This is a fantastic song of Freddy Krueger and a back up band and vocalists encouraging you to do what I assume was the hot dance of 1987, The Freddy. Actually I'm assuming people in the 80s probably never heard this song. It's pretty bad, pretty fantastic and absolutely perfect for Halloween.
Don't forget to check out the mix below as well as the rest of the music that's been posted this month. More posts will be up tomorrow as well as a month long recap of everything that's been posted. Let me know if you dig the mix.
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Freddy Krueger and the Elm Street Group - Do the Freddy
Took me a lot of time. But hopefully it's worth it. Most of the songs have been posted sometime in the past but some haven't and this isn't just a zip folder of tracks, its a full mix, put it on and let it play for 54 minutes. Why 54 minutes? I have no idea, hopefully that's some kind of spooky number.
Having a party? Put it on. Going to a party? Bring it with. Handing out candy? Good background music Putting on makeup, getting ready to go out? Let it amp you up and scare you stiff.
This year the tracks don't go on quite as long. You'll hopefully find some stuff you've never heard, some remixes, and some classics. I'm proud of it and I hope you'll give it multiple listens. I'll post the track listing below and also check out my old mix as well.
1. Scooby-Doo Theme 2. Oh No - Come On 3. Ray Parker Jr. - Ghostbusters 4. Whodini - Haunted House of Rock N Roll 5. Unknown Werewolves of London (Zevon) x Bad Moon Rising Remix (CCR) 6. Howlin' Wolf - Evil 7. Bobby Bare - Vampira 8. Don Hinson and the Rigormorticians - The Monster Jerk 9. The Deadly Snakes - There Goes Your Corpse Again 10. The Misfits - Skulls 11. The Young Werewolves - Hungry Like the Wolf 12. The Dead Elvi - The Monster Mash 13. Clipse - Nightmares 14. Dana Dane - Nightmares 15. Divide and Kreate - Highway Reaper 16. Terry Reid - Season of the Witch 17. The Ghouls - Dracula's Deuce 18. Guerilladust - Icabod's Guitar Lick 19. Midnight Juggernauts - Shadows 20. Fettdog - Frightfest II 21. Tracy Morgan Jordan - Werewolf Barmitzvah
Sometimes I forget how much I like old school Doo Wop music from the 50s. I like the vocals sound a lot like Gospel if not done as well. Then there's always the bass guys that seem to be hitting an octave lower then you'd even think possible. This song is what I imagine to play at Beauty Pageants that take place in spooky haunted mansions. Its so bizarre, what's weird is I'm not sure if its supposed to be a novelty song or not.
First off I want to let everyone know since this is an extra special long Halloween due to both Daylight savings and the ability to party on Friday and Saturday my goal is to have my mix done and posted by tomorrow, but it might be thursday if it's not solid by then. In any case make sure you check before the weekend starts as it should be up. Also, I know I have a few posts to get caught up with, I'm back and on it so check back ASAP. Anyone got anything good goin on for Halloween?
A Hip hop double post, this track is from Dana Dane from back in 1987 off of Dana Dane with Fame. I gotta admit I'd be a Dana Dane fan probably just cause we share the same name but this is a quality album and Nightmares is an pretty good hiphop song for Halloween so I can appreciate that too.
It was Cinderfella Dana Dane that was the big hit on this album. He's still around and recently there was a True Hip Hop stories with Dana Dane produced by D-Nice. If you dig Hiphop you should check them out as they're beautifully filmed and the stories are great tales of early history.
Here's the video with Dana Dane. The song is below.
There's a lot of crazy rappers out there, that wear weird costumes and makeup, but barely anyone out there raps like Killer Mike. This track is off his debut album Monster. Just this year he released Underground Atlanta which features Mike and a variety of Atlanta MCs. His best two albums to date have been Pledge Allegiance to the Grind 1 and 2. 1 is a double album and still manages to be one of the better releases this decade.
