Tunes of Terror Vol. 5 - Monster Mash

So we needed to have a Halloween novelty hit. It wouldn't be That Song Blog without one. However choosing just one is almost impossible. If you're at all interested in these and other novelty hits I highly recommend the compendium Wacky Tunes. Anyway, after much consideration it was deemed best to go with the original and most ubiquitous Halloween smash, Monster Mash.

Did you know that when singer/songwriter Bobby Picket was shopping Monster Mash around, nobody wanted it? It was only when award winning producer Gary S. Paxton was played the song that it was picked up and turned into the holiday devouring smash we know today.

Anyhow. I just thought you'd find it interesting that we might have never, ever heard this song. What a world.

Also! Legos! They make everything incredible! I approve of CaptainBulldog's video.

Tunes of Terror Vol. 4 - The Witch

'The Witch' makes me think of the Batman theme song on steroids. In fact the titular Witch would make the best super hero ever. A garage rock heroine roving the city late at night in a long black hearse fighting villains with sex, hair and a massive shotgun she calls her BroomStick. Goddamn yes. What was I talking about?

Right! The Sonics are old favorites here on That Song Blog. We've spoken about their brutally percussive brand of sixties rock before, so you know what to expect. It beats the shit out of you while forcing you to do a violent twist.

You know the drill- load it up and make it LOUD, because it's illegal to listen to The Sonics if your ears aren't beginning to bleed.

Tunes of Terror Vol. 3 - Naked In The Afternoon

Halloween simply isn't Halloween without a little Jandek:

The history of Jandek is convoluted and confusing. In an attempt to put simply: the performer known as Jandek has been self publishing his own brand of crypto-goth blues since the late 70s behind many layers of obfuscation and intentional misdirection. Since late 2004 he has finally begun performing (reasonably) consistently in public.

Yet even with the artist making public appearances nothing can take away from the sense of dread and rot ground into every note of 'Naked In The Afternoon,' the opening track from Jandek's 1978 debut Ready For The House.

Tunes of Terror Vol. 2 - A Cold Freezin' Night

This is the song where a six year old threatens to chop off your toes and work his way up to your brain.

The Books are a New York based duo known for slicing and mixing spoken word pieces into rhythmic dance collages.

The track 'A Cold Freezin' Night' from their fourth album The Way Out isn't an obvious choice for a Tune of Terror. However there's something undeniably unsettling (played upon endlessly in the head-spinning video above) about the increasingly violent confrontation between a young brother and sister. And really, what's more terrifying than children? I wouldn't mess with these kids. They'd chop my hair off!

Tunes of Terror Vol. 1 - She's My Witch

She's My Witch - Kip Tyler

Terrifyingly toe-tapping! Right!? Am I right? Guys?

Well anyway. Happy Halloween everyone. Throughout today we will be putting up some totally holiday appropriate songs for your freaky pleasure, starting with little known rockabilly roarer 'She's My Witch' by Kip Tyler. Kip was a fixture of the Los Angeles rockabilly scene, commanding a dedicated cult following for his manic live performances and wild man attitude often incorporating bongos ( I ask you- what wild man is complete without bongos?).

'She's My Witch' was the B side to his 1958 single 'Rumble Rock,' both tunes particularly notable for the contributions of veteran sax player Jim Horn (largely known for his work with Duane Eddy). His blowsy lines are almost melting atop the icy guitar strums and echoing drum claps.

It's a song of woozy sex, witchcraft and drag races. What more could you ask for on Halloween?

UPDATE: Crikey that was quick. Apparently we don't love music as much as Warner Brothers love copyright protection and we now can't show the Kip Tyler video to you. We've replaced it with a Spotify link, hope you can still enjoy it.

A Little Bit of That Sky - Ken/Mattel

This summer I had the pleasure of visiting Le Musée de la Poupée in Paris, a tucked away museum celebrating the history of dolls and puppets. There, alongside the unnerving glassy eyed stares and lavishly curated display dioramas, was a special exhibition dedicated entirely to the history of that penis-less wonder- Ken 'Barbie' Carson.

Hidden among the many evolutions, makeovers and career shifts Ken has gone through since his introduction in 1961 was his stint as a pop singer: Live Action Ken On Stage, including the packed in smash single 'A Little Bit of That Sky.'

So let's get this out of the way first: No, it's not very good. Surprised? Me neither. It's musical Wonderbread- assembly line fluff in the vein of Bobby Sherman or The Osmonds. From the pieced together rhythmic styles to the 'OOOH-WAAAAAHHH' backing vocals the song feels like a banal Frankenstein sewn together with 'choice' cuts of bland sixties pop. Dig those oh-so-fluttery flutes, the softshoe pianos, beebopping bass, the absolute facemelter of a solo at 1:30. Ken himself sounds about as stiff and Colgate smiled as a singer based on a doll would sound (though not as authentically castrati as it should be). What's really awesome is how much of a hippie Ken proves himself to be, cheesing his way through lines like 'Life is the learning way / and there is a beautiful wizard in man.'

The song hasn't really stood the test of time, but then not many sixties branded animated bands have- with the possible exception of The Archies. In any event, it's a fascinating listen to hear what the folks at Mattel felt was a good cross section of popular music for young girls. I can't find any listings of who the session musicians were for the recording (rather unhelpfully the song is usually credited to either Ken or Mattel), so if any of you out there have some info on it's origins please drop us a line.

Otherwise enjoy what feels like a slightly too long three and half minutes of inspiring your inner wizard to desperately grasp a little inch of the sky, safe in the knowledge that after this single Ken never really dusted off the mic ever again.