One Guess.

Can anybody guess who I'm going to see tomorrow night??

Who wants to meet me and Mrs. Highbury in Detroit and enjoy the hell out of this show!?!? Full post when I get back!!

The Coupe De Villes - Waiting Out The Eighties

From the "Unbelievably Incredibly Rare, But Absolutely Must Have In Your Collection" pile comes this amazing, super-limited record from 1985. Never commercially released, it was estimated to have around 50 copies made and then given out to friends and family only.

Buy you say, "Who the heck are the Coupe De Villes? I've never heard of them?" You aren't alone...

The Coupe De Villes were a project/party band with an incredible lineup: legendary horror director John Carpenter on synth, Nick Castle (famous actor who played "The Shape" in the original Halloween), on vocals, and Tommy Lee Wallace (director of Halloween III: Season of the Witch, voice on the infamous "Silver Shamrock" commercial AND creator of the original Michael Myers mask) on guitar. And all of this greatness was produced by horror synth master, Alan Howarth.

While this obscure record was only put out in small numbers for friends, the Coup De Villes are well-known for their title track (and amazing video) to Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China.

The songs on Waiting Out The Eighties haven't aged well, but they are a perfect slice of mid-80s synth-pop history. And with questionable song titles including "Manhole," "Hard On Me," and "On My Knees Again," you really can't go wrong. This one is a must-have for hardcore Carpenter fans only, but be prepared to shell out some cash for it. It's very rare and when it does come up, it fetches a premium.

Luckily, you can hear all the tracks over at TGRT91's YouTube channel. And if you REALLY like what you hear, you can go check out the A Viable Commercial blog to grab the tracks. And if you REALLY REALLY need an actual copy of this record, I can only say, "Get in line..."

Alan Howarth at HorrorHound Weekend Cincinnati

I didn't have any intentions of going to the HorrorHound Weekend convention in Cincinnati next weekend until I saw this:

Damn. I mean sure, Elvira, Madchen Amick and Alexandra Breckenridge are all going to be there, but I would make the drive to Cincinnati to see Alan Howarth perform live! Anybody else planning on going and maybe want to shoot a little video for those of us who can't??


 

Goblin Rebirth

I received a pleasant surprise from my mailman yesterday in the form of the Goblin Rebirth record that I had pre-ordered back in May! I wasn't sure what it was until I opened it, as the record showed up a week before its official release date. Sweet!!

And I'm glad I ordered the "pink & gold merge" vinyl because it is stunning, especially with how it ties into the colors and art of the sleeve.

After a couple of spins, I'm really pleased! A solid release filled with synthesizers and guitars that harken back to the classic, lush Italian horror soundtracks of the original Goblin. Another highly-recommended release!!

The standout track on this release for me is, "Back in 74":

X drifts away from his woodland home, leaving his companions behind to finish the ceremony. He cannot understand what has happened but he knows he should not be here. He is dazed and confused. He has no sense of time or distance. Now he is in a place that is vaguely familiar and he watches as an elfish group playfully instructs its offspring. One of the children is particularly daring and disobedient... The fairground is fertile land for goblin mischief. It dawns on X that he is looking on his own past.

X relives his childhood and early adult life, observing his triumphs and mistakes. So many errors—something is telling him that he should be seeking elsewhere and his journey begins.

You can stream the full release at the Goblin Rebirth SoundCloud page. And you can still order shirts, vinyl and CDs from Relapse Records.