He raps hard but smart and has recently signed with T.I. on his Grand Hustle imprint after previously being with Outkast. My biggest fear is that it will take forever for his followup to Pledge to come out, but if it does I can assume it will only be better just as long as he doesn't try to crossover much if at all.
This track is from Danny Hutton who was in charge of Hanna-Barbera Records before joining Three Dog Night. It's a very weird song given the time it came out. You sounds like a lot of records from the British Invasion and has some tight horns and great guitar lick. The vocals on the track really stand out. Hutton releases a soulful croon and then hits some deep notes as he exclaims "Monster Shinnnn Diiig!". Definately great track.
Later he would join Three Dog Night who are a group I don't believe is underappreciated. One of my favorite movie moments is in Devil's Rejects when Shambala comes on before the movie really gets dark. I'm not a huge fan of Rob Zombie's directing but he can put together amazing soundtracks.
Straight from Cut Copy's last record, I'm digging most of this song. Not all of it perfectly gels but the chorus is pretty amazing. They have put out two really solid records and combine a little electronic vocals and feel with indie tendencies and sometimes epic choruses. What's interesting is although its very electronic oriented, you can listen to it hanging out at home and it doesn't feel out of place. You don't feel like you need neon lights all over the place or a fog machine to enjoy them.
There's way way way to many covers of The Munsters Themes. This one features a guy with a spanish accent talking in english and a surf/garage version of the theme. That's about all I know about it.
I'm getting back to posting so expect a windfall of posts here this week and especially today, hope you haven't forgot, or its not next year by the time you're reading this. And please, feel free to spread the word as I have more bandwith than I'd like.
A Track by the Zane Brothers this is a nice slow burner. Maybe not a track for the party but one for cruising the streets before Halloween. The above pic is one of my favorite Penny Arcade comics to come out this year. They even sell Prints of their comics so if you dig this one you can have it as a 12x18 print and put it on your wall.
Okay so this one isn't entirely werewolves dancing and vampires drinking spiked blood punch. But it it's called D.E.M.O.N.S. and the track which is produced by Black Milk is thoroughly spooky. It's got that undertone that is total head nod city but still has that cold dark in the dead of winter feel. The track is originally from Elzhi's album The Preface. Elzhi is originally part of Slum Village who worked with J Dilla among others before breaking up/going on hiatus.
The image is a gig poster by Brian Mercer. Get his posters they are awesome and super cheap. The price which is usually around 10-15 includes shipping!
Finally a little Saxophone for Halloween. Nothin' better than some Screamin' Jay Hawkins. He manages to make anything sound fun. Pretty sure he could be singing about a human apocalypse and it would just sound like a garage rock bop and would definately have to feature a little sax solo. Which makes anything sound upbeat when played like it's yakkity sax.
One of the things I've found as I've delved into the realm of supernatural and Halloween novelty music of the 60's is that it had quite an overlap with the surf rock craze. Many of the same bands or session musicians played on Monster themed music as did surf records. And when a genre like surf rock reached the ocean barren landscape of Minnesota you know it had to hit pretty much everywhere. Thankfully the same could be said of odd novelty songs.
Igor Goes Surfing manages to combine the best of both genres. A little bit of a Igor impression along with a slick little surf lick. I think my favorite image to come out of this is Igor making a trip to the beach and Igor playing with Sharks in the ocean. Then all of a sudden a flushing sound it made. The best part is the send off, "Where E-Gores, I-Gores".
This is a track by Mr Fab off of the Bride of Monster Mash Compilation from a few years back. The track is originally titled Cannibal Zombie Mom but the thing is I'm almost sure the lyrics say Cannibal Zombie Mob? Let me know if you think you can discern it for sure. It's a cool mash of some surf rock, a little shaking electronic beat and an echoey growl about a zombie mob or mom. Mob makes more sense given the context. Let me know what you here.
By the way I know sometimes I'm having to post 2 in 1 day instead of 1 every day. I just get sidetracked or haven't been home. It was my birthday a couple days back so I haven't been home and ready to post as much.
