cramps' Chilton sessions in Memphis in 1977. (I left off a few duplicative takes of "What's Behind the Mask" — how many of those do we need to hear in one sitting, anyway??)  The Chilton sessions led to the 1979 Gravest Hits EP & full-length Songs the Lord Taught Us, released in 1980. The Cramps aren't really my thing, but I can't deny there's a good bit of ghoulish, primal "rawk" fun to be found here. Enjoy.
  
FLAC
  
MP3@320

POST-DEADLINE BONUS: Here are 5 superior-sounding tracks (VG+) from the second set via an alternate source, plus artwork & photos. FLAC or MP3@320 (poke around a bit to find even more...)
          

8 comments:

  1. Why stop with Chilton? Let’s hear some more demos / outtakes from a year or two later…

    The Cramps - At Dracula's House, Dec. 1978 bootleg

    Notes:
    Looks like A side (9 Tracks) are studio outtakes from 1977-1979 (Memphis, Akron, New York) and B side (6 Track), a gig (aud A- to B+ [better-sounding now transferred]) back in Dec. 78 at “Dracula's House” (see artwork, found separately, for better source info).

    A Side:

    *Week-end on mars,
    *Rocking bones,
    *I can't hardly stand it,
    *Lonesometown,
    *Love me ,
    *Uranium Rock,
    *Twist & shout,
    *Human Fly,
    *Voodoo Idol.

    B side:

    *Jungle Hop,
    *Everybody moving,
    *Problem child,
    *Voodoo Idol,
    *TV set,
    *Mystery Plane.

    Transferred by Defin8 in 2009

    NOT TO MENTION:

    The Cramps - Ohio Demos 3 X 7" EP
    Studio outtakes, Akron 1979
    Sound quality: A-
    Vinyl: EX+ > VG+

    01 Twist & Shout
    02 All Tore Up
    03 Mystery Plane
    04 TV Set
    05 Rockin' Bones
    06 What's Behind the Mask?
    07 Uranium Rock
    08 Under the Wires
    09 Teenage Werewolf / Sunglasses After Dark
    10 Jungle Hop
    11 Mad Daddy

    Extra: Voodoo Idol 7" bootleg with Studio outtakes:

    12 Human Fly
    13 Love Me
    14 Voodoo Idol

    Cramps boot, Ohio demos 1979, "remastered" from vinyl.

    FLAC:
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/cqzlw30xu1nvzwd/CRAMPS%20-%201978%20%2B%201979%20Demos%20FLAC.zip?dl=0

    MP3@320:
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/nx92jgdzj57v9qf/CRAMPS%20-%201978%20%2B%201979%20Demos%20HQ%20MP3.zip?dl=0

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wonderful stuff. & perfect for those of us who crave more Cramps. Big thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you very much, Rob!
    Rank Stranger

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi

    Thanks a lot! I love the Cramps!

    Best

    Robert Pally

    ReplyDelete

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