W.O.C.K On Vinyl: Various Artists - These Ghoulish Things: Horror Hits For Hallowe'en (2005)

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

With Halloween slowly etching it's way into Aussie life, I thought it appropriate to share this Korny album of blood thirsty 'monster hits' for this month's W.O.C.K on Vinyl post.

The cleverly titled 'These Ghoulish Things' unearths more than two dozen Halloween-themed efforts from the golden age of rock & roll, a concept with limited appeal but nevertheless executed with admirable aplomb. Assuming that the mere prospect of so many novelty tunes isn't enough to make your blood run cold, the disc is a primer in niche anthologies and reissues, assembling a staggering number of rare and little-known tracks that fit seamlessly within the disc's narrow conceptual scope -- who knew so many records of the late '50s paid tribute to scary monsters and super-creeps?

There's a tone here set by Bobby Pickett's classic "Monster Mash", but which goes way past the obvious to include a great range of lesser-known numbers -- many recorded for tiny indies of the period, and done with some madly echoing production and ultra-spooky sound effects.  

Almost all the tracks on 'These Ghoulish Things' were originally released between 1957 and 1965. The exceptions are some radio plugs Bobby 'Boris' Pickett did for Monster Mash, which sound as though they were actually made when the record was released in 1962, and "Nightmare Mash" by Billy Lee Riley, which is a midcentury recording that was never released. (To be honest, it's such an obvious ripoff of Monster Mash I'm not surprised.)

Aside from "Monster Mash", and poppy versions of the theme tunes to The Munsters (by Milton DeLugg and the All-Stars) and The Addams Family (by The Fiends), my favourite tracks are "Mr Were-Wolf" by The Kac-Ties and "The Voo Doo Walk" by Sonny Richard's Panics. 

And lets not dismiss  some good stuff coming from legends like Bo Diddley ("Bo Meets the Monster"), Screamin' Jay Hawkins ("Feast of the Mau Mau"), Bill Doggett ("Monster Party"), and the Hollywood Flames ("Frankenstein's Den"). 

Not counting the radio promos there are 25 tracks. Rock and roll is the dominant genre, but there's also some nice entries from the jazz and R&B sides of the spectrum too. Great midcentury party music, at any rate.

                                                                                                    BITE ME !

Tracks                                                                                              

01 Bobby "Boris" Pickett – Radio Plug For Monster Mash On Station KFWB
02 The Duponts – Screamin' Ball (At Dracula Hall)
03 Billy DeMarco & Count Dracula – Drac's Back
04 The Revels – Midnight Stroll
05 Virgil Holmes – Ghost Train
06 The Verdicts – The Mummy's Ball
07 The Hollywood Flames – Frankenstein's Den
08 Round Robin – I'm The Wolfman
09 The Nu-Trends – Spooksville
10 Milton DeLugg & The All-Stars – The Munsters' Theme
11 John Zacherle – Coolest Little Monster
12 Bill Doggett – Monster Party
13 The Jayhawks – The Creature (From Outer Space)
14 The Kac-Ties – Mr Were-Wolf
15 Bobby "Boris" Pickett – Radio Station Promo For Bill Gavin
16 Allan Sherman – My Son, The Vampire
17 Bobby Please & The Pleasers – The Monster
18 The Fiends – Theme From The Addams Family
19 Billy Lee Riley – Nightmare Mash
20 Sonny Richard's Panics With Cindy And Misty – The Voo Doo Walk
21 Screamin' Jay Hawkins – Feast Of The Mau Mau
22 The Swingin' Phillies – Frankenstein's Party
23 The Monotones – Legend Of Sleepy Hollow
24 Bo Diddley – Bo Meets The Monster
25 Jackie Morningstar – Rockin' In The Graveyard
26 Bobby "Boris" Pickett – Radio Plug For Monster Mash On Station WCOP
27 Bobby "Boris" Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers – Monster Mash
28 Orvin Yoes – The Vampire