Spooky Sounds of the Morgue

Here's a fun one for the weekend! Last October, I ended up grabbing a copy of Fright Rags' limited edition "Spooky Sounds of the Morgue" 7" record and t-shirt bundle. It's a really cool, nostalgic old school "spooky sounds" record with a great illustration on the cover and on the shirt. Along with the soundtrack, animator Mickey Miles created a full video to go along with it. And it is crazy!

From the Fright Rags YouTube channel:

Do you accept the Fright-Rags Fantom's invitation to enter The Morgue?!... Immerse yourself in a macabre auditory & visual experience, as he sends you on a waltz through a nightmarish journey. Each hair-raising note is guaranteed to send shivers down your spine & leave you checking the corners for the boogeyman. Good luck!

And if you missed out on this release, don't fret. This is expected as a full digital release this Halloween. Enjoy!

Ghost - "Kiss The Go-Goat"

Highbury Cemetery favorites Ghost are finally back with a new one, and it has a bit of psychedelic throwback coolness. Dig that funky keyboard! Super catchy with their signature flavoring of less-than-subtle sexuality.

And of course the new 7" record, 7 Inches of Satanic Panic, went up for sale this weekend while I was out riding my bike in the Pennsylvania hills, and I totally missed it. Sold out. Fudge.

So here's my plea to you. If anyone has one on order that they wouldn't mind parting with for a slight profit, please hit me up. I know they are all over eBay already, but I'm not going to pay outrageous flipper prices. Maybe $25 for a mint copy (plus a spirited shout-out on this illustrious blog??). Help a haunter out??

"Famous Ghost Stories With Scary Sounds" Soundtrack

It's hard to believe that we have already reached the third week of October, but the Freebie Friday segments just keep chugging along!

Up next is a classic from Pickwick Records, released in 1975.

Famous Ghost Stories With Scary Sounds features the incredible narration talents of Wade Denning. 

Denning, who was famous for composing radio and tv advertising jingles, also had a wonderful career in children's novelty holiday soundtracks. His infamous Halloween offerings, Sounds To Make You Shiver! and Monster Mash Sounds of Terror! have both been featured in previous Freebie Friday segments.

Though this one is a bit different than the other two. Instead of straightforward scary sound effects or songs, Famous Ghost Stories... features 10 solid spoken stories with accompanying sound effects, including retellings of classics by Washington Irving (The Headless Horseman), Edgar Allan Poe (The Tell-Tale Heart), and Charles Dickens (The Railroad Signal-Man).

Each story captivates and highlights Denning's incredible range of vocal talent, and most of the stories are really fun and entertaining. The entire record is really well produced and makes this a very solid release that everyone should have in their collection!


DOWNLOAD "FAMOUS GHOST STORIES WITH SCARY SOUNDS" HERE!

  

Waxwork Records - "The Thing" Deluxe Vinyl Soundtrack

I've been collecting vinyl records for 25-plus years now, but the record that showed up at my door today may be the new greatest piece in my ever-expanding collection. I have been an avid collector of Waxwork Records' horror and sci-fi soundtrack releases since their start, back in 2013. Beautifully illustrated covers created by well-known artists, stunningly gorgeous colored vinyl combinations and well-researched and thorough liner notes by directors and composers have become a hallmark of the Waxwork name, and their latest release is undoubtedly their best yet.

John Carpenter's 1982 sci-fi horror masterpiece, The Thing, is widely regarded as some of his best work. Carpenter, who is well-known for scoring his own films, actually stepped away from writing the soundtrack for this film, and instead turned it over to legendary Italian soundtrack composer, Ennio Morricone. Morricone's cold, minimalist composition sets the perfect tone to accentuate the theme of stark isolation in the film.

Continuing with that cold, stark theme, Waxwork's "Trapped In The Ice" Deluxe Edition is somewhat of a masterpiece in its own right. The entire package comes housed in a glossy, die-cut outer case with only a stark logo of the film's title.

The outer case then "cracks" apart to reveal the contents inside: a gatefold sleeve, beautifully illustrated by Justin Erickson of Phantom City Creative, a fold-out poster and a matching booklet, complete with a full interview with director John Carpenter.

And if the outer die-cut shell, gatefold sleeve, booklet and fold-out poster weren't enough, the blue and white haze "ice" vinyl may be the best part of this incredible package. A beautiful swirl pattern that almost reflects the outline of Antarctica itself on the cover.

Top to bottom, this is easily one of the best releases to come out of Waxwork (and that really is saying something!). The amount of work that went into this release is staggering and the end product takes its rightful place at the top of my collection.

And unfortunately, with the hype that surrounded this release, the Deluxe version sold out immediately. But you can still find this (as well as the standard white vinyl "snow" edition) on eBay or Discogs, albeit at a premium price. But save your pennies, because this really is a piece that needs to be in your collection!