If you’re reading this, hopefully you too regard The Cramps as the greatest band of all time. There is something about The Cramps that just pisses over everything and anything you have heard, and will ever hear. What they created will last for an eternity, and to hear bands cite them as an influence is so great. What’s even better is that one of the most exciting record labels around have put out a tribute to The Cramps, and it features a  hell of a lot of exceptional bands.

Gravest Tribute consists of 24 wonderful covers, and they are done in such an effortlessly cool way. If you didn’t know they were songs by The Cramps already, then you’d be even more impressed by what you’re hearing. Every single band has captured everything that The Cramps were about. The best part is that not every song is sung in English- it’s just the coolest tribute record ever! Thing is, after you’ve played it in full you start to think of other bands that could cover songs by The Cramps too. I’ve got a bunch of bands floating in my head that I would LOVE to hear do a song by The Cramps, but this record is stunning. It is the perfect tribute to the greatest band of all time.

Right now I cannot pick a favourite cover, because every band has just blown me away with how great they are! I love how each band have captured that beautiful snarl that Lux had at certain moments and how certain songs had this raw attitude to them (bands like Duende! Morons Morons- they totally nailed this.) Charm Bag have made their version of I Was A Teenage Werewolf just as smutty as the original and slowed it down slightly but they have completely and utterly got down Ivy’s sound. They’ve really gone beyond with this version- it’s a close favourite for sure!

Los Crveles and Shawnis And The Shimmers are two bands you just want to hear cover songs by The Cramps all the damn time. I want Los Crveles to do all of the A Date With Elvis record- that would b magical! No Valentine have also done something truly great on Can Your Pussy Do The Dog, and you cannot help but think that Lux would love this cover and the whole damn record. It’s just such an exciting collection of songs, and it makes you appreciate the legacy of The Cramps even more. See, I’m not someone who is a huge fan of cover versions at all, but when someone takes a song and makes it theirs- then I’m likely to be sold. What every band on this record has done is pay a beautiful tribute to a band that have evidently influenced them in their own way. It’s such a lovely thing to hear. Every version of the songs on this record are a respectable nod to The Cramps, and I like to think the members of the band that are no longer with us would appreciate this tribute.

I think this record will even sit nicely with those who are precious about cover songs (worse than me) and aren’t into a band that are sacred to them having their songs covered. Each band on this record have done something truly impressive, and maybe it will turn fans of these bands on to The Cramps!