BOOTH ANNOUNCER GARY OWENS:
...and the cow was returned to its rightful owner.
And that's the latest from S-P-M-M news...
fast, up-to-the-minute, completely fake
and proud of it. Now stand by for
fast, up-to-the-minute, completely fake
and proud of it. Now stand by for
STUCK LIKE GLUE
on SHADY BLUE
on SHADY BLUE
on the station that's #1 for music and fun - S-P-M-M!
PIGGYBACK COLD OPEN: CLICK TO
PLAY FIRST VIDEO. AT 16 SEC. MARK,
CLICK TO START SECOND VIDEO!
"Little Devil" - Neil Sedaka
(May/June 1961, highest chart pos. #9 Cash Box/#11 Hot 100)
Yessum, he's the real deal, my friend Neil. That was Mr. Neil Sedaka
kicking-off my Halloween Spooktacular with "Little Devil," a top 10
hit in 1961 for the prolific, terrific singer and songwriter.
Good morn and howdy-do!
I'm Shady Blue hoping to
have you Stuck Like Glue
before I'm through. It's time
for you to wake up and smell
the coffee (along with my
stinky socks.) I've been
wearing the same pair
ever since Sedaka
waxed that song.
(BA-DUM-BUMP)
Today's play list is designed to get
you in the mood for trick-or-treat
fright night. It'll be here before you
know it, so let's keep the spooky
records (and stomachs) turning.
By special request, I've got another soundtrack song from Blue Velvet, one of
the featured films in my recent tribute to director David Lynch. In the fall of
1963, pop crooner Bobby Vinton gained a #1 charting hit with the tender
ditty that later became the title song of that neo-noir mystery thriller
movie. If you're watching my simulcast on YouTube, behold the
film's opening sequence and note how Lynch uses the sweet
song "Blue Velvet" to arouse fear and loathing.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
As you will see, Bobby's ballad starts out in complete harmony with
the images of small town serenity on the screen, but soon the song
contradicts the action... letting the audience know that, beneath
its tranquil veneer, all is not well in Lumberton, North Carolina.
"Blue Velvet" - Bobby Vinton
(Sept./Oct. 1963, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box,
opening scene from Sept. 1986 film Blue Velvet)
I don't know about you, but Shady Blue's got goose bumps thinking about
tough guy Frank Booth and a candy-colored clown they call the Sandman.
You just heard the contrapuntal theme song from the David Lynch's
Blue Velvet on this special Halloween edition of Stuck Like Glue.
Our next number is by the Toronto group
The Diamonds. Along with The Crew-Cuts,
another group from that city, The Diamonds
rose to fame covering R&B songs. In 1956
The Diamonds approached the top 10 with
Frankie Lymon's "Why Do Fools Fall In
Love" and with "The Church Bells May
Ring," originally waxed by The Willows.
In 1957, The Diamonds' version of
The Gladiolas' single "Little Darlin'"
lasted half a year on the chart and
spent 8 weeks at #2 behind Elvis
Presley's smash "All Shook Up."
In '59, just in time for Halloween,
The Diamonds released the creepy
song you are about to hear.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
It was penned by lyricist Roy Alfred who wrote "The Hucklebuck,"
a hit for Chubby Checker, and "Let's Lock The Door," a hit
for Jay And The Americans. The Diamonds now with--
"Batman, Wolfman, Frankenstein or Dracula!"
for Jay And The Americans. The Diamonds now with--
"Batman, Wolfman, Frankenstein or Dracula!"
"Batman, Wolfman, Frankenstein Or Dracula" - The Diamonds
(Oct. 1959, uncharted B side of "Walkin' The Stroll")
BOOTH ANNOUNCER:
IT'S A
SHADY BLUE
(ECHO CHAMBER)
DOUBLE PLAY-AY-AY-AY-AY-AY-AY
That's right. Shady Blue's
turning a double play with
another song for you
by The Diamonds.
START VIDEO NOW!
