Gravest Gravy

The Cramps

ASHLEY SUDETA

With The Cramps ending activity in 2009, it seems strange that “Gravest Gravy” came out almost two decades later. What happened? There are four key people you need to know about to understand The Cramps’ “Gravest Gravy”: Henry Rollins, Ian MacKaye, Alex Chilton, and Poison Ivy. To put it most simply, Rollins and MacKaye are punk legends of Black Flag and Minor Threat, respectively. Chilton was an influential rocker known for being the lead singer of bands the Box Tops and Big Star. Poison Ivy is the co-founder of creepy-crawly psychobilly band The Cramps. It’s a lot to take in, but it’s enough if you remember these people are pretty damn cool in the music world.

Essentially, the album was recorded by The Cramps in 1977 and mixed by Alex Chilton and The Cramps’ Poison Ivy and Lux Interior. It was originally intended to be released in 2008, but was put back on the shelf after Lux Interior’s death in 2009. The tapes sat in a Southern California garage until 2026, when Rollins found them and worked with MacKaye and Poison Ivy to have them released.

The story is pretty awesome, but how’s the record sound? I found it… okay. As a Cramps fan, it seems to lack some of the things I find so lovable about their music. The mixing is more polished than I like. For example, when compared to other versions of the same song, the guitar in “Gravest Gravy’s” “TV Set” isn’t as wild or raw. I love The Cramps because of their chaotic energy and general nastiness, and that’s something I felt this release was lacking. It’s safe to say “Gravest Gravy” will continue to be a story I tell rather than an album I recommend listening to.