Gravest Hits

Gravest Hits
EP by The Cramps
Released July 1979
Recorded Ardent Studios, Memphis
October 1977
Genre Garage punk, psychobilly
Label Illegal/I.R.S.
Producer Alex Chilton
The Cramps chronology

Gravest Hits EP
(1979)		 Songs the Lord Taught Us
(1980)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]

Gravest Hits is the debut 12" EP by the American garage punk band The Cramps, compiling both sides of their first two 1978 Vengeance singles, "Surfin' Bird" and "Human Fly," and adding a fifth track, a cover of "Lonesome Town". It was released in July 1979 on Illegal Records and I.R.S. Records. The tracks were all produced by Alex Chilton and recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis in 1977. It featured liner notes by "Dr. J.H. Sasfy, Professor of Rockology, American Rock'n'Roll Institute, Washington D.C., U.S.A." Gravest Hits is one of first documents of both the rockabilly revival and the psychobilly genres. The photograph on the back of the original sleeve, of the band in performance, was taken at New York's Palladium theater.

“Human Fly” appeared in episode 4 of the UK ITV comedy drama series Married Single Other as Clint scaled four floors of a block of flats in Leeds to try to recover his relationship with Abbie.

A cover version of the song by Hanni El Khatib also appeared in a Nissan television advertisement.[2]

Yet another cover version of "Human Fly" was recorded by the Serbian alternative rock band Supernaut on their 2006 album Eli.[3]

Track listing

Side one
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Human Fly"  Lux Interior, Ivy Rorschach 2:15
2. "The Way I Walk"  Jack Scott 2:43
3. "Domino"  Sam Phillips 3:08
Side two
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Surfin' Bird"  Al Frazier, Sonny Harris, Carl White, Turner Wilson (credited to "Wahrer") 5:08
2. "Lonesome Town"  Baker Knight (credited to "B. Knight") 3:15

Personnel

References

  1. ↑ Cleary, David. "The Cramps: Gravest Hits > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  2. ↑ "Nissan Qashqai – Ultimate Urban Car". 24 Nov 2011.
  3. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Supernaut-Eli/release/1876672