The monster record I just played was not
a monster hit. In fact it missed the chart,
and so did the A side of that single
"Walkin' The Stroll," an attempt by
a monster hit. In fact it missed the chart,
and so did the A side of that single
"Walkin' The Stroll," an attempt by
The Diamonds to milk the success
of this song, their original dance hit
"The Stroll." Watch as the kids in
Des Moines, Iowa, go strollin'
on the TV show Seventeen!
of this song, their original dance hit
"The Stroll." Watch as the kids in
Des Moines, Iowa, go strollin'
on the TV show Seventeen!
"The Stroll" - The Diamonds
(Jan./Feb. 1958, highest chart pos. #1 Cash Box/#4 Hot 100,
ep. of TV dance program Seventeen on WOI-TV
channel 5 Ames/Des Moines, Iowa)
Old gold sound and images there as you watched couples performing the line dance
fad The Stroll on an early 1958 episode of Seventeen, a show that originated from
the studios of WOI-TV in Ames, Iowa. In the early 70s, The Stroll became a
regular feature on Soul Train with the hippest dancers on TV strutting
down The Soul Train Line. That single by The Diamonds topped the
Cash Box chart in the early weeks of 1958. It was later used in
the soundtrack of American Graffiti and, in counterpoint,
in the 1986 sci-fi/horror movie Night Of The Creeps.
fad The Stroll on an early 1958 episode of Seventeen, a show that originated from
the studios of WOI-TV in Ames, Iowa. In the early 70s, The Stroll became a
regular feature on Soul Train with the hippest dancers on TV strutting
down The Soul Train Line. That single by The Diamonds topped the
Cash Box chart in the early weeks of 1958. It was later used in
the soundtrack of American Graffiti and, in counterpoint,
in the 1986 sci-fi/horror movie Night Of The Creeps.
If you're just tuning in, I'm Shady Blue
doing my best to get you Stuck Like Glue
with a killer lineup of songs for Halloween
right here on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio,
where the spooky sounds of the past
come back to haunt you.
At the top of the show we heard from
Neil Sedaka who wants to make
a little devil his girl.
Neil Sedaka who wants to make
a little devil his girl.
START VIDEO NOW!
Elvis Presley is going the other way.
Presley got wise to a-- "Devil In Disguise!"
Presley got wise to a-- "Devil In Disguise!"
"(You're The) Devil In Disguise" - Elvis Presley
(July/Aug. 1963, highest chart pos. #3 Hot 100 & Cash Box)
BOOTH ANNOUNCER:
IT'S ANOTHER
SHADY BLUE
(ECHO CHAMBER)
DOUBLE PLAY-AY-AY-AY-AY-AY-AY
Yes indeed, not one but two double plays in this edition of Stuck Like Glue!
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
I'm hooked on a feeling with Elvis the Pelvis... a feeling
like my head is spinning 'round and 'round-- "Witchcraft!"
like my head is spinning 'round and 'round-- "Witchcraft!"
"Witchcraft" - Elvis Presley
(Oct./Nov. 1963, highest chart pos. #32 Hot 100,
#33 Cash Box, B side of "Bossa Nova Baby")
You just heard two Presley platters back-to-back: "Witchcraft," an Elvis
cover of a 1956 R&B record by The Spiders, made a run at the top 30
at Halloween 1963 on the B side of "Bossa Nova Baby." Before that,
you listened to "(You're The) Devil In Disguise," a top 3 charting
single for The King during the summer that same year.
Uh-oh, the boss man, Shady Del Knight,
is signalling me to put a pitchfork in it,
because I'm done. That does it for my
Halloween Spooktacular. Thanks a lot
for tuning in. Stick around. Coming up
on the flip side of Gary Owens' news,
because I'm done. That does it for my
Halloween Spooktacular. Thanks a lot
for tuning in. Stick around. Coming up
on the flip side of Gary Owens' news,
it's the return of AIDA, that living doll
robotic bad girl from Marvel's Agents
of S.H.I.E.L.D... who will hold your
brain hostage inside The Framework,
so keep it right here on S-P-M-M...
the station that's number one for
music and Halloween fun.
CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!
THE VIDEO NOW!
And I'll be back soon with more golden greats to get you Stuck Like Glue.
To play us off, here's the instrumental rock group The Ventures, whisking
us away to "The Twilight Zone," a track from their 1964 album
Ventures In Space. Now this is Shady Blue saying
so long and happy Halloween!
