Lux and Ivy's Favorites (mp3s)

This is an amazing interview with Lux and Ivy that Rex Doane conducted for his show, Fool's Paradise, back when HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER came out.

Fool's Paradise with Lux & Ivy

This interview is essential for truly understanding the mythos of The Cramps. Yes, The Cramps made amazing music, and amazing contributions to the history of music, but to really get a good idea of where they are coming from, is to listen to the music that inspired them. If you think its all crazy rockabilly, you're wrong.

Now, here are Lux and Ivy's Favorites. Let's start off with a note I put in one of the volumes to give you a background on the series.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Lux and Ivy's Favorites!!!

Ok, I got kind of sick of repeating this story 1000 times. So figured I'd include this in the latest volume. I'm the guy who compiles the Lux and Ivy's Favorites Compilations.

It started as a way to keep track of some of the songs Lux, and or Ivy, mentioned in THE INCREDIBLY STRANGE MUSIC BOOK. It was never really intended as anything but a way for a friend of mine and me to have 2 really kick ass compilations.

So we went about the arduous process

of finding all the songs mentioned in that interview. It took a loooong time. We used the file sharing program, Napster, as well as our own personal collections. So, one thing lead to another and when word got around that these compilations were out there, they started being traded from fan to fan to fan. So, at some point I decided to put them up on Napster and let anyone who wanted them have them. As the years went buy, more interviews with Lux and Ivy kept popping up, and the list of songs they mentioned got longer and longer. This resulted in new volumes.

People have asked why songs from THE PURPLE KNIF SHOW have appeared, or why a song or two have appeared that are on the SONGS THE CRAMPS TAUGHT US 3 cd set. Well its simple. The songs that are on TPKS are in less than stellar quality, and some are not featured in their entirety. So, I figured I'd feature them as part of LAIF. Volume one and two of LAIF "came out" or were compiled before STCTU appeared on the scene.

Other people have asked why these haven't appeared as proper releases. The answer to that is easy. I'm not in this to make any money. Like I said above, I just wanted to make compilations for myself with some of the most amazing music ever put to tape. If other people enjoy them, great, but don't expect to see these in stores or on ebay (unless somebody starts bootlegging them, but there is no need since they are easily available thru Soulseek and other file sharing programs).

When the series started I was working mostly from downloads. It was only really meant for a friend of mine and me. This was started in the mid nineties and I wasn't very computer savvy at all. Over the years many of the originals have been acquired, either on vinyl or cd. It has always been my intention to go back and "re-mix" some of these tracks because the quality isn't all that spectacular. Some volumes are better than others. Either way the intent was there, I hope some of the audio flaws aren't too annoying.

Without further ado, here we go!

Lux_and_Ivys_Favorites_-_Volume_01.zip
Lux_and_Ivys_Favorites_-_Volume_02.zip
Lux_and_Ivys_Favorites_-_Volume_03.zip
Lux_and_Ivys_Favorites_-_Volume_04.zip
Lux_and_Ivys_Favorites_-_Volume_05.zip
Lux_and_Ivys_Favorites_-_Volume_06.zip
Lux_and_Ivys_Favorites_-_Volume_07.zip
Lux_and_Ivys_Favorites_-_Volume_08.zip
Lux_and_Ivys_Favorites_-_Volume_09.zip
Lux_and_Ivys_Favorites_-_Volume_10.zip
Lux_and_Ivys_Favorites_-_Volume_11.zip

Volume 3 happened about a year after the first two volumes and is one of my favorites. Volume 12 is not finished yet. Maybe sometime as we get closer to summer.

I hope everyone finds something to enjoy on these cd's. They are a labor of love.

In the end, these comps are a tribute to my heroes, The Cramps.

Your humble savant,
Kogar the Swinging Ape

Mention of the first 6 volumes appeared on the WFMU blog in 2006 here.

Thanks go out to Chuck in Milford NH, Patrick in France, Ben in Chicago, Rex Doane, Howie Pyro, The Mello Jello Gang, Haunted George and anyone else along the way who helped out.

Photo at top by Steve Jennings swiped from thecramps.com

Comments

[rich]

Thank you so much for that!
I will no doubt use much of it for a planned Cramps tribute show I'm doing in the near future.
Stay sick!

