THE BLACK AND ORANGE ALBUM  -  VARIOUS ARTISTS

YEAR:  2010
LABEL:  Wonderful Wonderblog
TRACK LISTING:  Welcome to Horror Hotel  -  Daniel Roebuck,  The Gourd's Prayer  -  Cult of the Great Pumpkin,  Batman Wolfman Frankenstein or Dracula  -  The Diamonds,  Chamber of Horrors  -  Radio Spot,  Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde  -  The Who,  Dracula's Lament  -  Jason Segel,  The Devil's Rain & the Virgin Witch  -  Radio Spot,  Ghostbusters  -  Run-DMC,  Goosebumps Theme  -  TVToons,  Grim Grinning Ghosts  -  Barenaked Ladies,  Halloween  -  Betty Grable,  Halloween  -  Radio Spot,  Happy Halloween  -  The Fuzztones,  Haunted House  -  Flexi-Disc,  King Kong vs. Godzilla  -  WAKY Radio Spot,  Keepin' Halloween Alive  -  Alice Cooper,  Magic  -  Radio Spot,  Monster Movie Ball  -  Spike Jones,  Monsters Lead Such Interesting Lives  -  Mel Torme,  To Cause A Witch To Die  -  Vincent Price,  Mr. Monster's Movie Marathon  -  Peter Pan Singers,  Dawn of the Dead  -  Radio Spot,  Dry Bones  -  Fred Gwynne,  Punky Punkin (The Happy Pumpkin)  -  Rosemary Clooney,  Purple People Eater  -  Judy Garland,  Ghost Whisperer  -  TVToons,  Scarecrow  -  The Wellingtons,  Secrets of the Crypt Keeper's Haunted House  -  John Kassir,  The Blob  -  Wolfman Jack,  The Headless Horseman  -  Pickwick Records,  The Headless Horseman  -  Thurl Ravenscroft,  The Island of Dr. Moreau  -  Radio Spot,  Monster Hop  -  Bert Convy,  The Night Before Halloween  -  Bill Buchanan,  Trick or Treat  -  Elvira,  Vampires Quote  -  Boris Karloff,  Zombie Jamboree  -  Rockapella,  Fairly Lame Ending Track  -  Daniel Roebuck
IMPRESSIONS:  Once again we have a non-commercial release like the previous post.  This is one of many compilations originating from the great blog called "Wonderful Wonderblog".  The first thing that strikes you is the lovely spoof on Metallica's "Black Album" cover; what could be more fitting for Halloween than a "Black and Orange" album cover?  After that laugh, we get a nicely-chosen selection of Halloween tracks  -  most of which I admittedly already possessed in my vaults  -  but once again it's always great to hear someone's selection of a playlist.  And this is a good'n.  I kinda like the inclusion of radio spots and movie trailers in between the songs; it gives things a nice Halloween party air.  There are several old favourites of mine appearing here:  The Who's rare "Jekyll & Hyde" song showing John Entwhistle's abiding love of the horror genre, the Spike Jones track (originally credited to "The Fiend-ager") from that beloved "SPIKE JONES IN STEREO" album I played to death in my youth (and which is discussed in depth on this very blog), and the tracks by Mel Torme, Vincent Price, The Diamonds, Rosemary Clooney, Judy Garland, The Wellingtons, Thurl Ravenscroft, Bert Convy, Bill Buchanan, Elvira, and Rockapella have long featured in my Halloween listening.  However, it was only with this "BLACK & ORANGE ALBUM" that I first encountered Run-DMC's terrific cover of "Ghostbusters", the Cult of the Great Pumpkin's "The Gourd's Prayer", and Alice Cooper's "Keepin' Halloween Alive" tracks.  There are many, many Halloween compilations all over the internet and I love all of them; it's a wonderful practice and albums like this one are a great example of how to do it right. 
MY FAVOURITE TRACKS:  The Gourd's Prayer  -  Cult of the Great Pumpkin,  Chamber of Horrors  -  Radio Spot,  Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde  -  The Who,  Ghostbusters  -  Run-DMC,  Halloween  -  Betty Grable,  Haunted House  -  Flexi-disc,  Keepin' Halloween Alive  -  Alice Cooper,  Monster Movie Ball  -  Spike Jones,  Monsters Lead Such Interesting Lives  -  Mel Torme,  To Cause A Witch To Die  -  Vincent Price,  Mr. Monster's Movie Marathon  -  Peter Pan Singers,  Dawn of the Dead  -  Radio Spot,  Punky Punkin (The Happy Pumpkin)  -  Rosemary Clooney,  Purple People Eater  -  Judy Garland,  Scarecrow  -  The Wellingtons,  The Headless Horseman  -  Pickwick Records,  The Headless Horseman  -  Thurl Ravenscroft,  Monster Hop  -  Bert Convy,  The Night Before Halloween  -  Bill Buchanan
FACT SHEET:  "THE BLACK AND ORANGE ALBUM" is a compilation of Halloween tracks produced by the "Wonderful Wonderblog" website.  The 2 Daniel Roebuck tracks are taken from Dr. Lady's "HORROR HOTEL" album.  "Dracula's Lament" is taken from the film "FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL".  "Grim Grinning Ghosts" is a cover version of the Thurl Ravenscroft song and appears on the soundtrack to the "HAUNTED MANSION" movie starring Eddie Murphy.  The "Halloween" track by Betty Grable is taken from an old radio broadcast.  The Fuzztones' "Happy Halloween" is a cover version of a Zacherley song.  "Monster Movie Ball" is taken from the 1959 "SPIKE JONES IN STEREO" album.  Mel Torme's "Monsters Lead Such Interesting Lives" appears in the short film "DAFFY DUCK'S QUACKBUSTERS".  "Dry Bones" is taken from an episode of "THE MUNSTERS" with Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster.  "Scarecrow" by the Wellington's is taken from the Disney TV show "THE SCARECROW OF ROMNEY MARSH" starring Patrick McGoohan.  "Secrets of the Crypt Keeper's Haunted House" is taken from a 1997 episode of HBO's "TALES FROM THE CRYPT".  Thurl Ravenscroft's "The Headless Horseman" is a cover version of the original song sung by Bing Crosby in Disney's 1949 film "THE ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD & MR. TOAD".  The Bert Convy who sing "Monster Hop" is the same actor/TV host who appeared as a regular on "THE SNOOP SISTERS" as well as hosting the TV game show "TATTLETALES" and others.  Bill Buchanan is one half of the duo of Buchanan & Goodman who brought us the classic original "break-in" record "The Flying Saucer". 

