Manuel De Sica - Cemetary Man (Dellamorte Dellamore) Original Soundtrack (1994 - 320kbps)

Continuing with my theme within a theme of Italian horror for "Halloween Countdown 2010", I present to you the soundtrack to another personal favorite, Cemetary Man, better known to some by it's Italian title of "Dellamorte Dellamore". Cemetary Man is a horror-comedy film released in 1994, based on the 1991 novel by Tiziano Sclavi. While the film wasn't a commercial success upon its release, nor were the critics kind to it, it has managed to gain a cult following over the years. It is one of the finest examples of turn of the millennium Italian gothic fantasy. Overflowing with atmosphere, dark humor and bitter romance.

I'm honestly not a big fan of horror-comedies, but Cemetary Man caiters to my sick sense of humour with its black comedy, while still managing to satisfy in the horror department as well. The protaginist of the film is Francesco Dellamorte, the caretaker of a small cemetary in Buffalora, Italy, who lives a lonely and depressing life by day. At night he faces the difficult task of exterminating the dead who rise from the grave approximately seven days after they are buried at the cemetary. He is assisted in ridding the cemetary of its zombie infestation by his television-addicted and mentally handicapped assistant, Gnaghi. While not dishing out death he suffers from a tumultuous love life, dealing with the heartbreak brought on by a series of mysterious women, each of which inevitably succumb to a tragic death.

The score to Cemetary Man was composed by Manuel De Sica, a prolific composer who has written over one hundred musical scores for television and film since 1969. His score is a curious hybrid of classic Ennio Morricone and throbbing Goblin excess, striking the perfect balance with it's catchy rhythms and delicious dark tones, offering the perfect auditory accompaniment to the film. As was common with many Italian horror films during this period, the music was created using synthesizers, although there may be a few tracks that utilize traditional instrumentation as well. It is diffucult for me to tell if this is the case though, and since there isn't much information online about the soundtrack I can't say for sure. De Sica shows off his range quiet well throughout the score, brilliantly transitioning from ominous orchestral style cues, to those with a bit more rock and funk flavor added, all the while managing to keep the foreboding atmosphere intact.

It's time for me to study so I'm going to go ahead and end this here. I'm going to try my best to put up at least one more post before the day is done, but it all depends on how well I'm able to grasp the material I'm studying. In the meantime I hope you enjoy this amazing soundtrack, and as always, please leave a comment to let me know what you thought about it.

Year of Release: 1994
Label: GDM Music (GDM 2004)
Genre: Soundtrack/Score, Horror, Electronic
Bitrate: 320kbps

Tracklist:
1. Dellamorte Dellamore
2. Buffalora's Cemetary
3. Francesco's Thoughts
4. The First "She"
5. The Making of the Skull
6. Will I See Her Again
7. The Ossuary
8. Ignis Fatuus
9. After The Fly
10. Gnachi
11. The Moon on the Island of Death
12. On Augusto's Grave
13. Ressurrcturis
14. The Run of the Death Motorbyke
15. Small Living Dead
16. Before the Earthquake
17. "She" Returner
18. The Death That Lives
19. Shoot the Living
20. Stolen Murders
21. The Life That Dies
22. Lethal Shot
23. The Death Is A Whore
24. The Rest of the World (Doesn't Exist)
25. Dellamorte Dellamore

Download: Manuel De Sica - Cemetary Man (Dellamorte Dellamore) Original Soundtrack
Download Size: 113MB

Fabio Frizzi - Zombie (aka Zombi 2) Original Soundtrack (2000 - 320kbps)

Over the course of the next few days I will be serving up a few soundtracks from some of the greatest Italian horror films ever made, directed by such legends as Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, and Mario Brava. While I think the music that was composed for these films was typically less horrifying than their American counterparts, they still stand as excellent examples of musical composition in their own right. I also feel that it would be almost blasphemous if I neglected to feature them in the Halloween Countdown, and I realize that there will be a lot of Italian horror fans eager to download these.



First up on the menu is the soundtrack Fabbio Frizzi composed for Lucio Fulci's 1979 film "Zombi 2", also known simply as "Zombie" or "Zombie Flesh Eaters". This is the film that helped to revive Fulci's declining career, and easily tops my list of favorite zombie flicks of all time. For the most part I've avoided writing at any length about the actual films the soundtracks I'm posting were composed for, but I simply can't resist devoting a few paragraphs to one of my favorite horror films of all time.



If you haven't had the chance to experience the sheer awesomeness that is Zombie, you really have no idea what you've been missing out on all these years. The zombies are some of the most realistic, horrifying examples of the living dead to ever grace a motion picture to date. The gore is completely over the top and convincing, as was typical with Fulci's films. The shots of zombie hordes devouring human flesh as if they are at an all you can eat buffet are some of the most memorable in the zombie genre. It also includes one of the most infamous and cringe-worthy scenes in the genre, in which the character Paola gets her eye brutally gouged out by a huge piece of splintered wood.



One of the most epic scenes in horror history also takes place within the film, an underwater fight between a zombie and a shark. Let me run that by you one more time - an underwater fight between a zombie and a fucking shark. Any film that actually has the balls to attempt a "zombie vs shark" fight scene, and actually pull it off without making it look utterly ridiculous is a winner in my book. If that isn't enough to convince you to see this film then you have no right to call yourself a fan of horror films. Again, you owe it to yourself to see this if you haven't already.

