SCARY TALES - Zacherley

YEAR: 1963

LABEL: Cameo-Parkway

TRACK LISTING: Scary Tales (From Mother Goose) (Version One), A-Tisket A-Casket, Hansel and Gretel, Clementine, Happy Halloween, Monster Monkey, The Spider and the Fly, A-B-C, Little Red Riding Hood, Surfboard 1-0-9, Dear Dear Valentine

BONUS TRACKS: Scary Tales (From Mother Goose) (Version Two), Scary Tales (From Mother Goose) (Version Three), Igor, Dinner With Drac Pt. 2

IMPRESSIONS: Zacherley on record is always gold but this is my least favourite of the Cool Ghoul's three original LPs. I guess the Mother Goose theme doesn't really blow my hair back but there are still some great moments on this album and really cool cover art.

MY FAVOURITE TRACKS: Hansel and Gretel, Clementine, Happy Halloween, The Spider and the Fly, A-B-C, Little Red Riding Hood, Surfboard 1-0-9

FACT SHEET: SCARY TALES is Zacherley's third album; it can be found on cd from Collectors' Choice Music paired with the Cool Ghoul's MONSTER MASH album as well as the bonus tracks "IGOR" and "DINNER WITH DRAC PT. 2". The other bonus tracks include two different versions of "SCARY TALES (FROM MOTHER GOOSE)" which bear some explaining. From Teri Landi's cd liner notes: "The original pressing of the SCARY TALES LP offered a very interesting surprise for anyone lucky enough to discover its hidden mystery. Depending on where you set the stylus down on band 1 of side 1, you could hear one of three versions of "SCARY TALES (FROM MOTHER GOOSE)" kicking off the LP. Band 1 was cut with three separate grooves to contain three different takes of John Zacherle adding a ghoulish touch to Mother Goose nursery rhymes and famous folklore."

SPOOK ALONG WITH ZACHERLEY - Zacherley

YEAR: 1960

LABEL: Elektra

TRACK LISTING: Coolest Little Monster, A Wicked Thought, Ghoul View Commercial, A Sure Sign of Spring, Transylvania P.T.A., Frank and Drac Are Back, Come With Me To Transylvania, Spider Man Lullaby, Ring-A-Ding Ourangoutang, Baying at the Moon, Zacherley For President

IMPRESSIONS: Nothing could be better than a Zacherley album and this is my second favourite of his three original albums after the classic MONSTER MASH discussed elsewhere. SPOOK ALONG contains some of my all-time favourite Zach tracks such as "COOLEST LITTLE MONSTER" and "SPIDER MAN LULLABY".

MY FAVOURITE TRACKS: Coolest Little Monster, A Wicked Thought, Ghoul View Commercial, A Sure Sign of Spring, Transylvania P.T.A., Spider Man Lullaby, Baying at the Moon, Zacherley For President

FACT SHEET: SPOOK ALONG WITH ZACHERLEY is the Cool Ghoul's first album. The title is a play on Mitch Miller's TV show "SING ALONG WITH MITCH". The album was recorded with a full orchestra and produced by Stan Rhodes and Gerald Alters. The original vinyl LP came with a book and poster set tying in with the "Zacherley For President" campaign and the Ted Bates advertising agency also came up with a faux campaign platform for the Cool Ghoul.

JEEPERS CREEPERS: GREAT SONGS FROM HORROR FILMS - Various Artists

YEAR: 2003

LABEL: Red Circle

TRACK LISTING: Who Killed Teddy Bear - Tammi Tappan, Goody Goody - Lynette Perry & Zacherley, Look For A Star - Guy Haines, I've Written A Letter To Daddy/Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? - Katherine Helmond & Remy Zaken, The Faithful Heart - Rebecca Luker, Hey You/Faro-La Faro-Li (Song of the New Wine) - Judy Kaye & the Scarlettes, Hush...Hush Sweet Charlotte - Christiane Noll, Jeepers Creepers - Sharon McNight, The Blob - Alison Fraser, Aurora - Michelle Nicastro, Mothra's Song - Theresa Finamore & Juliana A. Hansen, You're My Living Doll - Susan Gordon, Stella By Starlight - Brent Barrett, I Was A Teenage Horror Medley: You Gotta Have Ee-Ooo/Eeny Meeny Miney Moe/Daddy Bird - Jason Graae

IMPRESSIONS: This is a really unusual one and totally unique as a consequence. Most of the songs have nothing to do with a horror theme but just happened to be featured in a horror film: from Universal horror of the 40s up to the 21st century with JEEPERS CREEPERS. I had the good fortune to meet the late Richard Valley several times at monster movie conventions and he was always very enthusiastic about this album. It's a shame a second volume was never made.

