Welcome to yet another edition in our very popular series, Music To Die For! Each entry covers an assortment of audio cd’s specializing in music to help get you in the mood for the Halloween season. This is actually the sixth entry and features 8 new cd’s (and a surprise bonus track available for download) that I came across that I recommend for all Halloween music libraries! I initially started this series in September of 2011 (see original post HERE) and it is nice to see that five years later there is still enough material out there for new editions! As of this writing all of these discs are available for purchase on Amazon!
THE BEST OF HORROR
This first entry 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 Bowman
6. 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
BLUES, BLUES, HOODOO, HALLOWEEN
This interesting collection, 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!
- I Put A Spell On You – Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
- I Been Dealing With The Devil – Sonny Boy (John Lee) Williamson
- Witchin’ Hour Blues – Tampa Red
- Got My Mojo Working – Muddy Waters
- Voodoo Vodoo – LaVern Baker
- Hoodoo Lady – Memphis Minnie
- Magic Spell Blues – Charlie Burse
- Devil Dance Blues – Sippie Wallace
- Casting My Spell On You – The Johnny Otis Show
- My Woman Has A Black Cat Bone – Hop Wilson
- Mr. Ghost Goes To Town – The 5 Jones Boys
- Jinx Blues – Casey Bill Weldon
- Ghost Creepin Blues – St. Louis Bessie
- Skeleton In The Closet – Louis Armstrong with Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra
- Blue Ghost Blues – Lonnie Johnson
- Haunted House – Johnny Fuller
- I Am The Devil – Mississippi Sheiks
- Secret Mojo Blues – Brownie McGhee
- Call Of The Freaks – King Oliver And His Orchestra
- It’s Your Voodoo Working – Charles Sheffield
GREATEST EVER! HALLOWEEN
Here 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 not original recordings. This collection thankfully offers enough new stuff not found elsewhere to make it worth picking up!
Disc 1
- Somebody’s Watching Me – Rockwell
- She’s Strange – Cameo
- Super Freak – Rick James
- Monster – The Automatics
- The Potion – Ludacris
- Killer – Adamski
- Monster – Professor Green
- Satan – Orbital
- Hungry Like The Wolf – Duran Duran
- Grey Day – Madness
- Ghost Town – The Specials
- Supernatural Thing – Siouxsie and the Banshees
- Devil – Stereophonics
- Ghostdancing – Simple Minds
- Pet Semetary – The Ramones
- Psycho Killer (live) – Talking Heads
- Love Potion No. 9 – Tygers of Pan Tang
- All Hallows Evil – Fearless Vampire Killers
Disc 2
- People Are Strange – Echo & The Bunnymen
- Werewolves Of London – Warren Zevon
- Killer On The Loose – Thin Lizzy
- Devil Gate Drive – Suzi Quatro
- The Time Warp – Rocky Horror Cast
- The Witch – The Rattles
- There’s A Ghost In My House – R. Dean Taylor
- Wild Thing – The Troggs
- Monster Mash – Bobby “Boris” Pickett & The Crypt Kickers
- Voodoo, Voodoo – LaVern Baker
- The Shadow Knows – The Coasters
- Purple People Eater Meets The Witch Doctor – The Big Bopper
- Screamin’ Ball (At Dracula Hall) – The Duponts
- Bo Meets The Monster – Bo Diddley
- Witch Doctor – The Chipmunks/David Seville
- Race With The Devil – Gene Vincent
- Satan Wears A Satin Gown – Frankie Laine/Carl Fisher & His Orchestra
- The Headless Horseman – Bing Crosby/The Rhythmaires
Disc 3
- The Exorcist – Mike Oldfield
- Halloween (main theme) – Gareth Williams
- The Thing – Gareth Williams
- The Shining (main title) – Mark Ayres
- In The House, In A Heartbeat (from 28 DAYS LATER) – London Music Works
- The Fog – Gareth Williams
- A Nightmare On Elm Street – Mark Ayres
- Bram Stoker’s Dracula: The Storm – City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
- The Omen: Ave Satani – City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
- The Phantom Of The Opera (Toccata & Fugue in D Minor) – Daniel Chorzempa
- Excaliber: O Fortuna (from Carmina Burana) – Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
- Poltergeist (main theme) – City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
- Psycho (main theme/Murder) – City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
- Sleepy Hollow (End Titles) – City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
- Village Of The Damned: March Of The Children – Gareth WIlliams
- The Twilight Zone – City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
- Hedwig’s Theme (from HARRY POTTER) – City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
- The Addams Family – City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
- The Munsters – The David Caine Orchestra
- Tales Of The Unexpected – Phil Knights
HALLOWEEN PARTY MONSTER MIX
This compilation, 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, it is a great addition to every Halloween collection!
- Monster Mash – Bobby “Boris” Pickett and The Crypt-Kickers
- Ghostbusters – Ray Parker, Jr.
- I’m Your Boogie Man – K.C. & The Sunshine Band
- (Don’t Fear) The Reaper – Blue Oyster Cult
- Somebody’s Watching Me – Rockwell
- The Time Warp – Rocky Horror Cast
- Werewolves Of London – Warren Zevon
- Frankenstein – The Edgar Winter Group
- I Want Candy – Bow Wow Wow
- Witch Doctor – David Seville
- Love Potion No. 9 – The Searchers
- The Devil Went Down To Georgia – The Charlie Daniels Band
- House On Haunted Hill (sound effects)
- The Dungeon (sound effects)
- Ghostly Graveyard (sound effects)
- Petrifying Forest (sound effects)
- Monsters & Mayhem (sound effects)
THE LITTLE BOX OF HALLOWEEN
This two-disc set from 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 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
THE MONSTER ALBUM: DICKIE GOODMAN’S HALLOWEEN
If you are not familiar with Dickie Goodman (or even if you are) I highly recommend this collection 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
NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL HALLOWEEN
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. This release 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
THE PARTY MIX – HALLOWEEN
This is by far my favorite of all of cd’s presented in this entry. For those not familiar with the 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! This collection 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
SVENGOOLIE STOMP
If you are a regular reader of Terror From Beyond The Daves then you know what big fans we are of horror hosts, in particular Chicago’s Svengoolie. This season introduced us to The Svengoolie Stomp thanks to Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon and it is a fun song that you will love if you are a fan of Sven. We covered its release HERE and is available on iTunes or you can order a vinyl copy by going HERE!
To check out the other entries in this ongoing series just click on the links below:
~David Albaugh
Terror from Beyond the Dave 