DR. DEMENTO 20th ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION - Various Artists

YEAR: 1991

LABEL: Rhino

TRACK LISTING: Delicious! - Jim Backus, The Scotsman - Bryan Bowers, Junk Food Junkie - Larry Groce, Eat It - Weird Al Yankovic, Does Your Chewing Gum Lose It's Flavor (On the Bedpost Overnight) - Lonnie Donegan, Wet Dream - Kip Addotta, Hello Muddah Hello Fadduh (A Letter From Camp), Wappin' - Darrell Hammond & Christopher Snell, The Purple People Eater - Sheb Wooley, Monster Mash - Bobby "Boris" Pickett, Cocktails For Two - Spike Jones, Transfusion - Nervous Norvus, Beep Beep - The Playmates, St. George and the Dragonet - Stan Freberg, Witch Doctor - David Seville, Gitarzan - Ray Stevens, Earache My Eye (Featuring Alice Bowie) - Cheech & Chong, Dead Puppies - Ogdon Edsl, Dancin' Fool - Frank Zappa, Star Trekkin' - The Firm, The Time Warp - The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Masochism Tango - Tom Lehrer, The Homecoming Queen's Got A Gun - Julie Brown, The Ballad of Irving - Frank Gallop, The Battle of Kookamonga - Homer & Jethro, King Tut - Steve Martin, Der Fuehrer's Face - Spike Jones, Fish Heads - Barnes & Barnes, Poisoning Pigeons In the Park - Tom Lehrer, Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out - Shel Silverstein, The Cockroach That Ate Cincinatti - Rose & the Arrangement, Surfin' Bird - The Trashmen, Pencil Neck Geek - Fred Blassie, Ti Kwan Leep/Boot To the Head - The Frantics, Existential Blues - Tom "T-Bone" Stankus, They're Coming To Take Me Away Ha-Haaa! - Napoleon XIV

IMPRESSIONS: I believe the first time I heard the Dr. Demento Show on radio was when it was brought to my attention by my friend Ed Jacoby. I naturally became an avid listener for years and even tape recorded some of the episodes. Sadly, due to the outrageously pitiful Philadelphia radio market, it only lasted several years before the show disappeared from local radio in the early 80's. Around that time, a vinyl box set came out which I snapped up; it's even signed by Dr. Demento himself. Once again sadly that set has never been issued on compact disc. There were also a few single LPs of Dr. Demento released in the 70s which I tracked down as well (also none of which have been reissued on cd, more's the pity). However, in 1991 Rhino went some ways towards rectifying that situation with this 2 cd set containing many of the most well-remember and popular songs the Doctor played on his radio show.