MY FAVOURITE TRACKS: Who Killed Teddy Bear? - Tammi Tappan, Goody Goody - Lynette Perry & Zacherley, Look For A Star - Guy Haines, I've Written A Letter To Daddy/Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? - Katherine Helmond & Remy Zaken, Hey You/Faro-La Faro-Li (Song of the New Wine) - Judy Kaye & the Scarlettes, The Blob - Alison Fraser, Mothra's Song - Theresa Finamore & Juliana A. Hansen

FACT SHEET: JEEPERS CREEPERS was dreamed up by SCARLET STREET MAGAZINE editor Richard Valley as a "Horror's Greatest Hits" album consisting of songs that appeared in horror films newly recorded by Broadway and Hollywood performers of today (including SOAP's Katherine Helmond). Valley pitched the idea while having dinner with SCARLET STREET managing editor Tom Amorosi and Bruce Kimmel. WHO KILLED TEDDY BEAR? is from the film of the same name. GOODY GOODY appeared in WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH HELEN? LOOK FOR A STAR was featured in CIRCUS OF HORRORS. I'VE WRITTEN A LETTER TO DADDY/WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? were both featured in that film. THE FAITHFUL HEART is from JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH. HEY YOU! is from Universal's THE MUMMY'S CURSE and FARO-LA FARO-LI can be found in FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN. HUSH...HUSH SWEET CHARLOTTE is from whaddaya think? JEEPERS CREEPERS of course was featured in JEEPERS CREEPERS and THE BLOB is from THE BLOB. Monotonous, ain't it? AURORA is from Abbott & Costello's HOLD THAT GHOST. MOTHRA'S SONG was originally performed by the Peanuts in MOTHRA. YOU'RE MY LIVING DOLL appeared in ATTACK OF THE PUPPET PEOPLE. STELLA BY STARLIGHT of course is the classic from THE UNINVITED. YOU GOTTA HAVE EE-OOO is from HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER, EENY MEENY MINEY MOE is from I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF and DADDY BIRD is from FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER. The wonderful cover art was done by monster artist extraordinaire Frank Dietz.

MONSTER MASH - Zacherley

YEAR: 1962

LABEL: Cameo-Parkway

TRACK LISTING: Monster Mash, Hurry Bury Baby, Let's Twist Again (Mummy Time Is Here), I'm the Ghoul from Wolverton Mountain, Gravy (With Cyanide), Popeye (The Gravedigger), Limb From Limbo Rock, Weird Watusi, Pistol Stomp, Dinner With Drac Part 1, The Ha-Ha-Ha, The Bat

BONUS TRACKS: There are no "bonus tracks" as such on such an old album HOWEVER the 2010 Collectors' Choice Music reissue combines this album with the Cool Ghoul's 1963 LP SCARY TALES which will be posted separately.

IMPRESSIONS: OK so this is the OTHER best album of all time. When I was a kid, my mother had regaled me with tales of having seen Zacherley (or Roland as he was called then) on Philadelphia TV back in the late 1950's. He was a legendary figure in my mind so you can imagine my delight when visiting my father I discovered the MONSTER MASH album among the albums down in his bar. I "liberated" it then and there and have had it ever since. Oddly the copy of the album I grew up with was missing two tracks (I'M THE GHOUL FROM WOLVERTON MOUNTAIN and LIMB FROM LIMBO ROCK). I assume it was a later reissue which (for some reason) removed two songs from the record probably for playing time. Who knows why. It wasn't until the mid-1980s that I found a complete earlier pressing at one of those used record collector "conventions" they used to have periodically at local malls. It's almost impossible to relate the feeling I get when I hear this album: intense childhood nostalgia combined with the warmest, coziest feelings of Halloween. Truly one of my favourite albums of all time and truly each and every song is my favourite. But if pressed...

MY FAVOURITE TRACKS: Monster Mash, Hurry Bury Baby, Let's Twist Again (Mummy Time Is Here), Gravy (With Cyanide), Popeye (The Gravedigger), Weird Watusi

GUEST ARTISTS: The Dreamlovers, The Orlons and The Cameos all perform backup vocals since the songs used the actual music tracks (sans vocals) of current Cameo-Parkway hit singles (see below).

FACT SHEET: MONSTER MASH was Zacherley's first album. John Zacherle began his horror host career on Philadelphia's WCAU-TV as Roland (pronounced Ro-LAND thank you very much). After gaining nationwide attention, the Cool Ghoul moved to the larger New York market and changed his name to Zacherley. His first Cameo release was the hit single 45 "Dinner With Drac" in 1958 which rocketed to #6 on the Billboard charts. His huge success as a TV horror host led to a series of albums. All the songs on MONSTER MASH (with the exception of the title track) were actual the music-only tracks of Cameo-Parkway hit singles which Zacherley sang overtop of (bad sentence structure...bad me!). The backing tracks for the Dovell's "Hully Gully Baby" and "The Bristol Stomp" fitted HURRY BURY BABY and THE PISTOL STOMP. Chubby Checker's "Let's Twist Again", "Popeye the Hitchhiker", "Limbo Rock" and "The Twist" served to provide the music track for LET'S TWIST AGAIN (MUMMY TIME IS HERE), POPEYE (THE GRAVEDIGGER), LIMB FROM LIMBO ROCK and THE BAT. Jo Ann Campbell's "(I'm the Girl On) Wolverton Mountain morphed in Zacherley's THE GHOUL, Dee Dee Sharp's follow-up "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)" turned into GRAVY (With Cyanide), "The Wah Watusi" by the Orlons became WEIRD WATUSI, and Bobby Rydell's "The Cha Cha Cha" became the backing track for THE HA-HA-HA. Now in his 90s, Zacherley still performs the song "Monster Mash" live on stage with the Dead Elvi at every Chiller Theater Convention.