[Bill]

Thanks for the great music.
Volume 4 seems to be corrupt please fix...thanks

[Guitsy]

Thanks so much for the ZIPs! I've been digging your first 8 for a couple of years, recently acquired 9 but being on a Mac, I've had trouble getting 10 and 11 off Soulseek.
You are doing the Lord's work, Mr. Ape!
Lux ruled! Ivy rules!
They will ALWAYS be the Big Beat From Badsville!

[zom-bot]

wow, i added almost everything to my main rotation. yes- please fix volume 4- i'd love to hear it-

[FMU BOT]

Volume 4 is fixed.

[Jeffersonic]

A treasure trove is what this is. Thanks much!

[antiabecedarian]

Thank you.

[Jukeboxmafia]

Thanks for posting Rex's show here, so I'm not forced to use realplayer...

[Duke]

Thank you!!!!! This is great stuff. Lux Lives!

[Peter]

Thank you! This is amazing.

[spaceboy5367]

i've been a fan of the cramps for a long time. the incredibly strange music books are invaluable. wish there was more than 2 volumes.

anyway, most of these songs will probably be new to me (and the interview!), so THANKS much!

[Fatherflot]

You can listen to the legendary "Purple Knif Show" online here:

http://www.garagepunk.com/2005/08/25/the-purple-knif-show/

Thanks for the collection---amazing!

[Fatherflot]

Purple Knif show downloadable here:

http://drfaustroll.blogspot.com/2009/02/radio-cramps-purple-knif-show.html

[Rick Garcia]

10 years ago, I went to the Hootenanny show in Irvine, with my new wife, who's taste runs to 90's soul music (think Whitney Housten) and who wants me to take her to see Cher. The headliners that year was my dream show, X (with Billy Zoom), the Rev. Horton Heat, Social Distortion and the Cramps, (along with the Blasters and Robert Gordon on side stages), and it was rockabilly heaven for me. I learned many interesting things that day, among them my new bride was not a rockabilly fan, we were the only ones without tattoos, and Lux Interior was not a true brunette. It was odd to see the Cramps in the Irvine Sunshine, but they still made me feel like I was the 15 year old teenager listening to "Human Fly" in his bedroom while everyone else was listening to Led Zeppelin, or the 18 year old laying naked in his girlfriend's bed listening to "Garbageman" on a 60's era portable stereo-better then on some 80's era fancy sound machine-and wondering when her parents would knock on the door. Long Live Lux and Poisen Ivy!

[Gang of two]

Thanx for this stuff!!!
It´s great!!!!

[St.Even Denver]

Kogar!! Thank you so very much! I always knew stuff like this existed but never had the ability to dig for it! Amazing. These will go down in history with the great compilations of the universe!!!

[Mindwrecker]

There might have been more Incredibly Strange Music books. I'll bet Vale wanted to publish more! He also wanted to launch his own record label.
Wicked post.

[Scott]

This is an amazing collection of songs. Many I've heard, some I've only heard of. Excellent!

[chesson]

Thanks in advance for these. I know they will be great.

Whats the best program to open the files.
I'm seriously computer (UN)savy.

Thanks in advance.

[FMU BOT]

Hi Chesson -

Check this site, hopefully this will help with the Zip files. If you need more help post another comment and we will try to help out.

http://www.tech-pro.net/howto_030.html

[Uncle Ash]

... this is better than a Happy Hour at a VFW!!

- Thanks Kogar
(time well spent!)

Ash > AshAndBurn.com

[GLH]

Holy cow! Thanks SO MUCH!!!!

[devon]

dude these comps rule so hard

[Snod]

Thanks so much for these comps - realise how time consuming they are to do! First saw the Cramps back in 1980 at the tender age of 15 and I've never been the same since - irreplaceable.

[EC Brown]

I had planned to burn 50 copies of Purple Knif for an informal artshow I'm organizing later this month in Chicago, and give them to guests as a tribute to Lux. Looks like I'm going to have to make this a data disk to hold everything you've so generously provided! Of course, I will give credit where credit is due.

Thank you for soldiering on with the Great Mission!