In the early 70s, Vincent Price recorded four spoken word albums for Caedmon
Records.
Thanks to the
Official Vincent Price Youtube Channel, you can enjoy the dulcet tones of Mr. Vincent Price reading a variety of
tales, recipes, and rituals. Not only is the content a perfect Halloween evening accompaniment, but you just can't beat Vincent Price.
Tales of Witches, Ghosts, and Goblins
A Coven of Witches Tales
A Hornbook for Witches
A Graveyard of Ghost Tales
Be sure to check out the list of Countdown bloggers by clicking below.
I've got a bit of an oddity today, Halloween Horror by Gina Clemen. It seems
to be written to aid those learning English.
The story follows teenagers in Salem that have a Halloween party in an old,
abandoned house and have a run in with the ghost of a Salem witch. After each
chapter, there are some reading comprehension exercises.
As an introductory reading book, I suppose it's a decent spooky Halloween
story. It does have a couple parts that might be a little intense for kids. I
do have questions for the parents that let their young teens have a Halloween
party in an abandoned house until midnight.The kids aren't even sneaking out to do it!
As someone that's close to Salem and knows a little about the witch hysteria,
the book is not historically accurate. Which, okay, it's fiction but it
portrays the victims as evil witches. There are descendants of the victims
living in and around Salem to this day. They would most likely not be happy
with this book. Granted none of the names in the book are the names of the
actual victims so I have to give credit for that. It also mentions there were
20 hangings. In reality, there were 19 hangings and one person was pressed to
death. But again, it's fiction.
You can view/download a copy of the book by clicking the library card. The
original copy I found online did not have the Japanese (?) text so the book
seemed more like it was aimed at young children.
I'm presuming this is the audio CD that came with the book, minus the
educational bits. It's a full cast audio type of thing with sound effects and
music. For some reason, the last chapter is a completely different narrator
and there are no additional voices, music or sound effects.
Click below to see the list of participating Countdown blogs!
Welcome foolish mortals, to the haunted...class room?
Back in 1976, Disney released a Haunted Mansion See Hear Read set. No doubt, spooks of a certain age will have fond memories of these cassette or record and book sets. This one was a little different than your average Read Along, as it was sent to schools.
The original Haunted Mansion Read Along was narrated by Robie Lester, who did the voice of Karen on The Song and Story of the Haunted Mansion album. The classroom version had the dialog redone by Marvin Miller, who was also the announcer on Electra-Woman and Dyna-Girl and the voice of Filmation's Aquaman in the late 60s. (Not to be confused with Norman Alden who played Frank on Electra-Woman and Dyna Girl and was the voice of Aquaman on the Super Friends!)
Unlike the original, there are several tracks on this class room edition. The first is a non-reading walk through of the mansion to meet it's inhabitants. The second is a standard read along with the narrator. Both version have you turning the page when you hear Tinkerbell. The last track is only 30 seconds long with a proposed activity for the class after they finish the book.
Some of the information here, came from Doombuggies.com. If you're a Mansion fanatic, definitely stop in for a visit, but make sure you've got time to spare, you may stay awhile.
Click on the Trick or Treaters to get the audio tracks and a pdf copy of the read along book. It's got some great art in it!
Don't lose your head if you want to check out the other Countdown bloggers, just click below!
Today I'll be introducing you to the band Dream Evil. If you came here thinking I was going to be discussing the 1987 Dio album, stick around you just might like this too as that's how the band got its name. Obviously, they have good taste.
In particular, I'm highlighting their 2004 release, The Book of Heavy Metal. I don't remember how I discovered this album but from the opening title track, it was a head banging good time. You'll know after the first track if this is for you. The guitar riffs and chorus are wickedly catchy.
Dream Evil is a Swedish power metal band that has been around since 1999 when they were originally called DragonSlayer. When it came time to release their first album, the record label didn't approve of their name so they decided to use that for the album title and change the band to Dream Evil.
They've put out six albums, the most recent in 2017 titled Six. I was going to include the video for The Book of Heavy Metal but after watching it, I changed my mind. First, it's a radio edit that messes with the flow of the original. Second, I thought the visuals might deter people from watching it. Not that it's anything graphic, it's just not good. You've been warned but it's here if you want.
If you want to give em a spin, start with the opening track. If you like that, check out Let's Make Rock, Crusader's Anthem, M.O.M., and Only for the Night. Unbreakable Chain is the requisite ballad but even that's heavy (for a ballad).
Like any good movie monster, you can't keep a good post down and it comes back every few years. I figure there must be some fresh blood reading every year and it would be a shame if they didn't get to experience this audio magic.
What would Halloween be without a visit from Vincent Price?
Before we go any further, I have to stop for a sec to talk about this amazing album cover. It looks like something right out of a D&D manual.
