Customer Reviews

Halloween Hootenanny

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love this CD to death! It's got surf, rockabilly, and even some macabre mambo music. This is hauntingly hip halloween party music you'll want to play all year round.

It also features a spoken intro by Zacherley, the famous TV Horror Host from the fifties. He also sits in with the crazy fun Southern Culture on the Skids for some spoken word on the track, Sinister Purpose.

This is one of those CD's I put in the player and hit repeat all tracks and start working at the computer, because I enjoy all of it. I just have to get up from working occassionally to dance around madly. The artwork inside and out on the CD is also very killer, very retro creature feature-esque.

Fun stuff!

I can definitely visualize a tiki-laden environment, like a Halloween Luau, perhaps at the beach at night, with everyone dressed up as their favorite monsters, sipping martinis and dancing nearby a bonfire to the joyous tunes of Halloween revery...

1. Halloween Hootenanny - Zacherie

We are introduced to the Halloween festivities with a poem narrated by our Ghoulish Host Zacherie, providing a welcoming atmosphere, starting off the party...

2. Halloween (She Get So Mean) - Rob Zombie

Emerging from the blackened earth, the zombie king launches the celebrations with a bang, where you can picture Baby girating in a devil-girl a-go-go costume...

3. The Halloween Dance - Reverend Horton Heat

Stick your arms out like you're in a trance, the gang's all here! You can hear them in the background throughout the songs herein. Everyone's having fun beneath the harvest moon!

4. A Fistful Of Terror - The Bomboras

An effervescent instrumental reminiscent of 'Wipe-out' by The Ventures.

5. Werewolf - Southern Culture On The Skids

Lycanthropic fun! You really being out the beast in Me!

6. Gravewalk - Satan's Pilgrims

A nocturnal jaunt in the graveyard may yield some unexpected pleasures...

7. Ribcage Mambo - Frenchy

A dimly-lit room, smoke looming above everyone's heads, as a zombie-like Noir beauty slinks out into the spotlight in a sequence gown and pillbox hat, while the skeletal band plays a hauntingly exotic number...

8. I Drink Blood - Rocket From The Crypt

High-velocity with a very feedback / static quality.

9. Little Demon - The Amazing Crowns

A Rockabilly cover of the classic by Witch Doctor Screamin' Jay Hawkins.

10. No Costume, No Candy - Swingin' Neckbreakers

Now here's a great sign waiting to happen! A really fun song addressing a possible issue on Halloween night. Perhaps those who do not dress up but still expect candy should also be given the "trick" of fetid condoments in those little packets instead of candy. If you lack the imagination or effort to celebrate, don't dare expect a treat here! You're no mummy, you're just a dummy!

11. 'The Munsters' Theme - Los Straitjackets

An amusing spook-surf rendition of the original by Jack Marshall, from a band who dress up as masked wrestlers.

12. Sinister Purpose - Zacherie

I really enjoy this one, wherein The Devil comes knocking on the coffin door offering wondrous gifts of immortality and riches. Sort of reminds Me of L'Air Epais, wherein one is awakened unto one's carnal nature.

13. Werewolves On Wheels - The Born Losers

Lycans on motorcycles going wild into the night!

14. Psychic Voodoo Doll - Deadbolt

Somewhat of an endearing sado-masochistic romantic tune.

15. Banshee Beach - The Ghastly Ones

Another fun instrumental. This actually reminds Me of a shirt which featured The Creature, Frankenstein, The Mummy, and Wolfman carrying surfboards, heading out for some tasty waves. This from a band who look like undertakers.

16. The Creature Stole My Surfboard - Dead Elvi

A humorous diddy about a surfer relating the time when The Creature took over his board for some late-night surfing. Of course, the band are all dressed as zombie Elvi...

17. Extrasensory Deception - David Allan/Phantom Surfers

Yet another highly-energetic instrumental utilizing some echo effects to add to that haunting element.

18. Spooks Night Out - Legendary Invisible Men

The spooks are out! With vocals sounding like they emminate from a megaphone, accompanied by echoing guitar and organ. Yes, that's right, the band members are bandaged invisible men.

19. Happy Halloween - Zacherie

Our host would stop at nothing to wish all a Happy Halloween!

The booklet features Rob Zombie's artwork throughout, from Frankenstein to The Mummy, with Baby dressed up like a barbie-like sexy witch on the back.

Overall, Halloween Hootenanny is a fun collection of jaunty tunes for year-'round revery, in a "spook surf", martini-sipping sort of way. Amidst the undead 50's-style rockabilly, many of which are enhanced with sound effects, we hear from "Zacherie", a ghoulish host regailing the listener with haunted tales sure to add that certain spicy ingredient to the Witch's brew.

This is one of the best rock-oriented Halloween compilations I have heard. Every band here is hep, though Zacherle & Southern Culture on the Skids absolutely steal the show with "Sinister Purpose."

