Happy Music Monday! As you all know, later this week is Halloween, so Scott's decided to open up the floodgates! He's made a little playlist full of those songs you most enjoy on October 31st. Here's one of his favorites (try not to be too scared!)
Alice Cooper - The Ballad Of Dwight Fry
When one of the first people to support you is Frank Zappa, you're obviously doing something of worth. But Alice Cooper didn't really take off until he started wearing straitjackets and dressing in women's clothes. His image as a horror-rocker is so cemented that even when performing a traditional love song with The Muppets it still ends up spooky-style. Sad for the poet inside the man, but GREAT for people who want to make Halloween playlists!
Get your creepy, goofy, Monster Mashy hits ready, because after the jump, you'll find four more Halloween hits… and then it'll be YOUR turn to help out!
Before we pass around the peeled grape eyeballs, remember our new Spotify playlist will be featuring a great selection from last week's Music Monday comments. The theme of the mix this time is Dark Songs and play it loud! It might help add to the scary! But before you go there, stay here and listen to our current Music Monday. Scott's next choice is...
Screaming Lord Sutch - Jack The Ripper
Horror Rock wasn't really a genre when Screaming Lord Sutch crawled out of the London swamps and scared those poor teenage girls. But he's one of the originators, and he's beloved of such stars as Jimmy Page and Jack White. Maybe not the kind of thing you'd put on the stereo at Christmas, but this is Halloween, baby! Let him have his moment in the lack of sun!
Lux Interior is one of the few men on the planet who can look like he's on black and white film even when he's in color. That makes him a Halloween natural, and that's why anyone who's anyone this time of year runs to the Cramps records. "Goo Goo Muck" is the story of a were-blob on the prowl, which makes it just monstrous enough for my purposes. The jangling guitar is merely a bonus. And speaking of guitar...
TV On The Radio - Wolf Like Me
I've read this song is a tribute to blues guitarist Howlin' Wolf but feel that rush of energy in the intro? It's not possible to be more transformative, and that's got to be how it feels when turning from human to beast. And since the video has stop-motion werewolves in it, I say we count it for the Halloween playlist. What do you think? TOO LATE, I'VE DECIDED!
Imagine if the military accidentally made a weapon so pure, they themselves couldn't even turn it off? That's the plot of this Kate Bush song, more of a short story with a chorus than a pop hit. Think of it as an origin story for a haunted House (get it?) and you'll see why it made my list. I just wish the video had been in black and white.
There's plenty of Halloween color in our Turntable.fm room, so stop in for spooky Music Monday enjoyment. And feel free to add your own scary scary monster sounds in the comments below! Novelty hits are fair game, but please, don't just post a big list and hog them for yourself. Other people like making suggestions too! And Halloween is about giving as well as getting!