I know some folks think its too early to talk about Christmas music. So how about some Halloween tunes?
Growing up, I wasn't a big fan of horror movies. But the eighties produced a formula that purists might have hated, but one that worked perfectly for me. Eighties horror films were one part horror and one part comedic farce, with a solid contemporary soundtrack and a dash of teen angst. Films like "Night of the Comet" and "Fright Night" (the original, not that updated piece of crap) remain among my all time favorite guilty pleasures to this day. And at the top of my list is the 1985 gem, "The Return of the Living Dead".
"The Return of the Living Dead" was released in the same year as George Romero's third zombie flick, "Day of the Dead". While Romero may be credited with creating the modern day Zombie film, John Russo literally wrote the book. When Russo and Romero parted ways, Romero was free to continue making zombie films but Russo got sole custody of the phrase "Living Dead". "The Return of the Living Dead" featured legendary character actors Clu Gulager and James Karen (who turned in an exceptional performance, here) in starring roles, as well as Scream Queen Linnea Quigley. And it is this film that first introduced the concept of zombies craving brains, as opposed to just human flesh. The film spawned no fewer than four sequels, though I was really only aware of the second and third in the series and, IMO, each was less enjoyable than the last. Critics liked it and it was moderately successful but, like any cult movie, its popularity has grown steadily through the years.
Growing up, I wasn't a big fan of horror movies. But the eighties produced a formula that purists might have hated, but one that worked perfectly for me. Eighties horror films were one part horror and one part comedic farce, with a solid contemporary soundtrack and a dash of teen angst. Films like "Night of the Comet" and "Fright Night" (the original, not that updated piece of crap) remain among my all time favorite guilty pleasures to this day. And at the top of my list is the 1985 gem, "The Return of the Living Dead".
"The Return of the Living Dead" was released in the same year as George Romero's third zombie flick, "Day of the Dead". While Romero may be credited with creating the modern day Zombie film, John Russo literally wrote the book. When Russo and Romero parted ways, Romero was free to continue making zombie films but Russo got sole custody of the phrase "Living Dead". "The Return of the Living Dead" featured legendary character actors Clu Gulager and James Karen (who turned in an exceptional performance, here) in starring roles, as well as Scream Queen Linnea Quigley. And it is this film that first introduced the concept of zombies craving brains, as opposed to just human flesh. The film spawned no fewer than four sequels, though I was really only aware of the second and third in the series and, IMO, each was less enjoyable than the last. Critics liked it and it was moderately successful but, like any cult movie, its popularity has grown steadily through the years.
For me, though, the soundtrack was key. With selections from The Cramps, The Damned, and Roky Erickson, "The Return of the Living Dead" immediately became one of my go to records for Halloween. We used a few of the tracks in the first ever Halloween mix we did at Stubbys in 2011.
This is all relevant because the good folks at Real Gone Music--who have reissued so much wonderful Christmas music over the past few years--will be releasing the first ever VINYL reissue of "The Return of the Living Dead" on May 6. The record is pressed to translucent green vinyl--an upgrade from the original standard black--and is limited to either 700 or 750 copies (Real Gone has referenced both numbers). Those 50 copies may be important because Real Gone reports that, interest has been so high, they only have a very few copies remaining for their own customers. So don't sleep on this one or somebody might eat your brains. And that's not good. But this record is.
This is all relevant because the good folks at Real Gone Music--who have reissued so much wonderful Christmas music over the past few years--will be releasing the first ever VINYL reissue of "The Return of the Living Dead" on May 6. The record is pressed to translucent green vinyl--an upgrade from the original standard black--and is limited to either 700 or 750 copies (Real Gone has referenced both numbers). Those 50 copies may be important because Real Gone reports that, interest has been so high, they only have a very few copies remaining for their own customers. So don't sleep on this one or somebody might eat your brains. And that's not good. But this record is.
 | Side One 1. Surfin’ Dead The Cramps 2. Partytime (Zombie Version) 45 Grave 3. Nothing for You T.S.O.L. 4. Eyes Without a Face The Flesh Eaters 5. Burn the Flames Roky Erickson Side Two 1. Dead Beat Dance The Damned 2. Take a Walk Tall Boys 3. Love Under Will The Jet Black Berries 4. Tonight (We’ll Make Love Until We Die) SSQ 5. Trash’s Theme SSQ PRE-ORDER FROM REAL GONE |
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