Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors

TRACK #373:

Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors by Roy Castle

If you’ve been hangin around here for any amount of time, then you know we talk a lot about Title Tracks. This is especially true what with Shindig Radio’s Title Tracks Pt. 6 dropping. Oh wait, that hasn’t happened yet. Shit. My predictive drafting has failed me yet again.

Well, in that episode, I kinda break down all the different types of Title Tracks, everything from Parenthetical jammers to Title Track After the Facts.

But there’s another sort of Title Track that I didn’t mention on the show, and that’s because they’re technically not really Title Tracks at all. But these are Tie-In Title Tracks.

These are songs that, for all intents and purposes, are true blue Title Tracks, meeting the same criteria and serving the same or (in some cases) an even more overtly, promotional purpose.

There’s just one problem; they’re not actually in the goddamn movie. Nope. They just exist, outside of the film, in a purely musical space operating as a full fledged audio commercials for the films they’re named after.

Now, we already have one of these on the playlist at #319 in The Devil Rides Out, but I’ve dug up a few more.

I wonder if they weren’t sort of a precursor to full-on Title Tracks, from a time when producers were starting to realize the potential effect a popular song could have in generating interest, but didn’t want to sully their film with something as coarse as a rock and roll song tonally incongruous to the film being marketed.

It’s possible. The oldest Title Track featured on the playlist is still The Blob from 1958. Not for nothing either, but it’s one of the oldest Title Track period. 1955’s Love is a Many-Splendored Thing has it beat by 3 years, but I’m not really seeing much else earlier than that, but I am always on the lookout.

However, The Blob was released the year before 3 out of the 4 Promotional Title Tracks I’ve found, so a True Title Track certainly wasn’t unprecedented. But The Blob, at present, appears to be a bit of an outlier, as Title Tracks didn’t seem to gain real prominence until the mid 1960’s. James Bond films, long known specifically for their Title Tracks, didn’t start that ritual until 1963’s From Russia with Love.

The next closest thing is Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte from 6 years later in 1964. That one’s interesting as it wasn’t technically a Title Track originally, because the movie was shooting under the name What Ever Happened to Cousin Charlotte. Bette Davis reportedly disliked the name as it made the film sound far too much like a sequel to What Ever Happened to Baby Jane. This song had already been written and recorded though and Bette recommended changing the films title to match. Wild! The movie naming itself after the original song to instantly turn that song into a Title Track is baller as fuck. That’s a powerful ass Title Track.

But I digress. Back to Dr. Terror, cause it’s interesting in its own right.

See, this track is sung by Dr. Terror actor Roy Castle, star of the Voodoo segment. Roy was an accomplished singer and trumpet player in his own right, which probably led to him being tapped for the task. Though Roy plays trumpet player Bailey in the film, the trumpet parts were apparently recorded by legendary Jazz player Tubby Hayes and not Roy himself. He does do a bang on job miming those parts though, as one might expect.

Another curious aspect of the song is that, despite it being sung by someone from the film itself, it completely misrepresents the nature of Dr. Terror’s house of horrors. Its treats it as though it were an actual brick and mortar location filled with horrifying surprises. If you’ve ever seen the film, you’ll know that the house or horrors is simply a metaphor Dr. Terror (or, more appropriately, Dr. Schrek) uses to describe his tarot deck. The fact that Roy enters a spooky old house and keeps meeting strange characters is so wildly out of sync with the film it seems almost laughable, particularly considering this is suppose to be the audio equivalent of a trailer or print ad. You’re selling the wrong film here fellas.

Either way, it’s a fun song with silly interludes that reminds me quite a bit of Carry On Screaming! also British and from the following year, 1966. I wonder if Ray Pilgrim and the crew were taking a bit of a piss on Amicus and Roy here. I certainly wouldn’t put it past them.

At any rate here’s the first of 2 Tie-In Title Tracks we got on tap for you this season. It’s Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors!

Igor’s Party

TRACK #367:

Igor’s Party by Tony and The Monstrosities

Hey, you know Igor, right?

Sure you do. Who can’t conjure up a mental picture of some hunchbacked lab assistant of a generalized nature?

But what is that picture exactly? And from where are we all drawing that imagery?

Igor is a strange character. The popularly held conception of him isn’t fixed to any one particularly version, nor even a character named Igor.

Whaddaya mean? He’s Victor Frankenstein’s assistant, right?

Well, even that’s a little tricky in and of itself, because Victor isn’t even Victor in Universal’s 1931 classic. He’s Henry. Even then, Victor has no lab assistant in the original novel.

And to complicate the matter, the Igor in the 1931 film isn’t an Igor at all, he’s a Fritz.

Igor, or rather Ygor, didn’t appear until 1939’s Son of Frankenstein, as played by Bela Lugosi.

But that Ygor was a bit of a renegade and hellbent on revenge. See, he was grave robbing, and the villagers caught him, so they tried to hang him. Only they fucked up and left him with a busted up neck and back.

He eventually gets involved with Frankenstein, but only because the particular monster that that particular Frankenstein brings to life only responds to Ygor’s commands. So, Ygor decideds to use the monster to get revenge on the villagers that hanged him. Nice.

Universal then tossed a hunchback assistant in House of Frankenstein, but his name was fucking Daniel, of all things. Later, Charles Bronson played an Igor to Vincent Price’s mad wax man in the ‘53 iteration of House of Wax.

And so went Igor’s trajectory, characters vaguely resembling Fritz playing assistants to whomever the movie happened to be about and sometimes no not even a Mad Scientist.