There have been many different versions of the soundtrack to Zombi 2 released over the years. I don't think that I've ever come across one that simply just contains the score written by Fabio Frizzi, and the version I'm posting today is no exception, although I'm sure one must exist somewhere. Every version that I have found either contains bonus tracks, or is a split release which includes the score to another horror film. The version I'm posting today is referred to as the "Blackest Heart Media Comic Book Edition", not to be confused with the version released by Blackest Heart Media that included music from Cannibal Ferox It is one of, if not the rarest versions of the soundtrack to Zombi 2 to be released.

In 2000 Blackest Heart Media released a graphic novel adaption of the film, written by Stephen Romano. Unfortunately Blackest Heart Media shut down shop sometime in 2002, and it appears as if we have seen the last of them. As with many who composed scores for Italian horror films, Frizzi did not aim to instill a feeling of complete dread in the listener with his music. Instead he opted for a more minimalistic and highly atmospheric approach. His music often relied on the heavy use of synthesizers and slow repetitive rhythms to create an ominous undertone. In addition to Fabio Frizzi's score for Zombi 2, this release also contains a number of extra features. There are several different radio spots for Zombi 2 and a few other films directed by Fulci, a few remixes of tracks from the original score, as well as several excellent tracks from a group named rokOpera (which I admittedly know nothing about), and one track by a group referred to as Cinema Stage Orchestra. All in all I think this is the best version of the soundtrack to be released. I hope all of you Fulci and Frizzi fans enjoy this as much as I have.

Year of Release: 2000
Label: Blackest Heart Media
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Horror
Bitrate: 320kbps

Tracklist:
1. Fabio Frizzi - The Boat Can Leave Now
2. Fabio Frizzi - Zombie
3. Fabio Frizzi - Eyeball
4. Fabio Frizzi - Escape From the Flesheaters
5. Fabio Frizzi - Leaving Hell (The Cab Ride)
6. Fabio Frizzi - Menard's Duty
7. Fabio Frizzi - Matool
8. Fabio Frizzi - Ann and Peter
9. Fabio Frizzi - Voodoo Rising
10. Fabio Frizzi - Matool (Version Two)
11. Fabio Frizzi - Escape From the Flesheaters (Version Two)
12. Fabio Frizzi - Maggots/Voodoo Rising (Film Version)
13. Fabio Frizzi - Escape From the Flesheaters (Remix Version)
14. Fabio Frizzi - Matool (Remix Version)
15. Fabio Frizzi - Zombies Everywhere....
16. rokOPERA - Biacando's Fire
17. A Roomfull of Dead Friends (Radio Spot)
18. rokOPERA - Zombie 2000
19. Fabio Frizzi - A Very Bad Experience With Extremely Dangerous Dead People
20. Cinema Strange Orchestra - Zombie (Orchestral)
21. You Are What You Eat (Radio Spot)
22. rokOPERA - Peter West / Danger Seeker (Outtake)
23. A Bloody Hand Rises to Grab You (Radio Spot)
24. rokOPERA - Dead Eyes
25. Fabio Frizzi - Just Dead Enough
26. rokOPERA - Reality Is A Nightmare (Remix Fixx)
27. It's Got My Arm! (Radio Spot)
28. rokOPERA - Eating Lucio
29. The Gates of Hell (Radio Spot)
30. rokOPERA Connexion (Goblin Cover)

Download: Fabio Frizzi - Zombie (Blackest Heart Media Comic Book Edition)
Download Size: 157MB

"Eerie" Horror Comics - Issues 11-20 (1967-1968)

I'm picking up where I left off with my last post dedicated to the horror comic/magazine, "Eerie". I posted the first ten issues last time, so here are issues #11 through #20. I already covered everything I could think of in my first post dedicated to Eerie, so I'm simply going to repost it here to save myself some much needed time. If you need help with the .cbr or .cbz (comic book reader format files), please refer to this post.

I was planning on continuing posting issues of both Creepy and Eerie, but I have also considered posting some old horror comics from the '50s, such as EC Comics "Tales From the Crypt", in order to provide a bit of variety. However, I honestly think that the artwork and writing in Creepy and Eerie are far superior than anything put out by EC. I'm not familiar with any of the more recently published horror comics other than The Walking Dead (Which is absolutely amazing, and I can't recommend it enough), so I am avoiding posting them because I do not know what is safe to post. I would love to see some comments in response to these ideas, and please let me know if you have any recommendations.

Panel From Eerie #13
(Click to Enlarge)

As promised, here are the first 10 issues of the horror comic/magazine, "Eerie". In case you missed it, I posted the first 10 issues of "Creepy" here: http://digitalmeltd0wn.blogspot.com/2010/10/creepy-horror-comics-issues-1-10-1964.html

Eerie was created by Warren Publishing as a sister publication to Creepy, with the first issue being released in 1965, one year after the launch of Creepy. There were numerous similarities between the two publications from the start, with the most obvious being that they both focused on supernatural tales of horror. Both featured top-notch artists and writers. Creepy had its own host character in "Uncle Creepy", while Eerie introduced "Cousin Eerie". As with Creepy, Eerie also started off very succesfully, only to suffer after the departure of Editor Archie Goodwin and a lack of funds in the late '60s. Both publications were forced to rely on issuing reprints to stay afloat, eventually emerging stronger than ever in the mid-70s by introducing color issues and increasing the frequency with which they published to nine issues per year.

