THE HALLOWEEN BOOMBOX: Seasonal Music To Die For Part 3
Welcome to part three of THE HALLOWEEN BOOMBOX, my ongoing series showcasing spooky tunes and scary melodies. So far, in the first two entries, I covered 45 cd compilations of Halloween novelty songs (you can see part one HERE and part two HERE)! This time, not only will I be featuring more cd compilations but digital downloads as well, 18 to be exact! These should be available either on iTunes or Amazon. For the cd releases that are still available, you can order them by clicking on the cd cover.
This first entry, THE BEST OF HORROR, is definitely a great starter collection with 75 songs on three cd’s. There is enough music here, all by original artists, to keep a Halloween party rocking well into the midnight hour! Most of these songs can be found on other releases but this collection, by IMS Distribution, is perfect if you are just getting into Halloween-themed songs.
Disc 1: 1. Monster Mash – Bobby “Boris” Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers 2. Zombie Jamboree – Harry Belafonte 3. Rockin’ in the Graveyard – Jackie Morningstar 4. ‘Til the Following Night – Screaming Lord Sutch 5. Gravy (With Some Cyanide) – John Zacherle 6. At the House of Frankenstein – Big Bee Kornegay 7. She’s My Witch – Kip Tyler 8. Mad House Jump – the Daylighters 9. Frankenstein Rock – Eddie Thomas 10. Nightmare – Scottie Stuart 11. The Head Hunters – Mike Fern 12. The Voo Doo Walk (Feat. Cindy & Misty) – Sonny Richard’s Panics 13. Drac’s Back – Billy Demarco 14. Night of the Vampire – the Moontrekkers 15. You Can Get Him Frankenstein – the Castle Kings 16. Popeye (The Gravedigger) – John Zacherle 17. I Was a Teenage Monster – the Keytones 18. Jekyll and Hyde – Jim Burgett 19. Frankenstein’s Party – the Swinging Phillies 20. Graveyard Shift – Bobby “Boris” Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers 21. Frankie Frankenstein – Ivan 22. The Rockin’ Ghost – Archie Bleyer 23. The Purple Monster – Dean Hightower 24. Graveyard Rock – Tarantula Ghoul & Her Gravediggers 25. Igor’s Party – Tony’s Monstrosities
Disc 2: 1. Dinner with Drac, Pt. 1 – John Zacherle 2. The Purple People Eater – Sheb Wooley 3. Monster’s Holiday – Bobby “Boris” Pickett 4. Don’t Meet Mr. Frankenstein – Carlos Casal JR 5. Sunglasses After Dark – Dwight Pullen 6. Nightmare Hop – Earl Patterson 7. Midnight Monsters Hop – Jack and Jim 8. Bo Meets the Monster – Bo Diddley 9. Werewolf – the Frantics 10. The Mummy – Bob McFadden 11. Frenzy – Screamin’ Jay Hawkins 12. Coolest Little Monster – John Zacherle 13. The Mummy’s Bracelet – Lee Ross 14. Wolf Call – Lord Dent & His Invaders 15. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow – the Monotones 16. Batman, Wolfman, Frankenstein or Dracula – the Diamonds 17. Zippy, Hippy, Dippy – Coye Wilcox 18. The Fang – Nervous Norvous 19. He’s a Vampire – Archie King 20. The Creature (From Outer Space) – the Jayhawks 21. The Cat – Rod Willis 22. Leopard Man – Joe Wallace 23. Monster Party – Bill Doggett 24. Rabian the Fiendage Idol – Bobby “Boris” Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers 25. Teenage Creature – Lord Luther
Disc 3: 1. I Put a Spell on You – Screamin’ Jay Hawkins 2. Me & My Mummy – Bobby “Boris” Pickett 3. Jungle Hop – Kip Tyler 4. Frankenstein’s Den – Hollywood Flames 5. Graveyard – Leroy Bowman6. Walkin’ Through a Cemetery – Claudine Clark 7. Creature from Outer Space – Sonny Day 8. The Shadow Knows – the Coasters 9. Screamin’ Ball (At Dracula Hall) – the Duponts 10. The Blob – Five Blobs 11. The Little Martian – Jan Amber 12. Graveyard Cha Cha – the Three D’s 13. The Bat – John Zacherle 14. Ghost Satellite – Bob & Jerry 15. Music to Be Murdered By – Alfred Hitchcock Orchestra 16. Monster Mash Party – Bobby “Boris” Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers 17. Rocket to the Moon – Astro-Notes 18. Zombie – los Sleepers 19. Beware – Bill Buchanan 20. Voodoo Woman – Smiley Smith 21. Let’s Twist Again (Mummy Time Is Here) – John Zacherle 22. Amazon – Phil Carter 23. The Monster – Bobby Please & the Pleasers 24. The Gila Monster – Joe Johnson 25. The Purple People Eater Meets the Witchdoctor – Big Bopper
This compilation not only features a great cover, but it also has a great assortment of music, all by the original artists. This came out in 2017 and is definitely a great collection to have. There are also some great tunes not found on other collections.