Time was, I think generally people thought of Marty Feldman’s Igor from Young Frankenstein. And just as well, as not only was he a wildly original and memorable take on the character, but he is literally the first Igor in film history to be a hunchbacked assistant to a Dr. Frankenstein. Wild right? But we’re old as shit and that was 50 goddamn years ago now, so the popular image might just as well be something akin to Dreamworks’ Igor, or (god forbid) Daniel Radcliffe.

But whatever that image is and whatever its sources, Igor is as classic horror staple, as iconic now as the Universal Monster’s themselves. So, we’re gonna take a brief moment here on The Shindig to finally honor that icon with a double shot of Igor goodness.

First up, is Igor’s Party from 1960, the lone record from Tony and The Monstrosities.

The Tony here appears to be Tony Wilde, who released a pair of very different singles that same year. One was Funny Bone and the other was a patriotic split featuring John Henry and There’s a Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere. Ok. Guy was diverse, what can we say?

Igor’s Party, as you might imagine, details a very swinging Monster Shindig happening over at The Frankenstein place. Our narrator got the invite from his buddy Igor. Dracula’s dancing, a mummy shows up. Hell, the Purple People eater is there biting shit. They even have dinner. It’s a classy occasion.

And yet again dear Weeners, not even one song later, we are presented with an example of this sort of thing 2 full years before Boris Picket ever did his graveyard smash. What is it about Pickett’s song that captured the masses? It was the only real hit, and thus why it has endured and is remembered. But I mean, in its day. There had already been a number of other (and perhaps better) monster party tunes before it that failed to chart. Was Boris’ just catchier? Was it funnier? Who can say? Right place at the right time, I suppose.

Whatever the reason, let’s give some airtime to Tony Wilde and his Monstrosities and dig ourselves a Rock ‘N Roll Band over at Igor’s Party.

Oh, and we got back to back Mysterioso abusers here folks. Chalk it it!

At the House of Frankenstein

TRACK #366:

At The House of Frankenstein by Big Bee Kornegay

Since we’re talking about Frankenstein, I figured this might be a good time to slot in a song that’s been waiting to get on the playlist for years now.

It’s an old Halloween classic you might recognize straight away called At the House of Frankenstein!

Coincidentally, this swinging booger from Big Bee Kornegay, was released along with Burt Convey’s Monster Hop in 1958, a full 4 years before The Monster Mash, proving once again that one needn’t be the first to do something to be everyone’s immediate association.

There ain’t a whole lot of info on Big Bee, or rather Big Bob, Kornegay (or even rather Bob Cornegie) other than some attributions to vocal groups like The Du Droppers, The Dixieaires and The Ravens.

Whoever this Mystery Man of R&B really was, he knocks it outta the park here with At The House of Frankenstein, a monster party blueprint from as far back as they come.

What’s more? It’s our first Mysterioso Pizzicato offender of 2024, and doubtful to be our last.

Scary Movies (Monica Kirby)

TRACK #347:

Scary Movies by Monica Kirby

So, all the guys wanted to take the gals to the movie house on a Friday night and see a monster picture. It’s the age old trope, right? And why not? It was dark, close quarters together, away from prying eyes of parents or teachers. And the movie was sure to scare her, right? Right into your arms anyway, was the hope, I’m sure.

And we’ve heard some here from the guys about the practice, but what of the ladies? Surely they went on record about this time honored ritual of patriarchal heteronormativity, right?

Indeed, but probably not in the way that last sentence might suggest. It was, after all, 1963.

No, this just kinda plays out like one of the girls from the previous songs is singing that story from her perspective. He takes her to the scary movie, she gets scared, they “cuddle” and she seems to enjoy that.

However, this one kicks you down a cool Dracula singing alongside her. He’s basically saying, “hey, if you don’t know about this move, here’s this move and let’s let her confirm that move works.” And she does. Not sure why we need this Dracula, but I appreciate his appearance, as always.

As for Monica Kirby, the girl in question, she didn’t release too many other singles. According to Secondhandsongs, she sang for Coral Records (the company that released her singles) in the early 60’s. By the mid 60’s she was in nightclubs in New York City, where (according to them anyway) she was recruited into the New Christy Minstrels in ‘67.

They were a folk ensemble famous for spring-boarding many famous singers to prominence, most notably Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes. Interestingly, Karen Black was a singer with the Minstrels for a spell. Yep, Karen Black. Like Trilogy of Terror and Burnt Offerings Karen Black. Weird.

What’s more weird is that I can’t really corroborate Monica’s membership. Some sites, like Secondhandsongs and AllMusic mention her, whereas the Wikipedia roster doesn’t feature her at all, nor is it included on her Discogs or Rateyourmusic resumes.

So who knows?

What we do know is, she loved those scary movies, and God bless her for that.

Spooky Movies

TRACK #346:

Spooky Movies by Lee “The Big Masher” Lilly

Curiously, 1962 saw the release of 2 songs called “Spooky Movies” where a guy discusses how his girlfriend is all into the horror pictures. That’s a little weird, no?

Since we don’t know exactly when Gary Paxton’s song came out, we can’t for sure say which one of these came first. But apparently, in 1962, 2 different somebodies thought it was a good enough idea to put a pen to paper on the matter.

In this case, it was a fella named Buddy Lee.

Steve Stone gets the credit for Gary Paxton/Roy Clark version.

Now, the Discogs “notes” tab would have you believe this record was reviewed in an issue of Billboard Magazine from October 20th of 1962. I was pumped to read that too, and was very eager to find that review and glean some first hand, 60 year-old hot-takes on this tune.

