Bert Convy's The Monster Hop

Howdy Kiddies! 

Well, Halloween is now in full swing. I know it's only the end of August, but go into any store and you'll begin to see orange and black beginning to seep in. In fact, some leaves are already starting to shed their summer outfits for something a little more comfortable, in my neck of the woods. Add to that the fact that Matt from DinosaurDracula will taking his annual Halloween countdown live this Saturday, and you've got a season on the cusp of full bloom. 

It's time to really begin working on your Halloween playlist, not just for a night of spooking wary trick or treaters, but for your amazingly spooktacular party. You are having a Halloween party, right?

So far, we've given you a decent primer. Now let's add some paint.

The first song to really enlighten me about the world of monster music beyond the Purple People Eater, The Mash, and Werewolves of London, was Burt Convy's The Monster Hop.

I first discovered this song on the Monster Bop compilation.

This album deserves its own seperateblog. I plan on posting that later this week, but today, I want to talk specifically about Convy's main contribution to this fine collection.

The Monster Hop is a wonderfully spooky ultrasonic treat. I still remember the first time I heard the bass line. It was deliciously late 50's in tone. My ears perked up. What was this? It was something new. Up until this point, I thought I knew most of the standard Samhain song selection, but with the first trills of brass and those ghostly, "ooohhhh"'s, my whole world was about to explode with new monstrous goodies.

Take a listen:

As you can hear, it is a marvelous song for Halloween. Here are the lyrics, in case you missed them:

I heard strange noises coming from a house on the hill 

So I crept up to the window and looked over the sill 

My heart almost stopped, I nearly died of fright 

By the dim candlelight I saw the strangest sight 

There was Frankenstein and Dracula and Wolfman too 

Dancin' with some zombies, what a ghastly crew 

The ol' ugly vampire was doing the bop 

And everything was rocking at the monster's hop 

The bats were flying and the room was full 

The crazy witch doctor was dancing with a ghoul 

The organ was playing, but no-one was there 

And the headless horseman was combing his hair 

There was Frankenstein and Dracula and Wolfman too 

Dancin' with some zombies, what a ghastly crew 

The ol' ugly vampire was doing the bop 

And everything was rocking at the monster's hop 

I can't forget that empty house upon the hill 

The night has fall, the monsters dance and oh what a thrill 

The wind did howl, the night was black

I nearly lost my mind, I'm never ever going back 

There was Frankenstein and Dracula and Wolfman too 

Dancin' with some zombies, what a ghastly crew 

The ol' ugly vampire was doing the bop 

And everything was rocking at the monster's hop

Are your spide senses tingling?  What a Halloweeny song, right? I loved the callback to just about every classic monster that Burt could envoke. 

The song was recorded in 1958, at the height of the monster craze. Burt started as a minor league baseball player, but left the game and pursued music after just two seasons.

He joined a 50's rock n roll group called The Cheers, and in 1955 they had a top ten hit called Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots.

 The band broke up in '57 and Convy recorded The Monster Hop in 1958 for Contender Records. He also recorded another creepy track known as Gorilla. 

Around this time, he also caught the attention of Roger Corman, who cast him in his cult classic, A Bucket of Blood, forever cementing him as a favorite with the horror community.

 Burt went on to become a fairly familiar television host for such shows as Super Password, and Tattletales. He even formed a production company with Burt Reynolds called, Burt and Bert Productions. Their first production was Win, Lose, or Draw, which Bert (Convey, not Reynolds) hosted.

Sadly, Convy died in 1991, from an aggressive brain tumor.

So, that's way more information than most of you probably wanted to know about a 2:29 second blip on your playlist. But add it to your playlist, you should. (said Yoda). It is a marvelous song, perfect for All Hallow's Eve and beyond, and a quintessential piece of 50's monster music.

Alright, enough of this nonsense. Tune in next time as we explore the wonders of the entire Monster Bop album.