1. Monster Mash – Bobby (Boris) Pickett and the Crypt Kickers 2. Frankie & Igor At A Rock ‘N’ Roll Party – Bob McFadden 3. Haunted House – Johnny Fuller 4. Little Demon – Screamin’ Jay Hawkins 5. Dinner With Drac – Zacheley 6. Nightmare Hop – Earl Patterson with the Darts 7. Graveyard – Leroy Bowman & the Arrows 8. Rockin’ In The Graveyard – Jackie Morningstar 9. The Spook Walks – The Spooks 10. ‘Til The Following Night – Screaming Lord Sutch & The Savages 11. Horror Show – Sharkey Todd & The Monsters 12. Purple People Eater Meets Witch Doctor – The Big Bopper 13. The Monsters Hop – Bert Convy 14. Voodoo Voodoo – Lavern Baker 15. She’s My Witch – Kip Tyler 16. Graveyard Giggle – Frank N. Stein & The Tombstones 17. Nightmare – Scottie Stewart 18. Were Wolf – Carl Bonafede 19. You Can Get Him, Frankenstein – The Castle Kings 20. The Monster Hop – Jimmy Dee & The Meteors 21. Don’t Meet Mr. Frankenstein – Carlos Casal, JR. 22. Bo Meets The Monster – Bo Diddley 23. Werewolf – The Frantics 24. I Was A Teenage Monster – The Keytones 25. I Dig You Baby – Bob McFadden & Dor 26. Frankenstein Rock – Eddie Thomas 27. Midnight Monsters Hop – Jack & Jim 28. Frankenstein’s Den – The Hollywood Flames 29. The Cat – Rod Willis 30. Haunted House – Cris Kevin 31. The Monster – Bobby Please & the Pleasers 32. Purple People Eater – Sheb Wooley 33. Alligator Wine – Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
This interesting collection, BLUES, BLUES, HOODOO, HALLOWEEN: SCARY BLUES & JAZZ 1925 TO 1961, put out by Document Records, is unlike any other I have ever seen. It is definitely much more blues and jazz than other collections and this is where it shines. Halloween music of this style has an atmosphere all of its own making this collection a welcome change to what is normally available.
1. I Put A Spell On You – Screamin’ Jay Hawkins 2. I Been Dealing With The Devil – Sonny Boy (John Lee) Williamson 3. Witchin’ Hour Blues – Tampa Red 4.Got My Mojo Working – Muddy Waters 5.Voodoo Vodoo – LaVern Baker 6. Hoodoo Lady – Memphis Minnie 7. Magic Spell Blues – Charlie Burse 8. Devil Dance Blues – Sippie Wallace 9. Casting My Spell On You – The Johnny Otis Show 10. My Woman Has A Black Cat Bone – Hop Wilson 11. Mr. Ghost Goes To Town – The 5 Jones Boys 12. Jinx Blues – Casey Bill Weldon 13. Ghost Creepin Blues – St. Louis Bessie 14. Skeleton In The Closet – Louis Armstrong with Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra 15. Blue Ghost Blues – Lonnie Johnson 16. Haunted House – Johnny Fuller 17. I Am The Devil – Mississippi Sheiks 18. Secret Mojo Blues – Brownie McGhee 19. Call Of The Freaks – King Oliver And His Orchestra 20. It’s Your Voodoo Working – Charles Sheffield
GREATEST EVER! HALLOWEEN: THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION is another 3 disc set of songs all by the original artists. It is an interesting mix of not only fun Halloween-themed songs but also there is a nice assortment of horror movie themes as well, which are unfortunately, not original recordings. This collection thankfully offers enough new stuff not found elsewhere to make it worth picking up!