I was not previously aware, but apparently all the old Billboards were digitized years ago, so you can look ‘em up by date. Score! So, I scoured through that entire issue, and while it does make an appearance, buried as it is under the 3-star “Moderate Sales Potential” section on page 44, I’d hardly call it a review.

So, unfortunately, there was no information to be gained down that particularly avenue. However, I did manage to pick up a new tune thanks to this issue. Cause just off to the side, under the “Limited Sales Potential” column was Vladamir and The Grave Diggers, with their single Vladamir Twist/Drac Walk. Now, I can’t say for certain if either will get added to the official playlist, but they’re both sitting in the Bullpen right now getting the requisite consideration. It’s always fun going to look for information on one monster tune and walking away with the title of 2 others. That’s a double bonus.

But for now, let’s just listen to Lee Lilly, the man they called “The Big Masher.” Which, now that I’ve typed out, reminds me. If you will, indulge me here for a moment please.

So, apparently Lee Lilly, was known around town as The Big Masher, which isn’t so weird, really. Lots of musicians had these kinda nicknames. It appears ole Lee got his name from a song he performed called The Big Masher. Only, this 45 is the only 45 Lee Lilly seems to have released. And it’s the one that features The Big Masher! It’s not even the A side, it’s on the flip? What?

This guy is goin so hard with this name that they emblazon it upon a record that no one has heard yet, featuring the very fuckin’ song he’s named for? Am I missing something here? That’s weird, right?

Like, the guy’s not even a real guy yet when the records getting pressed, and yet he’s got a nickname from a song that not only is not itself a hit yet (cause it hasn’t been release) but isn’t even the feature track?

Maybe he was called The Big Masher for some other reason, unrelated to the song. And perhaps the song itself is all about how he’s The Big Masher and all the big mashin he gets up, whatever wholesome thing I’m sure that’s suppose to be in 1962s

I couldn’t say, cause it didn’t listen to that song, cause that song doesn’t feature any monsters.

Or shit, maybe it does. I wouldn’t know, cause I was too busy gettin spooky.

Here’s The Big Masher himself, Mr. Lee Lilly, not mashing with some monster kind you, but with some Spooky Movies.

Spookie Movies

TRACK #345:

Spookie Movies by Gary Paxton

Though made popular by famous country singer Roy Clark in 1963 as Spooky Movies, according to secondhand songs.com, it was first recorded by Gary Paxton here in 1962 as Spookie Movies.

Seems it didn’t see an official release, however, until 10 years after that though. I’m not sure. Information isn’t exactly abundant on this one. Gary’s 45 has no release year printed on it and discogs is apparently in the dark on a release date.

Either way, I’d probably opt for Gary’s version anyway, as I just like it better than Roy’s. Sorry Roy, I dunno what do say. I just like it more. Thankfully, you’re probably not digging around unfrequented corners of the internet looking for the dumb shit I’m writing. Although stranger things have happened.

Claude Lahenaff once commented on an episode of Shindig Radio that featured his title track Dr. Hackenstein. Seriously. Check it out! He’s down at the bottom chiming in.

Now sure, that could just be some bozo taking a piss in the comments, that’s certainly not unheard of on the internet. But I’ll tell ya, if that’s some prankster, then my hat is well the fuck off.

That is such a seemingly improper place to comment upon a song as wildly random as that, in the persona of such an insanely obscure musician that it’s approaching genius level fuckery. I’d be so impressed at that joke that I wouldn’t even care that Claude LeHenaff hadn’t actually reached out, as sad as that would be.

Now, unfortunately, I needn’t worry about that in this case, as Roy passed away in 2018. However, I’d still like that sentiment to be hanging out in the ether. Some people just like some things better than others. It ain’t personal. I’m sure you were a swell guy.

But hey, that’s enough about a guy not directly involved with this version of the song, so what’s up with Gary?

Well, Gary Paxton (or rather Gary S. Paxton, as he preferred to be referred) was an acclaimed producer, known to have struck fear into the heart of convicted murdered, Phil Spector. Now, that’s spookie with an IE.

Gary’s probably best known for producing the hits Alley Oop for The Hollywood Argyles, Sweat Pea for Tommy Roe and Along Comes Mary for The Association. He was also shot 3 times in 1980 by some hitmen. Like seriously, hitmen. Like men hired specifically for the purpose of rubbing him out. How wild is that? He lived thankfully, but it definitely put him out of commission for a bit, and the men were arrested. He supposedly visited them in prison and forgave them, as at that point Gary was a pretty devout Christian convert who was very much involved in the Christian music scene at the time.

However for our part, Gary S. Paxton most importantly (and most graciously) produced and recorded Boris Pickett’s 1962 smash The Monster Mash. Yep, the same year he was himself recording Spookie Movies, he cut the biggest novelty song to ever hit Halloween. So while Boris was shredding up the charts, Gary’s own spookie tune was slowly fading into relative obscurity. Considering the residuals on The Monster Mash, I’m on I’m sure he got over it.

So let’s pour one out for the man behind 2 monstrous novelty hits, including the biggest one of all time, Mr. Gary S. Paxton.

Horror Movies

TRACK #343:

Horror Movies by Dickie Goodman

There’s so many “Hey, girls get scared at horror movies, so maybe I can cop a feel” tunes that they could probably sustain their own mini-playlist.

Hell, the most universally recognized and beloved song on this playlist is kinda exactly that sorta tune. Referential sure (if mostly in a generic kinda way) but really just about a girl getting so scared they let ya get to second base maybe without putting up too much of a fuss. Now, how believable all of that is coming from the King of Pop, I’ll leave for you to decide

For now, I’ll spare you that mini-playlist and even some of the songs that might be on it, but I’ll rock a block of these fuckers cause, hey, that’s just the kinda ship we run around here. And off the bow of a course-correcting jam from Skyhooks seems like the perfect time.