Despite the numerous similarites there were also a few key differences, although these differences would not manifest themeselves until midway through the series. Eerie eventually introduced a number of serials, based on original characters with their own contuity, in order to differentiate itself from Creepy, which focused on standalone anthology stories. Near the end of its run Creepy started issuing reprints, once again due to a lack of editorial direction and funds. Eerie came to an unfortunate end when Warren Publishing declared bankruptcy in February 1983, making issue 139 the last in the series.

I hope you all enjoy these issues of this legendary horror comic/magazine. Now that I've put up issues 1-10 of both Creepy and Eerie as I had originally planned, I would like to know if you all would be interested in seeing more issues posted here. I had planned to at least post the first 30 issues of both series, but I wanted to know if their is enough interest before I follow through with my plans. Please leave a comment to let me know if you would like to see more of these posted for Halloween Countdown.

Publisher: Warren Publishing
Schedule: Bimonthly (Eventually 9 times a year)
Publication Date: 1965-1983
Number of Issues: 139
E-book Format: .cbr & .cbz

Download: Eerie #11 (1967)
Download Size: 32MB

Download: Eerie #12 (1967)
Download Size: 30MB

Download: Eerie #13 (1968)
Download Size: 26MB

Download: Eerie #14 (1968)
Download Size: 14MB

Download: Eerie #15 (1968)
Download Size: 22MB

Download: Eerie #16 (1968)
Download Size: 29MB

Download: Eerie #17 (1968)
Download Size: 41MB

Download: Eerie #18 (1968)
Download Size: 24MB

Download: Eerie #19 (1968)
Download Size: 25MB

Download: Eerie #20 (1968)
Download Size: 57MB

Jay Chattaway - Maniac Cop Original Soundtrack (1988 - 320kbps)

With my last post I shared John Harrison's score to "Creepshow", one of the better horror scores of the '80s that made use of synthesizers to create the majority of the music. This time up I'm presenting another great example of a synth-heavy horror score, Jay Chattaway's score to "Maniac Cop". The '80s produced a slew of slasher flicks full of senseless violence and plotholes galore, and "Maniac Cop" was no exception as they attempted to cash in on the craze. While it didn't manage to avoid the cliches, the complex action scenes throughout the series did help to distinguish it from other horror films of the time. The score by Jay Chattaway certainly didn't hurt either, and I consider it one another great example of a synthesized horror score from the '80s that really shines. Chattaway also composed scores for a couple of other '80s horror flicks, the similarly titled "Maniac", and "Stephen King's Silver Bullet", but avoided the horror genre for the rest of his career. This album was released in 1988 by Phoenix Records, and has long been out of print. As I mentioned in my post from yesterday, I haven't been feeling too well the last couple of days. For those interested, you should be able to find out plenty of information concerning this release online. I apologize for not going more into depth with my review, but hopefully I'll be feeling better soon.

Year of Release: 1988
Label: Phoenix Records
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Horror, Electronic
Bitrate: 320kbps

Tracklist:
1. Main Title
2. A Night In The Park
3. Flashback Montage
4. The Chase
5. Morning Train
6. Face Down
7. Sally's Drive
8. On The Ledge
9. Splash Dance
10. Epilogue

Download: Jay Chattaway - Maniac Cop Original Soundtrack
Download Size: 55MB

John Harrison - Creepshow (2003 - 320kbps)

I am not feeling very well at all today, so I'm going to keep todays posts very short. Someone recently requested the Soundtrack to "Creepshow", an album that I thought I had already posted here, but it turns out that I was wrong. A few different versions have been released over the years, but the one I'm presenting to you today is a limited edition remastered version of the soundtrack with bonus tracks released by La-La Land Records in 2003. It has since gone out of print and is no longer available for purchase for La-La Land. In addition to the score for "Creepshow", this album also includes a few previously unreleased tracks John Harrison composed for George A. Romero's television series "Tales From the Darkside". There are also a few unreleased tracks from two different Romero projects that were never filmed. The first is an overture Harrison composed for "Mansions of the Moon" (an unproduced sci-fi version of the Opera "Tales of Hoffman). The second project was "Shoobie Doobie Moon", an outrageous send up of 1950's musicals and horror films.

Unfortunately the bonus tracks leave much to be desired, and are not the strong point of this album. However, the score for Creepshow remains one of the best examples of a synth-based horror score from the '80s, a time when horror films included synth music that turned out to me more horrifying than anything contained in the film. The music was created and performed entirely on a PROPHET V polyphonic synthesizer and Steinway and Weber grand pianos. That's all for now. I just don't feel like writing much. I may use that as an excuse to put up a few more albums before the end of the night, as I don't mind pointing and clicking, which is all that is required to upload the files and images, nearly as much as writing the reviews for each post.