"Halloween Hootenanny" is totally solid, with the strongest Halloween essence delivered by The Bomboras (my favorite of the instrumental tracks), Dead Elvi (I love that name name!), The Ghastly Ones, and "Ribcage Mambo" by Frenchy. The Amazing Crowns' take on "Little Demon" is very good, but nowhere near as hot as Screamin' Jay Hawkins' version (then again, there was only one Screamin' Jay!).

There are plenty of good contemporary Halloween compilation CDs out there, but I would easily place this high in the top 10 of the heap!

This is one cool album. It's Halloween in California. This is probably Rob Zombies least known album. Although he only contributed one (non-heavy metal) song it's a must have for Zombie fans. It's kid friendly too. Zombie decided to make an album using current bands that specialized in either late 1950s rockabilly or early 1960s surf music. It is great fun. Every track is worth listening to. I always envision the Munsters hanging out at the beach when I hear this album. It is absolutley original, reasonably priced and is great for Halloween parties. Who better to give us an album about Halloween than Mr. Rob Zombie.

This is a fun Halloween CD assembled by Rob Zombie. Most of the music here is either rockabilly or surf, and it's all pretty wild. The one performance that seems out of place here is by Frenchy, which is sort of bachelor pad lounge music. Some of my favorites here are by Reverend Horton Heat, Southern Culture on the Skids, The Amazing Crowns, Swingin' Neckbreakers, Los Straitjackets, Dead Elvi and Rob Zombie himself. Get this CD if you want to have a rocking Halloween party.

Once in awhile, you pick up that random album that totally rocks your world and changes your life. I've always loved surf and psychobilly and this disc turned me on to so many awesome bands I never knew about. Especially the Dead Elvi! They have become one of my favorite bands.(psst-find their website for more of their tunes)
And when you toss in Rob Zombie, The Bomboras, The Ghastly Ones (2 more new favorites!), and Zacherle you just know you're in for a treat! All the tunes stay true to the spirit of Halloween without any cheesy soud effects like other compilations. While "Ribcage Mambo" isn't the same type of music as the rest of the disc, the crazy lyrics and swanky vibe make it fit perfectly thematically.
After getting this, it quickly became my #1 Halloween disc and it gets played year round, at least once a week!

Carve your pumpkins, spike your punch, and if you're not dressed up, your out of the party.
This is the best Halloween party music I've ever heard. Surf, rockabilly, psychobilly, and all the sounds that remind you of cheesy 70's horror/monster flicks. Put out by Rob Zombie's Zombie A Go-Go Records, this album includes Reverend Horton Heat, Southern Culture On the Skids, and my favorite (new) surf band, the Bomboras. But what's great about this album is that it's not filled with squeaking bats, chains rattling, and wolfs howling (there is a little, but not too much), so you can listen to it at any time of the year. Great for driving.
For more good rockin Halloween music, check out Monster Bop. Full of old garage bands singing about monsters.

It's that time of year when you can listen to this one late at night under a full moon, the dead leaves scraping across the road and swirling in the yard in the cool yet still somewhat warm breeze. The kind of breeze that comes in waves in such a manner it makes the house creak and you think something fell in the garage, perhaps a sharp intrument, and now there are noises coming from the basement. Then there are all those stories having something to do about an ancient Indian burial ground located near this very spot, or perhaps someone met their demise in an unspeakable act of violence in the area.

The trick is to put this CD on at a moderate to loud volume to drown out the voices/sounds you hear all around you, it actually soothes you and let's you enjoy the ambiance of it all, you can almost picture a ghost dancing along to it, forgetting it's supposed to be scaring you. The demons are now excited, the only sounds you will hear now is them knocking over a broom or shovel as they glide about to the flow of this CD.

It all sounds like the makings of pure evil; but in fact it's just mischievious fun, different sounds, from surf rock, to punk, a sorta funky romp, or novelty alternative feel to these songs. All the reviews raving this one are right, it's so good...it's scary. I couldn't imagine October without it.

Favs:
1. Sinister Purpose
2. Halloween (She Get So Mean)
3. Ribcage Mambo
4. The Halloween Dance
5. Werewolf
6. Gravewalk
7. Little Demon
8. No Costume, No Candy
9. Psychic Voodoo Doll
10. The Creature Stole My Surfboard

This is one of my favorite CD's. I play it every year around halloween to get me in the mood (and other times during the year). All the tracks are such rockin' good fun! Lots of my favorite surf and rockabilly bands on this one. I loooove Zacherly's tracks the best. I've had a number of people borrow it from me. A big hit at parties, too!

I don't know why anyone hasn't talked about the best band and song on here, DEADBOLT's Psychic Voodoo Doll puts all the other songs on this album to shame. The whole album is good, but if you love DEADBOLT this is definatley a collectible..".you mess with me and you'll roast in the flames, ahhhh".