MY FAVOURITE TRACKS: The Scotsman - Bryan Bowers, Does Your Chewing Gum Lose It's Flavor (On the Bedpost Overnight) - Lonnie Donegan, Wet Dream - Kip Addotta, Hello Muddah Hello Fadduh (A Letter From Camp) - Allan Sherman, Monster Mash - Bobby "Boris" Pickett, Cocktails For Two - Spike Jones, Transfusion - Nervous Norvus, Beep Beep - The Playmates, St. George and the Dragonet - Stan Freberg, Gitarzan - Ray Stevens, Earache My Eye (Featuring Alice Bowie) - Cheech & Chong, Dead Puppies - Ogdon Edsl, Dancin' Fool - Frank Zappa, Star Trekkin' - The Firm, The Time Warp - The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Homecoming Queen's Got A Gun - Julie Brown, The Ballad of Irving - Frank Gallop, King Tut - Steve Martin, Der Fuehrer's Face - Spike Jones, Fish Heads - Barnes & Barnes, Poisoning Pigeons In the Park - Tom Lehrer, The Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati - Rose & the Arrangement, Pencil Neck Geek - Fred Blassie, Ti Kwan Leep/Boot To the Head - The Frantics, Existential Blues - Tom "T-Bone" Stankus, They're Coming To Take Me Away Ha-Haaa! - Napoleon XIV

FACT SHEET: Barry Hansen took on his Dr. Demento identity when in 1970 he played Nervous Norvus' "Transfusion" on the radio and a fellow DJ remarked that he must be demented to play such a song. The name stuck and the Doctor started his Dr. Demento Show which became syndicated in 1974. The Dr. Demento Show lasted on "terrestrial radio" until 2010 and has since moved to online streaming broadcasts at the show's official website. The opening theme song for the show is "Pico and Sepulveda" by Felix Figueroa & His Orchestra (actually Freddy Martin & His Orchestra); the song was re-recorded by the Roto Rooter Good Time Christmas Band and that has been the official theme played since 1974. The Doctor's traditional opening line for every show is "Wind up your radios, Demensions and Dementites!". During the show, various countdown intro music is from composer Harry Partch's "Barstow". The closing theme for the show is "Cheerio, Cherry Lips, Cheerio" by Scrappy Lambert (recorded under the name of Gordon Wallace) which Hansen found in a thrift shop.

THE BEST OF - Spike Jones

YEAR: 1967

LABEL: RCA Victor

TRACK LISTING: Cocktails For Two, William Tell Overture, Chloe, My Old Flame, The Glow Worm, None But the Lonely Heart, Laura, The Man On the Flying Trapeze, You Always Hurt the One You Love, Der Fuehrer's Face, Dance of the Hours, Hawaiian War Chant

IMPRESSIONS: This has two vivid associations for me. Firstly of my grandfather Buster Mars who was the first Spike Jones connoisseur in my life. I bought this record in the mid-1970s at the Listening Booth store in the Pennsauken Mart where my grandfather and I would go almost every weekend. It was one of the RCA Victor "Pure Gold" reissues on vinyl in the 70s. I would play it on their huge record player which was the size of a bureau and an actual piece of furniture; encased in wood it also served as a storage place for all their record albums in a cabinet inside. My second association is with my friend Ed Jacoby who was also a fan of Spike Jones or any other silly music. When I was a wee kid, he had a reel-to-reel tape deck (as well as many other audio/visual equipment of the day) on which we'd make our own messed-up compilation tapes.

MY FAVOURITE TRACKS: Cocktails For Two, Chloe, My Old Flame, The Glow Worm, None But the Lonely Heart, Laura, You Always Hurt the One You Love, Der Fuehrer's Face, Dance of the Hours, Hawaiian War Chant

FACT SHEET: Carl Crayson sings vocal on "Cocktails For Two", "You Always Hurt the One You Love" and "Der Fuehrer's Face". Doodles Weaver provides "commentary" on "William Tell Overture" and "Dance of the Hours" as well as vocals on "The Man On the Flying Trapeze". Red Ingle sings vocals on "Chloe", "The Glow Worm", "Laura" and "You Always Hurt the One You Love". Paul Judson sings vocals on "My Old Flame". Paul Frees provides vocals on "My Old Flame" as Peter Lorre. Aileen Carlisle sings vocals on "The Glow Worm". Helen Grayco and Spike Jones provide vocals on "None But the Lonely Heart". Jimmy Cassidy and Dr. Horatio Q. Birdbath provide vocals on "Laura". The cover portrait of Spike Jones was painted by Jack Davis.