Year of Release: Original: 1982 (Original) | 2003 (La-La Release)
Label: La-La Land (LLLCD 1007)
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Horror
Bitrate: 320kbps

Download: John Harrison - Creepshow (Complete Soundtrack + Bonus Tracks)
Download Size: 137MB

"Creepy" Horror Comics - Issues 11-20 (1966-1968)

As promised, I'm picking up where I left off with my last post dedicated to the horror comic/magazine, "Creepy". I posted the first ten issues in my previous "Creepy" post, so here are issues #11 through #20. I already posted all the information I have on Creepy, the comic book reader files, and the programs you need to read them in my first post, so I'm simply going to repost that information below to save myself some much needed time.

I last participated in the "Halloween Countdown" event in 2008, and I had intended to post scans of the original "Creepy" horror comic/magazine back then. Unfortunately I ended up running out of time because I became so wrapped up in preparing my Lovecraft grand finale, and so I wasn't able to post these for the countdown that year. Other than the two copies of Weird Tales that I recently posted, I haven't posted any scans of comics or magazines in E-book format during the four years I have been running this blog. Most people come here expecting to find music when I update this blog, so I prefer to only post this sort of thing whenever a special event is going on here. The Weird Tales scans were received rather well here, and considering these will likely appeal to a broader range of people, I thought they would be perfect to post for Halloween Countdown. For those unfamiliar with digital comics, you will need a comic book reader program to handle the file format (.cbr & .cbz). I suggest either CDisplay for those looking for a simpler program, or ComicRack for those looking for a fully featured reader. Both are free and have relatively small download sizes. I personally prefer CDisplay, simply because I don't need all the features that ComicRack includes.

If you've never had the pleasure of checking out an issue of Creepy you're in for a real treat. "Creepy" is considered the first horror-comic magazine, and inspired a slew of imitators. Both the artwork and writing are top-notch, as Creepy had the money to lure in some of the most talented writers and artists in the comic-book world at that time, and also gave them a great degree of artistic freedom. Creepy often included a great deal of graphic artwork and mature subject-matter which was intended for adults rather than children, . They were able to do this by taking advantage of a loophole, publishing their material as a black & white magazine, rather than a comic. Thus they were able to bypass the required approval of the Comics Code Authority, which tightly regulated the amount of violence and gore in horror comics during that time period.

As with my more recent posts, I'm going to allow Wikipedia to fill you in on all the specific details about "Creepy", as I have a ton of other material that I'm preparing for you.

General Info:
Creepy was an American horror-comics magazine launched by Warren Publishing in 1964. Like Mad, it was a black-and-white newsstand publication in a magazine format and thus did not require the approval or seal of the Comics Code Authority. The anthology magazine was initially published quarterly but later went bimonthly. Each issue's stories were introduced by the host character, Uncle Creepy. Its sister publications were Eerie and Vampirella.

The Creepy Launch:
Russ Jones, the founding editor of Creepy in 1964, detailed the magazine's origins and his lengthy negotiations with Warren in his memoir, "Creepy & Eerie," at his website. While doing covers, illustrated stories and photo stories for Warren, Jones continued trying to sell him on the idea of doing a comics magazine, and eventually Warren agreed:

"Originally it was to be a 64-page magazine. Jim cut it back to 48... I made a sketch of my host for the mag and sent it off to Jack Davis to work up a cover. Still no title. Titles are tough. Ask anyone who ever had to come up with one. One night I was sitting in the studio alone, looking at Woody's tear-sheets from the ECs, when Warren called. He was furious and demanded a name for Project D. I was looking at a balloon over an Ingels Old Witch, and in her narrative, the word "creepy" grabbed out at me. I muttered the name to Jim... We now had a title for our mag." - Russ Jones

Joe Orlando was not only an illustrator for Creepy but also a behind-the-scenes story editor on early issues. His credit on the first issue masthead read: "Story Ideas: Joe Orlando." Bill Pearson also worked on the first issue.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creepy

Publisher: Warren Publishing
Schedule: Bimonthly (Eventually 9 times a year)
Publication Date: 1964-1983
Number of Issues: 145
E-book Format: .cbr & .cbz

Download: Creepy #11 (1966)
Download Size: 37MB

Download: Creepy #12 (1966)
Download Size: 45MB

Download: Creepy #13(1966)
Download Size: 33MB

Download: Creepy #14 (1967)
Download Size: 37MB

Download: Creepy #15 (1967)
Download Size: 29MB

Download: Creepy #16 (1967)
Download Size: 43MB

Download: Creepy #17 (1967)
Download Size: 33MB

Download: Creepy #18 (1967)
Download Size: 50MB

Download: Creepy #19 (1967)
Download Size: 33MB

Download: Creepy #20 (1968)
Download Size: 34MB

Carles Cases - H.P. Lovecraft's Dagon (Promo Score) (2001 - 320kbps)

"I have looked upon all that the universe has to hold of horror, and even the skies of spring and the flowers of summer must ever afterward be poison to me."