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Finally a little Monster Soul. With this track I have no doubt it would have been a perfect bedrock for a little Sam Cooke style soul. I was almost amazed how solid this band is on this track. It's not quite as good as some of the guys Cooke had backing him, but its got some surprisingly solid session work here. Part of Don Hinson and the Rigormorticians.
I'm a big fan of the horns and they really make this song shout. Just a little twist on one of the traditional 60s dances, Monster Jerk features a very Peter Lorre impression talking about the now passe bird and ditching it in favor of The Jerk.
Don Hinson and the Rigormorticians - The Monster Jerk
This is without a doubt probably the cheesiest song I've posted in 4 years of doing this blog. That's definately saying something. But it's too ridiculous not to post. There's a whole album of this mid 80s synth Spookiness and this is the BEST song. But its a throwback, kind of like Prince if Prince had no confidence.
Frankenstein and the All-Star Monster Band - Creatures
This is...one of the reasons teenage boys used to dig comics. Wow. But the internet ruined this for all the apparently sex starved guys at Marvel. Still the artwork is pretty badass. I dig the look of late 70s to mid 80s comics. And not necessarily for the busty revealing costumes.
So far I think I have yet to post a little reggae track. Ken Boothe sounds like he got burned by the Devil on this track. "Saying you're a good thing, But I know you're bad!". The best part is the chorus when the backup singers come in, "Youuurrrrre Eeeevvilllll." She might not be supernatural, but this woman is clearly no good.
If anyone has any questions or just wants to comment I there's some people diggin on the blog. Say what's up, let me know you're out there. Also I got a contest I'm gonna post in the coming days. Just a little goofy prize but it'll be fun.
This is a great old school Rockabilly track from Bobby Bare. Currently you might have heard of his son Bobby Bare Jr. who's been recording a lot of different albums the last few years and touring. He's not as country as his dad though and tends to veer all over the place stylistically.
This track is hot. A little sneer, a little screaming, some hot piano stabs and a bouncing guitar hook make this one of my favorite tracks I've posted this year. Put on your black leather jacket, grease that hair and find a drag race.
This is a scorching psychedelic from Richard Delvy. Now if I got my facts straight this is Richard Delvy formerly of The Challengers a pretty epic surf rock band from the early 60s. This is very reminiscent of a more polished Roky Erickson. And I would imagine sans electro shock therapy. It's a great track that starts talking about space exploration and then reveals green slime come to earth. So basically the song is the plot to the Blob. 2 minutes and no Dillon brother so it's better than the remake at the very least.
What's that, you'd like a garage rockabilly cover of Duran Duran's Hungry Like the Wolf. Well The Young Werewolves were happy to oblige. This is off of their 2nd album called Cheat the Devil. They're from Philly and have a few shows coming up in the area this month I believe so check em out if you hapy to be on the East Coast. I really dig their albums. It's pretty much the kind of music made to drive a 1966 Charger through a muggy summer night in only a night in which the bars were filled with dancing, drinking and smoking werewolves and other creatures of the night.
This song may be one of the less danceable songs I post. But it's some solid rock from Sparklehorse who have released this in 2006 off of their album Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain which is surprisingly not even close to the longest album name I've heard. This past year members of Sparklehorse worked with Dangermouse to release Dark Night of the Soul which technically never recieved the proper release it was due to.
Stay tuned for the rest of the month, I've got some hiphop, some really cheesy stuff and a little bit of Alfred Hitchcock and finally at the end of the month I will be posting another hourlong mix and I'm looking forward to one uping last years.
Once again back with another favorite topic here at The Ghost Town. The A-Bones are a ruff garage band from the late 80s and early 90s and recently got back together for a new album. This track is a little slowed down rockabilly. Perfect for the Devil to prowl a darkly lit dirt cheap bar for his next victim. If this song had a favorite beer I can only assume it would be PBR. If you dig this they just recently but out Not Now! last July.