Disc 1: 1.Somebody’s Watching Me – Rockwell 2. She’s Strange – Cameo 3. The Potion – Ludacris 4. Killer – Adamski 5. Monster – Professor Green 6. Satan – Orbital 7. Hungry Like The Wolf – Duran Duran 8. Grey Day – Madness 9. Ghost Town – The Specials 10. Supernatural Thing – Siouxsie and the Banshees 11. Devil – Stereophonics 12. Ghostdancing – Simple Minds 13. Pet Semetary – The Ramones 14. Psycho Killer (live) – Talking Heads 15. Love Potion No. 9 – Tygers of Pan Tang 16. All Hallows Evil – Fearless Vampire Killers
Disc 2: 1. People Are Strange – Echo & The Bunnymen 2. Werewolves Of London – Warren Zevon 3. Killer On The Loose – Thin Lizzy 4. Devil Gate Drive – Suzi Quatro 5. The Time Warp – Rocky Horror Cast 6. The Witch – The Rattles 7. There’s A Ghost In My House – R. Dean Taylor 8. Wild Thing – The Troggs 9. Monster Mash – Bobby “Boris” Pickett & The Crypt Kickers 10. Voodoo, Voodoo – LaVern Baker 11. The Shadow Knows – The Coasters 12. Purple People Eater Meets The Witch Doctor – The Big Bopper 13. Screamin’ Ball (At Dracula Hall) – The Duponts 14. Bo Meets The Monster – Bo Diddley 15. Witch Doctor – The Chipmunks/David Seville 16. Race With The Devil – Gene Vincent 17. Satan Wears A Satin Gown – Frankie Laine/Carl Fisher & His Orchestra 18. The Headless Horseman – Bing Crosby/The Rhythmaires
Disc 3: 1. The Exorcist – Mike Oldfield 2. Halloween (main theme) – Gareth Williams 3. The Thing – Gareth Williams 4. The Shining (main title) – Mark Ayres 5. In The House, In A Heartbeat (from 28 DAYS LATER) – London Music Works 6. The Fog – Gareth Williams 7. A Nightmare On Elm Street – Mark Ayres 8. Bram Stoker’s Dracula: The Storm – City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra 9. The Omen: Ave Satani – City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra 10. The Phantom Of The Opera (Toccata & Fugue in D Minor) – Daniel Chorzempa 11. Excaliber: O Fortuna (from Carmina Burana) – Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra 12. Poltergeist (main theme) – City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra 13. Psycho (main theme/Murder) – City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra 14. Sleepy Hollow (End Titles) – City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra 15. Village Of The Damned: March Of The Children – Gareth Williams 16. The Twilight Zone – City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra 17. Hedwig’s Theme (from HARRY POTTER) – City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra 18. The Addams Family – City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra 19. The Munsters – The David Caine Orchestra 20. Tales Of The Unexpected – Phil Knights
HALLOWEEN PARTY MONSTER MIX, on the Somerset label, came out in 2013 and is a great collection to have, not only because of the great selection of songs by the original artists but also for the collection of scary sound effects at the end. There’s really nothing new here but if you are a completest, or just starting out, it is a great addition to every Halloween collection!
1. Monster Mash – Bobby “Boris” Pickett and The Crypt-Kickers 2. Ghostbusters – Ray Parker, Jr. 3. I’m Your Boogie Man – K.C. & The Sunshine Band 4. (Don’t Fear) The Reaper – Blue Oyster Cult 5.Somebody’s Watching Me – Rockwell 6. The Time Warp – Rocky Horror Cast 7. Werewolves Of London – Warren Zevon 8. Frankenstein – The Edgar Winter Group 9. I Want Candy – Bow Wow Wow 10. Witch Doctor – David Seville 11. Love Potion No. 9 – The Searchers 12. The Devil Went Down To Georgia – The Charlie Daniels Band 13. House On Haunted Hill (sound effects) 14. The Dungeon (sound effects)15. Ghostly Graveyard (sound effects) 16. Petrifying Forest (sound effects) 17. Monsters & Mayhem (sound effects)
THE LITTLE BOX OF HALLOWEEN, from 2015 is on the Enlightenment label and features a great selection of tracks, many available for the first time on a Halloween compilation. For this reason I do highly recommend this two-disc collection!
Disc 1: 1. Zombie – The Harlem Wildcats 2. Abercrombie Had A Zombie – Fats Waller 3. Zombie Lou – The Johnson Brothers 4. Casting A Spell – The Johnson Brothers 5. Zombi – The Monotones 6. Voodoo Woman – Smiley Smith 7. Rockin’ In The Graveyard – Jackie Morningstar 8. Midnight Monsters Hop – Jack & Jim 9. Wombie Zombie – Billy Taylor 10. Zombie Jamboree – King Flash & The Calypso Carnival 11. Vampira – Bobby Bare 12. Frankenstein’S Den – The Hollywood Flames 13. Rockin’ Zombie – The Crewnecks 14. Rock N Bones – Elroy Dietzel 15. Little Demon – Screamin’ Jay Hawkins 16. I Dig You Baby – Bob Mcfadden & Dor 17. Screamin’ Ball (At Dracula Hall) – The Duponts 18. The Voodoo Man – The Del Vikings 19. Purple People Eater Meets The Witch Doctor – The Big Bopper 20. Monster Party – Bill Doggett 21. The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow – The Monotones 22. Hoodoo Women – Johnnie Temple 23. Hoodoo Lady Blues – Arthur Crudup 24. Rocket 88 – Jackie Brenston 25. Voodoo – Chaino 26. Frankenstein’S Party – The Swingin’ Phillies 27. The Night Howler – Billy Gayle 28. Monster Hop – Bert Convy 29. The Monster – Bobby Please & The Pleasers 30. The Graveyard – Leroy Brown