- H.P. Lovecraft

With 26 days left till "Halloween Countdown 2010" comes to an end, there are still plenty of days left for me to deliver more madness and mayhem to you all. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday, and I love having an excuse to celebrate it all month long. In fact, I've been seriously considering having another countdown in December. Since Christmas happens to be my least favorite holiday, I thought that I could go with a sort of "Nightmare Before Christmas" countdown, and post all of the items that I didn't have time to post for the Halloween Countdown. I'm not so sure if I want to use the name "Nightmare Before Christmas Countdown" for obvious reasons, even though it would fit with the idea perfectly. However, I am certain that I would definitely be interested in following through with this if enough people wanted to see it. I know many people enjoy this blog due to the eclectic selection I provide whenever we aren't participating in a special event like Halloween Countdown, so I don't want to burn you out on horror-themed posts.

As I promised in an earlier post, I have something special for all the H.P. Lovecraft fans out there, making this the 11th such post dedicated to Lovecraft. I present to you Carles Cases promo score for Dagon, yet another Stuart Gordon film devoted to the work of Lovecraft. Dagon happens to be one of the very few films based on Lovecraft's work that I remember enjoying a great deal, although it has been years since I have had a chance to watch it, so I hope that it is as good as I remembered it being. I'm amazed at the number of films that have been absolutely terrible and cheesy. It's no wonder that Lovecraft wasn't a big fan of the film medium, and he would have no doubt been absolutely disgusted with some of the horrible adaptations of his work. During his lifetime he was adament about refusing to have his stories adapted to film, stating that the medium was incapable of portraying the sheer terror and insanity injected into a person's mind and soul when they witnessed the blasphemous perversions of nature, which played such an important role in Lovecraft's tales of cosmic-horror. While I wouldn't come close to placing Dagon at the top of my list of favorite movies, it easily ranks as one of the finest films dedicated to Lovecraft's visions.

I found Carles Cases' score to be surprisingly original upon first listening to it. While it managed to avoid many of the cliches that plague your average horror movie score, it still manages to deliver an overall feeling of dread and impending doom. One of the most striking aspects of Cases' score is the liberal use of Gregorian chants thoughtout, although perhaps Lovecraftian chants would be more appropriate in this case. They instill a sense of awe in the listener and give one the feeling that something epic is taking place. A wide variety of traditional instruments are used throughout the score, although sometimes they are used in such a subtle and intelligent manner during the calmer movements of the score that you need to listen closely to distinguish them. They drift in and out as they please, lightly complimenting the underlying textured soundscape, and serve to reinforce the feeling that the listener has entered a world that is both magical and terrifying.

This is far from a subdued score though, and when the same instruments do come to the forefront, they erupt in a very forceful manner. Blasting brass announces the arrival of some terrible presence. The string section emits violent screeching sounds with the stabbing of their bows. The percussion section pounds out tribal rhythms in a juggernaut-like fashion. Cases also does an amazing job of mixing both mechanical and organic sounding noises, blending the traditional instrumentation and chants mentioned above with some of the most foreboding sounds contained in the score. A deep bass-filled "groan" often interjects, and reminds me of a sound that one might here in some nightmarish boiler room. Deep thunderous "booms" startle the listener, demanding their attention.

Somehow Cases was able to seamlessly stitch together all the elements mentioned above, and managed to create an amazingly effective score. At the forefront it has a very uplifting tribal feel to it, supported by a foreboding textured and industrial soundscape that serves as the foundation. I think this score may have a little something for everyone, and I will certainly be keeping an eye on the talented Carles Cases in the future. I would love to hear your opinions of this score, so it you have the time, please leave a comment and let me know what you thought.

You can find my other posts dedicated to H.P. Lovecraft here

Year of Release: 2001
Label: NA / Promo Release
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Horror, Science Fiction
Bitrate: 320kbps

Tracklist:
1. Main Title
2. Isla de la Muerte
3. Only Sounds Over Miles
4. At the Hotel
5. Ezequiel's Story
6. Die For Dagon
7. Javier Home
8. Preparing the Sacrifice
9. Dagon Rises
10. Final-Credits

Download: Carles Cases - H.P. Lovecraft's Dagon (Promo Score)
Download Size: 78MB

Delia Derbyshire & Brian Hodgson - The Legend of Hell House (Unreleased Score) (1973 - 320kbps)

Most of you who have followed this blog for some time now are familiar with my fondness for Delia Derbyshire's work. I have managed to collect the majority of her solo albums, as well as projects she contributed to, namely for the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. However, there has been one album that has eluded my grasp until now, due to the fact that it was never officially released. The album in question is the score for 1973 horror film, "The Legend of Hell House", which she composed along with fellow BBC Radiophonic Workshop member Brian Hodgson in Hodgson's Electrophon studio in London. I had hoped that it would appear somewhere on the internet for years before finally discovering this on the old Isbum's Place blog, which is now no longer active. The score was ripped from DVD by a fellow who goes by the name of "The Master Cylinder", who happened to run one of the many sub-blogs on Isbum's Place. The Master Cylinder is a well known figure among rare soundtrack/score enthusiasts, having ripped and released soundtracks and scores for hundreds of movies that were never officially released. This particular release was numbered MC 208.

Original 1973 Movie Poster

I wish I could find out more information about the ripping job MC performed on this release. I couldn't find a DVD version of this film containing 5.1 surround sound. One common way to rip the audio from a DVD is simply to isolate the 5.1 surround sound and rip it to mp3 format. If a disc doesn't include 5.1 surround sound it makes the whole process a bit trickier, and heavy editing is usually required to remove dialogue and other sound found in the movie. Perhaps The Master Cylinder himself will grace us with his presence and be able to elaborate a bit on this particular release, but I'm not sure if he is still around.

Unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to watch this film, so I can't say for sure how complete this score actually is. Judging from the length of the album, I find it very unlikely that this is a 5.1 surround sound rip. The album clocks in at just over 10 minutes in total length, which leads me to believe that there was more music which had to be edited out due to the fact that it contained dialogue and various other sounds from the movie. There are also a few places where the audio seems to jump just a bit, although it isn't noticeable enough to be a distraction.

Given the facts mentioned above, I debated as to whether or not I should share this here, but in the end I decided to go ahead for the following reason: To the best of my knowledge, this is the only version in any form of the score for The Legend of Hell House in existence, making it the only way many people will have the opportunity to listen to music from one of Delia Derbyshire's final projects. There are also a few people who frequent this blog that are big fans of Delia's work, and will be excited to see this regardless of how complete it is. Musically speaking, this may turn out to be one of the weaker selections of the Halloween Countdown for some, however I can't emphasize the significance of this collection of music enough.

As for the music, it is very different from the majority of Delia's work, which tends to be more rich and bold in nature. This is a bit more subdued, but I wouldn't go as far as to say that it is boring. Brian Hodgson is best known for creating sound effects for the sci-fi television series, Doctor Who, and is responsible for the strange sound effects that can be heard. The majority of the tracks on this release feature a haunting minimalistic ambient-like atmosphere, with minor amounts of percussion and brass. My favorite thing about the music is that it combines sounds that seem both organic and mechanical in nature. Hodgson's strange sound effects can be heard throughout each cue, the majority of which sound like spirits calling out from the beyond and letting out tortorous moans, although what sounds like muffled sexual moans can be also heard in some places. There is a very small amount of dialogue found on track 5, though it fades out almost as quickly as it appears.

I'm not going to go into detail about the plot of the movie, as plenty of information can be found online. You can find the wikipedia article for the film here, and the IMDB page here. Unfortunately there is neither a tracklist or album cover for this release. The "album cover" is simply a cropped-out section of the original movie poster I created so that I could have a folder image for my harddrive, and there isn't a track listing to include since this isn't an official release. If any of you can provide any further details surround this release please take the time to leave a comment.

Year of Release: 1973
Label: NA / Bootleg Release
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Horror
Bitrate: 320kbps

Download: Delia Derbyshire & Brian Hodgson - The Legend of Hell House
Download Size: 24MB

"Eerie" Horror Comics - Issues 1-10 (1965-1967)

As promised, here are the first 10 issues of the horror comic/magazine, "Eerie". In case you missed it, I posted the first 10 issues of "Creepy" here: http://digitalmeltd0wn.blogspot.com/2010/10/creepy-horror-comics-issues-1-10-1964.html

Eerie was created by Warren Publishing as a sister publication to Creepy, with the first issue being released in 1965, one year after the launch of Creepy. There were numerous similarities between the two publications from the start, with the most obvious being that they both focused on supernatural tales of horror. Both featured top-notch artists and writers. Creepy had its own host character in "Uncle Creepy", while Eerie introduced "Cousin Eerie". As with Creepy, Eerie also started off very succesfully, only to suffer after the departure of Editor Archie Goodwin and a lack of funds in the late '60s. Both publications were forced to rely on issuing reprints to stay afloat, eventually emerging stronger than ever in the mid-70s by introducing color issues and increasing the frequency with which they published to nine issues per year.

Despite the numerous similarites there were also a few key differences, although these differences would not manifest themeselves until midway through the series. Eerie eventually introduced a number of serials, based on original characters with their own contuity, in order to differentiate itself from Creepy, which focused on standalone anthology stories. Near the end of its run Creepy started issuing reprints, once again due to a lack of editorial direction and funds. Eerie came to an unfortunate end when Warren Publishing declared bankruptcy in February 1983, making issue 139 the last in the series.

I hope you all enjoy these issues of this legendary horror comic/magazine. Now that I've put up issues 1-10 of both Creepy and Eerie as I had originally planned, I would like to know if you all would be interested in seeing more issues posted here. I had planned to at least post the first 30 issues of both series, but I wanted to know if their is enough interest before I follow through with my plans. Please leave a comment to let me know if you would like to see more of these posted for Halloween Countdown.

Publisher: Warren Publishing
Schedule: Bimonthly (Eventually 9 times a year)
Publication Date: 1965-1983
Number of Issues: 139
E-book Format: .cbr & .cbz

Download: Eerie #1 (1965)
Download Size: 15MB

Download: Eerie #2 (1966)
Download Size: 24MB

Download: Eerie #3 (1966)
Download Size: 44MB

Download: Eerie #4 (1966)
Download Size: 42MB

Download: Eerie #5 (1966)
Download Size: 43MB

Download: Eerie # 6(1966)
Download Size: 42MB

Download: Eerie #7 (1967)
Download Size: 24MB

Download: Eerie #8 (1967)
Download Size: 34MB

Download: Eerie #9 (1967)
Download Size: 33MB

Download: Eerie #10 (1967)
Download Size: 35MB

Joseph LoDuca - Evil Dead (Original Score) (1984 - 320kbps)

When Sam Raimi released Evil Dead on a shoestring budget of $375,000, no one realized at the time that it would eventually become a cult classic, spawning two sequals that would make up one of the horror genre's most beloved trilogies. The movie was initially rejected by several film distributors due to its extreme depiction of graphic violence, gore and rape. It was eventually unleashed into theaters in 1981, generating a massive amount of controversy in its wake. While the violence and gore were controversial in their own right, the most notorious scene in the film involves a demon possessing the trees of the forest, which then take a snake-like form and brutally rape the character of Cheryl. The film was subsequently banned in many countries, including Finland, Iceland, Ireland, and most notably, Germany, which banned the film for almost 10 years.