Lord Luther's I Was a Teenage Creature has some fairly standard music bop behind his vocals. But the what comes to the forefront on this track is his voice. He really elevates the song with a pretty amazing croon. Backed by the howling, growls and grotesque laughs and screams this reminds me for some reason of being a kid and watching old TV shows on Nick at Night. If I could find an image of Bob Denver dressed as a werewolf if such a thing exists that'd be perfect.
This song is a complete ripoff of the Monster Mash. But to give Bill Riley a little bit of Credit at the very least he doesn't try to emulate the voice of Bobby Pickett. I just realized he even mentions the crypt-kicker 5. Well, if you're gonna go for a ripoff, might as well be wholesale. But I'm not complaining. What I really want is a wacky Halloween Pop resurgence. I can't imagine a world in which that happens but if it does I will be most excited.
First off go HERE to buy this print of the image above or similiar monster movie prints. They are only 15 dollars and completely awesome from Thomas Webb.
Ah the late great Lon Chaney Jr. I think that might be my favorite monster movie star name. Boris Karloff is definately up there as is Bela Lugosi but those sound almost too strange. It's the simplicity that makes me think Lon Chaney could have been a basketball player or something else. This song is pretty fantastic. Some solid froggy voiced growling by Lon Chaney with a girl group backing up vocals.
I love the concept of the song as well being the famous movie monsters during Christmas. My favorite parts are "the zombies made out with the sleigh and all", and "Drac got his cape, Frankie promised to behave, and the Wolfman was happy now he can shave". Not a bad track for Halloween or Chirstmas. I think you might agree It's pretty hard to listen to this song without going into some kind of awkward twist like sixties dance.
The next track is what was one of my favorite songs of one of my favorite albums. Back in 1995 I was 11 and got an overpriced Odelay at the Mall of America. I remember I liked Where It's At, but my favorite song was definately Devil's Haircut. It had a crazy video that was shot like a blaxploitation film, a funky harmonica and the laidback snarl of beck. The fuzzy guitar finishes off the groove. There's also the fact that Devil's Haircut sounds totally badass as a song when you're 11 even if the lyrics were pretty much over my head, or over everyone's head. It's not exactly like Beck makes clear statements with all his songs.
I think between the ages of 11 and 14 I probably listened to that album about a billion times. I almost can't listen to it anymore even know I still know it's awesome. Now my favorite song is Jack-Ass which I highly reccomend as well as the Mariachi version on the recently released Odelay Remastered edition.
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I realize I've been a little late and behind, but trust me, October has 31 days and you will have 31 posts. Unless I get bitten by a zombie or something, in which case all updates will merely be "Brainsssss..." Repeated over and over. The next track I have is Dead Man Coming by Evil Nine and featuring a guest spot by Toastie Taylor. It's not quite lyrically spooky but tell me this wouldn't make the perfect soundtrack to a few humans fleeing down a darkened ally with zombies in pursuit as others creep out of the darkness and join the hunt.
Evil Nine also have a great track called They Live which I posted last year. I think they are very underated and am looking forward to their next album as they do a great job of pulling together electronic music with hiphop and even dancehall without veering into territory that they can't excel in.
The Deadly Snakes are probably one of the best garage rock bands ever. They put out 4 great albums from 1999 through 2005 and then split up. There Goes Your Corpse Again is off of Ode to Joy. Part garage rock part scuzzy R and B everytime they use horns they manage to make them sound just as washed out as the vocals or guitar parts. The best part is backup vocalists making it sound like a an alternate universe version of something that would have been on American bandstand circa 1959.
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The first track for this year is by Los Monstruos. A little bit of growling, some garage rock surf licks and some crazy yelling. Not a bad way to start off the blog this year. This song is one I originally heard right around last Halloween but not in time to post. Los Monstruos are originally a Mexican garage rock band. Being so close to The USA I'm sure that there's a pretty deep collection of garage and surf records from Mexico that are just as wild and fun as anything from England or USA and is something I definately need to explore more.
