The Cramps--Live At Napa State Mental Hospital
MVD/Target Video 2004
Brothers and sisters, this is it. At long last, the holy grail of punk rock video has been officially released on DVD. When footage has had a highly lauded legend attached to it for so long, as this stuff has, there is always the chance you're being set up for grand disappointment. Not in this case, though. In fact, The Cramps: Live at Napa State Mental Hospital astonishingly both lives up to and surpasses all the years of hype.
Live at Napa State Mental Hospital captures the Cramps live in 1978, shortly after the recording of their Gravest Hits album. Seeing the band this early into their history is treat enough to warrant purchase of this DVD. However, the mental patients in the audience help elevate this already powerful performance into something otherworldly, as they become just as big a part of the show as the Cramps themselves. A pair of women from the audience spend a good portion of the show trying to share mic time with Lux and he doesn't seem to mind a bit. Then, as Lux lays out his patented dark croon on "Love Me," one kind fellow is happy to oblige, hugging the frontman every time he repeats those two magic words. The Cramps bash out their set as patients sing into imaginary microphones, dance, and convulsively shake all around the band. The whole scene is beyond surreal and Cramps guitarist Bryan Gregory (R.I.P.) cannot wipe the gleeful smile off his face in the midst of it all. You won't be able to, either.
As if that wasn't enough, you get a Target Video sampler as bonus material. The footage kicks off with a brief documentary clip on the history of Target Video, then follows with clips from their various releases. The highlights from those clips include Z'EV creating something that sounds like the world's greatest jazz drum solo by banging pots, pans, cans, and various other things together in front of a crowd that is in awe, confused, and maybe a little angry, all at once. However, the ultimate highlight from this package shows Crime performing a song in front of a captive audience at San Quentin prison. There is little doubt after watching it that this Crime footage is the next thing that needs to see full DVD release from Target and MVD.
It should be said that all of this footage, including the Cramps show, contains moments of audio and visual distortion. However, none of it is enough to ruin the viewing experience. On the contrary, it all adds to the feeling of pricelessness this footage has--like you're getting a glimpse at moments so special they weren't intended for mortal man to see. Yet, here it all is for you to consume, at will. The Cramps: Live at Napa State Mental Hospital may be the most important music DVD you ever own. Let's hope this is just the first of many Cramps DVDs to come, as this band is best consumed by both the ears and eyes.
Score this DVD directly from MVD
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