Henry Rollins, Ian MacKaye Involved In Re-Launch of the Cramps' Record Label, Vengeance Records

Over the last several weeks, a new Instagram account with the handle @crampsofficialvengeancerecords has been actively growing. Prior to that, rumors started flying around about a new project that Henry Rollins and Ian MacKaye were working on.

Today (May 27), these two seemingly separate things have come together for a major announcement.

A new company, The Cramps Inc., has been formed to restart the Cramps' record label Vengeance Records. The company will create official merchandise celebrating the legacy of the Cramps as well as release unheard recordings from the band.

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In an announcement written by Rollins, he states, "The Cramps Inc. is the artist formerly known as Poison Ivy Rorschach, Larry Hardy, owner and operator of In The Red Records, and Jimmy Maslon, a film producer responsible for some of the Cramps music videos, and owner of the Herschel Gordon Lewis and Doris Wishman film catalogs. Both have deep ties to Lux [Interior] and Ivy, forged over decades. Ivy is the major beneficiary. Larry and Jimmy are handling all the logistics. They are perfect for this."

Rollins and MacKaye are also involved, shedding light on those rumors. Operating as RAM Prod., the two will work on behalf of The Cramps Inc.

With several reissues set for release, RAM Prod will handle tape maintenance, editing, mixing, mastering and lacquer cutting, and are working in partnership with the legendary Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Va., as well as the award-winning collective of engineers known as Infrasonic Sound in Nashville, Tenn.

(Rollins and MacKaye recently worked together on a release with In the Red Records, Inner Ear and Infrasonic, a four-song 12-inch celebrating the U.K. Subs, Demo Kicks, sparked by a multi-track demo tape that Rollins found on eBay.)

"Out of an abundance of respect and affection for the Cramps, their amazing legacy, and their extraordinarily enthusiastic global fan base, we started work on all of this several months ago in relative secrecy," Rollins says.

Ahead of the reissues that will be coming out, Rollins is excited to share that the first release is something nobody has ever heard before and promises it will be "completely mind-blowing."

Now, about this first dose of Vengeance, here are some facts:
In October 1977, the Cramps, who were at that time, Lux Interior on vocals, Poison Ivy on guitar, Bryan Gregory on guitar, and Nick Knox on drums, ventured into Ardent Studios with the extraordinarily talented musician and producer, Alex Chilton. These sessions were responsible for the first two Vengeance Records releases, both permanently disfiguring the music world in 1978.
'Surfin’ Bird' / 'The Way I Walk'
'Human Fly' / 'Domino'
In 1979, young British degenerates were treated to a five track 12" EP by the Cramps called Gravest Hits, which featured all four tracks released in the USA, along with another from the October 1977 sessions, a great channeling of Ricky Nelson’s hit Lonesome Town. From there, the band released their first LP, Songs The Lord Taught Us, again working with Alex Chilton, and went onward, releasing records and touring all over until the sad passing of Lux in 2009.
What Cramps fans might not know, was at Ardent, the band had planned to record their song 'TV Set' to be their first A side, along with another track or tracks. Alex told them that he liked to have a band play every song they knew and the best of the batch would be committed to vinyl. This was fantastic advice, and luckily for us, that’s what the Cramps did. This is how 'Lonesome Town' found its way to Gravest Hits. But, there was much more to the story.
In the late 1980s, Lux and Ivy endeavored to release more recordings from the October 1977 sessions. It was to be titled Gravest Gravy. It was a record for the fans, a journey back to Memphis, back to the first Cramps records, that, try as it might, the world has been unable to heal from. Lux and Ivy mixed several tracks between June 14th and 30th, 1989, at Present Time Recorders, in North Hollywood. Alex mixed a few tracks in Memphis. The album had a title, a cover by the great Stephanie Chernikowski, who passed away recently, but for reasons lost to time, Gravest Gravy was shelved.

This year, The Cramps Inc. is bringing Gravest Gravy back to life. The record will be out on Aug. 21 and available as various vinyl variants as well as on CD and digital.

The Creation of the Cramps' Gravest Gravy

Rollins shares that the tracks on Gravest Gravy were recorded on seven quarter-inch reels; six of them were generated by Lux and Ivy with the other by Chilton. Shockingly, all seven reels were in great condition and were able to be transferred by Brian Kehew.

...the tracks were in pristine condition. Many of the songs had multiple mixes. We had to determine which ones were the keepers. Over several nights of concentrated listening, and copious notetaking, I was able to get an understanding of the changes made from mix to mix. Within a few nights, I was able to determine that the last mix of each song was the keeper. Not only did the tracks sound to be at their fullest potential, it made sense.
I sent the mixes and my notes to Ian MacKaye, whose ears I trust more than anyone I know. I asked him to take his time, go through the tracks and form an opinion of my selections. Days later, he reported back that he agreed with me on all of them. He then volunteered to do some EQ and level adjustment on two of the tracks with Don Zientara at Inner Ear Studios, in Arlington, Virginia.
Days later, all the tracks were at Infrasonic Sound, an excellent studio in Nashville, Tennessee for mastering under the careful watch of engineer Pete Lyman. I sat for hours and listened as Pete coaxed the frequencies to be at their best. The results were two six song sides of the Cramps, extracted from a 1977 amber block, de-fossilized and ready to be inflicted upon the ears of those who would rather Stay Sick and Turn Blue than hope for sunny weather.

For Rollins and MacKaye, this is much more than a partnership with the Cramps. As he has shared many times in the past and as he mentions in today's announcement, the band changed Rollins' life.

"I first saw the Cramps on April 20, 1979 in a small bar in Washington, DC, and I’ve never recovered," he recalls.

"Ian was standing next to me. We still talk about that show. The opportunity to bring this music to fellow Cramps fans is beyond a thrill. It is an absolute honor that we feel so fortunate to be a part of."