The Monster Mash

Hello Boils and Ghouls. It's time to unpack that perennial favorite - that creepy cool king of Halloween - The Monster Mash.

Arguably the most popular song for Halloween howling, The Monster Mash is the one track that you can expect to appear on every All Hallow's party playlist. In fact, that venerable ghoul, Dr. Demento, called it "The biggest Halloween song of all time."

Catchy, fun, and instantly likable with a 1960's vibe, The Mash fires on all cylinders, and nothing can get you in the spooky mood faster than the opening creek of the castle door, the bubbling cauldron, the rattling chains, and those echoing footsteps...

The song was written in 1962 by Robert George Pickett, also known as Bobby "Boris" Pickett. 

Bobby got the nickname "Boris" because of his spot-on Boris Karloff impersonation.  During the day he was an actor and at night he sang with a Do-Wop group known as:

 One night, Bobby was joking around, and did a Karloff impersonation while performing with the band. One of his band mates, Lenny Capizzi, thought it was awesome and encouraged him to do more. In fact, ol' Bob (as he liked to be called*), did an entire monologue in the Karloff voice.

This led to Pickett and Capizzi to sit down and within about 30 minutes they had written the song. 

 The narrative is one of a mad scientist who brings a Frankenstein monster to life on a stormy night. When the monster gets off the slab, he does a dance, which becomes a "monster" hit across the country. Soon other monsters come to a party where Dracula laments the demise of his "Transylvania Twist"*.

The song was recorded with  a who's who of seasoned professional musicians, and dubbed them: The Crypt-Kicker Five.

Here are the lyrics, in case you missed them:

I was working in the lab late one night
When my eyes beheld an eerie sight
For my monster from his slab began to rise
And suddenly to my surprise

He did the mash
He did the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a graveyard smash
He did the mash
It caught on in a flash
He did the mash
He did the monster mash

From my laboratory in the castle east
To the master bedroom where the vampires feast
The ghouls all came from their humble abodes
To get a jolt from my electrodes

They did the mash
They did the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a graveyard smash
They did the mash
It caught on in a flash
They did the mash
They did the monster mash

The zombies were having fun
The party had just begun
The guests included Wolf Man
Dracula and his son

The scene was rockin', all were digging the sounds
Igor on chains, backed by his baying hounds
The coffin-bangers were about to arrive
With their vocal group, "The Crypt-Kicker Five"

They played the mash
They played the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a graveyard smash
They played the mash
It caught on in a flash
They played the mash
They played the monster mash

Out from his coffin, Drac's voice did ring
Seems he was troubled by just one thing
He opened the lid and shook his fist
And said, "Whatever happened to my Transylvania twist"

It's now the mash
It's now the monster mash
The monster mash
And it's a graveyard smash
It's now the mash
It's caught on in a flash
It's now the mash
It's now the monster mash

Now everything's cool, Drac's a part of the band
And my monster mash is the hit of the land
For you, the living, this mash was meant too
When you get to my door, tell them Boris sent you

Then you can mash
Then you can monster mash
The monster mash
And do my graveyard smash
Then you can mash
You'll catch on in a flash
Then you can mash
Then you can monster mash

The effects were done on the cheap. The castle door creaking was a nail in a board, the cauldron and scientific equipment was blowing through a straw into a glass of water, and the chains were ordinary dog leashes, rattled and tossed about.

The song was immediately successful and cracked the top ten in December of 1962. Bobby was thrilled with the results, but was surprised when there was a revival of the tunes in the 70's. The song hit the Billboard charts again in 1970 and 1973. In fact, Pickett is the only performer whose original recording hit the top 100 three separate times.

To show you how much times have changed, the song was banned in Great Britain in 1962, for being too morbid... 

BTW, did you know that Pickett's original backup band was a group of young unknown guys called: "The Beach Boys"? 

There are lots of other interesting facts about Pickett and the song. The truth is out there... if you look for it.

Pickett kept performing the song live and fully embraced it until his death from leukemia in 2007. Here is a video of one of the live performances. It's really great to see him on stage with the "Ghoul of Cool", Zacherley. We'll talk more about him on another post.

Zacherley is a late-night talk show host, who made his own albums and was featured by Rob Zombie on his Halloween Hootenanny album. He recorded a ton of horror songs and is a must for any fear aficionado. 

It was so successful that it spawned two sequels: Monster Holiday and Monster Rap. Neither could reach the success of the Mash.

 

In the end, the song has become a staple of spookiness. Various books have illustrated its story and there even was a movie made, starring Pickett. It says it was written by the co-writers of Toy Story.

It has Candace Cameron as one of the main stars. In fact, I demand you watch it, right now:

The Monster Mash has been covered by over 100 groups. Here is a small sampling...

First up, is a Metallica rip-off, heavy metal Monster Mash version:

Next we have the delightfully punky version as recorded by The Misfits:

Here is a folksy acoustic version that I kinda dig:

Last, but definitely not least, is one of my favorites. We have the Master of Horror, Vincent Price, serenading some ghouls:

So there you have it. Everything you never wanted to know about The Monster Mash. Go get the album and rock it, hard!

*nobody ever called him that, to my knowledge. 
** which was also Pickett, doing his best Lugosi impersonation. 

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.

 

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.

 

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