(cover photo by urbandavepics, found through Google Image Search)
Last year, inspired by some of my favourite blogs, I posted a Halloween compilation.
I wasn't going to do one this year, but then I saw some really dull compilations floating around the net (none from my favourite blogs, though, they all do stellar work). I mean, Boris Pickett's 'Monster Mash'??? Are you serious??? I swear, as soon as I see that on a Halloween compilation I know that the compiler has put no thought into it whatsoever.
I knew I could do better.
So here it is:
Meat For The Beast - Halloween '09
1. Danny Elfman - Meat For The Beast - from the Nightbreed score, and also a line from the film's dialogue. I love this film. Clive Barker did a great job in evoking a beautiful world in Midian. I'd love to see the extended cut, should it ever surface on DVD/blu-ray. It seems the film also affected someone else, because the photo used for the cover of this comp was taken in a tunnel in Glasgow, and features the character Peloquin, who speaks the line in the film.
2. Alice Cooper - Years Ago - My parents split up when I was quite young. I lived with my mother, but would often stay at my father's house. Dad had the better record collection of the two, and it included Alice Cooper's 'Welcome To My Nightmare'. I still think it's an amazing album, and this song, along with 'Steven' and 'The Awakening', are truly brilliant.
3. Roky Erickson & The Aliens - I Think Of Demons - I could've chosen any number of Roky's tracks, but I decided on one that I haven't seen as often on Halloween comps.
4. The Plasmatics - The Damned - Wendy O Williams = WOW. The video clip for this track also = WOW (see below).
5. Pop Will Eat Itself - Nightmare at 20'000Ft - Inspired by a Twilight Zone episode, and singer Clint Mansell's fear of flying. I recently saw the beginning of Final Destination, in which the lead character envisions himself in a plane to France that explodes in mid-air. I'll be heading to France next year. I've decided that I'm going by train.
6. My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult - A Daisy Chain 4 Satan - The song title comes from a 1950 novel of the same name (with 'For' being spelt correctly), by British pulp mystery writer Joan Fleming. I didn't know that. Thanks, Wikipedia!
7. Genghis Tron - Board Up The House - I'm not a huge fan of screamo type vocals, but Genghis Tron make them work so damn well, and they complement the amazing instrumentation. This is the title track from their 2008 release, the cover of which always makes me think of Evil Dead, as seen by Van Gogh.
8. Claudio Simonetti - Demon [Original Demo Version 1985] - I still haven't the film this is from yet, but it's sitting on my shelf, just waiting for the right moment. Maybe the right moment is this Halloween...
9. Einstürzende Neubauten - Halber Mensch - No Halloween is complete without a creepy Gregorian-esque chant. Also, has an uber-creepy video clip (see below).
10. Julee Cruise - Into The Night - The scariest song ever written. Angelo Badalamenti & David Lynch are Cruise's co-conspirators on this piece from Lynch's Twin Peaks era. I've recently started watching Twin Peaks from the beginning, only having ever caught snatches of it when it originally aired in Australia. It terrified me then, it terrifies me now.
11. Nina Simone - Pirate Jenny - From Kurt Weill & Bertholt Brecht's The Threepenny Opera, the song was originally called 'Seeräuberjenny', and only through the tranlsation into English did the ominous 'Black Freighter' get introduced to the lyrics (again: thanks, Wikipedia!). That doesn't change the fact that this foreboding ship and its terrible crew are about to slaughter the entire town. This was the basis for Alan Moore's 'Tales of the Black Freighter' supplement in the Watchmen series, and also makes an oblique appearance in Moore's 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' series (I knew that of my own accord, but thank you anyway, Wikipedia). Also: Nina Simone = freakin' AWESOME.
12. The Cramps - Big Black Witchcraft Rock - Again, I could've chosen any track from The Cramps catalogue, but I decided on something a bit more recent. RIP, Lux, I was very saddened when you left.
13. Gein & The Graverobbers - Transylvania - A cover of an instrumental by Iron Maiden, in a 'horror surf' style. Niiiiiiiiiice. I got this from The Manchester Morgue's 'I Got Erection' compilation.
14. Siouxsie & The Banshees - Candyman - I'll confess, I'm a big wimp when it comes to horror films. I can't stand surprises and my imagination oftens gets the better of me when left alone. The film Candyman scared me when I first saw it (about 15 years ago) and I refused to use the toilet down the end of a dark hallway immediately after the film. If you've seen the film, you'll know why.
15. Tom Servo (Mystery Science Theater 3000) - My Creepy Girl - Taken from the MST3K version of 'Catalina Caper', a diabolical piece of teen fluff from 1967. This inclusion of this track is particularly significant to me, as I will be going to a Halloween party as a Joel/Mike hybrid this year. I bought myself a green jumpsuit, and found a Gizmonics patch on eBay. If I could make the bots, I would, but I just don't have the requisite skills or those special parts. Fellow MSTies are encouraged to check out The Manchester Morgue (again!), because the curator, phelpster, will often put up full episodes, and other oddities, such as the Clowns In The Sky compilation.
16. The Count (Sesame Street) - The Batty Bat - Recently, Mr Fab, curator of Music For Maniacs, featured the album I compiled, The Dead Trilogy, which I was overjoyed to see. Also on that page was a write-up for Mashup Industries' Halloween '09 Mashup album, Mashed 'n' Slashed (to be in the same company of the likes of LeeDM101, Voicedude, and Clive$ter, what an honour!!!). DjNoNo samples the Batty Bat on his 'Batty Dub', so I thought it fitting that I post the original.
17. The Moontrekkers - Night Of The Vampire - Not a cover of the Roky Erickson classic, but a brilliant instrumental, produced by the legendary Joe Meek.
18. Geto Boys - Chuckie - The Bushwicken & co. namecheck the infamous killer doll. "You'd better murder me/Put me to rest/Cause if you don't, I'll come out shootin/With my head in a bird's chest"... Um.... what?
19. Necro - Beautiful Music For You To Die - You don't like listening to Death Rap? Well, I do. This was the first Necro track I heard, and it's still my favourite.
20. Oingo Boingo - Skin - Oingo Boingo fans will know what this track is doing here. And hopefully they will be able to help: in the film, Nightbreed, a 'countrified' version of Skin is playing when Lori... well, I won't spoil it. That version was performed by Michael Stanton, but I'll be damned if I can find that track anywhere on the net! I used to have a copy a few years back, but lost it in a hard drive crash. If anyone out there can help me out by pointing me in the right direction of a copy, I'd be eternally grateful.
11 Mar 10 - UPDATE!!! Porn Clerk from the awesome blog, Scene Kids In Pain, was kind enough to link me to a copy of the soundtrack, complete with the Michael Stanton track, both at the Curios and on the SKIP blog (read the comments sections)! Thanks, Porn Clerk! Also, on the SKIP page, you'll find an extra bonus in the form of the film itself!
Thanks for indulging me, and have a happy Halloween, everyone!
DOWNLOAD THE COMP HERE
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