We mentioned Dickie Goodman a while back, and he’s a pretty big wheel down at the Novelty Monster Song factory. Hell, the guy could even be considered the Grandfather of Sampling. See, Dickie made it big releasing what he called “Break-In Songs.”

Dickie would conduct an interview of sorts, with say, Frankenstein, and the responses would be in the form of samples from popular music at the time. They were a pretty big hit.

As clever and innovative as that was for the time, it doesn’t necessarily make for good playlist listening. Thankfully for us, Dickie cut some real songs too, and one of them just happens to be Referential Monster Song.

However, if you happen to be a Novelty Monster Song fanatic, you might think this tune sounds strikingly similar to the 1964 Jekyll and Hyde tune, My Baby Loves Monster Movies

And that because it’s basically the same song. It was even written and performed by Dickie as well. Outside of some differences of arrangement, and the line “Horror Movies” being changed to “Monster Movies,” it’s pretty much the same tune. Now, why he did this and released it under a different name is beyond me, but it certainly seems to be the case. His son Jon released a biography about him in 2000 called the King of Novelty. Maybe there’s an answer in there somewhere. I’ll keep you posted.

Dickie continued to make Break-In records for the better part of 30 years, covering contemporary events from the moon landing to The Watergate scandal and films like Frankenstein and Jaws. His break-ins even reached into the 80’s with songs like Hey E.T. and The Return of the Jedi Returns.

Unfortunately, at the age of 55, Dickie took his own life in the winter of 1989. Though he did live to see sampling utilized in the most unprecedented of ways (and was himself sued for using unlicensed material) he didn’t quite get to see just how ubiquitous sampling would become or just how much legal controversy it would stir.

What he left behind though was a legacy of innovation, parody and fun and a Monster Song so nice, he went and recorded it twice.

Here’s the man himself, The King of Novelty, lamenting that he can’t compete with those gnarly monsters his girl just goes crazy over in Horror Movies.

The Night Before Halloween

TRACK #331:

The Night Before Halloween by Bill Buchanan

I often see people lament, upon hearing a new Halloween Song, that there just isn’t enough Halloween music in the world.

This is understandable. It’s definitely not as ubiquitous as Christmas music, cause radio stations and stores aren’t exactly blasting that shit the minute the autumnal equinox hits. And there’s certainly not nearly as much of it, but it’s out there. You’d never know it, cause no one plays it, but it’s around. And there’s a decent amount of it too.

I mean, we literally just cleared 330 tracks on The Shindig here. Now granted, the lion’s share of those songs are not specifically Halloween songs. However, thanks to my handy category search it’s easy to determine (unless, of course, I forgot to tag something properly and you‘re nice and patient) that a good 64 of those songs are specifically Halloween songs, give or take a couple that aren’t really talking about Halloween. But they probably say it, and hey that’s worth something, right?

And I know, that’s really a drop in the pumpkin compared to Christmas songs, and there certainly isn’t enough, I’ll agree with that. But that’s more than those people probably think there are, and there’s plenty, and I mean plenty, more Halloween songs I have yet to, or will ever, include on this playlist.

What I mean to say, which I already sort of said before I said all that other stuff I probably didn’t even need to say, is that they’re out there, you just gotta look. Or, just get on over to Halloween Shindig, cause we do the lookin’ for ya.

Take tonight’s song for example. Here we have the best of both worlds and there’s a good chance you’re not familiar with this tune. I wasn’t for many years and I run a damn Halloween music blog. It’s shameful probably, but I eventually found it, stuck it in the old bullpen, and tonight is it’s night to shine!

Because well, it’s the night before Halloween! Ya know, Cabbage Night…

or Devil’s Night, Mischief Night, Corn Night, Gate Night, Goosey Night, Beggar’s Night or whatever the hell goofball, homespun regional nonsense the town you grew up in decided to call the night before the already the night before an actual holiday.

What’s that business all about? Seriously, how far back does this shit stretch? Does the 29th get its own fuckin’ name? Is that Grabber’s Night? Or is that too close to Goosey Night? What about the 28th? Can’t it be a night too? How bout Tugger’s Night? Where does this shit end?

Whatever it is you call this night, which for some reason has it own goddamn name too, here’s a song all about it. It’s a play on the old Night Before Christmas poem, with a Halloween twist, from singer/songwriter Bill Buchanan.

Bill is probably best known for his break-in style novelty record team-ups with none other than Halloween compilation staple Dickie Goodman. We’ve yet to feature any Dickie Goodman on the playlist, but he’s actually got a song slated for somewhere in the 330’s, so we’ll be hearing from him real soon. At least in Playlist time, anyway.

This tune came before Bill ever hooked up with Dickie though, way back in 1962. The B-side to this 45 was a song called Beware, and it’s a pretty boppin’ Vampire-Halloweener in its own right.

For now though, we’re gonna keep it timely, and wish you all a Happy Whatever the Fuck Night with The Night Before Halloween.

Enjoy!

Halloween (Larry’s Rebels)

TRACK #320:

Halloween by Larry’s Rebels

Back on Shindig Radio Episode 19, Mikey asked what kinda musical acts came outta New Zealand.

I don’t think anybody had an answer for him at the time, and despite having already had this song waiting in the bullpen, Larry’s Rebels didn’t immediately jump out to me as the prime example in that moment. That’s mostly because I didn’t know they were from New Zealand at the time. What’s more, I’m still not sure that even if I had, they would have been a solid pull to smash on the table in that moment.

