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Beyond The Monster Mash: A Guide to Halloween Music

  • Hosting a Halloween party and don't know what to play?  Here's some suggestions.

    Greatest  all-around Rock 'n' Roll Spookmeisters:  Roky Erikson. Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Screaming Lord Sutch, The Cramps, Alice Cooper, (especially his early stuff), Rob Zombie, Angry Johnny & The Killbillies.

    Best album to use when greeting trick or treaters at your door: Blood by Stan Ridgway & Pietra Wextun. (This is instrumetnal music that's a hundred times creepier than your typical "haunted house" soundtracks.

    Best Vampire Song: "Bloodletting" by Concrete Blonde

    Best Werewolf Song: Warren Zevon would rise from the dead and  rip my lungs out, Jim, if I didn't say "Werewolves of London" (though "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" by The Cramps is up there too.)

    Best Ghost Song: "Ghostriders in the Sky" (So many artists have done this one I did a Tune-up column on it a few years ago. My favorites still are the versions by Lorne Greene and New Mexico's own Last Mile Ramblers.

    Best Frankenstein song: "Frankenstein Conquers the World" by Daniel Johnston & Jad Fair. Honorable Mention: "Frankenstein Meets the Beatles" by Dickie Goodman.

    Best Satan Songs: Tie: "Satan's Bride" Gregg Turner and "I Lost My Baby to a Satan Cult" by Stephen W. Terrell. (The Devil loves cheesy self-promotion. See video and Soundcloud post at bottom of this post)

    Best Country spook song besides "Ghost Riders": "Long Black Veil" written by Danny Dill and Marijohn Wilkin,  originally recorded by Lefty Frizzell and later recorded by The Band, Johnny Cash and many others. Honorable Mention: "(It Was a) Monster's Holiday" by Buck Owens.

    Best Classic Blues Halloween song: "Haunted House Blues" by Bessie Smith

    Best Halloween Jazz Vocal: "Halloween Spooks" by Lambert, Hendricks & Ross

    Best Voodoo Rock : Gris-Gris by Dr. John, The Night Tripper (1968). Honorable mention: "Papa Legba" by The Talking Heads from True Stories. (Seek out the version with Pops Staples on vocals.)

    Classic Halloween albums from this Century: Mondo Zombie Bugaloo by The Fleshtones, Southern Culture on the Skids and Los Straitjackets; Zombified by Southern Culture on the Skids; Rob Zombie presents Captain Clegg & The Night Creatures (haunted honky-tonk performed by Texas country singer Jesse Dayton); Buy a Gun, Get a Free Guitar by Deadbolt (an earlier version of this album was called "Voodoo Moonshiner"); Garage Monsters: The Best of the Garagepunk Hideout Vol. 9.



    My own (free!) online Halloween contributions: On my monthly Big Enchilada podcasts, I've been doing annual Spooktaculars since 2008. Find them all HERE And for users of Spotify, check out my Halloween Spook Rock playlist.




    Here's the latest Big Enchilada Spooktacular

     
     


    And here's some other Satanic madness




Comments

4 comments
  • John Battles
    John Battles Great picks. I hope kids actually trick or treat in your neighborhood. ONE family on my block decorates their yard for Hallowe'en , but , what a job they do of it !!
    Some of my other favorite Ghoul Gospel singers , besides Sreamin' Jay , Lord Sutch , Alic...  more
    October 30, 2014 - 1 likes this
  • John Battles
    John Battles Sorry...13 13 Mockingbird Lane - (Feeling Like )The Wolfman" , Nomads "Where The WOLFSBANE bLOOMS.
    Ghosts - ROKY "If You Have Ghosts" Cartoons "Hey Casper , Whatcha Doin' on The Moon? "
    Frankenstein - Dolls - "Frankenst...  more
    October 30, 2014
  • swt
    swt Thanks John. I like your picks too. That Sam the Sham song reminded me that his Second Album was full of similarly themed tunes, including great versions of "That Old Black Magic," "I Got My Mojo Working" and of course "Ju Ju Hand"
    October 31, 2014
  • John Battles
    John Battles Yeah , his second LP may be the best. Great version of "Witchcraft" and others , but "Ju Ju Hand"is one of the best. I went to school with Sam The Sham's Son , "Son of Sam The Sham " , no , Sam Samudio , but , I never met him.
    October 31, 2014