the elm street group

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Freddy’s Greatest Hits (1987)

Back in 1987, I guess someone over at New Line Cinema thought it might be a profitable idea to shove a bunch of session musicians into a studio, have them record a couple weird 80’s covers of a few classic tunes, whip up a few Freddy-specific originals, overdub Robert England cackling, call it Freddy’s Greatest Hits, then sit back and watch the money train pull into the station.

Whether that train ever arrived, I couldn’t well say. That probably depends largely on just how much they dumped into this endeavor in the first place. Not gonna lie, it doesn’t sound like a lot. So who knows, maybe they actually did turn a profit with this thing.

Either way, we won. And we won big time. Mr. Big Time.

If you’ve never heard this album, you’re in for a real treat. If you have, then you’re probably just shaking your head at your screen right now, questioning either my sanity or sincerity. And fair enough. This isn’t double-platinum shit here, I’ll grant you that. But conceptually? It’s as gold as it gets.

Freddy lazily speak-singing Wilson Pickett’s In The Midnight Hour? The frolicking surrealism of a burn-scarred child-killer having his own dance called The Freddy? The strained melodrama of Don’t Sleep? Wolly Bully? C’mon.

How bout just the fact that something this fucking bizarre, this blatantly commercial, this antithetical to its source material was created at all? This kind of thing is everything I want.

As for my sincerity, I’ll just say that maybe I’ve listened to this thing too many times now, and it’s become familiar. Or maybe I just have shitty taste in music. Or maybe I’m just a psychopath. All of these things are a good possibility, but there are songs on this album that I legitimately enjoy, listen to by choice and rock out to. I love Down in the Boiler Room. I love Don’t Sleep. I love Obsession. I love this album; conceptually, musically, wholeheartedly – and I’m glad it exists.

And while this is certainly an album you can hear in many other places, Halloween Shindig is most definitely a place you should be able to hear it.

So now it is. Enjoy.

I’ll be seeing you…

Audio

Freddy’s (Actual) Greatest Hits

Well, what’s good for Jason is good for Freddy. These 2 monsters of 80’s horror go mask in glove, especially around here. So, I can’t give Jay his own private playlist without giving one to Fred too, right?

Well, I’m sure Freddy would conclude as much, anyway.

So presented here is what I think you could accurately call “Freddy’s Greatest Hits,” unlike the very real album Freddy’s Greatest Hits, which is comprised of (at best) the only songs Freddy ever released.

From 213’s original Nightmare to (well, eventually) Iggy Pop’s Why Was I Born, and even a few gems from Mr. Big Time himself, here’s the Shindig’s celebration of Freddy Krueger in song. Enjoy!