THE CREATURE STOLE MY SURFBOARD

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Remember back in the nineties when just about every well known artist had a vanity label? There was Nothing Records (Trent Reznor), Maverick Records (Madonna), Grand Royal (Beastie Boys), UZI Suicide (Guns 'n' Roses), Elementree Records (Korn), the list goes on and on.  What a lot of folks don't seem to know though is that Rob Zombie had a short-lived vanity label called Zombie-A-Go-Go Records and he actually put out some pretty cool shit on it back in the day.

One one of those cool shit releases was Halloween Hootenanny, a compilation of spooky surf, psychobilly and garage rock bands that's been a staple of my All-hallows listening for the past two-and-a-half decades.  The album's silly title and eye-catching cover art, featuring the rocking trio of the Mummy, the Wolfman and Frankenstein's Monster, screams ultimate Halloween party record and that's indeed the vibe that carries throughout Halloween Hootenanny's nineteen terrifying tracks.

Released in 1998, the collection features some heavy hitters such as The Reverend Horton Heat, Rocket from the Crypt and Southern Culture on the Skids, but what makes it a real treat are the cuts from more obscure artists, such as Los Straightjackets, Deadbolt and Dead Elvi. How Zombie managed to dig up some of these bands remains one of the great mysteries of our time, as I've never seen Halloween Hootenanny brought up in any interviews, but I sure am glad he did, because the comp had a huge hand in sparking my now decades-long enjoyment of these under-the-radar subgenres.

My favorite track here is undoubtedly Deadbolt's horrific, hilarious and catchier-than-herpes "Psychic Voodoo Doll," a song that I've been torturing my wife with for the better part of a decade now and served as my introduction to the self-proclaimed "Scariest Band in the World."  Combining elements of punk, garage rock, rockabilly and surf music, the San Diego-based quartet wormed their way into my cold black heart with "Psychic Voodoo Doll" and over the years I've also added classic Deadbolt albums such as I Should Have Killed You and Shrunken Head to my essential Halloween listening.

Mr. Zombie himself even makes an appearance, collaborating with The Ghastly Ones on "Halloween (She Get So Mean)" and his vocals work surprisingly well in a surf rock setting; in fact, the song is so good that I've been hoping for years now that Zombie would release a full album of twisted surf songs.  Evidently that's never gonna happen, as I'm guessing it probably wouldn't sell as well as the horror/groove/industrial metal he's known for, but a fiend can dream, can't he?

Also appearing is legendary late night horror host Zacherle, who handles not only intro and outro duties, but also lends some scenery-chewing lead vocals to Southern Culture on the Skids' cover of Creedence Clearwater Revivals' "Sinister Purpose."  Zacherle's shtick fits perfectly with the the compilation's b-movie vibe and his presence is a devilish delight for fans of '50s and '60s horror.  Sadly, the The Cool Ghoul departed this plane of existence back in 2016, but Zacherle's legacy of lunacy lives forever on Halloween Hootenanny.  

Other highlights include Los Straightjacket's surfed-up cover of The Munsters theme song, The Swingin' Neckbreakers' greasy, ghoulish garage rocker "No Costume, No Candy," and Dead Elvi's goth-surfin' "The Creature Stole My Surfboard."  Of course, as with any compilation there are a few duds as well, but even the not-so-great tracks aren't horrifically bad, they just pale in comparison to the aforementioned standout cuts.

Halloween Hootenanny is a fun record, plain and simple, and although Rob Zombie can be a bit of a divisive figure in the worlds of hard rock, heavy metal and horror films, with this compilation it cannot be denied that the man has an ear for music that's creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky.  It's probably not gonna change your life in 2022, but it will make a damn fine soundtrack to your next Samhain shindig.

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