But here we are talking about New Zealand’s own, Larry’s Rebels.

Why? Well, because we’re in the 10 slot and they have a song called Halloween, why else!?

What’s the problem? Don’t these guys look like they can deliver the goods? Weird dudes with solid-colored suits and mod haircuts know what the fuck’s up with Halloween, right? Oh, you don’t trust me?

Hell, I wouldn’t blame ya. While I personally approve of every song on this list (in some way or another anyway) I’ve been known to drop a few duds on ya. And sure, not everyone’s gonna like the same stuff, and The Shindig offers (if nothing else) a wide variety of musical styling, but definitely nobody wanted It’s Only Halloween, probably nobody wanted Born of Halloween and I’m sure there was more than a few groans with Lep in the Hood. Not to mention countless other questionable tunes that deserve to be on The Shindig but maybe not in your ears.

I’ll accept that. But I’ve got a pretty good batting average here, no? Eh, probably depends on what you personally like and that’s always a little tricky.

But hey, maybe you like 60’s psychedelic rock. If you do, then Larry’s Rebels have just the Halloween Song for you.

If not, just give it a day. Tomorrow’s gonna sound a little different. Not sayin’ you’ll like that either, but it’s different than this, that much I can guarantee.

The Devil Rides Out

TRACK #319:

The Devil Rides Out by Icarus

So here’s a curious situation that I’m not sure we’ve encounter thus far on The Shindig.

On the surface, this song (the debut release from British rocker’s Icarus) is a full blown Title Track. Now, that’s what I like to hear!

But wait a sec, this song doesn’t appear anywhere in 1968’s The Devil Rides Out.

That can probably be attributed to the fact this song wasn’t written for the film at all, but rather after the film was made. Turns out Icarus was inspired by the pre-release marketing for The Devil Rides Out to write this song. That’s a little weird.

However, it was totally released in tandem with the premiere of the film and the band themselves were even invited to the shindig. What’s goin on here?

So, written because of and about, and is named after the movie? So, is this a Title Track or not?

I say no. If anything it’s a Title Track After the Fact, but even that’s a stretch. It appears in no film that I’m aware of, sequel or otherwise, relegating it the land of Referential, I’d say. But it’s so close, so very damn close to being a Title Track.

But enough about that business, let’s talk The Devil Rides Out, Hammer’s straight-faced, Christopher Lee anchored, Christianity-conquers-all, Satan-banger.

Just check out this French Grande:

I have this thing, and it rules. Unfortunately, it’s goddamn giant and I don’t have any more wall space in The Hole for shit this big. Sorry also to my giant-ass Videodrome and Dracula AD posters.

Hey, check out this sweet Baphomet, which Christoper Lee calls The Goat of Mendes, which is what artist Éliphas Lévi was known to refer to his famous Sabbatic Goat image. He rules too.In fact, just check out The Devil Rides Out, cause it rules.

Shindig, ridin’ out!

Satan (Theme)

TRACK #318:

Satan (Theme) by Paul Wibier

Our next stop on Satan’s Cannonball comes from a picture you could argue isn’t exactly a horror picture. I dunno though. Being rundown, raped and murdered by freaky, gakked out bikers sounds pretty goddamn horrific to me. But hey, everybody’s got different ideas of a good time. Either way, when you’re throwin’ me a tune which sounds as at-odds with its subject matter as this one does, The Shindig takes note.

From Al Adamson’s 60’s biker freak-out Satan’s Sadists comes our 318th track, Satan (Theme).

Starring the incomparable Russ Tamblyn as Anchor, leader of the biker gang “The Satans” with such fantastic biker members as Willie, Muscle, Firewater and Acid. The latter of which is played by none other the the films writer, and director of such classics as Without Warning, Satan’s Cheerleaders, Wacko, and The Uninvited, Mr. Greydon Clark.

It’s a 60’s biker explotation picture, so if you’re familiar, you know what you’re getting into and whether that’s frying your bacon or not. Again, it’s not explicitly horror in tone or vibe, but exploitation veers so close sometimes, and this song is just too awesome too ignore. And c’mon, we need a little more Satan around these parts.

So here comes his theme!

The Zombie Stomp

TRACK #266:

The Zombie Stomp by The Del Aires

For our final spin with the crew from Deep 13, we have a fun song featured during an episode from the Sci-Fi channel years.

Notorious beach-party turkey The Horror of Party Beach provides us with this tune called Zombie Stomp by The Del Aires.

The Del Aires appear as themselves in the movie, playing this tune. And yeah, it might be weird that a movie about radioactive sea monsters features a song about zombies, but let’s not overthink this thing, especially since they perform an unprecedented 6 tunes in total during the films runtime. But, ya know, this one’s zombie-themed, making it the clear choice for the playlist.

So, before we say goodbye to Mike, Tom Servo, Crow, Gypsy, Cambot, Joel, Dr. Forrester, TV’s Frank, Pearl and the rest of the gang on Mystery Science Theater 3000, let’s have a little fun with this grooving beach tune.

Green Slime

TRACK #255:

Green Slime by Sherry Gaden, Richard Delvecchio & Rick Lancelot

Now, we’re gonna kick things all the way back to ‘68 with a brand new contender for Oldest Title Track on the Shindig. And what a doozy of a contender it is.

You’d be forgiven for thinking the Title Track to The Green Slime must be a joke. It sounds almost like an anachronism. It sounds like it doesn’t belong in this movie. It sounds awesome.

Produced by Surf Rock pioneer Richard Delvecchio and sung by Frank Zappa vocalist Rick Lancelot, Green Slime is a rollicking garage-rock romper that feels a little ahead of its time, and a bit out of place.