I've watched many movies where the film score or soundtrack just didn't capture the spirit of the film or compliment it well at all. Fortunately, Sam Raimi discovered Joseph LoDuci, who would go on to compose the scores for the majority of Raimi's films in the future, including both Evil Dead films and Army of Darkness. LoDuca captured the madness of the film perfectly, composing a hybrid score consisting of both analog synthesizer sounds and traditional instrumentation. Many horror films of the 80's were plagued by horrendous synthesizer scores, and thankfully LoDuca didn't fall into that trap. Instead he was able to create a number of remarkable synth movements within the score, which have aged remarkably well, managing to avoid the cheap sound and generic style of many of his contemporaries. LoDuca utilized a variety of instruments in his score, including an assortment of percussion instruments, a string quartet, guitar and piano, the majority of which were utilized in an unconventional and experimental manner. The best example of this in my opinion is the track for the aforementioned "demonic tree rape scene", in which a cacophony of strings expertly illustrate the madness and savagery that is being displayed on the screen.

The version of the score I am posting today was originally released on vinyl in 1984 by Varèse Sarabande Records. It was eventually re-released on CD in 1993. The liner wrotes were written by none other than Stephen King, who was a huge fan of the movie, describing it as "the most ferociously original horror film of 1982". He was also very outspoken against Germany's decision to ban the film in their country. A few other labels have also released their own version of this score, most of which contain fewer tracks than the Varèse Sarabande release, which contains a total of 19 tracks. I'm out of time for now, but I wanted to throw one more thing out there before I close this post out. Before this years Halloween Countdown ends, I may post a link to download "Within the Woods", which was the short film that Raimi and company created as a prototype for Evil Dead. The copy I have is a VHS rip, which means that it is low quality, although it only adds to the atmosphere of the film in my opinion. I've heard that a higher quality DVD rip is circulating the net somewhere, so I'm trying to find a copy of it before it gets too late within the month. Please let me know if this is something you all would like to see posted here. In the meantime, I hope all enjoy this fantastic score.

Year of Release: 1984
Label: Varèse Sarabande (STV 81199)
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Horror
Bitrate: 320kbps

Tracklist:
1. Introduction
2. Eye Games / Charm
3. Bridge Out
4. Rape of the Vines
5. Ascent / Inflection
6. Automatic Writing
7. Skin
8. Give Her the Ax
9. Love Never Dies
10. Kandanian Dagger / Book Burning
11. Dawn of the Evil Dead
12. Not the Shower Curtain
13. Check On You
14. Pencil It In
15. Get the Lantern / Book of the Dead
16. Dawn / Incantation
17. Shotgun
18. Games
19. The Cabin / Wounded Melody

Download: Joseph LoDuca - Evil Dead (Original Score)
Download Size: 81MB

"Creepy" Horror Comics - Issues 1-10 (1964-1966)

I last participated in the "Halloween Countdown" event in 2008, and I had intended to post scans of the original "Creepy" horror comic/magazine back then. Unfortunately I ended up running out of time because I became so wrapped up in preparing my Lovecraft grand finale, and so I wasn't able to post these for the countdown that year. Other than the two copies of Weird Tales that I recently posted, I haven't posted any scans of comics or magazines in E-book format during the four years I have been running this blog. Most people come here expecting to find music when I update this blog, so I prefer to only post this sort of thing whenever a special event is going on here. The Weird Tales scans were received rather well here, and considering these will likely appeal to a broader range of people, I thought they would be perfect to post for Halloween Countdown. For those unfamiliar with digital comics, you will need a comic book reader program to handle the file format (.cbr & .cbz). I suggest either CDisplay for those looking for a simpler program, or ComicRack for those looking for a fully featured reader. Both are free and have relatively small download sizes. I personally prefer CDisplay, simply because I don't need all the features that ComicRack includes.

If you've never had the pleasure of checking out an issue of Creepy you're in for a real treat. "Creepy" is considered the first horror-comic magazine, and inspired a slew of imitators. Both the artwork and writing are top-notch, as Creepy had the money to lure in some of the most talented writers and artists in the comic-book world at that time, and also gave them a great degree of artistic freedom. Creepy often included a great deal of graphic artwork and mature subject-matter which was intended for adults rather than children, . They were able to do this by taking advantage of a loophole, publishing their material as a black & white magazine, rather than a comic. Thus they were able to bypass the required approval of the Comics Code Authority, which tightly regulated the amount of violence and gore in horror comics during that time period.

