Over Ten-Thousand Served!

10,ooo hits and countin'! Let me ask you a question: who actually reads this dreck? Wait! don't answer that...

Seeing as how I just-so-happen to reach this milestone while the candy-corns a' popin', I'm gonna do what is in the nature of a musical misanthrope to do, namely, throw down a celebratory mix - and a spooky one at that.

Remember when makin' mix tapes was a pain in the dick? Me too. I find it ironic that younger kids hold the mix tape up to some form of reverence, especially when technology has effectively taken the tedium out of running out of tape on the b: side of a ninety minute Maxell right at the end of Gimme Shelter (Sonnova bitch!). Now don't get me wrong, I can appreciate an antiquated medium (ehem), but seriously...mix tapes just suck. Regardless, they still get you laid, right?

My intentions with this mix are not nearly as lofty as gettin' laid. Instead I just wanted to throw a little 'Diabolos in Musica' onto the leaf pile with nary a single word spoken or a "Boo!" to be had (OK, Baron Daemon doesn't count). With no approximations of the 'Boris' brogue extant, instead dig these choice instrumental cuts of haunted ham:


Morgus & the Derringers – Morgus Creep

Unlike the 1959 tune ‘Morgus the Magnificent’ by Morgus & the Three Ghouls, it’s doubtful that this song / group is directly related to the Louisiana horror host of the same name. And even though these bums are nuthin' but a bunch o’ creole creeps tryin' to cash in on the main man, they're still a pretty freakin' good act!



Barron Daemon – Ghost Guitars

Yup, another horror host commin at ya, this time from Syracuse NY. Fairly popular in his day, this 1963 disc by the Baron still holds regional sales records in NY state! Dig that crazy tone!

(Note: What the fuck is with the purposeful misspelling of the word D-E-M-O-N. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I didn’t know that the P.M.R.C. was pokin' their ass into the instro trade. Next thing I know, a clergyman is gonna show up at my door to warn me about the dangers of Dungeons & Dragons...not that I play that shit or anything.)



The Surf Men – Ghost Hop

So-Cal surf ‘N’ spook from the bowels of 1962 brought to you by ex-members of the Expressos. This track is pretty ominous, even more so when you consider how light and airy the flip is (Paradise Cove). I know most Ho-dads dig the B-side, but for this red boy it's 'A' all the way!




The Crossfires - Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

One of, if not thee greatest surf band (It's really a toss-up between them & Eddie Bertrand) that ever walked a fret-board. Featuring future 'Turtles' Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, this disc is some serious-ass surf...and you ain't even heard the flip yet. See my previous post for the whole skinny.




The Deadly Ones – It’s Monster Surfing Time

One of my favorite long-plays, this album pretty much encapsulates all of the best attributes of homogenized surf culture. Couple that with a pinch of Famous Monsters of Filmland and a little Testors plastic cement and you got one monster of a studio-spawned Ax-hangin' romp. Ideally, I would have included ‘Creature in the Surfer’s Lagoon’, on this mash-up, but I gots a fairly noisy scratch on that band, and Lord knows we're all about quality here (*cough*).



The Mysterions – Transylvania

A jangly 1960 rock cut also available on Warwick records. The Mysterions is actually a rather apt name, as I admittedly know shit about this tune. Oh well...






The Tarantulas – Tarantula

Hard to imagine Ahmet Ertegun co-signing this cut. Perhaps he was busy shoving his finger up some poor unsuspecting girl's ass (You're gonna have to read Josh Alan Friedman to catch my drift). The flip ' Black Widow' is equally cool, though it is a decidedly more low-key affair than this eight-legged mover. You gotta love the disks overall spider theme.


The Big Guys – Zombie

Much like 'Hooks' Coleman's 'Black Widow Spider', this little "Momento Mori" by the 'Big Guys' is inspired by the 3rd movement of Frederic Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35 (Watch here as Vladamir Horowitz fucks some shit up!). At first I found the 'Zombie' title a little strange, but in retrospect, I doubt they could fit '3rd movement of Frederic Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35'. on the label. Personally, I think they should have went with 'corpora lente augescent cito extinguuntur. "


Kenny & the Fiends - House on Haunted Hill

Here's another celluloid-related cut, this time inspired by the 1959 William Castle film of the same name. Also available on the ‘Dot’ label, 'House' is backed by the ubiquitous ‘Part 2’, but before you go cryin’ foul about it’s exclusion, the tracks are virtually identical save for some panning. Trust me. You ain't missin' much.


Jack Marshall - The Ghoul

Perhaps most famous amongst miscreants for his ‘Munsters Them’, Marshall is far from a one note guy. As is evident by this little 1966 B-side, Jack can certainly throw down. Shit! he's got more brass behind this cut than a Mexican firing squad, and unlike said squad, is more than twice as likely to hit you square between the eyes. What better track to send you packin'?



...and tyin' this whole train-wreck together is this 7 inch EP on the 'Sound' imprint outta Glendale California. As I'm sure you know, Halloweeny sound-effect platters are a dime a dozen, but thanks to Goth / Industrial music and Radio Shack, fairly competent theremin playin' is not.




Well...I'm whupped! Hope you dig this little foray into the world of instro-mental excess. Thanks again, dear reader, for all the laughter and the tears. Keep your orbs peeled for some more Halloween junk, including a special Halloween mix with that asshole over @ the Devil's Music. Until then...

Blues for the RedBoy Presents: Things That Go 1-4-5 in the Night!