Well, Maybe not

Okay... maybe not the ONLY file. I ewas playing some lounge music, and laughingly picking out a few songs here & there that might be funny to play as a Halloween podcast.

Didn't really find enough songs to do an actual podcast, or anything... But I did get to thinkin' that after my 'Pirates of the Exotic Caribbean', and finally realizing the complete 'Exotic Haunted Mansion'... see last blog posting below...

...that I never have made an 'Exotic Sounds To Make You Shiver'!

I mean, 'Sounds To Make You Shiver' is still my favorite Halloween record of all time... (grab it now at WonderfulWonderblog) and surely it deserves the same mocking-praise that I've heaped on others. OF course I did the 'Sounds and Music To Make You Shiver' for last Halloween -- but that was done (mostly) seriously, with scary music in the background.

Well, this one isn't! Click here for: "Swingin' Sounds To Make You Shiver"

As You've Noticed....

Yes, I know... been gone a while.


Yes, I know... I missed Halloween in March this 03/31-- which is not good cinsidering I kinda wanted to make that a 'real thing'.

Yes, I know.. I am not taking part in the Halloween countdown this year.

Well, it gets tough... Here at the Midnight Hour, I try to focus mainly on stuff I have actually edited together myself and I just haven't honestly put the time into doing a lot of that lately.

But I have made this:

The Exotic Haunted Mansion -- 2009 Update.

***RE-UPPED! The fine, friendly folks at Rapidshare have imposed a 10-dl limit on us cheep folks who don't pay the entry fee... sheesh***


... the only file I am sharing for Halloween this year... this is just because, tho, ALL of my own personal Halloween collection is stuff I grabbed from other blogs & it should all be out there somewhere, anyway... there's nothing I could really add to the countdwon. Plus, there should be a few of my older files still available from last year.

Forbidden Planet... Sweet?

They are commonly called "Forbidden Planet Suite, Parts I and II". they are the bookends to the teaser/trailer that was released in theaters for the Sci-fi Classic, "Forbidden Planet".

What are they?

They aren't on the film's groundbreaking electronic score, by Louis & Bebe Barron. In fact, they don't appear in the movie!

What are they?

They certainly sound kinda 'spacey', kinda like a classic space-opera musical score. If you listen closely to the trailer, you can hear bits & pieces of the the Barron score mixed in.

"That's all very interesting, Harvey, but what are they?"

Well, I'll tell you! They are songs composed by Andre Previn, for other MGM films. 'Part I' is actually the main title music for 'Scene of the Crime', and Part II is the closing credits from 'Bad Day at Black Rock'

And GUESS WHAT? Both of these scores are available on ONE cd, which is available for sale at Amazon.

BUT... as I said above, if you listen closely, you can hear that a creative sound-man at MGM has mixed-in elements from the Barrons' score, along with Previn's tunes, for the trailer. I don't think these songs have ever been released in that form... as a noir-space 'mashup'.

Mashup? Did somebody say mashup? I feel needed again!

Submitted for your approval... my personal recreations, at 192 kbps:

Forbidden Planet Suite, Part I
Forbidden Planet Suite, Part II

Disclaimer: These songs are presented in a form which is unavailable for sale, and provided at a rather low bitrate. It is my intention & belief that offering these as "samples", with the included information & links, will encourage album sales, as I am not offering the full albums, nor the full quality of the songs, nor even a form in which the songs actually appear on the albums. If you like these two samples, please consider buying both scores from Amazon, or your local cd shop, please!

I'm sorry, Cheech. I'm afraid I can't do that.

Ehhh... quick post to share a couple of files I slapped together, more just to have a giggle than anything else. Mp3 format, not even sure of the kbps....


Open the Pod Bay Doors, Chong...

I'm Sorry, Cheech. I'm Afraid I Can't Do That.

Winchell's Donuts....

This one's been shared several times; at least once at the Mostly Ghostly Music Sharing Blaaaaaghhhh: the Winchell's Donut House Halloween Record.

I owned a copy of this record in 1976, when I was a kid-- though I haven't seen it literally in decades. It's cute... creepy enough to stir the Halloween gland, with a mild bit of safety advice for the kiddies before going out trick-or-treating.

