Stay Sick!

The Cramps waited four years after their top-notch A Date with Elvis before releasing their next studio album. The result is, unfortunately, one of the weakest platters in their canon. Most all the songs here follow the same rockabilly-based formula of previous releases; unfortunately, much of the group's usual fire is missing. Too many of the selections are cast in a moderate jogging tempo, and the instrumental playing shows minimal song-to-song contrast, lacking the manic craziness of their best work. Lux Interior's vocals are comparatively reserved (though there are some exceptions, such as the snarling cover of "Shortnin' Bread") and are often somewhat submerged in the sound mix. Lyrics, too, are a bit tame by Cramps standards, the major exception being "Mama Oo Pow Pow," which has gleefully tacky verses about spanking and discipline that rival their most tasteless. "God Damned Rock 'N' Roll" is, for all practical purposes, a middling parody of Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll." The biggest surprise is the atypically soaring vocal on the better-than-average song "Journey to the Center of a Girl." This album is not terrible by any means, but it's not an essential listen, either; in a nutshell, the biggest problem with Stay Sick! is that it's not sick enough.