I have a student who's expressing interest, and I'd like to be able to help him, and so I defer to the greater wisdom of Obner.

Also, I could use an education.

What is it you want to know? RIYL's? Other suggestions?

Elucidate!

Cramps = awesome.

Start at the first album and keep going. They got a little more jokey somewhere between A Date With Elvis and Stay Sick (which might not be to everyones tastes) but the earlier material is essential.

Stay Sick is a monster album. I agree with Darrin, their Illegal/IRS catalogue is ferociously great--if you're on a limited budget, get the "Off The Bone" compilation--it's longer than "Bad Music For Bad People" and contains all of their singles.

The best non-Cramps Cramps band is, by far--way far, The Mad Daddy's. They were label mates on New Rose in the mid-80's, and have cranked out singles on Sub Pop and Sympathy For The Record Industry.

As for other bands of that ilk, The Meteors (three piece psychobilly outfit out of the UK--really just P Paul Fenech and accompanyment) are great. Look for their debut "Wrecking Crew", or any extensive singles comp (make sure it has their Mad Pig catalogue).

For similar U.S. based mid-80's excellence, you can't go wrong with The Fuzztones.

The most recent stuff I've heard that's similar and decent (as opposed to the slew of crap horror-rock outfits) would be Deadbolt. "Tijuana Hit Squad", "Shrunken Head", "Hobo Babylon", and "Voodoo Trucker" are all worthwhile.

If you're really ambitious--seek out the originals of their covers--Hazel Adkins, The Sonics, Charlie Feathers, etc. I don't recall The Cramps covering Screamin' Jay Hawkins, but his stuff will also serve.

Would Rev. Horton Heat qualify?

i don't really think that the vandals sound like the cramps.

1. i concur

2. i think the vandals are god awful

3. cant really help you out - not a fan of the cramps either

I'm willing to have an open mind about it, but I'm hesistant to drop $ on stuff that stylistically... historically speaking i've taken a pass on this brand of music.

I'll see what I can find on e-music, I've got 40 songs to go this month.

The Gun Club.

Kid Congo Powers played in the Cramps and the Gun Club, so thats a connection.

Then the Kid leads you to the Bad Seeds, leading back to The Birthday Party, as well as Magazine (Barry Adamson) (leading to Buzzcocks) and the Triffids (Martyn P. Casey) and Die Haut (Thomas Wydler/Roland Wolf) and Einsturzende Neubauten (Blixa) and the Dirty Three (Warren Ellis), which leads to Low (In the Fishtank), and Cat Power (Jim White/Mick Turner), which leads to Steve Shelley, and thus Sonic Youth, then to Pavement (Pavement bass player is playing with them now), and then on to a million other things. Damn, that's a full on education on the entire realm of contemporary music right there.

I believe there is a 2 or 3 volume compilation floating around slsk called Songs The Cramps Taught Us. All acts listed above are on it, with dozens more. Worth looking into...

I'm not into the Vandals but I am known to enjoy some 90s punk once in a while. Not sure what makes the Vandals stand out from others in the genre, so you might want to start off with The Offspring's "Smash" album (their best, and probably most accessable work) as they have a similar sound (and used to be on the same label). In the end though, I can't recommend better 90s punk albums than NOFX's "Punk In Drublic" and Bad Religion's "Stranger Than Fiction"