Now That's What I Call Halloween!

And now for something a little different. Are you a Halloween newbie? Are you just starting your cadaverous collection of spooky songs and horrifying hits? Does the daunting task of making your own playlist fill you with... dread?

If the answer to these questions is, "yes", then we have a great way to prime the pump. Of course, I'm speaking of 2015's glorious release: NOW, That's What I Call Halloween!, from the fun fiends behind the NOW, That's What I Call Music series by Universal and Sony (often referrred to as NOW).

NOW, That's What I Call Halloween! (or as it will be hither referred to as NTWICH! in order to appease my carpal tunnel) is NOW's first foray into fright. Yes, they brought us such classics as NOW, That's What I Call Country!, NOW, That's What I Call Motown!, NOW, That's What I Call Music Volume 61!, NOW, That's What I Call Mum!, and the immortal NOW, That's What I Call Christmas! In spite of all these instant classics, they had yet to provide a Halloween compilation, until... wait for it.... NOW!

Anyway, I think it was worth the wait, as this is an excellent primer into the world of All Hallow's atmospheric songs. I think you'll agree that the track list is pretty impressive, so let's go over it, shall we?

	Halloween Theme (Main Title) by John Carpenter
	Dragula by Rob Zombie
	Carmina burana: O Fortuna by Leonard Slatkin
	Tubular Bells (Theme from 'The Exorcist') by Mike Oldfield
	(Don't Fear) The Reaper (Single Version) by Blue Oyster Cult
	Devil Inside by Inxs
	Bad Things by Jace Everett
	Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon
	Ghost Town by The Specials
	Dead Man's Party by Oingo Boingo
	Monster Mash by Bobby Boris Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers
	This Is Halloween by the Citizens of Halloween
	Season of the Witch by Donovan
	I Put a Spell On You by Nina Simone
	Beetlejuice: Main Title / End Title by Danny Elfman
	Ghostbusters by RUN-DMC
	A Nightmare On My Street by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
	Somebody's Watching Me (Single Version) by Rockwell

Now, that's what I call a Halloween playlist! We've got the creme de la creme of Samhain themes, the immortal Halloween Main Title. We have Werewolves of London, now with more fur. We have the crashing chains of The Monster Mash, more cowbell with Don't Fear the Reaper, and Rob Zombie's ode to yesterday's article about The Munsters; Dragula.

While these staples are absolutely fantastic, it's the off-the-wall oddities that I'm really excited about. Why go for the boring old original Ghostbusters by Mr. Charles, Jr, when you can blast the Run-DMC, remix?  Plus you have Bad Things, which just might be the dirtiest Halloween song that will appear on this blog. Seriously, that song is full of filthy intent and smutty subtext.

We will be going through all of these songs eventually, but in the meantime, you owe it to yourself to pick up NTWICH! and start plowing through the tunes. You can find it here: NOW, That's What I Call Halloween!

NOW, I can't finish an article without providing a video, or two. Wanna see a commercial for the disc? Of course you do. Here it is.

  
And HERE is a link to a youtube playlist so you can sample all of the songs before you get the album. 

Lastly, I am going to post a direct video of my favorite track, the grandaddy of them all, and absolutely essential for any night of trick or treating. What's your favorite? Sound off below.

 

The Munsters

Today we are going to have some fun with The Munsters. That's right, The Munsters Theme Song is essential ghoulish goodness on any Halloween playlist. 

Now, you might think this is relatively simple. After all, how many versions of this song can there be? Well, surprisingly there are a ton of versions. But let's start off simple, shall we? Here, is the original theme song to The Munsters:

So that's the season 1 opener. Pretty simple, huh? It's got the original tune we all know and love, but its a bit faster than I remember the tempo being.

Did you know there were words to this theme? Go figure, huh? Here they are:

These are the lyrics:

When you are walking down the street at night
And behind you theres no one in view,
But you hear mysterious feet at night,
Then The Munsters are following you!

If you should meet this strange family
Just forget what some people have said,
The Munsters may shake your hand clammily
But they're not necessarily dead.

Behind their house you musn't be afraid
To see a figure digging with a spade!
Perhaps someone didn't quite make the grade
with The Munsters, with The Munsters.

If when you're sleeping you dream a lot,
Ghoulish nightmares parade through your head,
And then you wake up and scream a lot,
Oh, The Munsters are under your bed!

At midnight if creatures should prowl about,
And if vampires and vultures swoop down,
And werewolves and feinds shreik and howl about,
Oh, The Munsters are out on the town!

One night I dared peak through their window screen,
My hair turned white at such a crazy scene!
Because every evening its Halloween
At The Munsters', at The Munsters'!

They weren't originally part of the song, but were added later as part of the album: At Home With The Munsters, which was released in 1964.

Here is the first side of the album from our friends at Youtube:

 

The Munsters Theme song has become such a quntessential part of the Halloween listening experience, that it has been covered by multiple groups. Here are just a few of the versions you can find:

 

 

From Rob Zombie's Halloween masterpiece (which will definitely be appearing on this site again).

 

 You can't go wrong with Brain Seltzer.

 

 

This live version has kind of a cool, surfer rock vibe.

 

 

 

Fall Out Boy even sampled it for their song, Uma Thurman.

 

 

 

Yeah... I don't like it. I guess I'm more of a purist. At any rate, I used to watch this show as a kid, and I really have a nostalgic love for this theme. Put it together with The Adams Family Theme, and you'll have an ultrasonic 60's ear orgasm!

