Halloween at MY(P)WAHE, Part 2!!

I don't remember whether or not I was trying to look crazy in that photo, but I sure succeeded. John Astin, eat your heart out.

So, bandwidth issues or no, it's time for the second Halloween slayplaylist. How-evah (as Paris might say), you'll have to cope with no zip-file option UNTIL I figure out where to put same. Maybe at Box.net, maybe at Rapidshare. But I need to establish an account at the latter. And I hate establishing accounts. It's such a soulless ritual.

Then again, it's the Halloween season. The perfect time for soulless rituals (Buwa-ha-haaaa! ).

So, for now, one-at-a-time downloading, I'm afraid. It's the only way I can keep the paid bandwidth alive, and that will probably only last until mid-month. But remember--the files will still be there even after my paid bandwidth croaks. (Insert Halloween scream, with reverb.)

Lots of scary stuff today. Scary-weird, scary-silly--all types of scary. Most of these are repeats from the last two or three Halloweens (this is my blog's third go-round!), but you'll be hearing them in fresh rips. Seems that my new Stanton stylus sounds way better than the one I replaced. It's the same needle, but Stanton discontinued the dust brush attachment, the absence of which has done wonders for tracking accuracy. Sharp, fresh detail and less problem with surface noise. I won't miss the brush.

So, being me, I just had to re-rip some of the stuff. Repeats include Little Space Girl, The Cool Gool, Batman and His Grandmother, Beware, and The Moonbillies classics Fall of the Planet Earth and The 'Lectronic Brain. There are three "new" tracks--Betty Johnson's hit version of The Little Blue Man (vice the cheap-label cover I put up last year), The Thing-a-Ma Jig, No. 1 at the Blue Whale (from Dark Shadows), and Monster Shindig, which shows up a lot of places this time of year.

Okay. Four "new" tracks. Hello.

To maintain my blogger's integrity, I'll have to point out that The Thing-a-Ma Jig by The Playmates (their big hit being Beep Beep) is not really a Halloween track. However, it comes so very close, I put it up anyway. You've got "Thing" in the title, and you've got a plethora of Halloween-style sound effects. And I can't believe I just typed "plethora of...."

I swore I never would. Anyway, this single has the feel of a Halloween novelty, even if it isn't one. Just think Halloween when you're hearing it. It works.

Charles Randolph Grean, of the Charles Randolph Grean Sounde, is a big name in novelties. We'll be hearing his hit version of Quentin's Theme (from Dark Shadows) and his arrangement/production of The Little Blue Man, and we previously heard his arrangement/production of Merv Griffin's House of Horrors. Grean also produced Merv's big hit, I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts. On top of all those things, Grean was Eddy Arnold's manager starting around the late 1940s. Believe it or don't.

Oh, and Grean wrote The Thing, which we'll be hearing two versions of in a coming slaylist.

To today's slaylist! Halloween at MY(P)WHAE, Part 2!

SLAYLIST

THE LITTLE BLUE MAN (Ebb-Klein)--Betty Johnson, Fred Ebb (not Hugh Downs, as I'd hoped), with Charles Grean Orch., 1957.
LITTLE SPACE GIRL--Jesse Lee Turner, 1958.
THE THING-A-MA-JIG--The Playmates, 1959.
THE COOL GOOL--Sharkey Todd and His Monsters, 1959.
THE HORROR SHOW--Sharey Todd and His Monsters, 1959.
BATMAN AND HIS GRANDMOTHER--Dickie Goodman, 1966.
SUSPENSE--Dickie Goodman, 1966.
THE NIGHT BEFORE HALLOWEEN--Bill Buchanan (of Buchanan and Goodman fame), 1962.
BEWARE--Bill Buchanan.
QUENTIN'S THEME (Robert Cobert)--The Charles Randolph Grean Sounde, 1969.
NO. 1 AT THE BLUE WHALE (Cobert)--The Charles Randolph Grean Sounde, 1969.
MONSTER SHINDIG--Danny Hutton, 1965
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE--Music by De Vol, 1962.
LAUGHING OVER MY GRAVE--Ray Stevens, 1964.
THE ROCKIN' GHOST (Steve Allen-Ira Lee)--Archie Bleyer Orch. and Cho., 1956.
THE NAUGHTY GHOST--Jan August, 1955.
HE'S GOING TO EAT ME UP--Napoleon XV Revue.
ZOMBI--The Monotones, 1958.
HUSH... HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE--Al Martino with Pete King Orch., 1964.
MY FRIEND THE GHOST--Tommy Dorsey Orch. featuring Gordon Polk, 1954.
MONKEY BUSINESS (Billy Sherrill)--Eddie Hill and Group, 1959.
THIRTEEN MEN--Dinah Shore with Harry Zimmerman Orch. and Chorus, 1958.
FALL OF THE PLANET EARTH--The Moonbillies, 1960.
THE 'LECTRONIC BRAIN--The Moonbillies, 1960.

Halloween bandwidth, and other scary tales

Something tells me these people are having fun. But they'll probably never remember it. Until the blackmailer shows up with the photo.

Anyhow, at the end of last month I bought an extra 10 GB of downloading bandwidth, figuring that my Halloween stuff would get a lot of traffic. Boy, have they. I mean, boy, has it.

Four days into October, and 25 percent of the bandwidth has been used! The moment I add another playlist or two, that figure will pick up even faster.

The good news is that when my PAID bandwidth runs out, my account will convert to the free version of 4 Shared. This is good, in that the files remain available. However, ease of downloading will be compromised. It'll take longer to get to the download option, and there'll be ads, and stuff like that.

