RADIO BROADCAST #895

05-29–26

Fanatic, you might remember over the last several weeks, I’ve been telling you about a record Larry Hardy, Ian and I had been working on. Not the excellent U.K. Subs EP, which was just unleashed, https://intheredrecords.com/ collections/store/products/u- k-subs-demo-kicks-12 but yet another. The press release went out two days ago, so now I can tell you all about it. We’ve been waiting for this moment! On August 21, the Cramps’ label Vengeance will be back in action! First up is a release that’s going to blow your mind. It’s called Gravest Gravy. The title is in reference to the Gravest Hits 12”. Several weeks ago, Larry was going through the tape vault of the Cramps. He came up upon 7 ¼” reels. After a bit of inquiry, he found out these were mixes of tracks the band recorded in October 1977 in Memphis, Tennessee at Ardent studios, with the great Alex Chilton producing. These would be the same sessions that inflicted the first two Cramps 7” records upon the yet-to-be-infected. Wait, there was a time before the Cramps?! It seems hard to imagine, but yes. Legend tells us that the band had been planning on recording their song TV Set as their first A side with another track or tracks. Mr. Chilton advised that they record everything they knew and the best songs would make the record. Luckily for all of us, that’s what the Cramps did. The result was a whole bunch of Cramps music you’ve never heard. Lux and Ivy mixed nine of the twelve tracks in North Hollywood in 1989. Alex Chilton mixed three in Memphis. For reasons lost to time, the project was shelved, even though they had the tracks mixed, the cover photo selected, and a title. Larry decided Gravest Gravy must come out. It might not surprise you that we got to work immediately. Brian Kehew transferred the tapes. I selected the keeper mixes, then sent them and my notes to Ian MacKaye, whose ears I trust more than anyone. He listened to all the mixes and agreed with my selections. He volunteered to do some level adjustment and EQ work on two of the tracks at Inner Ear Studios with the great Don Zientara. Ian and Don turned that around very quickly. Several days later, after a running order had been determined by multiple drafts, bounced back and forth between Ian and myself, the tracks landed at Infrasonic Sound in Nashville. Engineer extraordinaire Pete Lyman, mastered the tracks superbly. We had an amazing record that we couldn’t tell anyone about. Several days later, the test pressings came back and the team was floored. It sounds great. Usually, something like this would take between 10 to 15 months or even longer to come out. Larry decided that sooner was better than later. Works for me! Gravest Gravy will be unleashed on August 21, in multiple color variants and CD. Fanatic, words can barely describe how awesome this record is. You might know that in the early live sets of the Cramps, they did a number of covers that soon left the set as original material edged them out. Those who pay attention to bootlegs or have been in the world of tape trading, might remember the Cramps playing a great version of Hungry by Paul Revere and the Raiders. There’s no way the band would’ve ever put that down on tape, right? It’s on the album, with Alex Chilton joining on keyboard. Also, from their early sets is Problem Child, written by Sam Phillips. You might remember me telling you many times over the years, right before we listened to the Cramps doing their rippin’ version of Rocket In My Pocket released in 1958 by Jimmy Lloyd that I’d pulled from live recordings, that sadly, the band never did a studio version. Well Fanatic, I was wrong! That too is on the record, and it sounds so great. Also, making things interesting, you get versions of tracks that ended up on the Psychedelic Jungle album. The way they sound with Bryan Gregory is quite different. Here’s the track listing: TV Set Weekend On Mars Twist & Shout Jungle Hop Can’t Hardly Stand It Hungry The Natives Are Restless Domino Can’t Find My Mind Rockin’ Bones Problem Child Rocket In My Pocket

Wow! Photograph by the great Stephanie Chernikowski. Design by Jon Krop The very talented Jason Willis made a video for TV Set. https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=9K3cc9BMqmU Feel free to watch it over and over. I do! Preorder info: https://midheaven.com I’ve worked on a lot of records in almost every capacity there is, and I can honestly say that I’ve never been more excited about a single project I’ve been a part of than Gravest Gravy. You should know that another album of hyper-rare Cramps tracks is finished. The tracks have been mastered and when it’s release time, we’ll let you know. There are more Cramps projects in various stages of completion that will be turned loose over the next several months. We’ll keep you in the loop on all of it. Stay sick! Turn blue! We would like to acknowledge the passing of the legendary Jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins. Fanatic, a grand gathering of tunes awaits you. We hope you have a great night of listening and a tremendous weekend. Never forget the importance of hydration and STAY FANATIC!!! –– Henry