Disc 2: 1. I’m Nuts About Screwy – Jimmie Lunceford & His Orchestra 2. Gloomy Sunday – Billie Holiday 3. I’ve Got Bluebirds In My Belfry – Betty Hutton 4. Hooray, Hooray, I’m Going Away – Beatrice Kay With Mitchell Ayres & His Orchestra 5. Blow A Fuse (It’s Oh So Quiet) – Betty Hutton 6. Twisted – Annie Ross 7. New Blowtop Blues – Dinah Washington 8. Mountains In The Moonlight – Johnnie Ray 9. Suicide – Louis Innis 10. I’m Going Crazy – The Tibbs Brothers 11. It’s Fun To Be Livin’ In The Crazy House – Redd Foxx 12. Lost Mind – Mose Alison 13. Nightmare – Jack Turner 14. Speed Crazy – Slick Slavin 15. Crazy Mixed Up World – Little Walter 16. Mad Scientist – The Zanies 17. The Mad Bomber – The Mighty Sparrow 18. Dig That Crazy Driver – William Penix 19. Spasms – Little Willie John 20. Crackin’ Up – Bo Diddley 21. Nervous Breakdown – Eddie Cochran 22. Psychopathia Sexualis – Lenny Bruce 23. I Think I’M Gonna Kill Myself – Buddy Knox 24. I’Ll Go Crazy – James Brown 25. Crazy He Calls Me – Diana Dors 26. There Are Drums In My Typewriter – Woody Leafer 27. You’re Driving Me Crazy – The Creed Taylor Orchestra 28. Psycho – Bobby Hendricks 29. Crazy – Patsy Cline
If you are not familiar with Dickie Goodman (or even if you are) I highly recommend THE MONSTER ALBUM: DICKIE GOODMAN’S HALLOWEEN from 2009. Goodman made a career out of making novelty records where he would take snippets of popular songs and incorporating them into interviews, often with monsters. This style does not always work but when it does, it’s actually pretty amazing. Overall this is a very fun collection and I think you will really enjoy it!
1. The Creature 2. Mystery 3. Meet The Creature 4. Butterfly 5. The Thing 6. Frankenstein of ’59 7. Class Room 8. Frankenstein Returns 9. Horror Movies 10. Beware Of Buchanan and Goodman 11. Paul Revere 12. Frankenstein Meets The Beatles 13. Dracula Drag 14. Superfly Meets Shaft 15. The Purple People Eater 16. Mr. Jaws 17. Kong 18. The Last Man On Earth 19. The Ride Of Paul Revere 20. Attack Of The Z Monster 21. Hey Dickie 22. The Ex Files 23. Y2K Millennium Bug 24. Twilights 25. Scream
I am actually surprised that it took until 2015 for this release to come out. The NOW series has been around for many years, featuring compilations of the most popular songs of the time. They are most well known for their Christmas releases and thankfully they are now attacking Halloween. NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL HALLOWEEN features 18 tracks and would make for a good starter collection. It doesn’t offer anything not available elsewhere but it is a great collection nonetheless.
1. Halloween Theme (main title) – John Carpenter 2. Dragula – Rob Zombie 3. Carmina Burana: O Fortuna – Leonard Slatkin 4. Tubular Bells (theme from “The Exorcist”) – Mike Oldfield 5. (Don’t Fear) The Reaper – Blue Oyster Cult 6. Devil Inside – INXS 7. Bad Things – Jace Everett 8. Werewolves Of London – Warren Zevon 9. Ghost Town – The Specials 10. Dead Man’s Party – Oingo Boingo 11. Monster Mash – Bobby “Boris” Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers 12. This Is Halloween – Citizens Of Halloweentown 13. Season Of The Witch – Donovan 14. I Put A Spell On You – Nina Simone 15. Beetlejuice: Main Title/End Title – Danny Elfman 16. Ghostbusters – Run D.M.C. 17. A Nightmare On My Street – DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince 18. Somebody’s Watching Me – Rockwell
This is by far my favorite of all of cd’s presented in this series. For those not familiar with THE PARTY MIX series you are in for a treat. These collections feature 3 cds with a great mix of music. Not only is the variety really good but the music is actually mixed together! As one song fades out the next track starts giving the impression of a professional DJ mixing your party music! THE PARTY MIX – HALLOWEEN features many songs not available elsewhere and at the time of this writing was available for less than $11 on Amazon! This came out in 2014 and I can’t believe it took two years for me to find it. If you only buy one collection this year this is the one to get!
