JUKEBOX: There’s A Ghost In My House
Asking me to choose just 10 songs to fill out a retro Halloween playlist is like asking me to walk a tightrope across Fifth Avenue. In fact, Halloween is my favorite time of year almost solely because I have an excuse to break out my collection of ghoulish grooves. Of course, this includes “Monster Mash,” “The Witch Doctor,” and all of those other great novelty records. For this playlist, however, I wanted to focus on songs that, regardless of whether or not they were specially produced for Halloween, have a creepy vibe.
Some of the songs have a more forthright agenda without really heading to Halloweentown (“Surfin’ Hearse” by Jan and Dean, “Frankenstein Twist” by the Crystals), while others use every note to instill some unease in the listener (“Jack the Ripper” by Screamin’ Lord Sutch, “There’s a Ghost in My House” by R. Dean Taylor). Here’s a five-song sampling of what you’ll find on the Spotify list below. I only regret that I couldn’t cram more of my favorite skeleton-stompers on there, but there’s always next year, right?
1) “Watusi Zombie,” Jan Davis (1964)
A ubiquitous guitar player on the ’60s LA scene, Jan Davis’ fingerprints are on countless instrumentals of the day, whether producing originals later covered by the likes of the Ventures, or punching up Dick Dale’s “Misirlou” with its signature yell, hand claps, and other colloquial elements. That same boisterous yell kicks off “Watusi Zombie,” a dirty, raunchy surf tune with dark undertones and eerie, disembodied noises, perfect for a late-night stroll through the grooviest graveyard ever.
2) “Jack the Ripper,” Screaming Lord Sutch (1963)
When you consider that “Jack the Ripper” was a contemporary with Beatlemania in the UK, the song takes on an even more bizarre, sinister feel that extrapolates on the novelty of the record. That’s okay; so does Lord Sutch. Emo before emo was a thing, Sutch had a penchant for dressing up as the Victorian serial killer for live performances, even popping out of coffins when it struck his fancy. It’s overkill to tell you “Jack the Ripper” was produced by Joe Meek, since it’s got his signature in every nook and cranny, which is exactly what makes this the tune’s ultimate version.
3) “Voodoo in My Basement,” The Lovin’ Spoonful (1966)
You really wouldn’t expect a group of guys who, just one album earlier, had a hit with a song about placidly daydreaming to record a dark and twisted nightmare that includes throwing gasoline in someone’s face. Lead guitarist Zal Yanovsky’s unique and graveled voice is perfect to handle the laundry list of demonic threats, while the more melodic John Sebastian (who wrote this thing, by the way) provides ghoulish and haunting background vocals. The point of the Spoonful’s third album, Hums of the Lovin’ Spoonful, was to let the band show off its musical prowess by incorporating as many styles and weird instruments as they could (and, of course, they played everything themselves). Among the album’s other achievements, “Voodoo in My Basement” can arguably be called the spookiest song of 1966, at least in my book.
4) “Martian Hop,” The Ran-dells (1963)
While it’s not as outwardly creepy as some of the others on this list, “Martian Hop” has all the right ingredients to make it a Halloween staple: the supernatural, weird synthesizers, and a jarring falsetto. Not to mention it’s a great tune to stomp along with. Recorded by three first cousins from New Jersey, “Martian Hop” was the first time sine wave generators were featured on a pop record, and can be heard as the song “tunes in” from the beginning. Though the song peaked at #16 on the Billboard charts, the Ran-dells, who got their name from one of the members’ DJ moniker (Steve Randle), would be ultimately relegated to one-hit wonder status. But their charming (and somewhat disturbing) song about a visit to an alien dance party remains a great example of early-’60s future-fantasy and technological experimentation.
5) “1-2-5,” The Haunted (1966)
Though the exact meaning of “1-2-5” has been up for debate pretty much since the record’s release, this song remains a staple of ’60s garage rock. And, okay, maybe it’s only the band’s name that qualifies it for this list, but listen to that blazing organ riding low underneath the fuzz guitars and wailing harmonica, and tell me it doesn’t give you a few heebie jeebies? This particular version is the cleaned-up copy for those sensitive Canadian ears in the Haunted’s home country, but still takes a few jabs at their record company and mentions some chick named Mary Jane. I’m sure she’s a very lovely girl.
Cover photo of Lord Sutch via The Complete Story of Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages.
