Customer Reviews

Smell of Female

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A great remastered reissue of the Cramps live 1983 ep with a couple extra live tracks and including the studio track "Surfin Dead" originally on the "Return of the Living Dead" soundtrack. All in all a must for any Cramps fan....but why not include the ultra rare 1983 U.S. cassette only version of "Weekend on Mars" I guess we'll have to wait for the Rhino Boxset in 2043..until then Stay Sick Turn Blue!

The first live album from The Cramps, "Smell of Female" was recorded in NYC's Peppermint Lounge and proves that the band were just as potent and mesmerizing on stage as they were in the studio.

"The Most Exhalted Potentate" belies its pretentious title and with its Middle-Eastern motif, instantly becomes one of The Cramps most intriguing numbers. There's a 1960s rock and roll vibe throughout most of this collection that begins with "You Got Good Taste" and continues on "Call of the Wighat" and "Faster Pussycat" (which features a charming xylophone of all things) and is most obvious in a cover of the Count Five's "Psychotic Reaction". Lux is sounding more like Mick Jagger and less like Gene Vincent on most of this album, which plays like a tribute to 1966 garage bands circa 1983.

The Cramps are broadening their horizons with this effort, yet their trademark tongue-in-cheek lyrics are still there (songs like "I Ain't Nuthin' But a Gorehound", "Surfin' Dead" and "Beautiful Gardens") along with the simple but killer riffs.

The highlight of the album is the alternately simmering/rousing "She Said" which offers a lot of call-and-response with the audience which could be annoying but Lux knows exactly what they want and exactly when to give it to them.

One of the best live albums I've heard and another triumph for The Cramps. Five stars.

Great, Great, awesome CD. I definitely recommend this and Psychadelic Jungle/Gravest Hits. Very Very Good. You aren't cool unless you have this. THat's right, I went there.

First thing I couldn't help but to notice about this release,of course was the stunning cover where guitarist Poison Ivy looks extremely HOT!'Smell Of Female' is okay as far as a live album goes.It's got some good tunes like "You Got The Taste" and "Faster Pussycat" for starters.However,I see/hear two things wrong with 'Smell...'.One,the duration is just 33 minutes and two,their version of the 1967 Count Five garage/psych classic "Psychotic Reaction" is rather weak.I've seen the band play live twice now and I KNOW they can do better on that cover.I liked 'Rockin' N Reelin' In Auckland,NZ' and 'How To Make A Monster' better(see my reviews on both).

That certain something is "Weekend on Mars" -- a really terrific song that was on my old cassette tape but not on the CD. It's a shame as this is far better than the "Beautiful Gardens" or "Surfin' Dead" tracks on here. When will the complete version of this concert come out?

This was originally a six song EP released in 1983. It was recorded live at the Peppermint Lounge in February of 1983. This CD features two additional songs recorded at the same concert. The songs consist of Cramps originals plus a cover of the theme song from "Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" and a cover of the Count Five's "Psychotic Reaction". This is a decent live recording, but not really the Cramps at their best. The CD also includes the song the Cramps recorded for the movie The Return of the Living Dead, "Surfin' Dead" (one of my personal favorite Cramps songs). I believe this was also the first time that Poison Ivy posed for a "cheesecake" photo for an album cover.

the cramps are/were great--and this collection is a good introduction to their music. Great road trip tunes. The only thing i lost in my divorce that i cared about!! buy it!

the only problem with this cd is it's not long enough. great playing and great songs (Thee most exalted potentate of love being my favourite) including their usual well chosen covers. their version of psychotic reaction is fantastic. don't miss this one.

I own pretty much every cd you can get by The Cramps when you are stuck on planet earth, but this one is my personal favorite. There's a lot of songs on here that you won't hear on other releases. Great songs to blast in your car or at home. All around a superb disc full of energy... There's nothing like seeing them live but this does come pretty darn close.

a divey bar is where they really shine. Lux Interior is a great frontman. The recording quality is pretty good, and the setlist is great.