Disc 1: 1. Black Magic Woman – Fleetwood Mac 2. Bat Out of Hell – Meatloaf 3. Feed My Frankenstein – Alice Cooper 4. Don’t Fear the Reaper – Blue Oyster Cult 5. Devil Doll – Roy Orbison 6. Ghost Riders in the Sky – Johnny Cash 7. The Witch Queen of New Orleans – Redbone 8. Race with the Devil – the Gun 9. Evil (Is Going on) – Howlin’ Wolf 10. Ghost Dance – Patti Smith Group 11. Miss Lucifer – Primal Scream 12. Female of the Species – Space 13. Witches – the View 14. Demons – Super Furry Animals 15. Grateful When You’re Dead / Jerry Was There – Kula Shaker 16. I Put a Spell on You – Screaming Jay Hawkins 17. Hellraiser – Sweet 18. Clap for the Wolfman – the Guess Who 19. Me and the Devil Blues – Robert Johnson 20. The Devil Went Down to Georgia – Charlie Daniels Band
Disc 2: 1. Witchcraft – Frank Sinatra 2. Spooky – Andy Williams 3. It’s Magic – Doris Day 4. Misterioso – Thelonius Monk Quartet 5. Race with the Devil – Gene Vincent 6. Voodoo, Voodoo – Laverne Baker 7. Voodoo Moon – Carmen Cavallaro 8. Old Devil Moon – Chet Baker Quartet 9. Up Jumped the Devil in a White Nightgown – Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five 10. I’d Rather Be the Devil – Otis Spann 11. Death Ray Boogie – Pete Johnson 12. Bewitched – Sarah Vaughan with Hal Mooney and His Orchestra 13. Devil or Angel – the Clovers 14. The Purple People Eater – Sheb Wooley 15. Mean and Evil Blues – Dinah Washington 16. The Devil Has Thrown Him Down – Sister Rosetta Tharpe 17. The Witch Doctor – David Seville & The Chipmunks 18. To Beat the Devil – Kris Kristofferson 19. Monster Mash – Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett 20. Ding Dong! the Witch Is Dead – Glen Miller and His Orchestra
Disc 3: 1. Halloween – Japan 2. Norman Bates – Landscape 3. Black Magic Woman – Santana 4. Amityville (House on the Hill) – Lovebug Starski 5. I Want Candy – Bow Wow Wow 6. The Time Warp – Damian 7. Frankenstein – the Edgar Winter Group 8. Ghost Town Blues – Prefab Sprout 9. Nightmares – A Flock of Seagulls 10. Devil Song – Beth Orton 11. Supernatural Love – Donna Summer 12. Something in My House – Dead or Alive 13. I’m Not Scared – Eighth Wonder 14. Up Jumped the Devil – John Davis and the Monster Orchestra 15. Devil Woman – Marty Robbins 16. A Nightmare on My Street – DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince 17. Ghostbusters – Run 18. Somebody’s Watching Me – Beatfreakz 19. Better the Devil You Know – Steps
This release is the first of the digital download releases. HALLOWEEN GARAGE ROCK came out on June 1, 2009. I wasn’t sure what to make of this release, based on the title, because I am not a fan of garage rock. I will say though that I do recommend this collection as it features many songs not available anywhere else as well as some classics. I also love the fact that there are 50 songs on this release, meaning it is a great way to start your collection!
1. Graveyard Rock – Tarantula Ghoul 2. Shadows In The Night – The Quests 3. I’m the Wolfman – Round Robin 4. Midnight Monster Hop – Jack & Jim 5. I Was A Teenage Monster – The Keytones 6. Rockin Bones – Ronnie Dawson 7. The Addams’ Family Theme – The Horror Them Ensemble 8. Rockin’ In The Graveyard – Jackie Morningstar 9. The Monster Hop – Bert Convy 10. Vampira – Bobby Bare 11. Werewolf – Frantics 12. The Crusher – The Novas 13. Haunted House – Kevin & Chris 14. Corpse Grinder – Meteors 15. Teenage Creature – Lord Luther 16. Sinners – Freddie & The Hitchhikers 17. Love Potion No. 9 – The Searchers 18. Boris The Spider – The Kords 19. Strychnine – The Fuzztones 20. The Monster Mash – Tombstone 21. Don’t Meet Mr. Frankenstein – Jr. Carlos Casal 22. Graveyard – Phantom Five 23. The Monster – Bobby Please 24. Strolling After Dark – The Shades 25. At The House Of Frankenstein – Big Bee Kornegay 26. She’s Wicked – The Fuzztones 27. Graveyard – Leroy Bowman 28. Psychotic Reaction – The Vibrators 29. Faster Pussycat Kill Kill – Bostweeds 30. I Put A Spell On You – Screamin’ Jay Hawkins 31. Jekyll & Hyde – Jim Burgett 32. Igor’s Party – Tony’s Monstrocities 33. Party Time – 45 Grave 34. Epitaph For A Head – J.D. Blackfoot 35. Fever – The Huntsmen 36. Evil – 45 Grave 37. The Cat – Rod Willis 38. Hellraiser – The Sweet 39. Bloodstains – Agent Orange 40. Teenagers From Mars – Backyard Babies 41. Gloria – Shadows Of Night 42. Screamin’ Ball – Duponts 43. Wild Thing – The Troggs 44. Nightmares – John Lowell 45. Who Dat? – The Jury 46. Moon Madness – Pasquale & The Lunar-Tiks 47. Young Blood – The Coasters 48. Mad Witch – Dave Gardner 49. Night Of The Living Dead – The Robots 50. Run For Your Life – Eric Burdon.