"The Twilight Zone" - The Ventures
(from 1964 album Ventures In Space)
That last one is a classic. Like the theme from Jaws - who doesn't know what it's from?
ReplyDeleteHi, Alex!
DeleteThanks for checking in and checking out Shady Blue's H-ween post, good buddy. You be the Early Bird again this week!
Good point! Folks of a certain age are very familiar with both themes you mentioned. However I often wonder how much longer it will be until they and other 20th century tunes we know like the backs of our hands are regarded as obscure relics of the past, known to relatively few members of younger generations. Time has a way of marching on. I am shocked to see all the "Reaction" videos springing up on YouTube with Generation Z-ers listening to bands like The Beatles for the very first time and evaluating them, as if they are uniquely qualified to tell their followers whether the band was any good or not. Some adopt a mocking tone. It's scary.
Thanks again for your visit and comment, good buddy Alex!
Tom,
ReplyDeleteI'm here! I'm here! I got tied up doing things and forgot to pop over to your place straight off this morning. The only songs in today's line up I know would be 'Blue Velvet' and 'Devil in Disguise'. There's a slight possibility I recall 'The Twilight Zone' by The Ventures but I can't swear to it. This was a great fun post. Why didn't you save it for closer to Halloween or do you have plans to run this series each week this month? Oh well, it doesn't really matter. It was funtastic as always. You sure do know how to delight your readers with interesting content and music. The songs I didn't know was a nice to sample. Have a boogietastic week, my friend!
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteThanks for dropping by, dear friend!
Shady Blue welcomes you and I welcome you to Mr. Blue's Halloween Spooktacular. To answer your question, I have so many H-ween related posts lined up this year that I needed to get them started early - in September. As you recall, I already ran the David Lynch tribute and Nancy Wheeler's first show. There will be different presenters hosting every post. You'll see what I mean as the weeks go by.
I'm glad you recognized a couple of Shady Blue's spook tunes and enjoyed listening to the others. You might be a little too young, but perhaps you remember the characters cast in ghoulish green in the CD album art at the top of the post - Uncle Fester and Lurch from The Addams Family.
Thank you again for your kind visit, comment and compliments on the style of the post. I'm glad you had fun, and I'm hoping you are now Stuck Like Glue on Shady Blue.
Have a wonderful week, dear friend Cathy!
Hey Tom,
DeleteThis week has been busy. I'm sorry for not swinging by yesterday. Yeah, I remember Uncle Fester and Lurch from The Addams Family. By the time I began watching the series it was on reruns in the late 60s through much of the 70s. I can't say when I stopped watching after school programs such as this show but I loved those old shows. I have no interest in the newer animated and non-animated flicks. They'll never touch the appeal of classic TV days.
Okay, I see now. I didn't make the connection with your earlier posts leading up to Halloween but yeah I see that David Lynch tribute is a great way to kick of the boo-season.
Well, let me jet for now. Thanks for dropping by this morning to check out Granny and Tweety in living color from my A2Z Looney Tunes Art Sketch series. Have a wonderfully Wild Wednesday, my friend!
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteThanks for coming back to chat, dear friend! I agree. They don't make 'em like they used to - movies, TV shows, music, and the list goes on.
I need to run, too. I am leaving in a couple of minutes for another doctor appointment on the far side of town, so I need to close down. Thank you again for your kind visit and follow-up comment, dear friend Cathy!
Good-morning, Tom!
DeleteThanks for dropping by earlier this morning before heading out the door to your doctor appointment. I see that you also went yesterday. Is everything ok? I hope so, dear friend! Have a good afternoon and be well!
Hi again, Cathy!