SPIKE JONES IN STEREO - Spike Jones

YEAR: 1959

LABEL: Warner Bros.

TRACK LISTING: I Only Have Eyes For You (Vocal by Dracula and Vampira), Poison To Poison (Interview with a Famous Poisonality), Teenage Brain Surgeon (Vocal by the Mad Doctor), (All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings (Vocal by Dracula and Vampira), Everything Happens To Me (Lament by Frankenstein), Monster Movie Ball (Vocal by the Fiend-Ager), Tammy (Vocal Duet by Dracula and Vampira), My Old Flame (Vocal by I.M. Arson), This Is Your Death (featuring Dr. Jekyll and Other Ghouls) and Two Heads Are Better Than One (Beatnik Duet), Spooktacular Finale (Vocal by the Entire Ghastly Cast)

IMPRESSIONS: I first bought this record in 1977 at the hoary old Sound Odyssey at the Cherry Hill Mall again. I had previously been a fan of Spike Jones & His City Slickers (what kid WASN'T?!?!?) and I previously owned not only some 45s (that had belonged to my mother) but two RCA Victor LPs of "Best Ofs"; not only that but both my grandparents and my friend Ed Jacoby had original 78s I'd heard PLUS the dear old Dr. Demento regularly played Spike as well. So when I saw this LP in the Sound Odyssey bins featuring not only Spike Jones but also a bevy of monsters on the cover, I snatched it up immediately and fell in love with it when I got it home. No wonder this album inspired a young Creepy Clyde to do what he does. The wacky stereophonic tricks also didn't go amiss to my young ears; as the back cover states: "Have you ever heard a belch move from one corner of the room to the other, then retrace its tracks?" Well, you would when you dropped the needle onto the outer groove of this spooktacular record! This record came out right at the height of the monster boom (I'm sure it was deliberate) ignited by the Shock Theater package of Universal monster movies released to TV played by horror hosts like Zacherley -- not to mention the launch of Forrest J. Ackerman's "FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND" magazine the year before. One only wishes there were extra tracks to be found languishing in the Warner Bros. vault so we could get even more of this delectable Halloween treat.

MY FAVOURITE TRACKS: I Only Have Eyes For You, Poison To Poison, Teenage Brain Surgeon, Everything Happens To Me, Monster Movie Ball, This Is Your Death/Two Heads Are Better Than One, Spooktacular Finale

GUEST ARTISTS: Paul Frees (vocals on "I Only Have Eyes for You", "Poison To Poison", "(All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings", "Tammy", "My Old Flame", "Everything Happens to Me", "This Is Your Death" and "Spooktacular Finale"), Loulie Jean Norman (vocals on "I Only Have Eyes For You", "(All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings", "Tammy", and "Spooktacular Finale"), Thurl Ravenscroft (vocal on "Teenage Brain Surgeon"), George Rock (vocal on "Tammy" and "This Is Your Death/Two Heads Are Better Than One"), Ken Stevens (vocal on "Monster Movie Ball"), Alvino Rey (producer)

FACT SHEET: SPIKE JONES IN STEREO is Spike Jones' 2nd album. It had the alternate title of SPIKE JONES IN HI-FI for the mono version. The album was produced by lounge orchestra leader Alvino Rey. The spooktacular cover painting is by Jim Jonson. Paul Frees, known as "the Man with a Thousand Voices", impersonates Dracula as well as countless other voices. Loulie Jean Norman was a sought-after studio vocalist and dubbed Diahann Carroll's singing voice in the film version of "PORGY AND BESS" the same year as she voices Vampira for this album. Thurl Ravenscroft of course was not only the voice of Tony the Tiger but also appeared on countless Disney projects, dueted with Rosemary Clooney on "Where Will the Dimple Be" and Georgia Gibbs on "Dance With Me, Henry" as well as singing "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" on the beloved TV special "HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS" to name a few. "My Old Flame" is a stereo re-recording of Spike Jones' monster 1940s hit single which features Paul Frees here impersonating Peter Lorre anew. George Rock sang on Spike's only number one hit single "All I Want For Christmas Is (My Two Front Teeth)". "Poison To Poison" is a lampoon of Edward R. Murrow's popular interview programme "Person To Person" and features Paul Frees impersonating Alfred Hitchcock while "Everything Happens To Me" finds Frees doing his Boris Karloff impression. Sadly, Spike Jones intended to do a follow-up to this album tentatively called "GHOUL DAYS". Some of the song concepts were entitled "My Darling Frankenstein", "Holiday For Strychnine" and "Moonlight and Rodents" but the project had never gotten past the planning stage when Jones died on emphysema in 1965.