The Beat from Badsville Vol. 4 (Various Artists)

Brought up on the radio shows of the legendary rock n' roll DJs, the moondogging Alan Freed, Mad Daddy and, later, the ghostly Ghoulardi, it was hardly surprising that The Cramps' Lux Interior and Poison Ivy began trawling the thrift stores for juvenile delinquent tunes, lip curling bad boy rock n' roll, strange exotica, bizarre novelty 45s, dysfunctional doo wop, psychedelic weirdness, and instrumentals made by madmen. In America in the 1950s and 1960s there seemed to be small town versions of such vinyl madness everywhere that, by the 1970s were remaindered and to the majority of people unwanted. To the fledgling Cramps this was nothing short of heaven. The duo filled their house with novelty memorabilia, schlock horror furniture, and a record collection to die for. Lux eventually gravitated to his own Purple Knif Radio show and the Cramps delivered their versions of some of the stuff they'd found. The duo name-checked many a 45 along the way and seeking them out and sampling their eccentricities is nothing short of mind-blowing. This 24-track collection positively effervesces with eccentricity. Again the release is divided into four themes: The Rock'n'Rollers, New Dance Trend, Instrumentals, and The Mad Daddies. Every track pirouettes dangerously and at times haphazardly around the expected. These are songs for strange times by what can definitely be considered strange people. Gems and nuggets that sparkle even more bright in today's manufactured music maelstrom. The population of Badsville welcomes you aboard. Includes tracks by Gary Link & the Rock-a-Fellas, Buddy Starr & the Starliners, The Saints, Jamie Coe, Bo Toliver & His Timers, Dossie Thunderbird Terry, The Vocaleers, Celestine, Young Jessie, Creel Sisters, The Phaetons, Burt Keyes with Teddy McRae & His Orchestra, The Downbeats, The Stereos, The Ramblers, The Storms, The Renegades, Nightmares (Jimmie Maddin Orchestra), Don Johnston, Jivin' Gene and the Jokers, Freddy Montell, Terry Corin and Her Boyfriends, and Mr. Undertaker.