DeleteThanks for your concern. Like you and Birgit and other friends, I have a few medical concerns that need periodic and in some cases regular attention. I don't like to discuss them here at Shady's Place because your host "Shady," the character I created, has never been sick a day in his life. He's invincible, a character who lives to have fun and is always ready to party. That's the image and illusion I try to preserve to keep friends smiling, laughing, singing and dancing. However, since you asked, I will tell you that I have been dealing with a chronic condition since 1977 when I was still in my 20s. It is RA, rheumatoid arthritis, which was so aggressive in the 70s and 80s that it destroyed one of my hip joints and damaged several others before doctors found the right combination of meds to bring it under control. (I needed to have a total hip replacement in January 1983.) From the 1990s until a year ago things were going well, but then the RA returned with a vengeance, requiring me to switch to a different drug to slow its progress throughout my body. So now I need to go for monthly infusions at a clinic. The drive to the medical center plus the wait to have my meds mixed fresh on the spot and then administered, takes several hours out of my day and leaves me very sleepy afterward, and so those monthly infusion days are mostly unproductive. Today, I needed to attend to a different matter. I drove to another city where a dermatologist removed a growth similar to a skin tag from one of my eyelids. It had started as a little bump but grew larger over the last few months and was starting to enter my field of vision, making it a nuisance and potentially dangerous to drive. The derma doctor removed it this morning and now I have swelling around that eye and some bleeding to contend with. It's always something, as you well know. So those are the fun things I've been doing yesterday and today, :)
Thank you again for caring about my welfare, dear Cathy. You are a very kind friend. Happy Thankful Thursday!
Tom,
DeleteI understand you'd rather not talking about these things and I'm sorry you're having to deal with these issues. I certainly will keep in prayer now that I know, not that I don't you in my prayers but at least now I can be more specific. All that you deal with and yet you manage to pull together one stellar post after another, entertaining and delighting your friends. Thank you, thank you, my friend! You totally rock! Take care of yourself always.
Oh yeah, this morning your comment you said you didn't want me to think you'd forgotten me. I would not think that ever. I goofed in setting my schedule time to a.m. I thought I fixed it but didn't, so in the future if you don't see a post as usual then that's probably what has happened and don't worry, I'd never think anything bad about ya if you aren't the first to visit. By the way, I did manage to pull together a post for Wednesday after all. I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to but yesterday I pulled it together. Have a good week, my friend!
I am here my dear Shady. My hubby has gone through his operations and today, he got the stint out (without anaesthetic...he almost blacked out from the pain but, thankfully, it was very quick). He is resting but it has been a whirlwind. Now, mine is next Tuesday, right after our Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteI am loving your ghoulish post starting off with Little Devil by Neil Sedaka who makes it sound so perky. I know that opening from Blue Velvet but not what happens afterwards. It is uneasy to say the least. The 3rd song makes me smile with all the great films from the 50s with the one wolfman to the Tarantula and Them. I also love the very old monster films from Universal like Dracula, Frankenstein and 1941's The Wolfman. I have to mention good ole Vampira and her extremely long arms and hands. The centerpede at the end made me shiver. The song works with those images. I also love the cool "Stroll" and the cool kids that made the song and dance famous. Elvia is always great for any song and you picked 2 that are perfect. I didn't know The Ventures created their own version of the Twilight Zone song and seeing the images from many famous episodes was perfect. Have a great day and enjoy every flower you smell as you stroll through your pretty area.
Hi, Birgit!
DeleteMy goodness, dear friend, I am pleasantly surprised to see you. I thought you'd be tied up big time this week. Thank you very much for breaking away and coming down to get yourself Stuck Like Glue on Shady Blue and his spooky tuneage.
Oh my, I'm so sorry you hubby had to endure all that pain. Why didn't he receive anesthetic? May all go smoothly from here on in, for him and for you, my dear.
I'm pleased to be in a position to lighten your mood with the ghoulish goings on at Shady's Place. Thanks for giving props to the underrated and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame "blacklisted" (snubbed) Neil Sedaka. Neil recorded and/or wrote dozens of my favorite songs, and "Little Devil" is an excellent example of his style. I can picture Neil smiling as he sings the song, can't you? You can hear it in his voice. I see that Neil has a YouTube channel and has been uploading new home-bound performances of his old songs throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
Yessum, the "Blue Velvet" opening sequence from the movie of the same name gets increasingly creepy. The clip ends with the camera zooming in on a patch of lawn where, I believe, can be found a severed human ear, rotting in the sun and covered with maggots, bottle flies and other creepy crawlies. I'm hungry just thinking about it. :)
Yessum, good eye, Birgit. One of the first movies I saw as a kid was the 1954 sci-fi horror picture Them! about radiation causing mutations among ants in the desert SW, causing them to grow to the size of Buicks. And yessum, that video also shows Vampira in Ed Wood's 1957 flick Plan 9 from Outer Space. The centipede at the end of the video is from William Castle's 1959 horror film The Tingler starring Vincent Price.
