W.O.C.K On Vinyl: The Munsters - At Home With The Munsters (1964)

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Before things get too serious here at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song at the end of each month, that could be categorized as being either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.

The Munster’s — Herman, the bolted together, head-of-the-dark-household at 1313 Mockingbird Lane, plus his witch-like wife Lilly, Grandpa the Count from the old country, lil’ son Eddie Wolfgang, and sexy niece Marilyn — take on pop music, as only they can. Campy and Corny… it’s TV’s version of the monster mash.

This months W.O.C.K on Vinyl offering is a rare one folks and is just in time for Halloween. This 'At Home with The Munsters' LP  from 1964 was recorded by the original cast to cash in on the success of the television show, which debuted in September, 1964. Universal TV Productions were the masterminds behind the series, and since they owned the rights to most of the classic horror films ("Frankenstein", "The Mummy", etc.), a crazy '60s sitcom seemed in order.

The LP features songs and stories performed by the original cast of the beloved TV show, unlike another 'Munsters' post I did 14 months ago that didn't feature any of the original cast members.  

"The Munsters'" came out during the same television season as Filmways Productions' "The Addams Family." I was about 6 years old and quickly became a devout Addams Family fan. In those days, you were either a "Munsters" fan, or and "Addams Family" fan.

Whereas "The Addams Family" was offbeat and macabre in a beatnik sort of way, "The Munsters" was goofier and more slapstick. Years later, I came to appreciate "The Munsters", and in retrospect, I think "The Munsters" is actually a funnier show. Fred Gwynne was priceless as the dim-witted "Herman Munster", and they had not one, but 2 cool cars, designed by George Barris. The car has recently featured on the T.V show 'American Pickers' along with the Bat Mobile - really cool!

'At Home With The Munsters' captures the nutty ambiance of the show, with appearances by all the cast members. Each actor gets his own song to perform, although it's obvious that Eddie Munsters' song is performed by another child, and I suspect that Marilyn's song was not performed by Pat Priest, the main actress who played the "homely" niece of the Munsters.

This album has been going for big bucks on Ebay lately (around $70) and I'm sorry to say that I don't actually own a copy of it! Thanks to a fellow blogger - Mr Weird And Wacky, I'm able to offer this rare Halloween gem to you all or this months W.O.C.K on Vinyl post in all its glory. Ripped to MP3, the post includes full album artwork and featured photos.

Now, a little about the main cast members:

Herman Munster

A child-like Frankenstein monster who works as a gravedigger, Herman often throws tantrums when he doesn't get his way. A bumbling idiot with defective brains, he is practically a caricature of Fred Flintstone. Add on his oddly effeminate traits, and it is clear that Brad Garrett states correctly in his stand-up routine that Herman Munster was the first gay sitcom star.

Lily Munster

Lily is a generic bride of Frankenstein (note the white stripe of hair), who is the matriarch of the Munsters. However, she is also a vampire (being the daughter of Grandpa Munster).

Eddie Munster

The son of a Frankenstein monster and a bride of Frankenstein/vampire mix, Eddie is inexplicably a wolfman, obviously a pathetic attempt to shoehorn in another of the Universal monsters into the mix. Eddie carried around a little wolfman doll and annoyed viewers everywhere.

Grandpa Munster

A Boris-Karloff knockoff played by the kooky Al Lewis. Clearly a vampire, so we are unsure who Grandpa knocked up to produce Lily. Most of the time he did experiments in the basement, providing convenient plot devices for many of the episodes.

Marilyn Munster

The “normal” member of the family. Herman and Lily are her aunt and uncle, so we can only assume that they have killed her parents and are holding her against her will. She is also apparently too dumb to realize that she is normal, and is viewed by the other Munsters as lacking their good looks. Oh how very hilarious…the first time

Track Listing

01 At The Munsters
02 Herman Says, "Hello"
03 It Takes All Kinds Of People
04 Everyone Is Welcome
05 Meet Our Pets
06 Meet Grandpa!
07 Grandpa's Lab
08 Eddie!
09 I Wish Everyone Was Born This Way
10 Marilyn: "When Will I Find A Boy For Me?"
11 Nice Of You To Drop In/(Reprise) At The Munsters
12 Herman's Favorite Story
13 Lily's Favorite Story
14 Grandpa's Favorite Recipe
15 Final Theme

Cast

Fred Gwynne - Herman Munster

Yvonne De Carlo - Lily Munster

Al Lewis - Grandpa Munster

Pat Priest - Marilyn Munster

Butch Patrick - Eddie  Munster

At Home With The Munsters (40Mb)