This Japanese produced space-standoff proceeds like Sid and Marty Croft directed a Toho remake of This Island Earth. It’s a movie with a weird vibe.

What’s weirder? The fact that this song kicks off the whole damn thing. It honestly gets you pumped. Almost too pumped. This song is probably the coolest thing about the movie. Not that there’s anything specifically terrible about the movie, it’s just that cool of a song.

I mean, I won’t lie, you really gotta be into 60’s sci-fi monster movies. And being frank here, that’s not gonna be everyone’s bag, particularly these days. The miniatures look like the model train sets your Dad built in the basement, the acting in stagey and the aliens looks like 33rd degree Sigmund the Sea Monsters. But all of that is the charm. If you’re in the right mood, anyway.

Also, the pacing is pretty crisp for its day, though nothing close to what audiences have become accustomed to over the intervening 40 odd years.

So, you know yourself. Would you like that? Eh, then maybe give The Green Slime a go. If not, at least kick back and enjoy this trailblazing tune. One of the great Title Tracks of all time.

Carry on Screaming!

TRACK #246:

Carry On Screaming! by Ray Pilgrim

There isn’t a more surefire way to get your film webbed-up in The Shindig than to indulge in the time honored tradition of the Title Track.

Carry on Screaming! then, naturally, comes from the 1966 British spoof of the same name.

But what the hell is it?

Well, it’s the 12th installment in the expansive 31 film catalogue of the “Carry On” franchise, an ensemble comedy series which lampooned many popular British film genres.

Carry On Screaming! is a somewhat entertaining Hammer Horror send-up that features a couple of goofy monsters, a lot of yelling in British accents, copious amounts of innuendo and some hilarious mannequin tossing. Check that shit out.

Credited in the film to “Anon,” the identity of this singer remained a mystery for 40 years. In 2006 however, famous British big bander, radio broadcaster and Embassy session singer, Ray Pilgrim, at long last revealed his involvement

Also a member of bands like The Typoons, The Jaybirds and The Earthquakers!, Ray didn’t particularly think singing was a real career and apparently only did it to finance an economics degree. Pretty crazy for a guy with over 200 BBC broadcasts and 150 songs under his belt.

Once Ray achieved this goal, he promptly quit singing and took a “proper” job in senior management of an unnamed multinational company.

Ray came out of retirement to sing this track at producer Eric Roger’s request.

Here’s an interview from Ray’s website where he describes the whole situation:

“By April 1966 I’d been “retired” from singing for nearly a year and was deeply immersed in my ‘proper’ career. Then one evening, completely out of the blue, I got a phone call from Eric Rogers.

He told me that he needed to set up a very urgent session to record the opening title song for the new Carry On film and needed an ‘experienced, professional session singer who can cut it with the minimum fuss in the minimum time’ and wanted me to do it.

I explained that I hadn’t even sung in the bath for months and was really not in the business anymore. He said that they were on an extremely tight schedule, fast approaching the release deadline for the film and would appreciate it if I could come over to his house next day. I was really rather flattered, so I agreed.

Next day I took some time off work and drove up to his house and we ran through the music. I thought the words were a bit odd and he explained that it was a spoof horror film.

We settled on the overall treatment: The chorus (the Carry On Screaming lines) were to be sung reasonably straight in the style of a band ballad singer, with parts of the verse sung with a bit of emotional quivering vibrato. I can’t really remember, but I don’t think that the falsetto bit at the end came until we were actually on the set when we slipped it in because it felt a more natural lead into Odbodd coming through the mist and Doris’s scream.

What I do remember, was that there was no time for any practice or rehearsal because the actual recording session was set up for either the next day or at most a couple of days later.

Although the film was made at Pinewood, according to my 1966 diary, the title song was recorded on the nearby Denham Studios sound set. Probably that was because the actual film itself had wound up at Pinewood a couple of months earlier which, by then, was no doubt the home of a new, completely different film.

Eric had arranged for quite a large orchestra and the set was full of musicians … plus of course the lady who provided the very important screams during the song. I regret that I don’t remember her name. But I recall she was blonde and very attractive and did a brilliant scream.

At one end of the set was a huge screen onto which a silent version of the finished film was projected. I don’t think we had the titles and credits to play and sing to but in my mind’s eye I clearly remember a big clock on or above the screen that rapidly flicked through the fractions of seconds that lead up to the opening scene of the movie.

I was used to doing the recording sessions for Embassy in a just couple of takes so I was very surprised that we needed such a large number of takes to do the Screaming film soundtrack, which was really quite a simple song.

It wasn’t because we kept on making mistakes or bum notes but because the timing had to be absolutely meticulous with everything exactly to the split second. In fact I found it a bit boring doing the same thing over and over again. But when I eventually saw the finished film I realised why it had to be so exact, with each of the lines of the song and the punctuating screams fitting exactly with the quivering credits on the screen.

So that was it. I got paid the princely sum of 27 guineas (excluding any subsequent mechanical use of the recording) … which in those days was not to be sneezed at for a couple of hours work. In today’s money, after 40 years of inflation, I guess it would be worth something approaching £1,000.

I picked up the cheque and hurried back to my day job before I was missed! That was my very last professional session, after which I made a complete, clean break from singing so I was more than happy that my contribution to the film was credited as “Sung by Anon”.

Over the years I have always been amused that the question “Who was Anon?” crops up so frequently and the inevitable wrong answers it leads to. But now I’m coming up to my 70th birthday, it’s probably time to set the record straight. So here goes:

So, here it goes indeed, a silly and short little tune that may just burrow itself under your skull and rest there for a few hours, occasionally popping out ever so often as you find yourself humming its chorus.