This is one of those things that make me wonder what's happened to the Holiday I loved as a kid. I mean, nearly everybody was on the same page in those days.. here's a recent story for a California location of Winchell's, planning to set aside Halloween to give out treats to the kids-- only in MY day... the idea of a store planning to give out treats on Halloween wasn't considered news, it was a typical holiday occurrence!! Kudos to Winchell's for keeping up the tradition!!

Sadly... there isn't even a Winchell's Donut House within 3 states of me these days, so I cannot show my suppport by bringin' the kids by on OcT 31-- but I'll be there in spirit! I'll do something donut-related... maybe I'll go to a Krispy Kreme!

But I Digress....

This cute little record has some great features, as Halloween records go: Humor, a well-executed spooky story, and great spine-chilling sound effects.... The effects, in fact, are good enough to stand alone as isolated sfx-tracks. So, I pulled out the ol' audio editor, and chopped it to bits.

Tracklist:

1. The full album
2. The scary story, isolated
3. The sound-effects sequence
4. "It looks like a pumpkin pie... with clothes on"
5. A deep ghost moan (yeah, yeah, same one from my 'essential scary sounds' entry. I know)
6. "Watch out for ghosts." (see above)
7. Pumpkin laugh turns to Witch Laugh
8. Bats
9. Witch laugh, isolated
10. Owl
11. Wind


All are taken from the original album, just edited & isolated for easy use...
Click Here for the Winchell's Donut House Halloween Record

Count Morbida's Chamber of Horrors

Head on over right now to the Wonderful Wonderblog, and you'll get to see scans of a magazine put out by 'Dynamite' in the 1970's: "Count Morbida's Monster Quiz Book"

Count Morbida was apparently a vampire character who would have quizzes & brain-teases in the pages of a squeaky-clean teen-themed magazine called "Dynamite".. I remember reading several issues at the school library & at an Aunt's house, but I don;t think I ever had my own subscription.

Anyway....

Many Thanks to WFMU's "365 Days Project" for sharing this a number of years ago: Turns out, the magazine put out one of those little plastic records that you coudl pull out from the pages.. or maybe you had to send in for it, who knows. Whatever... this is a cute little mp3 -- audio of ol' Count Morbida leading the listener on a tour of his Chamber of Horrors.

Click Here for Count Morbida's Chamber Of Horrors.

Now What?

I'll try to post a few more things here & there... but I am by & large out of any meaty, quality Halloween stuff I can share.

Sorry....

I kinda hopped into the countdown on a whim... Even so, I do think some of my posts will help enhance folks' Halloween experience this year.


This one, in particular.

I grew up in the 1970's.. so my ears are geared to the sound effects that ended up in movies, specials on tv, on the radio, and on loads of old Halloween records. There are certain sounds I immediately recognize & love, that put me immediately into a fun-lovin', retro Halloween mood.

Here are a bunch of them:

1. The "Barking Wolf" howl
2. "Castle Thunder"
3. Deep Ghost Moan
4. The 'Dinner With Drac' stalking monster intro
5. The 'Dragging Chain Limp' -a la Monster Mash or 'Sounds to Make You Shiver'
6. Ghostly Wailing Theremin(?)
7. Witch's Laugh -from the Winchell's Donut Halloween record
8. Monster Growls - a la Sounds To Make You Shiver
9. The 'Lady Wilhelm'
-- This is a female voice screaming that I hear all the time in ads...almost as often as the 'Wilhelm' scream-- thus, I believe they are inextricably linked: 'Husband & wife', if you will.
10. The 'Triple Threat' scream-- yet another scream that seems to be used a lot on that old Halloween Vinyl!
11. "Watch Out For Ghosts" - Winchell's scary donuts again...
12. "Whistling Wind"
13. The Wilhelm Scream.. one of the most famous, most used sound effects in modern movie history

Seriously... the Wilhelm Scream is used in loads of films. But I Digress....

Anyway, I love all these sound effects, and I hope they exist forever:

Click here for Essential Halloween Sound Effects.