"The Stroll" gives me the creeps because it was used in counterpoint context and is irrevocably linked in my mind to college campus ax murders in the 1986 fright fest Night of the Creeps.
Yessum, in that "Twilight Zone" showender you see Wm. Shatner, Wm. Windom, Cloris Leachman and other fine actors and actresses who contributed great performances to that iconic TV series.
Thank you again for your generous visit and lovely comment, dear friend BB. I will continue to keep you and hubby in my thoughts in the days and weeks ahead. Have a wonderful week!
This was a fun post and a great way to start off October! There are evidently a number of versions of the Twilight Zone. Other than the actual theme to the TV program (a classic show!!), the first one that always comes to my mind is by the Manhattan Transfer.
ReplyDeleteHi, Kelly!
DeleteThanks for coming to Shady Blue's Halloween Spooktacular, dear friend! As 4th place finisher this week, you win (for my buddy Pat) a bag of Shady-shaped dog treats.
Wow Kelly, I haven't heard The Manhattan Transfer's 1980 top 30 hit vocal version of "The Twilight Zone" in decades. I just went to YouTube and listened to it. I remember it well. Thanks for contributing that tidbit. Let us also remember the different "Twilight Zone" song that was a top 10 hit for Golden Earring in 1983.
I'm glad you had fun listening to Shady Blue's H-ween show, and I hope by now you are Stuck Like Glue. Thanks again for popping in, dear friend Kelly!
Good afternoon friend Shady! I had to laugh at the "dancers" in The Stroll. They were a little stiff back then weren't they? We still watch reruns of the Twilight Zone. Classic TV. Hope your week goes well. I'm kind of playing catch up around here since the last few days I have been consumed with my Giants baseball. We went to 3 of the last 6 games. Thank goodness I can breathe until Friday anyway.
ReplyDeleteHi, Janet!
DeleteWelcome back to Shady's Clubhouse, dear friend! I hope you have been well and in good spirits. As 5th place finisher, you win (for my buddy Benny) the same prize awarded to Kelly (above) - a bag of Shady Del Knight-shaped, bacon flavored dog treats. Yummy yummy yummy!
Yessum, I'm glad you brought up the stiff, shy, awkward looking dancers doing "The Stroll" on that 1958 episode of Seventeen, the Bandstand style music show for teenagers that originated from a TV station studio in Ames, Iowa. Those kids were a far cry from The Soul Train Gang and all of the wild, bumping, grinding, popping, hip-hopping dancers we have seen in recent decades.
I'm happy to know that you are a fan of Rod Serling's original TV series The Twilight Zone. I read that Rod gave up creative control over the sequel Night Gallery, a decision he came to regret because many of the episodes of that series were subpar.
I'm happy to hear you've been taking Giant steps back to a normal life out there in the Golden West. Thanks again for swinging by and have a wonderful week, dear friend Janet!
Shady you know how to get the Halloween celebration rolling! I laughed at the strollers...some were just not that smooth but I guess it could be a bit scary to do that new dance on TV! Jack loves those old horror flicks. I think there's actually a channel that has them regularly...can't think of the name now but we just watched the Colossal Man! All the tunes were frightfully delightful and I'm sure as October progresses you'll find some more fun and fright. Jack is home now and recouping so hopefully this year will end on a good note. Have a good week Shady!
ReplyDeleteHi, YaYa!
DeleteI'm happy to see you, dear friend! Thanks for making time for a visit in the midst of your responsibilities handling family matters. I appreciate it! I've been wondering how you and Jack are doing. Thanks for the update. I'm relieved to learn that he's home, on the mend and listening to Shady Blue's tuneage with you. Whenever your spirits need a lift, nothing beats getting Stuck Like Glue on DJ Blue.