Turn up the volume. And turn down the lights - If you dare!
Suspense-master
Vincent Price presents a hair-raising, bone-chilling collection of
classic horror tales featuring a ghastly brew of witches, ghosts and
goblins. Edgar Allan Poe's eerie Dreamland, John Collier's offbeat Thus I
Refute Beezly, and Mariažs Leech's practical but frightful How to See
Ghosts or Surely Bring Them to You, are just a few of the tales stirring
up fear in this chilling concoction of horror. These stories, sounds,
spells, and incantations will send shivers up you spine
This album features four poems from the original work, A Hornbook for Witches: Poems of Fantasy, that was released in 1950. It is likely the rarest book published by Arkham House as only 553 copies were printed and 300 of those went to the author!
You can read the book online if you wish.
If you prefer portable audio, click on the album cover to drop it in your treat bag.
Alternatively, you can listen to it on YouTube.
If you're asking yourself what exactly a Hornbook is, click here and feel good about yourself for learning something new (and useless) today!
Be sure to Trick or Treat at the participating Countdown blogs by clicking below!
I watch my fair share of horror in October, heck even year round. But my love of Halloween has never been about the blood and guts. For me it's always been about the magic of Halloween night. Dressing up as anyone (or anything!) you want and going door to door for treats. And even though you know it's all pretend, there's still that thing in the back of your brain that wonders if you'll cross paths with a real ghost or monster.
And that brings us to today's Saturday treat: Trick or Treat Hallowe'en Celebrated in Story and Song. I didn't have this one when I was younger but did stumble across it on the amazing Scar Stuff blog many years ago and fell in love with it. It may seem a bit cheesy today but I think it perfectly captures what I love about the Halloween season.
Here are the liner notes (also taken from Scar Stuff)
"The Celts celebrated New Year's Day on November 1st. It was a logical choice, for the harvest was in and the cold white silence of winter was approaching. The Druids began to celebrate this day to honor Samhain, the Lord of the Dead. Honoring Samhain usually meant sacrificing horses and human beings in his name. When the Romans conquered Britain in 61 A.D. they outlawed the sacrifice and the celebration. This didn't prevent the Druids from continuing the practices, but it did cut down on the publicity.
Since those primitive times, our folk music and folk lore have been overloaded by songs and ballads of apparitions, ghosts, witches, demons, goblins, and other unwelcome personalities. [...] From the thousands of old songs, we have chosen an LP-full. We've enlightened these by a few erudite explanations. We have enlarged these by the use of supernatural sound effects. And we have given the whole a twisted ending worthy of the holiday. If you guess the ending before it arrives, score one for your paranoia. We didn't guess the ending -- it happened suddenly and unexpectedly in the studio, and has never been explained. [...]
If any of this is understandable, blame Samhain... he wrote this collection of notes while I watched".
If you're still a kid at heart when it comes to Halloween, give it a listen and see if it doesn't bring back some of the holiday magic for you. You can click the album cover to drop it in your treat bag or you can listen to the whole thing on YouTube.
Be sure to Trick or Treat at the participating Countdown blogs by clicking below!
No Halloween season would be complete without mentioning one the most famous ghost stories of all time.
There's no shortage of things to talk about regarding the horrific Hessian but I wanted to focus on the song from Disney's version. I really enjoy this song and was surprised there have been so many versions over the years.
Below is the song that you hear in The Adventures of Ichabod sung by Bing Crosby.
And then there is a version by Thurl Ravenscroft. If you're not a Disney fan, you might know him better as the original Tony the Tiger or the villainous voice behind You're a Mean One, Mr Grinch. I think you'll agree his booming voice is a bit more sinister than Mr. Crosby.
Here's another cover by Kay Starr paried with a classic Betty Boop cartoon.
The final version I'll leave you with is by New England's own Dr. Gasp (aka Dan Blakeslee). I've seen him a few times live and it's always quite a show. I highly recommend his Halloween Special album.
If you want a few more versions, I put together a quick YouTube playlist. There's also a version I found on Amazon released last month by Annie Marie Lewis & Danny B Harvey that has more of a country twang to it.
See all the Halloween goodness by clicking the link below!
In 1974, Peter Pan Records released Monster Christmas Mash. This album of skits and songs tells a story of various monsters trying to cheer up a sad Frankenstein. Most of the monsters want nothing to do with Christmas but Frankie wants to go to a holiday party.
Naturally, his friends want him to be happy so they throw one for him. Cruising overhead, Santa sees the festivities and decides to drop in not realizing just who he's dropping in on!
Then it breaks into the Christmas standards before coming back around to the monsters.
