Day 351 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Byron Lee & The Dragonaires - Frankenstein

Changing gears but not necessarily changing themes... it is of course still October around here and I figured we'd devote this week to the "scarier side" of ska.  We're gonna get this week rolling with a little number by Byron Lee & The Dragonaires called "Frankenstein" or sometimes "Frankenstein Ska."  This one was recorded and released on the Soul label circa 1963-64 and it does a pretty stellar job at conveying the subject matter all while keeping the beat moving.  Now I could go on and complain about how I spent a ton of money a few years back in finally obtaining this record only to see it re-pressed a couple years later for considerably less but I won't.  What has always driven me crazy about this one is that the melody in "Frankenstein Ska" sounds familiar and is obviously based on the theme song from a Frankenstein movie but I can't for the life of me pinpoint which one in particular.  And considering there have been as many as 80 films made about Dr. Frankenstein and the monster that bears his name, there's a long list of potential inspirations.