Yessum, as you know and remember, television in the 50s was a relatively new medium. Most non-professionals were nervous and awkward on camera, including those heartland teenagers dancing on their local station's televised sock hop. FF to the way young people dance in the 21st century and -- Katy bar the door!
I loved the horror movie The Amazing Colossal Man. My big brother took me to see it in the theater in 1957 and I watched it several more times on TV in the 60s along with War of the Colossal Beast, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman and other movies with giant people, animals and insects.
Yessum, you can bet that if I ran this H-ween post the first week of October, I have plenty more scary stuff up my sleeve to fill the rest of the month, Stay tuned!
Thanks again for joining the H-ween fun. I surely do hope that you and your family can cruise through the rest of 2021 and experience enjoyable holidays. You deserve it. Have a wonderful rest of your week, dear friend YaYa!
Hi Shady Blue-happy spookster "stuck like glue" Halloween! The Blue Velvet movie opening was cool. I don't know that movie, but it does look spooky, and Bobby Vinton's song made the grade on that one!
ReplyDeleteNeil Sedaka always had great seasonal messages to deliver in his songs! He thought of everyone, and sang of every situation any of us might encounter. Little Devil is no exception to his repertoire...Neil could pull the appropriate song out of a hat!
Elvis doesn't get left out of the celebrations either, does he! "Devil in Disguise" is one of his more popular tunes, and although I don't know "Witchcraft", it is a good one. What can I say? Looks aren't everything,(are they), when you have that Elvis voice!
I didn't know The Diamonds did "The Stroll"! That was a joint favorite of all of us during that time, and I still love it. It was fun watching the dancers, who look so young, stroll down the line! I remember The Diamonds for "Little Darlin" which is so cool! I didn't recognize their "Batman, Dracula, etc" song, but I got a real kick out of the video featuring at least most of the old black and white thrillers! This has to be my favorite part of your "Stuck Like Glue" post!
What a great time of year...Halloween! I haven't done any decor yet, but I will get there. The "Twilight Zone" is a creepy sounding song that goes well with the video-I believe I have seen almost all of those episodes. Kudos to Rod Serling, and he is missed!
Thank you Shady Blue, and the regular Shady too, haha! Fun times in October, and hopefully a temp cool down. We're in the 80's today, expecting rain. The sun is shining so bright, you wouldn't know it's supposed to rain.
Have a good week Shady, and take care dear friend!
So, Shady Blue, on with the
Hi, Suzanne!
DeleteThank for coming over to Shady Blue's Funhouse, dear friend. I'm very happy to see you! I hope you and Scootie are in good health and good spirits.
Yessum, in that opening sequence from Blue Velvet, those scenes of serenity in small town America soon give way to disturbing images and events, and it's only the beginning of the revolting developments that unfold on the screen throughout the Lynch film. If you like Dennis Hopper, Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini and Laura Dern, you should see it.
I'm so glad you and others give credit to Neil Sedaka for being one of the greats of the rock & roll era. His smiling, good-natured, upbeat vocals are pleasing to the ear and always give my spirits a boost. Neil makes "good time" music, and that should not be held against him (as it apparently is) when the committee meets every year to nominate artists for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Neil has earned his spot and deserves that honor!
I'm happy to introduce you to that bewitching B side by Elvis, the fab flip of "Bossa Nova Baby," a single that peaked around the time of the JFK assassination.
Yessum, The Canadian pop vocal group The Diamonds did the "slow rock & roll" song "The Stroll." The Diamonds based much of their career on doing covers of songs by other artists, including "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" (Frankie Lymon/Teenagers), "The Church Bells May Ring" (Willows) "Ka-Ding-Dong" (G-Clefs), "Little Darlin'" (Gladiolas), "Silhouettes" (Rays) and "Walking Along" (Solitaires), but they did the original version of "The Stroll" and it was a biggie, covered by Frankie Avalon, Chubby Checker, Brenda Lee and others. To me "The Stroll" seems like a creepy parody song that pokes fun at the rock & roll genre that teenagers were embracing at the time.