Back in the heyday of monster movies and novelty songs, Len Maxwell released A Merry Monster Christmas in 1964. The comedy skits and songs might sound a bit corny, but I think the mix of classic monsters with the holiday season is pretty much perfect.
I absolutely love Igor on this album. There's just something about the way he exclaims "Master! Master!" that I find hilarious.
The album was remastered and release on CD in 2005, but judging from the Amazon reviews, they changed some of the material. As a Creepmas gift to you, I present it in it's original form.
No Countdown to Halloween would be complete without mentioning Mr. Vincent Price. Today marks the 22nd anniversary of his passing. If you want to keep up with all things Price-related, head on over to VincentPrice.com and join the mailing list. You'll get a weekly email from his a daughter Victoria and she always includes some type of family photo.
She also has a blog titled the Daily Practice of Joy where she writes about her experiences traveling and meeting her dad's fans. She has a great piece up today. It's long but absolutely worth the read. The world would be a better place if we all lived life like Vincent Price.
Here's a few clips
Price reads Poe's The Raven.
Kermit hosting the Tonight Show! Not only is Price here but Uncle Deadly makes a cameo. And it's classic Deadly, not the toned down version he is on The Muppets now.
Another winning duo. This clip is more Elvira (also very appropriate!) but Price's reactions also make it worth watching.
A montage of a clean-shaven Price riding roller coasters.
Here's a little treat for you from the archives: Famous Ghost Stories with
Scary Sounds!
This LP (that's short Long Play record for you young'uns) was released in 1975
on the Mr Pickwick label. The voice actor is Wade Denning. Aside from working
in children's music, he's probably most well known for composing the
H-A-LL-O-W-EE-N song.
This is the type of album that you might have listened to as a kid and it
would have scared the pants off of you. The voice acting is great and there's
always something about the scratch and hiss of a needle on vinyl that adds
extra spookiness.
It's got a couple of well known stories like The Tell-Tale Heart and The
Headless Horseman. It also has The Railroad Signal-man by Charles Dickens,
which for some reason I remember. I probably read it in one of those ghost
story anthologies when I was in middle school. You know the type, a well worn
hardcover with psychedelic spooky art.
Hello seasonal spooks and welcome to the 13 Days of Creepmas!
And what a great way to start this holiday season! Like Santa on Christmas Eve, Sam Haynes dropped down the chimney on Creepmas Eve to deliver a brand new album of Christmas Fear to make your winter nights a little darker.
You can preview it below and click on the download link to visit Sam's Bandcamp page to pay what you want to get it!
Visit Creepmas.com for a complete list of participating blogs!
Welcome foolish mortals, to the haunted...class room?
Back in 1976, Disney released a Haunted Mansion See Hear Read set. No doubt, spooks of a certain age will have fond memories of these cassette or record and book sets. This one was a little different than your average Read Along, as it was sent to schools.
The original Haunted Mansion Read Along was narrated by Robie Lester, who did the voice of Karen on The Song and Story of the Haunted Mansion album. The classroom version had the dialog redone by Marvin Miller, who was also the announcer on Electra-Woman and Dyna-Girl and the voice of Filmation's Aquaman in the late 60s.
Unlike the original, there are several tracks on this special edition. The first is a non-reading walk through of the mansion to meet it's inhabitants. The second is a standard read along with the narrator and turn the page when you hear Tinkerbell. The last track is only 30 seconds long with a proposed activity for the class after they finish the book.
Some of the information here, came from Doombuggies.com. If you're a Mansion fanatic, definitely stop in for a visit, but make sure you've got time to spare, you may stay awhile.
Click on the Trick or Treater to get the audio tracks and a pdf copy of the read along book.
Before you head off to your next house, swing by Halloween Mixes.
They're posting a themed mix album every day of the month!
And of course, check out all the other folks participating in the Countdown to Halloween!
It wasn't until decades after seeing Star Wars that I would experience the awesomeness of Peter Cushing as a leading man in Hammer Horror Films, but there was still no denying the man had a certain presence on screen.
And it was that presence that formed a band in his name.
Wait, what?!
Welcome to another installment of Now Hear This where I share some of my favorite albums and artists. Today we're setting the Wayback Machine for the late 80s! Ever since a friend had me listen to Mötley Crüe's Shout at the Devil in middle schoolI've been into hair bands and metal. Today's band would probably land in the glam/power/speed metal areas.
Waaaay back in '88, it was around the time when CDs were starting to really take off with the mass market. I had my first car which was a year older than me. It took leaded gas and sported an AM radio. I had to bring a Walkman and a pair of battery operated speakers with me if I wanted to listen to anything decent. That car ended up dying a horrible death on the highway when the radiator blew like an unholy geyser of water and steam.
Did I mention I was going 55 and couldn't see a thing? Good times.
