Friday, October 11, 2013

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2013 - Track Nine - The Haunted Room

For our ninth track in the Spooktacular we're sticking with another ska scorcher from Prince Buster and his All Stars... a little tune called "The Haunted Room."  Nothing too haunted in this room except for the firetruck siren sound effects that runs throughout... maybe a better title would have been "Two Alarm Fire In The Haunted Room" but that would have just been too obvious.  So in lieu of actual creepy sounds on the vinyl I've taken the liberty of adding plenty for your enjoyment.  

When doing the mix I came to the realization that I have used these haunted house sound effects, taken from the aptly titled Horror Record from the Johnson Smith Novelty Company and sold in the back of comic books in the early 1970s, nearly every year but, they tend to work so well I couldn't resist!  The werewolf howling, the incessant screaming, the rattling chains, the ghostly theremin noises and that sadistic elfish laugh have become classic Halloween material for me.  Around this time I also got to thinking... does anyone really pay that much attention to what I've got going on in the background?  I found myself mixing the sound effects with so much precision and care that I thought it was really a shame to hide it beneath the music.  If anyone wants a copy of the Spooktacular minus the music, as a continuous sound effect bed suitable for scaring the trick or treaters on Halloween, let me know and I'll post it on the blog.  

 But enough about that... "The Haunted Room" was originally pressed on the UK-based Blue Beat label in 1965, my copy is a white labeled repress that I bought from a guy in England last October.  Regardless, it's a great tune that I know you'll enjoy!  Have a great weekend folks - see you Monday!
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3 comments:

  1. HawaiianBrian3:10 AM

    I like the effects. They really sew these pieces together well and underscore the "Halloween" angle. Without them, this would just be a mix of songs. If people want the songs without the special effects, the songs themselves aren't hard to find.

    What I'm most impressed with is how you manage to dig up fantastic, atmospheric, and relevant audio from old movies and movie trailers. Those, and the effects, are what makes these mixes into a unified whole.

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  2. kicktehballistics1:46 AM

    Yes! I love the sound effects you put in the background. I recognize some of them from old spooky sound effect cassettes that I obsessively listened to as a kid, lol. I always crack a smile every time I hear a familiar one in your mix. It would be cool if you put them up for download! Thank you!

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  3. Waskrijt9:46 AM

    I love the effects, really add a great atmosphere too already great songs, making the listening as a mix much better.

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