I'm glad you enjoyed seeing the "who's who of boo" in that obscure B side "Batman, Wolfman, Frankenstein Or Dracula." I'm also pleased that you like the theme from "The Twilight Zone" and the great Rod Serling who created the show.
I hope by now you're Stuck Like Glue on Shady Blue. Thanks again for joining the potty. Stick around. Coming up this Saturday, it's AIDA, that mechanical marvel from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., who will be here to boggle your brain with sights and sounds she creates inside The Framework, a virtual realm where you must dance, sing and have fun... or else! Until then, you and Scootie have a safe and happy week, dear friend Suzanne!
For a change I knew all of these this time.
ReplyDeleteTwilight Zone is probably my favorite though.
My mom and grandma had so many Elvis Presley records. Too bad I don't have them. I must have heard all of his music because of them. I still like some of his songs.
Thanks for the fun songs.
Hi, Mary!
DeleteThanks for swinging by, dear friend! How's my good buddy Falcor?
I'm pleasantly surprised to learn that you know all of these moldy oldies presented by Shady Blue in his Halloween Spooktacular.
I would say that anyone born before the 1990s should know the theme from "The Twilight Zone" and be able to Name That Tune in two seconds flat. As for members of Generation Z, born in the late 90s until 2010, it would surprise me if they ever even heard of the instrumental theme or watched the original TV series. Perhaps the movie remake. Then comes the most recent and current generation - Gen Alpha - kids born in the early 2010s, and I would be stunned to find any that know what we are talking about. Hopefully, some of them will take an interest in 20th century culture when they grow up.
Thanks for telling me that your mom and grandma had Elvis platters aplenty. My big brother bought Elvis the Pelvis 45s and brought them home for me to play on my tiny tinny turntable. Therefore Elvis became one of the first artists I came to know as a boy. Around 15 years ago, I bought a box set of Elvis 45s stamped on various colors of vinyl including red wax, blue wax, green wax, yellow wax, purple wax, white wax, tan wax and turquoise colored wax. The set was purchased brand new and strictly as a collectible. Therefore the records remain unplayed and inside their protective sleeves and sturdy box.
I'm so glad you had fun here at Shady's Place, dear friend Mary. Thanks again for coming and enjoy the rest of your week!
So THIS is what you were saving "Blue Velvet" for!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the Diamonds ""Batman, Wolfman, Frankenstein Or Dracula" was overshadowed by the "Monster Mash" which I think also came out in 1959. The lyrics actually reminds me of "Science-Fiction/Double Feature" the song that opens the film version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
I have "The Stroll" on some oldies cassette, but forgot all about it. Good to hear it again, and see exactly what the Stroll is (I assumed it was a dance, but knew nothing else.)
I think it's cool how on his first song, Elvis's voice starts out gentle, and suddenly drops a couple of octaves or decibels--you know, gets deeper--when he gets to the "Devil in disguise" part.
I prefer the Twilight Zone with Rod Serling's vocals.
That's all I got.
Hi, Kirk!
DeleteThanks for coming to Shady Blue's Spook Party, good buddy! By the way, from this day forward, he prefers to be called Shady Blue Velvet. :)
No, good buddy. Bobby Pickett's "Monster Mash" single and album were not released until 1962. The single hit #1 the week of Halloween that year. "Batman, Wolfman..." was released three years earlier on the B side of a failed single "Walkin' The Stroll," an attempt by The Diamonds to milk the success of their hit "The Stroll." I'd like to mention another "Stroll" record that was released at Halloween 1959 and performed better on the chart. "Midnight Stroll" by the Philadelphia vocal group The Revels, reached #20 on the R&B chart and #35 pop. I don't think those Iowa teens were in total agreement about the way to perform "The Stroll." Each couple seemed to do it differently and most looked pretty darn awkward. It's hard to believe that "The Stroll" and the floor formation with two long rows and couples taking turns dancing down the line evolved into The Soul Train Gang boogieing down the RR tracks, a regular feature on the Don Cornelius TV music show.
Yes, Elvis knew how to use his vocal talents to excite whether going deep or going high. Add the visual component and you've got a star.
