Halloween is just around the corner and Real Gone is getting into the spirt of things with several reissues hitting store shelves tomorrow, September 6.
The first and most expansive release is Frankie Stein and His Ghouls: The Complete Ghoul-Lection which collects the five albums from the group released in 1964 and 1965. These albums were aimed at children and were released on Power Records, an imprint of Peter Pan Records. Aside from novelty records like these, Peter Pan and Power released numerous book and record sets over a few decades from fairy tales to licensed titles featuring characters from Marvel, DC, Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbera, and television shows ranging from Star Trek to Kojak, among numerous others.
Frankie Stein and His Ghouls were an entirely fictional studio group. The line-up of the band has never been uncovered, but it has been rumored that personnel included guitarist Duane Eddy, saxophonist Max Greger, free jazz legend Sun Ra, and members of The Blues Project - though it has never been confirmed. The songs are all instrumentals with spooky sound-effects and punning, monster-themed titles. A dance was then suggested for each song. 1964 saw the release of the first effort, Introducing Frankie Stein and His Ghouls. The final four albums, Shock! Terror! Fear!, Ghoul Music, Monster Melodies, and Monster Sounds and Dance Music , all came out in 1965.
The only time this material has been released on CD in any meaningful way was in 1994, when Power Records released a 31-track compilation from these albums in Germany. Real Gone's set includes every song from every album, for a total of 50 tracks. Our very own Joe Marchese provides the liner notes based on a new interview with Power Records' Donald Kasen, son of the label's co-founder, Daniel Kasen.
In addition, Real Gone is releasing individual vinyl reissues of Monster Melodies and Monster Sounds and Dance Music. Real Gone released the other three albums on vinyl in 2022 and 2023 so this will allow you to complete your set. Both albums are limited to 900 copies. Monster Melodies comes on radioactive green vinyl and Monster Sounds and Dance Music comes on serpentine coke clear with yellow swirl vinyl. Real Gone also has variants each title limited to around 100 copies, available exclusively on their website.
Up next is an album from one of the masters of horror, Vincent Price. If you haven't seen one of his over 100 films or heard his voice in numerous voice-over appearances or animated roles, you probably at least know him as the narrator of Michael Jackson's "Thriller." But that was not Price's only appearance on an album...far from it. He made several himself. Real Gone is reissuing one of these on vinyl, Witchcraft-Magic: An Adventure in Demonology, from 1969.
Originally released on the Capitol label, this spoken-word album has Price take his audience through a graphic and occasionally grisly history lesson in witchcraft from the Bible through the Middle Ages, the Spanish Inquisition, and Nazi Germany. Then, accompanied by occasional eerie, abstract electronic music, Price's sinister satisfaction only mounts as he provides instruction in the dark arts, with such tracks as "How to Make a Pact with the Devil" and "Curses, Spells, Charms."
Real Gone's new release marks the first reissue of the album in over 50 years (other than a digital release in 2010). Real Gone has replicated the original gatefold of the original 2-LP set and has reprinted the 8-page booklet which came with some copies. Two editions are being released. The regular version comes on orange "pumpkin" swirl vinyl. The second edition is exclusive to independent record stores and is limited to 666 copies. It comes on black brick "Gates of Hell" vinyl.
If you would like to try any of these titles, we've got the full track listings and ordering links below. They are out tomorrow, September 6. And stay tuned for news on more of Real Gone's Halloween offerings this year. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Frankie Stein and His Ghouls, The Complete Ghoul-Lection (Real Gone Music, 2024) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Real Gone Music)
CD 1
- Weerdo the Wolf
- Goon River
- A Hearse Is Not a Home
- Three Little Weirds
- Lullaby of Ghost Land
- Knives and Lovers
- Little Ghoul Blue
- Ghoul Days
- Little Brown Bug
- The Neck Twist
- Who's Afraid of Weerdo Wolf
- Bodies Under the Bridge
- Slay Boy
- Horror Staccato
- Ankle Twist
- Doom at Night
- Stoned
- Stoned Again
- The Ghostman Rings Twice
- Doomsday
- What Kind of Ghoul Am I
- Mummy's Little Boy
- Good Noose
- The Wrist Twist
- Shoot-A-Nanny
CD 2
- Elbow Twist
- Fly Me to the Goon
- Chained
- A Taste of Poison
- Monster Motion
- Doctor Spook
- In a Groovy Grave
- Frog Frug
- Melancholy Monster
- Haunted Mouse
- Ghoulish Heart
- Dressed to Kill
- All Choked Up
- Swingin' Head
- Ain't Got No Body
- The Creep
- Be Careful, It's My Throat
- Dreamin' and Screamin'
- Chills
- Dance of Doom
- Mummy's Little Monster
- Kiss of Death
- Body Twist
- Bat and Cat
- Saturday Evening Ghost
Disc 1, Tracks 1-10 from Introducing Frankie Stein and His Ghouls, Powers Records LP S 338, 1964
Disc 1, Track 11-20 from Shock! Terror! Fear!, Power Records LP S 339, 1965
Disc 1, Tracks 21-25 and Disc 2, Tracks 1-5 from Ghoul Music, Power Records LP S 340, 1965
Disc 2, Tracks 6-15 from Monster Melodies, Power Records LP S 341, 1965
Disc 2, Tracks 16-25 from Monster Sounds and Dance Music, Power Records LP S 342, 1965
Frankie Stein and His Ghouls, Monster Melodies (Limited Radioactive Green Vinyl Version) (Originally Released on Power Records LP S 341, 1965 - reissued Real Gone Music, 2024) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Real Gone Music)
Side 1
- Doctor Spook
- It's a Groovy Grave
- Frog Frug
- Melancholy Monster
- Haunted Mouse
Side 2
- Ghoulish Heart
- Dressed to Kill
- All Choked Up
- Swingin' Head
- Ain't Got No Body
Frankie Stein and His Ghouls, Monster Sounds and Dance Music (Limited Serpentine Coke Clear with Yellow Swirl Vinyl Version) (Originally released on Power Records LP S 342, 1965 - reissued Real Gone Music, 2024) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Real Gone Music)
Side 1
- The Creep
- Be Careful, It's My Throat
- Dreamin' and Screamin'
- Chills
- Dance of Doom
Side 2
- Mummy's Little Monster
- Kiss of Death
- Body Twist
- Bat and Cat
- Saturday Evening Ghost
Vincent Price, Witchcraft-Magic: An Adventure in Demonology (Originally released on Capitol Records LP SWBB-342, 1969 - reissued Real Gone Music, 2024) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Real Gone Music)
LP 1
Side 1
- Prologue/The Tale of Master Seth
- Hitler and Witchcraft/Witchcraft in History
- Women as Witches/Witch Burning
- Witch Tortures
Side 2
- Witch Tortures (Cont.)/The World of Spirits and Demons
- Preparation for Magic/Instruments of Magic
- How to Invoke Spirits, Demons, Unseen Forces/The Magic Bloodstone
- The Witches Cauldron/How to Communicate with the Spirits
LP 2
Side 1
- How to Communicate with the Spirits (cont.)/Gerald Yorke and Necromancy
- How to Make a Pact with the Devil/How to Become a Witch
- Curses, Spells, Charms
Side 2
- Curses, Spells, Charms (Cont.)/Potions
- The Hand of Glory/The Witches Sabbat
- Witchcraft Today/Epilogue
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