 

I'll leave you with this "behind the scenes" photo. Yep, the living room of The Munsters' house used to be pink. It's what showed up the best in black and white. Go figure. 

 

 

 

Jack The Ripper

Hello Kiddies,

Today we bring you one of my favorites for your autumnal playlists. It's the 1963 classic horror tune, Jack the Ripper, as recorded by Screaming Lord Sutch.

This song has everything you need for a Halloween night. It starts with eerie footsteps, a blood-curdling scream, and the "Danger Ahead" theme from Dragnet. Then it goes into a fairly rocking rift that talks about the "man who walks the streets of London late at night".  Not only are the lyrics spooky, but the tune has a fun, rockin' quality to it that livens up your favorite foliage drive or haunted party. 

Now this was not the first rendition of this song. It was originally recorded in 1961 by Clarence and Charles Stacy. Here is their version:

It is more stripped down, and less produced than Sutch's. It also feels a lot calmer and more toned down than Sutch's cover, which in my opinion in the quintessential presentation of this song.

Screaming Lord Sutch is a name you will see over and over again, on our playlist. He made a living out of recording horror tunes to make up for the fact that his voice was "lacking". You might call him one of the first shock rockers. He had a pretty great live show, that was theatrical and atmospheric. Later, he tried to be involved in British politics, only to lose more than 40 elections. But seriously, how can you not love a guy who started the "Official Monster Raving Loony Party"? He was a great satirist, a flamboyant and theatrical politician, and his music is filled with manic-good cheer.

You can find Sutch's version of Jack the Ripper both on Amazon and iTunes, as well as Spotify and any of your other favorite music streamers. It has also been found on a number of Halloween collaborations, including the now defunct: GOODNIGHT WHATEVER YOU ARE compilations.

But Halloween music lovers seem to all agree that Sutch's cover takes the song to a new level. Below the embed, you'll find the lyrics:

                                      

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper
There's a man who walks the streets of London late at night
The Ripper, Jack The Ripper
With a little black bag that's oh-so tight
The Ripper, Jack The Ripper
He's got a big black cloak hangin' down his back
The Ripper, Jack The Ripper
Well, that's a one big cat I just a hate to fight
The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

When he walks down the streets
To every girl he meets, he says, is your name Mary Blood?

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper
The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

When she walks down the streets, he's never far behind
The Ripper, Jack The Ripper
With his little black bag and his one tracked mind
The Ripper, Jack The Ripper
Well, he nearly catches up when the lights go down
The Ripper, Jack The Ripper
'Cause that's the time he starts his dirty, uh, chop-around
The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

When he walks down the streets
To every girl he meets, he says, is your name Mary Blood?

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper
The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

Scotland Yard'll never catch him, 'cause he's a much too clever
He's much too clever
Mm, but if they do, man, they'll get: The Ripper - yeah!

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper
The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

Well, the streets of London kinda never safe
The Ripper, Jack The Ripper
Whenever Jack The Ripper ever shows his face
The Ripper, Jack The Ripper
So, you pretty little girlies, take a-my advice
The Ripper, Jack The Ripper
And don't walk the streets of London late at night
The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

When he walks down the streets
To every girl he meets, he says, is your name Mary Blood?

The Ripper, Jack The Ripper
The Ripper, Jack The Ripper

As a bonus, here is Jack White's cover. Enjoy:

 What's your favorite version of this song? Do you have a song or snack or movie we should cover? Sound off below, in the comments.

Welcome, Foolish Mortals

Well hello, there.

If you've found this blog, chances are, you are a huge Halloween fan. But you don't have to be. Maybe you're just interested in a party playlist. Maybe you are fascinated by spooky tunes and forgotten horrors. Maybe you're just monster-curious.

Whatever the reason you have come here, please allow me the indulgence of explaining the purpose behind this tiny site.

Growing up in the midwest, Autumn was a special time of year for me. I have always loved changing leaves, spooky night breezes, and things flying across the harvest moon. I have also loved holidays. For me, nothing represents a holiday better than its food and music.

Most of the other holidays (I'm looking at you, Christmas), have their own culture of food and music. But in years past, Halloween has been regulated to The Monster Mash and Purple People Eater.

Now, there's nothing wrong with those songs. In fact, they are on practically every Halloween playlist, and with good reason. But there has to be other songs, right? In fact, if you even remotely enjoy Halloween, you probably are, right this very second, thinking of a dozen other songs that fit in with the mood and festivity of the season.

But there are literally hundreds of songs that are "Halloweeny" in nature. We're going to explore those, and hopefully introduce you to tons of great music that will add to the atmosphere of any Halloween get-together. Hopefully, some of these songs will not just be relegated to September and October. I know that lots of these tunes regularly appear on my playlists, year-round.

I will provide appropriate links and downloads, where available.

In addition to music, we will discuss food, movies, and any other spooky thing that might strike my fancy. Normal updates will be about once a week.

This year we will have a Halloween Countdown that will start sometime in August and continue with almost daily updates through the Halloween season.

Alright. enough of this nonsense. I'll leave you with a tune sung by Mr. Halloween, himself - Tim Curry. What's your favorite spooky tune? What would you like to see me cover? Sound off in the comments below.

Oh, and look for me on my other blog: www.nostalgicdaydream.com

Stay Chilly,

Deigh