OLD HALLOWEEN SONGS came out on August 1, 2011. I’m partial to Halloween songs that came out in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s because, let’s be honest, back then Halloween wasn’t the super holiday it’s become! The fact that anyone was making spooky songs at this time is testament to the originality of the artists of that day; willing to take a chance and do something unheard of. They’d create a song that would get little to no air play anywhere except for maybe one night of the year. Though some of these songs are available elsewhere, there is enough never-before-available material to make this collection a must-have!
1. Death Valley – Shenandoah Trio 2. The Ghost Walk – Borrah Minevitch 3. Don’t Make Me Go To Bed And I’ll Be Good – Hank Snow 4. He’s Coming To Us Dead – G.B. Grayson, Henry Whittier 5. Mommy, Please Stay Home With Me – Eddy Arnold 6. Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground – Blind Willie Johnson 7. The Dying Soldier – The Carter Family 8. The Ghost’s Leavetaking – Sylvia Plath 9. The Wobblin’ Goblin – Rosemary Clooney 10. Ode To Sadness – Bangor Flying Circus 11. The Death Of Floyd Collins – Ronnie Hawkins 12. Erie – The Cindyapple Singers 13. The Sound Of Sadness – Joe Dowell 14. Death, Have Mercy – Vera Hall 15. Monster Mash – Bobby “Boris” Pickett 16. Fare Thee Well – Ronnie Hawkins 17. Gloomy Sunday – Ketty Lester 18. The Horror Of Dracula – Dick Jacobs & His Orchestra 19. November Graveyard – Sylvia Plath 20. Evil Gal Blues – Ann Richards 21. The Ghostman Rings Twice – Frankie Stein And His Ghouls 22. Psycho Contact – Vampire Sound Inc. 23. The Runaway Train – Vernon Dalhart 24. Dark As The Dungeon – The Cindyapple Singers 25. She’s My Witch – Kip Tyler 26. Haunting Eyes – Baron 27. Monster Minuet – Bobby “Boris” Pickett 28. Haunted House – Ray Scott 29. Moon Madness – Pasquale & The Lunar-Tiks 30. A Taste Of Poison – Frankie Stein & His Ghouls.
30’S & 40’S ERA HALLOWEEN VOL. 1 came out on August 13, 2012. This volume, as well as volume 2, are a necessary addition to any Halloween collection. One of the things I love about these old songs is that they capture the atmosphere of the season while at the same time being clever and at times funny. Not all of these would be considered novelty songs but they are all pure Halloween fun!
1. Jeepers Creepers – Al Donohue & Paula Kelly 2. Haunted House – Ray Noble & His All Stars 3. Satan Takes A Holiday – John Cali 4. T’aint No Sin (To Take Your Skin Off) – Fred Hall 5. Ghost Dance – Truett & George 6. Graveyard Boogie – Buster Doss & Arkansas Playboys 7. Haunted Blues – Memphis Minnie 8. I’m A Ghost – Scrappy Cartoon 9. The Ghost Walk – Borrah Minevitch 10. Nightmare – Jack Turner 11. Halloween Radio Spot – Bing Crosby 12. Swingin’ At The Seance – The Deep River Boys 13. The Bat – Alvino Rey 14. Dead Man Blues – Jelly Roll Morton 15. Undertaker Blues – Buddy Moss 16. White Shivers – New Orleans Owls 17. The Skeleton Rag – American Quartet 18. Mr. Ghost Is Going To Town – The Five Jones Boys 19. Skeleton in the Closet – Artie Shaw 20.Celery Stalks at Midnight – Doris Day, Les Brown.
30’S & 40’S ERA HALLOWEEN VOL. 2 also came out on August 13, 2012 and is a great companion piece to volume one.
1. Ghost in the Graveyard – Prairie Ramblers 2. Nightmare – Artie Shaw 3. The Ghost Of Smokey Joe – Cab Calloway 4. The Little Man Who Wasn’t There – Glenn Miller 5. Haunted House – Betty Grable 6. The Wobblin’ Goblin – Rosemary Clooney 7. Mysterious Mose – Rube Bloom & His Bayou Boys 8. Dancing The Devil Away – Arden & Ohman 9. Hush, Hush, Hush, here Comes The Bogeyman – Henry Hall 10. Skeleton in the Closet – Louis Armstrong 11. St. James Infirmary – Rube Bloom & His Bayou Boys 12. The Headless Horseman – Kay Starr 13. The Halloween Song – Bing Crosby & Boris Karloff 14. Halloween Spooks – Lambert, Hendricks & Ross 15. The House Is Haunted – Glen Gray & the Casa Loma Orchestra 16. The Devil With The Devil – The Larry Clinton Orchestra 17. I’m The Boogeyman – Todd Rollins 18. Satan Takes A Holiday – Tommy Dorsey 19. The Skeleton in the Closet – Putney Dandridge 20. Monstro the Whale – Kay Kyser.
HALLOWEEN CLASSICS: SONGS THAT SCARED THE BLOOMERS OFF YOUR GREAT-GRANDMA came out on October 9, 2007. You just can’t beat a release with a title like this! This is another fun compilation, though all of these songs are available on other releases, including those listed in this post. Keep in mind though that in some cases, these songs have been re-recorded so you get a whole new version of the song by the original artist!
