The Cramps
Above all, their live shows were insane, mainly because of Lux. He's one of the few performers who bear comparison to the heyday of Iggy Pop. Lux may never have engaged in the kind of self-mutilation that Iggy sometimes did, but other than that, anything went. And Ivy, by contrast, mostly affected boredom, with an occasional sneer at Lux's antics. The effect could be hilarious, as you'll see in the "Tear It Up" video (if you're up to watching the whole thing).
They never had much success selling records, but these videos will show you why they were able to keep making music and selling out shows for 30+ years. Enjoy.
"What's Inside a Girl?" (c. 1986). This is actually a little subdued for Lux (though not for 99.9 percent of other singers) -- maybe because it was for TV -- so it makes for a nice warm up.
This isn't really a video -- "She Said" was the B-side on a single, so of course there was no official video for it -- but I love this song. And my five-year-old daughter loves to sing along with the chorus: "Woo-ee-ah-ah! Woo-ee-ah-ah! Woo-ee-ah-ah! Woo-ee-ah-ah! Woo! Ee! Ah!"
"She Said" (1981)
"Human Fly" live (filmed in 1981). This one gives the full Lux effect, although unfortunately the sound is a little bad.
"Tear It Up" (1981). This was the first Cramps song I ever heard, but I'm playing it last. For a reason -- Lux's performance is insane. And by insane, I mean obscene. And by obscene, I don't mean the language, I mean the performance. Actually, this video is a pretty good test. If you really and truly, deep down in your soul, ROCK, you'll think this is great, and you'll turn it up. If you're a normal person who just kind of likes rock music (not that there's anything wrong with that), well, you'll probably turn it off. So let me know in the comments: did you turn it up, or did you turn it off?
If you want to hear more of the Cramps, I recommend starting with Bad Music for Bad People
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