Though no psychobilly artist has ever made it all the way up the stairway to superstardom, most psychobilly bands never even got the memo that there was a stairway to superstardom, let alone that they perhaps might want to climb it themselves. Such is the charm of psychobilly -- it's always been a cult fascination since it was born around the same time as punk, and now, 30 years after
the Cramps formed (arguably the most important band in the psychobilly genre, and often cited as its founder) and nearly as long after
the Meteors introduced the scene to the U.K., psychobilly is well into its age of renaissance, though some might say it never left the radar. When
the Cramps' popularity dwindled,
Reverend Horton Heat picked it up and didn't let go. Thus, psychobilly was still a big part of the underground music scene in both the United States and the United Kingdom well into the 2000s. So the 2006 release of Long Lost Psychobilly, Vol. 1, "Treasures from the vaults of Link Records," should come as a surprise to fans of psychobilly, and will widen their horizons to bands they've likely never heard of. Long Lost Psychobilly, Vol. 1 was released by the U.K. Anagram Records and Cherry Red Records labels, and features nine of the U.K.'s better psychobilly groups. Each band has two songs featured on the compilation, many of which had never before been released on CD format. Highlights include "You're No Good" from
the Tailgators, whose singer has an uncanny similarity to
Glenn Danzig's signature croon, and the sinister, upright bass-heavy "Hellraiser" from
the Radiacs. Long Lost Psychobilly, Vol. 1 features 18 morbid psychobilly rockers and is highly recommended to those who have an affinity for the cult phenomenon. ~ Megan Frye