Oops! It nearly passed by me. I had prepared another post for tonight, but that would not do! I can't not acknowledge Halloween! Even though, as a child growing up in Greece, Halloween meant nothing to me except maybe the name of a movie I wasn't allowed to see. Kids (adults, too) masquerade and party wildly during the Apokries carnival season, but that witches-and-pumpkins stuff? Total American nonsense! (though Irish in origin, as it seems to have its roots in the Celtic pagan feast of Samhain.) Fun nonsense nevertheless and, as with other irresistible American inventions, we were swept away in the early 90's even if we weren't little kids anymore. Filmmakers like Tim Burton and rockers like Rudi Protrudi had a lot to do with it.
Not that Rudi was among the first to sing horror-themed rock'n'roll: there's a great tradition from the childish "monster" songs of Bobby Picket to English lunatic rocker Screaming Lord Sutch - the British have an unhealthy obsession with horror, ever visited the London Dungeon? But nobody delves into the Halloween spirit as deeply and gleefully as Rudi and his Fuzztones. They've been covering (and writing) "horror" rock since they began, so it was only a matter of time until they made the ultimate Halloween album. It was only released in the U.S. and Canada, but I was lucky enough to get one of the original orange vinyl copies, to which I later added the CD I got as part of the Psychorama Box Set. As Rudi says on the cover, his goal was to do for Halloween what Phil Spector did for that other holiday. He even closes his album with a parody of Spector's narration at the closing of his Christmas album. Being even more of a perfectionist than Spector, though, Rudi also designed and drew the album cover himself. For the LP he chose 13 (naturally) songs, some of which have been in the Fuzztones' repertory for quite some time. Here they are re-recorded for maximum campness, with even spookier organ, and a cornucopia of special effects: creaking coffins, thunderstorms, howling wolves, rattling chains, the works... Screams? Need you ask? The album opens with a radio announcement carrying some "tragic local news...a young girl has been found dead at Hyde Park. The body has been badly mutilated. Because of these murders police requests that all women stay inside their homes after dark"...and, of course, The 'Tones launch into their hi-energy garage punk cover of Sutch's "Jack The Ripper", followed by another monsterpiece of his, "All Black and Hairy". Rudi's psychedelic ballad "Charlotte's Remains" is introduced with a wailing musical saw and features his best "sensual" slow vocal and Doors-y keyboards. "Dinner With Drac" is the cover of a 50's R'n'R novelty, followed by "The Night Of The Phantom" by Larry & The Bluenotes. Originally called "Night Of The Sadist", the producer thought it'd never get played on the radio and had Larry and the band overdub themselves on the studio. The censored title is more Halloween-y, though, so Rudi kept it.
Then, of course, what is a Fuzztones album without a Sonics cover? Here they choose "The Witch" as most appropriate, delivering a fast punk-rock version with lots of screaming vocals. "Happy Halloween" is a fun and festive song introducing all the stars of the holiday. Side 2 opens with Bloodrock's "D.O.A" a ghostly heavy psych song from '71 and continues with the 'Tones own garage stomper "Cellar Dweller", and rockin' romps through Round Robin's R&B classick "I'm The Wolf Man" and "Goin' To Graveyard" (the latter is attributed to Carroll, Hill & Burton, but I couldn't find who sang on the original). We also get a slow sensual take on Kip Tyler's exotica/rockabilly "She's My Witch", and the LP closes with Roky Erickson's "Night Of The Vampire", all imposing organ and ghostly vocals. Roky is different to the other songwriters here as he wasn't just innocently playing with horror, but was actually living through it (incarceration, electro-shock therapy, terrible psychedelic trips) and channelled his experiences into his songs. The CD adds a cover of The Driving Stupid's surrealistic "Horror Asparagus Stories" and Rudi's Halloween message. All in all, The Fuzztones can be credited with producing the perfect Halloween party album: the band are rocking hard, audibly having a great time playing and sending good-time silly vibes all around the place. It's perfect for your Halloween party - and, saving the best for last, it has just been re-released on vinyl in time for Halloween 2016. It's a limited edition of 500 copies, so hurry up if you want to grab one "in your grimy little claws", as Rudi would put it. It's a 5-skull album, all the way!
Not that Rudi was among the first to sing horror-themed rock'n'roll: there's a great tradition from the childish "monster" songs of Bobby Picket to English lunatic rocker Screaming Lord Sutch - the British have an unhealthy obsession with horror, ever visited the London Dungeon? But nobody delves into the Halloween spirit as deeply and gleefully as Rudi and his Fuzztones. They've been covering (and writing) "horror" rock since they began, so it was only a matter of time until they made the ultimate Halloween album. It was only released in the U.S. and Canada, but I was lucky enough to get one of the original orange vinyl copies, to which I later added the CD I got as part of the Psychorama Box Set. As Rudi says on the cover, his goal was to do for Halloween what Phil Spector did for that other holiday. He even closes his album with a parody of Spector's narration at the closing of his Christmas album. Being even more of a perfectionist than Spector, though, Rudi also designed and drew the album cover himself. For the LP he chose 13 (naturally) songs, some of which have been in the Fuzztones' repertory for quite some time. Here they are re-recorded for maximum campness, with even spookier organ, and a cornucopia of special effects: creaking coffins, thunderstorms, howling wolves, rattling chains, the works... Screams? Need you ask? The album opens with a radio announcement carrying some "tragic local news...a young girl has been found dead at Hyde Park. The body has been badly mutilated. Because of these murders police requests that all women stay inside their homes after dark"...and, of course, The 'Tones launch into their hi-energy garage punk cover of Sutch's "Jack The Ripper", followed by another monsterpiece of his, "All Black and Hairy". Rudi's psychedelic ballad "Charlotte's Remains" is introduced with a wailing musical saw and features his best "sensual" slow vocal and Doors-y keyboards. "Dinner With Drac" is the cover of a 50's R'n'R novelty, followed by "The Night Of The Phantom" by Larry & The Bluenotes. Originally called "Night Of The Sadist", the producer thought it'd never get played on the radio and had Larry and the band overdub themselves on the studio. The censored title is more Halloween-y, though, so Rudi kept it.  |
| CD cover art |
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| Original LP and back cover art |
***** for Jack The Ripper, Night Of The Phantom
**** for All Black And Hairy, Charlotte's Remains, Happy Halloween, Cellar Dweller, The Witch, She's My Witch, Goin' To A Graveyard, Night Of The Vampire, Horror Asparagus Stories
*** for Dinner With Drac,I'm The Wolfman
** for D.O.A.
I put as many of the original versions I could find in this youtube playlist. Enjoy!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSOKhDFcCAJUyimVFd4tWJVx7oRFv6iBU