You got me wondering if Rod Serling's spoken intro to The Twilight Zone was ever sampled in popular recordings. I found this on twilightzone.fandom.com:
<< On "Threatened", a track from his 2001 album Invincible, pop icon Michael Jackson used samples of Rod Serling narrations from The Twilight Zone as the introduction and conclusion to the song, as well as a montage of clips to make Serling rap in the middle section of the tune.
The song "Strictly Business" by EPMD vs. Mantronik (from the Blade soundtrack) features the lyrics: "You now enter the dimension called the Twilight Zone". >>
Thanks for checking in and checking out the post, good buddy Kirk. I hope by now you're Stuck Like Glue on Shady Blue. Enjoy the rest of your week!
A devilish good post today, Shady! You had my foot tapping a lot, and I would have done a little bopping around the room if I didn't have blogs to visit today. Happy October!
ReplyDeleteHi, Cheryl-Lee!
DeleteThanks for dropping in to see what condition Shady Blue's condition is in, dear friend!
I'm so glad you had a devil of a good time listening to Mr. Blue's lineup of spooky tunes aimed at getting us into the spirit for Halloween.
Thanks again for your visit and comment, dear friend Cheryl-Lee!
That Blue Velvet video is crazy nuts! Whose twisted mind came up with that?
ReplyDeleteA positively ghoulish post here, my friend!
Have a great rest of the week!
Hi, Sherry!
DeleteThanks for coming to the H-ween party, dear friend!
To answer your question, that creepy "Blue Velvet" video is the opening scene of the 1986 movie of the same name, the neo-noir mystery thriller written and directed by David Lynch. Lynch's productions, filled with quirky characters, dark themes and mind-boggling mystery, remind us that "a twisted mind is a terrible thing to waste." :)
Thanks again for being here, dear friend Sherry. Enjoy the rest of your week and month!
Hi Shady!
ReplyDeleteJust what I was looking for! Halloween music! Amazon's playlists disappoint a bit - they repeat the same 20 songs over and over. Where's the variety? There's more songs to Halloween that "Purple People Eater," "The Monster Mash," "The Blob," "Somebody's Watching Me," "Witch Doctor" and classical favourites, even though they are mine too.
This is a first I'm associating Elvis with Halloween, but I dig the songs you posted. The last song is a classic. Tomorrow when I am out for my walk and in need of more Halloween tunage, I will be back to listen again and again!
Have a great Wednesday, dear friend.
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteWelcome back to Shady's, dear friend!
You got that right. I too am weary of seeing the same handful of familiar favorites on Halloween play lists. I went out of my way to make sure Shady Blue's show avoided those well worn songs and offered some seldom heard gems of the genre. I'm glad you enjoyed them.
Yessum, I hope you will put these tunes to use on your walks, while traveling, scrapbooking and other activities. Nicely remastered, most of them still sound fresh after repeat listens.
Thanks again for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend JM!
Hi Shady!
DeleteI gave them a listen as I walked today and these gems will definitely be used in scrapbooks!
To my surprise, Amazon has "Because the Night," a cover of Patti Smyth on their playlist. I guess they threw it onto the playlist because it has "Night" in it, but it was weird to add to a Halloween playlist. That is one song I don't associate with Halloween.
This is the cover they had on Amazon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oatqp_fWssY
It's a beautiful cover, but not really Halloweenish. Heck, even Steve Miller's Abracadabra is more Halloweenish than "Because the Night."
I'll get off my soap box now...
Happy Thankful Thursday, dear friend! Look forward to popping back in on Saturday night.
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteThanks for returning to follow-up, dear friend!
I'm happy to know you ran through Shady Blue's tuneage again today. I played that cover of "Because The Night." I agree. It is a mistake to include the song on a H-ween playlist. Moreover,
that's a pretty lame cover, in my opinion. I agree that "Abracadabra" would be more suitable, but I still wouldn't consider it a H-ween seasonal song, since it peaked on the chart from late August through late September, 1982, and had faded away by the time H-ween rolled around that year.
Yessum, if you can pop back in Saturday night, you're in for a treat, because AIDA, the android mean girl from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will be here. The videos AIDA will present are guaranteed to blow your mind.
Happy TT to you, dear friend JM, and enjoy the rest of your week!