1. Hush, Hush, Hush (Here Comes The Boogeyman) – Henry Hall 2. It Must Be Swell – Alex Bartha And His Hotel Traymore Orchestra 3. Mr. Ghost Goes To Town – The Five Jones Boys 4. Taint No Sin (To Take Off Your Skin) – Fred Hall 5. Ghost in The Graveyard – Prairie Ramblers 6. Ol’ Man Mose (78 RPM version) – Wingy Mannone & His Orchestra 7. The Ghost of Smokey Joe – Cab Calloway 8. The Skeleton in the Closet – Putney Dandridge 9. The Ghost Walk – Borrah Minnevitch & The Harmonica Rascals 10. The Boogie Man – Todd Rollins & His Orchestra With Chick Bullock 11. Hell’s Bells – Art Kassel & His Orchestra 12. Mysterious Mose – Rube Bloom 13. Minnie the Moocher at the Morgue – Smiley Burnette 14. With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm – Rudy Vallee & His Connecticut Yankees.
1930’s HIPSTER HALLOWEEN came out on October 21, 2011. This title was deceiving to me for some reason but it is one of the best sets in this group. Again, it offers little new in the way of new songs but is well worth having! It is nice having such classic artists such as Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby and Betty Grable on the same collection as Lambert. Hendricks & Ross and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins!
1. The Ghost Of Smokey Joe – Cab Calloway 2. Skeleton in the Closet – Louis Armstrong 3. The Devil with The Devil – The Larry Clinton Orchestra 4. Halloween Spooks – Lambert, Hendricks & Ross 5. The Headless Horseman – Kay Starr 6. The Skeleton in the Closet – Putney Dandridge 7. Here Comes The Boogeyman – Henry Hall 8. Mysterious Mose – Rube Bloom & His Bayou Boys 9. Haunted House – Betty Grable 10. I Put A Spell On You – Screamin’ Jay Hawkins 11. Mr. Ghost Is Going To Town – The Five Jones Boys 12. White Shivers – New Orleans Owls 13. Dead Man Blues – Jelly Roll Morton 14. Swingin’ At The Seance – The Deep River Boys 15. Satan Takes A Holiday – Tommy Dorsey 16. Nightmare – Artie Shaw 17. I’m A Ghost – Scrappy Cartoon 18. Graveyard Boogie – Buster Doss & Arkansas Playboys 19. Taint No Sin (To Take Off Your Skin) – Fred Hall 20. Haunted House – Ray Noble & His All Stars 21. I’m The Boogey Man – Todd Rollins 22. The House Is Haunted – Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra 23. The Halloween Song – Bing Crosby & Boris Karloff 24. The Teddy Bears Panic – Henry Hall 25. Nightmare – Cab Calloway 26. St. James Infirmary – Rube Bloom & His Bayou Boys 27. Skeleton In The Closet – Artie Shaw 28. Dancing The Devil Away – Arden & Ohman 29. The Wobblin’ Goblin – Rosemary Clooney 30. The Little Man Who Wasn’t There – Glenn Miller 31. The Skeleton Rag – American Quartet 32. Undertaker Blues – Buddy Moss 33. The Bat – Alvino Rey 34. Nightmare – Jack Turner 35. Halloween Radio Spot – Bing Crosby 36. Little Demon – Screamin’ Jay Hawkins 37. Haunted Blues – Memphis Minnie 38. Ghost Dance – Truett & George 39. Satan Takes A Holiday – John Cali 40. Jeepers Creepers – Al Donohue & Paula Kelly.
60’s GROOVY FREAKS, MONSTERS & GEEKS (December 1, 2010) – This is a great compilation because it not only features some classics found on other releases, but some never-before-available songs which are fun additions to your Halloween music collection!
1. The Whip – The Creeps 2. The Boogie Man – The Cadillacs 3. Vampire – The Crystals 4. The Blob – The Five Blobs 5. The Lurch – Ted Cassidy 6. Raunchy – The Deadly Ones 7. Cha-Cha With The Zombies – Upperclassmen 8. The Sheik of Araby 9. The Goo Goo Muck – Ronnie Cook 10. Down In the Basement – Munsters 11. Munster Creep – Munsters 12. Frankenstein Stomp – Lorry & The Biters 13. The Chiller – Googie Rene 14. In A Groovy Grave – Frankie Stein & His Ghouls 15. Igor’s Lament – Tony’s Monstrosities 16. Hindu On A Honda – Count Down & The Moonsters 17. Surfer Mash – Johnn “Boris” Jones 18. Mummy’s Little Monster – Frankie Stein 19. What Kind Of Ghoul Am I – Frankie Stein 20. Dinner With Drac – John Zacherly 21. Doomsday – Zen Fuller 22. Russian Roulette – The Zanies 23. Mister Were-Wolf – The Kac-Ties 24. Groovy – Joe Dodo & The Groovers 25. Dead – The Poets 26. Monster Surfing Time – The Deadly Ones 27. Laughing Over My Grave 28. The Creeper – Jerry Wald 29. The Mad Scientist – The Zanies 30. The Howl – Johnny Eager 31. Frankie & Igor At a Rock ‘N’ Roll Party – Bob McFadden 32. The Thing – Curtis & The Creepers 33. Strange Happenings – Rex Garvin 34. Spooky – George Barnes 35. Satan Is Her Name – Steve King 36. Weird Watusi – John Zacherly 37. Igor’s Chant – Ziggy Gee 38. Strollin’ Spooks – Ken Nordine 39. Tombstone No. 9 – Murray Schaff 40. Monster Jerk – Don Hinson & The Rigamorticians 41. Scooby Doo – Ohio Express.
