D. Records "Halloween Sounds & Music for Your Parties, Trick or Treaters & School Festivals" (D. Records, SR8001, 1960's)

Here's a 1960's Halloween sound effects album that came out of Texas on D Records, one of the many great labels spun from "Pappy" Daily's Glad Music publishing company (though this particular record was produced by his son Don, or "Dlanod Yliad" as he's credited on the back cover). While it's a cool little time capsule on its own, Spook Show fans should take extra note here since it's the opening track, "Haunting Melody: Screams, Creaky Ghost Voices, Spooky Sounds", that's memorably being played behind the Kara-Kum ad spiel ("You'll see blood curdling sadistic surgery! Someone's head will be cut off with a butcher knife and thrown to the audience! Don't loose YOUR head! Do you believe that the out-of-space monster who died -- yet alive, will come to seek the warm blood that he needs to keep himself alive? Don't treat this lightly! How are YOU fixed for blood? The dead will return from graves! Ghosts and skeletons will fly above you, and some may sit by your side and plant cold damp kisses upon your cheek!") found on Something Weird Video's Monsters Crash the Pajama Party (Spook Show Spectacular) DVD. (and hey, while I'm plugging SWV, you wanna see some design work I did for them? Click here).

Lots of these stock spooky sounds will at least be somewhat familiar to you if you've done time with Halloween records (sometimes you can even hear the tape spool power up/ off as the reel is queued up or stopped), though the bonus here is that there's generally a lot less cross fading and layering which allows you to, you know, really focus on those goblins laughing. The album definitely has a lot of original touches too, mostly in the music. The closer "Ghost Parade March" is actually a creepy version of "Mac the Knife" (or something with almost the same chord changes -- help my poor brain out here while I make a pot of coffee), and though I'm guessing that the carnival melody heard at the end of "Ghost From Outer Space" is probably library, the haunting out of tune "Ghost Combo play Spook Music" must be an original number. So check it all out, and hey -- then feel free to pick up the The Complete 'D' Singles Collection from Bear Family to send my way.


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