Seattle Subsonic

Halloween Music 101…Part 2

October 24th, 2008

Okay, the season is in full swing. Haunted houses and spooky attractions are scaring the pants out of thousands every weekend this month. You’ve already picked your pumpkin and placed it near your front door. You’ve RSVP’d for that Halloween party next week. It’s the best time of year for fun and mayhem. My last post, “Halloween Music 101…Part 1” talked about good sources for Halloween music and what my favorite songs are for this time of year. This post is all about making your next Halloween party a killer with great tunes to create a spooky atmosphere.
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In my opinion, you need some music to keep the people dancing at your party. You could add songs like Sheb Wooley’s “Purple People Eater” and Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London,” but they just don’t have the throbbing, oozing, bloody heart to make your party pulse with creepy fun. These songs are found on many store-bought Halloween mixes with myriad cover artists doing instrumental renditions or near-perfect replicas of the origina songs, but the soul to make a ghoul rock ‘n roll has been lost. True, these are classics in some regard, but they are old classics. Most of the songs on Halloween party mix CDs are 25+ years old. I think it’s time to make a new Halloween mix to get pulses running.
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Here’s a suggested list of songs to throw into your Halloween party mix. In fairness, I’ll post the old classics your Uncle Mort used to Watusi to, but check out the “New Halloween Party Classics” I’ve listed below. Having done this many times, I’ve learned from past mistakes. Nobody wants to hear a Cannibal Corpse throat shredder or a really moody Christian Death song when most people just want to dance after a few drinks. I recommend mixing great Halloween songs with really good danceable songs that are current or at least in the general taste of your party audience.
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New Halloween Party Classics:
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1. “Party Time” by .45 Grave (from the Return of the Living Dead Soundtrack)
2. “Boogie Man” by White Zombie
3. “Everyday Is Halloween” by TRS-80
4. “This Is Halloween” by Marilyn Manson
5. “Pet Sematary” by The Groovie Ghoulies
6. “I Was A Teenage Ghoul Scout” by Frankenstein Drag Queens From Planet 13
7. “Monster Mash” by Misfits
8. “Now I’m Feeling Zombified” by Alien Sex Fiend
9. “Halloween Theme (Boogieman Hip-Hop Mix)” by Boogie Heights
10. “Surrounded By Werewolves” by DJ Throatslice
11. “Living Dead Girl (Subliminal Seduction Mix)” by Rob Zombie
12. “Satan.Omen.Death” by DJ Schmolli
13. “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” by Godhead
14. “Wicked Insane Evil Dub” by Tino
15. “Munster Beat!” by Martinibomb & The Coconut Monkeyrocket
16. “Spider Baby” by Fantomas
17. “The Grim Reaper” by The Trojans
18. “Don’t Laugh” by Josh Wink
19. “Diabolik Boogie” by Messer Chups
20. “Halloween” by Girls Under Glass
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Old Halloween Party Classics:
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1. “Thriller” by Michael Jackson
2. “Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris” Pickett & The Cryptkickers
3. “Witch Doctor” by Sha Na Na
4. “The Purple People Eater” by Sheb Wooley
5. “I Put A Spell On You” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
6. “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker, Jr.
7. “A Nightmare On My Street” by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
8. “Haunted House” by Jumpin’ Gene Simmons
9. “Doin’ The Zombie” by Chubby Checker
10. “Dead Man’s Party” by Oingo Boingo
11. “Bad Moon Rising” by Creedence Clearwater Revival
12. “Teenage Frankenstein” by Alice Cooper
13. “Werewolves Of Londong” by Warren Zevon
14. “Frankenstein” by Edgar Winter Group
15. “I’m Your Boogie Man” by KC & The Sunshine Band
16. “The Time Warp” by Little Nell
17. “She’s My Witch” by Kip Tyler
18. “Don’t Fear The Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult
19. “Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell
20. “Super Freak” by Rick James
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If these above playlists don’t take you to that special Halloween place, then maybe try downloading some original spooky Halloween records from the 60′s and 70′s. There are various blogs out there that solely dedicate themselves to all things Halloween. I’ve found these to be great resources to fill my Halloween music collection with everything past and present. Keep an eye out for such Halloween classics as “Halloween Starring Fat Albert & The Cosby Kids,” “Monster Mash: Sounds Of Terror,” “Mad Monster Party” and the recently remastered release of Walt Disney’s classic “Chilling, Thrilling Sounds Of The Haunted House ” exclusively on iTunes.
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Solid Halloween blogs:
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• Mostly Ghostly Music Sharing Blaaahhhggg!
• Monster Shindig
• Horrophile’s Jukebox
• From The Negative Zone
• CreativeTechs Tips: Classic Halloween Vinyl Records on MP3s
• Scar Stuff
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Have fun this Halloween and happy trick-or-treating! Now go work on that Halloween mix so your friends and guests are chilled and thrilled by your new Halloween music.