Newspaper Page Text
October 30,1991 Jktgpofe JJfagasitte Page 19
cartj music, fobs
Come now, my pretties, and hearken to my
words of wisdom — ye shall not let Halloween pass
without casting a spooky spell o’er the land with my
special brew o’melodies..
What would Halloween be without a little of
Bach’s “Toccata & Fugue in D Minor"? This is that
organ tune you always hear in those weird Bugs
Bunny cartoons where Bugs is a guest in a haunted
house. You know; the scene where he wakes up to
the sound of eerie organ music downstairs, and
quick investigation reveals that (gasp!) a GHOST is
playing it! — Terrifying, isn't it? Anyway, this has to
be the quintessential Halloween song. Zombies will
come and snatch you away if you don’t hear it at
least once during this creepi
est of holidays. [Also check
out my favorite “A Night on
Bald Mountain" on the Fanta
sia soundtrack.]
And speaking of classical
music capable of making your
skin crawl, take a listen to
"Carmina Burana: Introduc
tion" by Carl Orff. The Atlanta
Symphony Orchestra and
Chorus did a rendition of this
for Oliver Stone’s The Doors.
Powerful stuff. (And while we’re
mentioning The Doors, the
movie soundtrack also fea
tures their song "The Severed
Garden (Adagio),’ which is
dark and dismal — i.e. perfect
for this shadowy season).
If you're more in the mood
for music not featuring entire orchestras to add that
phantasmal atmosphere to your evening, the list of
possibilities is infinite. A quick look at the tarot cards
reveals the most outstanding choices:
Bauhaus. Who could possibly get through Hal
loween without a few of their ghoulish melodies 7
“Bela Lugosi’s Dead," "King Volcano" and "Who
Killed Mr. Moonlight 7 " are your best bets. "Bela" is
the theme song from The Hunger, a funky David
Bowie vampire film, but the song itself is about the
star of the original Dracula from 1931. And don’t
forget to pick up Peter Murphy’s Deep while you’re
at it; Murphy was the epitome of spooky as Bauhaus'
singer, and his solo work continues the tradition.
"The Line Between the Devil’s Teeth (And That
Which Cannot Be Repeat)" or "Marlene Dietrich’s
Favorite Poem" are more commercial than the work
Murphy did with Bauhaus, but the lyrics drip sar
casm and are sure to tickle the intellectual iurkmg
inside of you.
Heavy metal has always been strong in the
Death and Destruction departments, so make sure
to include some of it on your list. Megadeth’s "Wake
Up Dead" (how subtle). Mdtley Crue’s "Shout at the
Devil’ — and don't forget the classic Black Sabbath
“D.O.A."; it’s a must-have this time of year. Hell,
ANYTHING by Ozzy Osbourne will work. And for S3
in the bargain bins, how can you go wrong?
The 70s were a heyday in terms of horror music.
Alice Cooper is the best-known terror master be
cause of his theatrical approach to the "gore genre "
The 1975 album Welcome to My Nightmare even
features Vincent Price, the same guy from Michael
Jackson’s Thriller, which will not be discussed here
in the sincere hope of burying it forever (please
forgive the pun...). Anyway, besides Mr. Cooper’s
albums, there are also some gems to be found in
David Bowie’s work. "Future Legend," "Lightning
Frightening," "Glass Spider," "All The Madmen,"
and of course the gruesome "Please Mr. Gravedig
ger" all come to mind.
For the most part, the '80s produced songs
about sex, drugs, all that cliche stuff, but there were
some notable exceptions. Gene Loves Jezebel's
early albums contained many a ghoulish tune, like
“Screaming For Emmalene"
and “Wraps & Arms," both
from their album Promise.
"King Of Pain" by the Police
or "Red Skies" by the Fixx
could also fit into the mood
of Halloween evening, but
"Waiting for the Night Boat"
by Duran Duran (yes, that’s
right, Duran Duran) or "Lady
Ice" by Arcadia might be
better choices. And believe
it or not. those wholesome
Aussie guys in Crowded
House have a song about
suicide which would work
well on the 31st; it's titled
“Hole in the River."
Alternative rock offers its
share of spooky stuff, too:
"Every Day Is Halloween"
by Ministry is perfect for the occasion, as is Lou
Reed’s "Halloween Parade." While you’re at it,
drag out your Cure albums, because they're chock
full of suitably weird songs, such as "A Forest,"
“The Kiss" or the haunting bass instrumental
“Descent" from their Standing on a Beach compi
lation. Sinead O'Connor even gets into the somber
mood on “Stretched on Your Grave" from / Do Not
Want What I Haven't Got, as does Bob Mould with
"Poison Years* and "Sinner Then Repentance"
from Workbook. To complete your alternative col
lection, pick up "Crazy’ by the Thomoson Twins,
“The Purest Blue’ from Love & Rockets, and "Travel
By Thought" from the Church.
Another song of note is Steve Kilbey's "Like A
Ghost," which takes a look at a few common
problems experienced by the shadowy specters
skulking about (“We’ve got to have a talk/Cause
you’re wearing a sheet’). Kilbey also came out with
“Ariel Sings," which is creepy in a surrealist type of
way. Since it’s on the same album (The Slow Crack)
as "Like A Ghost," you’re in luck
And there you have it. compliments of my crys
tal ball and magic spells. It's only a fraction of
ghoulish, ghastly musical possibilities at your dis
posal this Halloween. Spooky songs are every
where; it only takes a quick trip to your nearest
haunted record store to get them in your ghostly
little hands before October 31 comes around. Have
n ' Katherine Yeske
Surreal Theatre
Maurice Greenia Jr.
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WEDNESDAY
V Dance
— DJ — y
Brian
"Love Daddy'
Bone
THURSDAY
Costume
Party
$100 in cash
&
prizes to
the Winner!
FRIDAY
Dance Party
Ladies FREE
— DJ —
Mike
Church
SATURDAY
Beat the
Clock
Drink 'til
midnight
Dance 'til Three
— DJ —
Brain
"Love Daddy'
Bone
Call
369-7315
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