(Tell-Tale Heart/Town Crier Ray Brandes scares up a Halloween soundtrack worthy of the Che Underground. This we dug … Up!)
The Halloween memories of my youth come alive each year as the days begin to shorten and the night air becomes brisk in mid-October, and as I’ve gotten older I have somehow been able to retain a sense of excitement as jack-o’-lanterns appear on doorsteps.
In the days before nervous parents had their children’s candy bags X-rayed at the hospital, when trick-or-treaters were still invited into neighborhood homes for cider and popcorn balls, and when kids wandered the dark streets unaccompanied by their parents and wearing flammable plastic costumes, the soundtrack to many of my Halloween nights was the classic ’70s album, Sounds to Make You Shiver (pictured above). In honor of these classic Halloween sounds, I’ve compiled a short list of lesser-known seasonal records, all recorded in the 1960s, to prevent anyone from having to break out the “Monster Mash” one more time.
1. “Wicked Anabella,” the Kinks. Sung by Dave, this one features some pretty nasty lyrics: “Don’t go into woods tonight, / ‘Cause underneath the sticks and stones/ Are lots of little demons enslaved by Annabella/ Waiting just to carry you home.” Sleep tight tonight!
2. “Jack the Ripper,” Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages. Long before Alice Cooper began to frighten little children, raving maniac David Sutch was prowling the British charts. If you like this one, try “Murder in the Graveyard,” and “Till the Following Night.”
3. “Tam Lin,” Fairport Convention. This ballad dates to 16th-century Scotland, and has been much discussed in British Literature classes since. It even has a Web site dedicated to its analysis. The Fairport Convention recorded this version in 1968.
4. “I Want My Baby Back,” Jimmy Cross. Like the Beatles’ “Twist and Shout,” this 1964 track was issued on the Tollie label. This ode to necrophilia name-drops the Fab Four as well.
5. “Psycho,” Eddie Noack. In 1968, aging rockabilly artist Eddie recorded “Psycho” for the K-Ark label. It was in fact a cover of a Leon Payne original (who wrote Elvis’ “I Love You Because”) but became the best-known version.
— Ray Brandes