Thanks Ray!

Don’t Meet Mr. Frankenstein

TRACK #216:

Don’t Meet Mr. Frankenstein by Carlos Casal Jr.

Here’s an interesting Frankenstein song, in that it makes the strange delineation of referring to him as Mr. Frankenstein and not Dr. Frankenstein.

Okay, fair enough. But who the hell is Mr. Frankenstein?

Well, it’s Victor Frankenstein, right? He is a Mr. Frankenstein. But why specify an honorific different then the one typically associated with this classic literary character? Don’t make no sense.

So, does he mean the monster? Could you refer to the monster as Mr. Frankenstein?

Sure, why not, right? Dr. Frankenstein is technically a kind of father, so the surname could carry over. The monster has no medical degree to speak of and is himself not a doctor. So if you were going to make the distinction, you’d make it for that reason, right?

No, no, I’m not talking about Dr. Frankenstein, I’m talking about his monster, Mr. Frankenstein.

Oh, ok then.

Well, how bout the lyrics? Surely they’ll provide some clarification.

Well, at one point this Mr. Frankenstein character (whomever he may be) opens his mouth and bites the head off the singer, thus causing him to die. Does that sound like something Dr. Frankenstein might do, or is even capable of doing? Not in my book.

Honestly, it doesn’t really sound like anything the monster would do either, but c’mon, he is a monster, so he’s probably more liable to do such a thing.

So, this song is either about unnaturally bitey Frankenstein’s Monster, or some cannibalistic jerk named Frankenstein who just happens eat people at local cafes.

Either way, horrifying.

I’m The Wolfman

TRACK #212:

I’m The Wolfman by Round Robin

For our next nerve racking number, we have a rockabilly classic of monstrous proportions.

This moon lit hit is attributed to a fella named Round Robin. Problem is, there seems to be some debate among Rock ‘N Roll aficionados as to whether this song was actually recorded by Round Robin or by its author, Baker Knight.

This doesn’t concern us however, as we aren’t that kind of nerd. We’re a different sort of nerd. So, let’s just say it’s Round Robin, a sort of Chubby Checker wannabe who tried to start his own dance craze out of The Slauson, which some of you may know as a street in downtown L.A.

Unfortunately for Robin, The Slauson (in any of its forms) failed to capture the American public’s imagination the way Chubby’s Twist had. But it certainly wasn’t for a lack of trying. Robin gave it a go with Do The Slauson, Slauson Street, Slauson Shuffletime, Slauson Town and Slauson Party.

What can I say, dude loved him some Slauson.

However, if you listen to any of Round Robin’s catalog and then give I’m The Wolfman a spin, you’re liable to come to the same conclusion as our Rock ‘N Roll Nerd contingency…

“Yeah that’s not the same guy at all.”

…because they sound totally different.

Either way, whoever is really rockin’ the mic here, I’m The Wolfman is a surefire Shindig inclusion that’s sure to get some hairy feet a-movin’.

Main Title (Rosemary’s Baby)

TRACK #187:

Main Title (Rosemary’s Baby) by Krzysztof Komeda and Mia Farrow

Fading us out of our witch/spell/magick block is the melancholic and eerie theme from a tale of perhaps the worst witches cinema may have yet seen. Witches so powerful, many have suggested their influence seeped through the silver screen and into our reality.

I know it’s certainly not the type of film we tend to champion around here, and I doubt it would be any Diggers favorite pick (with the exception of one particularly beautiful & faithful reader) Rosemary’s Baby is widely considered one of the finest examples the horror genre has to offer.

And rightfully so, as it’s a fine piece of film-making, in any genre, with a star-making and brilliant performance from Mia Farrow and a supporting cast that provides the best kind of support.

Additionally, Rosemary’s Baby is as much a critique on society of the mid 60′ and men’s abuse and control of women within that society, as it is a critique on American moral and spiritual unraveling and the burgeoning Satanic scene.

Some even say it’s also cursed.

Let’s begin at the beginning…

The film’s source material, Ira Levin’s novel of the same name, was published 1968. It is set in New York City of 1965/1966, or more appropriately, June of 1966,…6/66.

Pitched at a point in history which saw not only the birth of Anton Lavey’s Church of Satan, but when Time Magazine had just famously wondered “Is God Dead?” in an issue Rosemary can be seen reading in the film.

As with any literary success, Hollywood wasn’t far behind. Initially the book was optioned to Alfred Hitchcock, who reportedly turned down the offer. In swooped everyone’s favorite schlockster William Castle, who morgaged his home and purchased the rights for 100,000 with the intent to direct. It was to be his first A-List horror picture, and he was rightly stoked.

He brought the script to Paramount Pictures, but famous executive Robert Evans had other ideas though. There wasn’t any chance in hell he was letting the inventor of “Emergo” and “Percepto” helm the biggest horror property in Hollywood. No, Castle could produce but a young European auteur named Roman Polanski would be brought in to class up the act.

And the the success train kept rolling. Lauded upon release and a blockbuster success, Castle and Evan’s had helped Polanski hit a culture nerve with his first American feature. Not bad.

But then, that’s when the weird shit started happening.

The first victim of Rosemary’s Curse was none other than the composer of tonight’s selection, Jazz musician Krzysztof Komeda. While drinking at a party in Los Angeles shortly after the film premiered, Kryzsztof was “accidentally” shoved of a rocky cliff by author Marek Hłasko. He sustained head injuries that led him into a coma he never awoke from. He died the following April in Poland. He was 37 years old. Fans will no doubt mark the similarity of his fate to that of Edward Hutchins in the film.