One day, I was in the mall record store going through a large metal mesh bin of discount cassettes when I found this puppy staring at me with a $2 tag. I've always been of the opinion that if it looks cool, I'll give it a shot. And for that price, how could you pass up a spaceship cover and a track list including name like "Gladiator", "Speed of Light" and
"On To The Next Adventure"? See, there was a reason I mentioned having a Walkman!
The 1986 line-up for Sound Barrier
There's not a lot of info out there about Sound Barrier because they never hit the big time. In fact, MCA dropped them after their first album didn't sell well. The original line-up of the band consisted of four African Americans, which got them publicity. Speed of Light came after a line-up change and was released on Metal Blade Records in 1986.
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to track down their other albums.
The band's original line-up
Obviously I liked what I found because I'm blogging about it 25 years later. Damn, I'm old. They've got some skills, especially the bass player. It may not be something that will blow you away or change your life but if you dig Iron Maiden of Judas Priest, check em out.
If you have Spotify, you can listen along below.
Otherwise, check out the samples on Amazon where you can get the mp3 album.
I'm trying out a new feature on the ol' blog today in an effort to keep it from becoming a gallery of my latest toy purchases. My intent from the start was to share all kinds of interesting things so I'm going to expose you to music you may not be aware existed...
Have you ever thought to yourself, "Man, I wish there were more songs with snake lyrics."? Even if you haven't, you should still check out the band Awesome Snakes.
Awesome Snakes were a two person punk band from Minneapolis that put out one CD (Venom) in 2006. The members were Annie Holoien (aka "Annie Awesome") and Danny Henry (aka "Danny Snakes") who did this as a side project while they were both still in another band called The Soviettes.
One of the things that bums me out about the slow death of music stores was the ability to walk in and just browse album covers. There are more than a few bands I "discovered" back in the day by seeing a cool album cover and deciding to check it out. You can argue that the internet has made this easier but it's nowhere near as much fun as physically flipping through those cardboard sleeves. And its nowhere near as satisfying when you find that one kick ass cover that you can bring to your friends and introduce them to it.
Why did I decide to give Awesome Snakes a listen?
The answer is in their CD cover
If that still doesn't answer the question for you...
It's not really something that's come up much, but I am a huge fan of hair bands from the 80s/90s.
They even used umlauts in their band name! The band's sound is very simple: drums and a bass run through a fuzzbox. What really grabbed me about them is their use of snakes, sound clips and the random change up between song styles.
It's nothing world changing but I think it's straight out fun. I seem to take an instant liking to bands like this including Cake, They Might Be Giants and The Aquabats because of their original, off-beat lyrics. Like a lot of punk, most of the 15 tracks on this album are under two minutes long. Unlike most punk, just over half the songs have the word snakes in the title!
If you have Spotify, you can listen below.
You can also hear clips on the Venom Amazon page
Just be aware there is the occasional droppage of swear words
It's almost time kids! Local weather is saying things should be dry for tomorrow night and that is the best gift the Great Pumpkin could ever bestow on me!
Didn't have much time to get creative so here's a few more plastic discs that need the dust blown off them. As with previous posts, these are ripped right from a giant black disc so if you want quality, go buy it!
First up is former Las Vegas DJ Don Hinson and his Rigormorticians. This one was released in 1964 to jump on the "Monster Mash" train. It has one of my all-time favorite Halloween songs, "Riboflavin Flavored, Non Carbonated, Poly-Unsaturated Blood." Try that 5 times fast! This song was much later covered by punk band 45 Grave.
Next we go back a little further to 1959 when Bob McFadden released Songs Our Mummy Taught Us. McFadden was a voice-over artist. Among many other characters, he also voiced Cresty and the Cavity Creeps.
And the inevitable final vinyl of the day (month?)...This is one of the weirder things in my digital Halloween collection. Released in 1969 in Germany, Dracula's Music Cabinet is a soundtrack for a movie that never was. It's psychedelic! It's funky! It's got weird studio effects and strange vocals! If this description didn't entice you, check out the cover!
And as a bonus for All Hallow's Eve eve, here's 45 Grave's cover of Don Hinson's "Riboflavin..."
Be sure to visit the other bloggers that have their porch lights on by clicking below.
Today we bring you a terrifying trio of creepy instrumentals...
First, as promised yesterday, is Music for Monsters by Sounds Records released in 1962.
The best way to describe it is vintage weird.
Click for Treat!
Next is a double album by Verne Langdon: Phantom of the Organ (tracks 1-7) and Vampyre of the Harpsichord (tracks 8-15). These were originally released in '73 and '74 respectively.
Click for Treat!
And the final vinyl to kick off your weekend is a mystery. I wasn't able to find any info on it online, much less cover art. You will need to create a free account to snag this one.