HALLOWEEN PARTY was released on September 1, 2004. This is another must have because it not only features yet another recorded version of Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s Monster Mash but has a really fun song called Five Little Witches, which is worth the price of this collection alone!
1. Monster Mash – Bobby “Boris” Pickett 2. Haunted House – Jumpin’ Gene Simmons 3. Doin’ The Zombie – Chubby Checker 4. Love Potion No. 9 – The Clovers 5. Five Little Witches – Robert Walsh 6. Poison Ivy – The Coasters 7. The Purple People Eater – Sheb Wooley 8. Witch Doctor – Sha Na Na 9. The Witch Queen Of New Orleans – Redbone 10. Skin & Bones – Robert Walsh 11. The Snake – Al Wilson 12. Holy Ghost – The Bar-Kays 13. Wild Thing – The Troggs 14. Ghoul’s Dance – Robert Walsh 15. Spooky – Classics IV Featuring Dennis Yost 16. Boogieman Nights – The Ikemen.
Lastly is the digital download of HALLOWEEN’S GRAVEST HITS, that came out on January 1, 2009. This is very similar to the cd release from the first in this series with two exceptions; the cover is purple instead of red and there are 46 tracks here as opposed to 30 on the cd copy.
1. Thunderstorm – Overhead 2. Welcome To My Nightmare (live) – Alice Cooper 3. Monster Mash – Don Hinson & The Rigamorticians 4. The Twilight Zone (Remastered 1992) – The Ventures 5. Castin’ My Spell – Johnny Otis & Marci Lee 6. Witchy Woman – The Hollies 7. Dracula’s Deuce – The Ghouls 8. Theme From “The Munsters” (Remastered) – Jack Marshall 9. I Was A Teenage Werewolf (Remastered) – The Cramps 10. Creaking Door 11. (Don’t Fear) The Reaper – Caesars 12. That Little Old Graverobber Me – Don Hinson & The Rigamorticians 13. I Put A Spell On You – Manfred Mann 14. Spooky Movies – Gary Paxton 15. Devil Woman – Cliff Richard 16. Frankenstein – The Ventures 17. I’m Your Witch Doctor – Them 18. Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb (Spooky, Spooky, Lend Me Your Tomb) – Spike Jones 19. Ghost Sound Effects – 3 20. Bloodletting (The Vampire Song) – Concrete Blonde 21. House Of Mirrors – David Mccallum 22. The Lurch – Ted Cassidy 23. Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (Single Version / 2002 Digital Remaster) – David Bowie 24. The Graveyard Shift – The Ghouls 25. Spooky – The Classics IV 26. Jack O’Lantern – Babe Ruth 27. Robbin’ Graves – Don Hinson & The Rigamorticians 28. Season Of The Witch – Lou Rawls 29. Stairs Creaking 30. Zombie Dance (Remastered) – The Cramps 31. Hearse With A Curse – The Weirdos and the voice of Mr. Gasser 32. The Bat (1992 Digital Remaster) – The Ventures 33. Screaming Skull – The Fleshtones 34. Werewolf – The Frantics 35. Be True To Your Ghoul – The Ghouls 36. She Put A Hex On You – Them 37. Wrought Iron Gate Squeak & Close 38. Feed My Frankenstein (Live) [feat. Rob Zombie] – Alice Cooper 39. Theme From Rosemary’s Baby (Remastered 1995) – Duke Pearson 40. Riboflavin-Flavored, Non-Carbonated, Polyunsaturated Blood – Don Hinson & The Rigamorticians 41. Witchcraft (Remastered) – The Spiders 42. Fear (Main Title From “One Step Beyond”) (1992 Digital Remaster) – The Ventures 43. The Little Old Lady From Transylvania – The Ghouls 44. Monsters Of Jupiter – Russ Garcia 45. D.O.A. – Bloodrock 46. Gale Force Wind
That’s it for this entry! Next up…MIDNIGHT SYNDICATE!!!
Make sure to check out my other entries in my HALLOWEEN BOOMBOX series!
DON’T FORGET: all compilations that are still available can be ordered by clicking on the cd covers.
~David Albaugh