Next, though much less severe, was producer William Castle. His kidney’s failed soon after the release, and he was reported to have hallucinated scenes from the film while in the hospital, at one point shouting “Rosemary, for God Sakes put down the knife!”

Most tragic however, and perhaps in need of no further explanation, was the fate of Polanski’s wife Sharon Tate and their then-unborn son at the hands of the Manson Family.

Sharon, who had desperately fought to play Rosemary, was said to have often been lingering around the set, and even eerily appears in the background at Rosemary’s party.

Other strange coincidences can be traced all throughout this tale, such as this bizarre linage of synchronicity:

The words “Healter Skelter” (sic) were scrawled on the scene of the crime at Roman and Sharon’s home on 10050 Cielo Drive. The song Helter Skelter by The Beatles was featured on The White Album, which was mostly written while at the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in India. Also in attendance at that time were Donovan, Prudence Farrow (inspiration for the song Dear Prudence) and Rosemary herself, Mia Farrow. On December 8th, 1980, John Lennon was shot in New York City, in the archway of The Dakota Apartments, which will no doubt look familiar to any Rosemary’s Baby fan.

And lastly, I wouldn’t be the first paranoid observer to suggest the strange similarity between Rosemary and Guy’s tale and Polanski’s own career trajectory. Did Roman, like Guy, make some unholy, sacrificial pact for success and legal invulnerability? Only Roman knows for sure. Strange that “Roman” is also Steven Marcato’s false name.

Tonight, The Shindig presents that sweet sort of haunting theme, composed by Krzysztof Komeda. Even more appropriately, Mia Farrow herself provides the quiet vocal accompaniment.

The strange legacy of Rosemary’s Baby, all the players and the true nature of their interconnected fates, may forever remain a mystery. Whatever transpired, whatever it means, whomever or whatever was responsible…beware…because, there’s only one thing we can say for sure…

The Salem Witch Trial

TRACK #186:

The Salem Witch Trial by Kiriae Crucible

Since Christopher Lee’s over here talking about The Salem Witch Trial, let’s follow that up with a song about The Salem Witch Trial, aptly titled The Salem Witch Trial.

This rockin’ piece of obscure psychedelia comes from none other than Kiriae Crucible, a band (or hell, even just a lone dude) that I can seem to find absolutely no information about at all.

Any web search for Kiriae Crucible will undoubtedly return this song, an seemingly only this song, the various compilations that contain this song, or places in which you can hear…this song.

Well, Halloween Shindig now proudly joins the ranks of places at which you can also hear this song but find no other information regarding Kiriae Crucible. If you were led here looking for such information (though I sincerely doubt it) then I apologize for being just another repository with absolutely nothing new to offer.

I will say this, though. The 45 above is curiously adorned with the name “Erickson,” which might lead you (as it did me) to wonder if it was not penned (and perhaps even performed) by Halloween hero, Shindigger and all around way-out-cat Roky Erickson.

Beats me though, as a cross-reference of the 2 also returned no results for me.

Bummer.

Anyway, if you do happen to be reading this and actually have information regarding Kiriae Crucible or this song, please leave a comment below or forward said info to ed@halloweenshindig.com. Thanking you in advance, your assistance is greatly appreciated.

For everyone else, just sit back and enjoy this random-ass song about The Salem Witch Trial by a random-ass band (or dude) known simply as Kiriae Crucible, a name which I’m still not even sure how to pronounce exactly.

Season of the Witch

TRACK #183:

Season of the Witch by Donovan

Speaking of Seasons of the Witch, here’s a song tailor made for the occasion.

Many years ago, while discussing the film Highway to Hell, I stated that simply naming your film after a preexisting song does not automatically quality that song to be a Title Track.

I said this because the song Highway to Hell only appears in the trailer for the film, and not in the actual movie, something I think is important. And while I don’t think that makes it a true Title Track, it’s definitely enough scratch to get a seat at the table.

Though George A. Romero may well have named his film after the Donovan song, he utilizes it to great effect during a montage of noob-witch Jan White procuring magickal supplies from her local witch shop.

You know, that weird store you have right around the corner with the creepy eyeball sign, filled with crucibles, bejeweled daggers and strange smelling shit?

Oh, you don’t have one of those in your town? Well thankfully Jan does, cause she’s gonna need to gear up if she wants her dick spell to work on the young Professors she’s been eying.

I don’t, however, recommend playing with Black Magick. I’ve yet to see one film where that works out in anyone’s favor.

Although, in fairness, it doesn’t not work out for Jan, now that I think about it. She might accidentally kill her husband, but that guy was kind of a douche, and she didn’t really like him anyway. So, I guess you can play with Black Magick and have everything turn out ok.

I still wouldn’t recommend it, though, cause that’s pretty rare.

Here’s Donovan’s classic Halloween witch hit, elevated to Title Track status by George A. Romero.

Halloween Spooks

TRACK #182:

Halloween Spooks by Lambert, Hendricks & Ross

Here’s another spooky number about spooks from famous Jazz trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, only this time, it’s a Halloween song to boot. Double bonus.

This one’s a kinda weird honestly, and the jazz structure can be a bit of a turn-off if that’s not your bag. Additionally, it will all break down about halfway through into a formless sort of scat, where ghostly sounds and spooky noises take the place of actual lyrics.

I like this part. It’s funny to me. I laugh every time I hear these grown adults goofing around and making silly noises.

You may not have the same reaction, and I would understand, but there’s no disputing, it’s a Shindigger for sure.

Halloween Shindig

The Horror Fan's Halloween Playlist

The 60’s