Recently Rocks Off told you how to put together a solid party playlist. We're coming up on the time of year when people start throwing Halloween parties, so now it's time to get a little more specific.
Don't be content to throw on the old 30 Spookiest Halloween Hits album and walk away, because guess what? All those mixes have all the same songs -- songs people are sick of, songs people hate. Be a little more original. We'll help you get started.
5. Don't Play: Dave Seville, "Witch Doctor" We apologize right off the bat for even needing to bring up this song, because as far as maddening gets-stuck-deep-inside-your-wriggling-brain choruses go, this one's tough to beat. We're convinced most cases of Halloweentime murders could eventually be traced back to overexposure to this annoying staple. Plus it's more than a little bit racist to boot: you do realize that "oo ee oo ah ah, ting tang walla walla bing bang" is supposed to be a depiction of an African tribesman, right?
Instead, Play: Bob McFadden and Dor, "The Mummy" It's just about as old and several times weirder than the Seville song. A nerdy-sounding mummy with bizarrely squeaky footsteps whines about his inability to make friends over a lounge-surf rhythm section; a beatnik cameos. We'll be honest, we have no fucking idea what the performers were even going for on this one, but as far as we're concerned it's a lost schlock classic. There's also a sequel and a cover version by UK post-punk mavens The Fall.
4. Don't Play: Dave Matthews Band, "Halloween" This started popping up on Halloween playlists relatively recently, and as bad as this seminal lawyer-rock band can be, this song is among their worst. Dave Matthews often oversells his vocals, but here he growls and hollers and slobbers so frenetically that you can almost hear the rest of the band pulling away in embarrassment. We hope somebody remembered to wring out the foam covering on whatever microphone he used for this.
Instead, Play: Siouxsie and the Banshees, "Halloween" Siouxsie and crew turn in a tuneful, upbeat yet still quite twisted post-punk number. You should have at least one song on your playlist by one of the original goths, so why not this one? (And yes, we're assuming you've already got The Misfits' "Halloween." You don't need us to do everything, do you?)