There have been 1,116 downloads over the past three days. The Halloween zip file accounts for 67 of those--at 24 a zip, that's 1,608 files. Total files--around 2,600.

Excuse me while my mind unboggles.

Lest this sound like I'm actually complaining about all of the traffic, no way! I'm happy and flattered by the big response. It means I'm popular (of course--an adorable guy like me). Or, at least, that my STUFF is popular. Which is good. Not as, but still good.

But the bandwidth's going fast. Like I said, 4 Shared service will continue even after that happens, but the present premium service will be no more until the next bandwidth renewal.

Confused? If so, don't feel bad--so am I.

I guess that, as a blogger, my ambition is bigger than my bandwidth. (Yes, you can quote me.)

Likely, I'll be turning to Box.net and Savefile.com this month, too. As backup storage.

Oh-kay. Nervous collapse time. (Clunk!) Ouch.


Lee

Halloween at MY(P)WHAE, Part 1!!

Yes, it's October the 1st--time to start the polka music at MY(P)WHAE!!

I mean, time to start the Halloween music. And we've got 24 selections guaranteed to terrify the bravest ears. Don Cherry, Betty Hutton, Lawrence Welk, Sammy Kaye, Rosemary Cloo....

Wait a minute. Is this the right playlist? (Hmm.) Yes, it is. Just had to make sure.

And if those weren't enough, we have Merv Griffin, Chuck Miller, Dickie Goodman, Bill Burnette and the Toppers, and 101 Strings. Oh, and the Sandpiper Singers. Buwa-ha-ha-haaaa!!!

I just checked, again, to make sure this is the right playlist. Apparently, it is. So... prepare to be shocked out of your socks. (Just a second--an email is coming in. Looks like a question.)

Okay. Someone just asked "Lee, how do you choose your Halloween tracks? What, in your opinion, qualifies as same? And, while you're thinking of that, please send us all of your personal financial information (see attached form) so we can make sure no one gets it who shouldn't have it. Thanks."

Well....

Good question. For something to qualify as a Halloween track, it must be about a potential Halloween-costume character (Sherlock Holmes, Superman, Batman), about the supernatural in general, or about something connected with science fiction. Or it just has to have a spooky sort of sound, overall (Come on-a My House). Hold on--it's another note.

"What is a 'potential Halloween-costume character'? Thanks."

Well, like I just said--Sherlock Holmes, Batman, Superman. Things one might dress up as for Halloween. (Or two, if you're dressing up as a horse.)

If I think of any more angles, I'll be sure to note them. Meanwhile, we have a date with terror--a rendezvous with horror--an appointment with the Dash-Misuse Police. Download the following slaylist--if you dare!!

Halloween at MY(P)WHAE, Part 1!

SLAYLIST

HUSH... HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE--Lawrence Welk Orch., 1965.
THE SNAKE--The Liverpool Five, 1966.
SPOOKY MOVIES--Roy Clark, 1963.
THE BLACK HOLE--END TITLE (J. Barry)--Andre Kostelanetz Orch., 1980.
MOUNTAIN KING--Lawrence Welk and His Orch., 1961.
THEME FROM THE NIGHT WALKER (Vic Mizzy)--Sammy Kaye and His Orch., 1965.
BIG BAD WOLF (Bartel)--Don Cherry with Ray Conniff Orch., 1958.
COME ON-A MY HOUSE--Rosemary Clooney, with Stan Freeman, harpsichord, 1951.
HE'S A DEMON--HE'S A DEVIL--HE'S A DOLL--Betty Hutton, 1950.
LOOK OUT FOR THE BATMAN (Tony Eira)--(Batman BT 95; No artist listed).
ELEMENTARY, MY DEAR WATSON!--William Indelli and His Orchestra.
THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN--Ray Anthony and His Orch., 1957.
BEN CRAZY (Goodman-Hodes)--DICKIE GOODMAN AND DR. I.M. ILL, 1962.
THE FACE FROM OUTER SPACE--Jeff Barry with Billy Mure Orch., 1960.
LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN (Seymour Lazar)--Chuck Miller, 1956.
DINNER WITH DRAC--Josh Logan.
BLUE MOON--Bill Burnette and the Toppers.
TUBULAR BELLS (Mike Oldfield)--101 Strings, 1974.
HOUSE OF HORRORS--Merv Griffin, 1962.
THE SCREAMIN' MEEMIES FROM PLANET X--Merv Griffin, 1961.
THEY'RE COMING TO TAKE ME AWAY, HA-HAAA!--Dr. Love, 2000.
ROCKETSHIP X-M--MAIN TITLE (Grofe)--Soundtrack, 1950.
COUNTDOWN; LAUNCH; INTO ORBIT (Grofe)--Soundtrack, 1950.
SUPERMAN--The Sandpiper Singers, 1959.

Download the following slaylist--if you dare!! (Wait, I just said that. Never mind.)

More MP-screams to come!!!


Lee

A bad day for the faith....

What can I say? I had no gospel tracks prepared for today. And, why not? Because I've been busy getting stuff ready for Halloween.

God hates me.

Yes, a bad day for the faith. And I say "the faith" in a tongue in cheek way, since there is no single faith. I'm one of those liberal believers, remember. It just sounds good as an expression.

Anyway, no gospel tracks--Halloween posts start tomorrow. God help my soul.

AND we have yet another religious bash-athon in progress at Stuffington Post, thanks to Arianna herself, who not too long ago told Keith Olbermann (or maybe it was Joe Scarborough) that she doesn't think religion-bashing happens at her blog. She said it with that "Who, me?" expression that she wears whenever she isn't grimacing.

(My priceless commentary continues here.)



Lee