OK, let’s get this out of the way. Yes, I’m going to do what everybody else does at this time of year, and post some Halloween-themed tracks. But I’m not making the whole entry themed — you’re only getting a couple. Plus, they aren’t the usual heard-em-a-million-times tunes (“Thriller”, “Dead Man’s Party”, etc.) — but I am sticking with the 80s, since that was, as near as I can figure, the last gasp of the spooky-themed pop song.
First up, we have UK proto-goths doing a positively bouncy song on a “spooky” theme. You might know them from such classic Halloween appearances as the “Video Nasties” episode of The Young Ones: The Damned – “Grimly Fiendish.”
Second, one of the most cheesetastic tracks in horror cinema, forming a big part of the club sequence in my favorite 80s horror film, Fright Night: Sparks – “The Armies of the Night.”
OK. There. I’ve gotten it out of my system.
On to my other choices for the week:
Here’s another brilliant track from the self-proclaimed (and hard to argue that, really) “King of Grime”, with an 80s-film-referencing title that my wife will find amusing (since she refers to Dotta Numba Two as “Teenager Two: Electric Boogaloo”): Wiley – “Electric Boogaloo (featuring Jodie Connor and J2K).”
Another track from Slash’s self-titled solo album, this time featuring Black Eyed Peas front-model Fergie on vocals. I like this song far more than it deserves — and Fergie does a passable Axl impression, which makes me actually want to hear her do more in this style. Slash – “Beautiful Dangerous (feat. Fergie).”
I watched the new HBO documentary The Promise: The Recording of “Darkness on the Edge of Town”, which reminded me of how much I really loved Springsteen, whom I had discovered in the pre-Born in the USA era, thanks to the record collection of a friend’s brother, who was away at school — pretty much how I got into Steely Dan, too. I listened to his stuff all the while I was going New Wave and Punk, and I sorta fell out of the habit once college started. The documentary reminded me of one of the album tracks from Darkness which was a favorite of mine. The melody hook of this track still gives me chills, and I had totally forgotten that. Bruce Springsteen – “Candy’s Room.”
Lastly, because nobody’s week is complete without listening to some 80s-anime-soundtrack rock inspired by Ellen Aim from Streets of Fire: Priss & The Replicants – “Konya Wa Hurricane (from “Bubblegum Crisis”).”
Enjoy.