Mostly Ghostly: More Horror for Halloween

by N/A

Overview

If you're looking for a non-run-of-the-mill soundtrack to your next Halloween party, this disc, and its predecessor, Ace's These Ghoulish Things: Horror Hits for Halloween, should just about tide you over the first round of trick and treat. Devoted wholly to rock/horror novelties from the mid-'50s to the mid-'60s, just a couple of these 25 tracks (Jumpin' Gene Simmons' "Haunted House" and John Zacherle's "Dinner with Drac") were hits. And as a matter of fact, just a few of the other artists -- Screaming Lord Sutch, the Monotones, Bobby "Boris" Pickett (represented not by his hit "Monster Mash," but a radio plug for the single), Screamin' Jay Hawkins (of course), and (believe it or not) future country star Roy Clark -- will be familiar to the average knowledgeable rock fan. Since these are essentially novelty songs, you might not feel much like pulling them out on occasions other than Halloween, much like you only play Christmas albums at a certain time of year. The songs are longer on novelty than musical value, but if nothing else, they're entertaining relics of just how outrageously silly early rock & roll performers (and labels) would get in search of a quick hit. Some of the songs, too, are pretty strong in their own right, especially Sutch's "'Til the Following Night" (one of the best pre-Beatles rock & roll records from Britain), "Haunted House," and the Moontrekkers' instrumental "Night of the Vampire" (one of Joe Meek's best productions). It doesn't get much weirder than Gary "Spider" Webb's "The Cave, Pt. 1," consisting mostly of a boy and a girl sporadically calling out to each other in a cave as guitars twang and drums throb. Beatles' novelties, to stretch the thread more, don't get much weirder than Gene Moss & the Monsters' "I Want to Bite Your Hand," issued in the wake of the Fab Four's invasion of the U.S.. For Cramps fans, there's the original version of "The Goo Goo Muck," as first heard on Ronnie Cook & the Gaylads' 1962 single. The 20-page liner notes, as ever for Ace, have fascinating background information on the tracks and their connections to many unlikely famous performers. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	09/18/2012
Label:	Ace / Ace Uk
UPC:	0029667043922
Rank:	72731

Tracks

1. Dracula's Theme  -  Ghouls
2. 'Til the Following Night  -  Sutch
3. Do the Zombie  -  Symbols  -  Symbols
4. Haunted House  - Jumpin' Gene Simmons
5. Dinner With Drac Part 1  - John Zacherle
6. The Goo Goo Muck  -  Cook
7. The Mad Scientist  -  Zanies
8. The Cave  - Chuck Holden
9. Spooky Movies  - Roy Clark
10. They're Here  - Boots Walker
11. Black and Hairy  - Lord Sutch  - Screaming Lord Sutch
12. The Hearse  - Terry Teen
13. Terrible Ivan  - Art Roberts  - Art Roberts
14. Night of the Vampire  -  Moontrekkers
15. The Cave Part 1  -  Naturals  - Gary "Spider" Webb
16. Zombi  -  Lord Luther  -  Monotones
17. Alligator Wine  - Screamin' Jay Hawkins  - Gary "Spider" Webb
18. Morgus the Magnificent  -  Morgus & The Ghouls  - Rod Willis
19. Rockin' Zombie  -  Crewnecks  -  Monotones
20. (I Was a) Teenage Creature  - Screamin' Jay Hawkins  -  Lord Luther With the Kingsmen
21. Radio Plug For Monster Mash On Station Korl  -  Morgus & the Three Ghouls  - Bobby "Boris" Pickett
22. Sleepy Hollow  -  Last Word
23. The Mummy  -  Crewnecks  -  Naturals
24. The Cat  -  Gene Moss & the Monsters  - Rod Willis
25. I Want To Bite Your Hand  -  Gene Moss & the Monsters

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Bobby "Boris" Pickett   Primary Artist
Terry Teen   Primary Artist
The Last Word   Primary Artist
Boots Walker   Primary Artist
Jumpin' Gene Simmons   Primary Artist
Screamin' Jay Hawkins   Primary Artist
Screaming Lord Sutch   Primary Artist
Roy Clark   Primary Artist
The Monotones   Primary Artist
The Symbols   Primary Artist,Primary Artist
Moontrekkers   Primary Artist
Morgus & The Ghouls   Primary Artist
Rod Willis   Primary Artist
Lord Sutch   Primary Artist
Art Roberts   Primary Artist,Primary Artist
John Zacherle   Primary Artist
Gary "Spider" Webb   Primary Artist
Zanies   Primary Artist
Morgus & the Three Ghouls   Primary Artist
Lord Luther   Primary Artist
Screaming Lord Sutch & the Savages   Primary Artist
Ronnie Cook & the Gaylads   Primary Artist
Crewnecks   Primary Artist
The Naturals   Primary Artist,Primary Artist
Gene Moss & the Monsters   Primary Artist
Lord Luther With the Kingsmen   Primary Artist
Chuck Holden   Primary Artist
The Ghouls   Primary Artist