MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: MONDO ZOMBIE BOOGALOO

Hey guys and ghouls, it's that bewitched day, and aside from your scratched-up copy of (Ghosts Of The Haunted House) from the 70's, what else do you have to play on Halloween?  There aren't too many record labels with enough nasty material in the catalogue to fill up a seasonal sampler for today, but there's one for sure.  Yep Roc Records has a trio of bands under contract that specialize in monstrous sounds, drenched in echo and chills.  They've put together this all-new collection of ghost stories, zombie walks and vampire blues, fun for the whole sick family.

The bands are notorious already; The Fleshtones, Southern Culture On The Skids, and Los Straitjackets.  Throw them all in a blender, and you get surf, garage, Mexican, fuzztone, psych, rockabilly, country boogie, wrestling and decadent fun.  The Fleshtones throw in a bunch of 60's fun, with (Sock It To Me Baby) In The House Of Sock, full of Farfisa organ, twangy guitar, and really let the monster out of the garage.  They have the best new cut too, Haunted Hipster ("You think you're cool, but you're dead, too.)  Instrumental gods Los Straitjackets do some great updates to favourite songs from the spooky world, with updated versions of movie cuts Theme From Halloween, Theme From Young Frankenstein, and even the Ghostbusters theme.  Think of that famous melody rocked out on lead guitar.  Southern Culture On The Skids go Marty Robbins-Western, with The Loneliest Ghost In Town.  See, something for all the trick-or-treaters on your list.

Of course, everything comes with the appropriate sound effects, either ghastly guitar howls or real ones, giving it all an extra bit of terror.  The piece de resistance is when all three get together for an update on Halloween's greatest hit, a brand-new version of The Monster Mash, only this time it's in Spanish, called Que Monstruos Son.  No doubt that's the encore number on the joint tour the groups are just finishing up.  Grab it now, it's a cool listen for garage-surf fans, and remember it for next year, to rock out those little devils who come to the door.