I haven't posted anything like this until recently, so please leave a comment and let me know if you enjoy these and wouldn't mind seeing more posted, otherwise I will simply stick to posting music. I have the full run of "Creepy" and "Eery", several horror titles released by EC Comics, and a few more comics inspired by H.P. Lovecraft which I didn't share in my Lovecraft post from Halloween Countdown 2008. I was considering at least posting the first 30 issues of both "Creepy" and "Eery" in 10 issue installments of each, and dedicate another post to the remaining scans of Weird Tales. I hope that you all enjoy these classic horror comics, and again, please let me know if you enjoy these and wouldn't mind seeing more horror comics/magazines posted.

As with my more recent posts, I'm going to allow Wikipedia to fill you in on all the specific details about "Creepy", as I have a ton of other material that I'm preparing for you.

General Info:
Creepy was an American horror-comics magazine launched by Warren Publishing in 1964. Like Mad, it was a black-and-white newsstand publication in a magazine format and thus did not require the approval or seal of the Comics Code Authority. The anthology magazine was initially published quarterly but later went bimonthly. Each issue's stories were introduced by the host character, Uncle Creepy. Its sister publications were Eerie and Vampirella.

The Creepy Launch:
Russ Jones, the founding editor of Creepy in 1964, detailed the magazine's origins and his lengthy negotiations with Warren in his memoir, "Creepy & Eerie," at his website. While doing covers, illustrated stories and photo stories for Warren, Jones continued trying to sell him on the idea of doing a comics magazine, and eventually Warren agreed:

"Originally it was to be a 64-page magazine. Jim cut it back to 48... I made a sketch of my host for the mag and sent it off to Jack Davis to work up a cover. Still no title. Titles are tough. Ask anyone who ever had to come up with one. One night I was sitting in the studio alone, looking at Woody's tear-sheets from the ECs, when Warren called. He was furious and demanded a name for Project D. I was looking at a balloon over an Ingels Old Witch, and in her narrative, the word "creepy" grabbed out at me. I muttered the name to Jim... We now had a title for our mag." - Russ Jones

Joe Orlando was not only an illustrator for Creepy but also a behind-the-scenes story editor on early issues. His credit on the first issue masthead read: "Story Ideas: Joe Orlando." Bill Pearson also worked on the first issue.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creepy

Publisher: Warren Publishing
Schedule: Bimonthly (Eventually 9 times a year)
Publication Date: 1964-1983
Number of Issues: 145
E-book Format: .cbr & .cbz

Download: Creepy #1 (1964)
Download Size: 20MB

Download: Creepy #2 (1965)
Download Size: 35MB

Download: Creepy #3(1965)
Download Size: 35MB

Download: Creepy #4 (1965)
Download Size:

Download: Creepy #5 (1965)
Download Size: 38MB

Download: Creepy #6 (1965)
Download Size: 44MB

Download: Creepy #7 (1965)
Download Size: 43MB

Download: Creepy #8 (1965)
Download Size: 32MB

Download: Creepy #9 (1966)
Download Size: 34MB

Download: Creepy #10 (1966)
Download Size: 43MB

Harry Manfredini - Friday the 13th (Complete Original Score) (1980)

Although it may seem cliche to some to share music from the Friday the 13th films for the Halloween Countdown, I simply can't resist doing so for several reasons. I am going to do my best to deliver a balanced selection of material for the Halloween Countdown, posting items that may be obscure, popular, vintage, or new. The first and most important reason for sharing this is due to the completely undeniable badassness of this score. Harry Manfredini's score for Friday the 13th is one of the creepiest and unnerving within the entire horror film genre. I'm one of those people who doesn't scare easily, even when placed in situations where I probably should be, at least for my own well-being. However, while listening to this last night I couldn't help but feel as if someone might be lurking in one of the bedrooms behind me, waiting to dispatch me in some horrible manner if I dared to walk down the hallway.



Like many children raised by alcholic and junked out parents during the '80s, I had free reign to watch films full of gratuitous nudity, violence and gore. Aside from the Friday films released by New Line Cinema, which didn't have any redeeming qualities in my opinion, I have watched the films from the series many many times over the years. Which brings me to my second reason for sharing this: I know there are many other horror enthusiasts close to my age who grew up watching these films time and time again, and hold these films near and dear to their heart. I posted the Friday the 13th: Special Edition Soundtrack a couple of years ago, and it has almost been downloaded more times than any other album on this blog, which speaks volumes about the ongoing popularity of the series after 30 years. I hope that this score will be equally well received, and I have the scores to the majority of the films in the series, so if anyone is interested I can post some of them also.

I wish that I could remember where I found this so I can give credit to the person responsible for ripping it. I wrote a note for myself that states that the score was isolated and ripped from the 5.1 surround sound of the DVD, most likely from the Friday the 13th DVD box set. The bitrate is a little low at 192kbps, but it sounds absolutely perfect to me. The album art must have been custom created also, as soundtrack is mispelled as "sondtrack" on the front cover.

I'm going to go ahead and end this post since there really isn't much that I can say about either the film or the score that hasn't already been said a thousand times before, not that it has ever stopped me before, but I have a ton of stuff that I want to be able to share before "Halloween Countdown 2010" is over. "Sci-Fi September" made me realize all to well how quickly a month can pass, and I don't want to make the same mistake twice.

Year of Release: 1980
Label: NA / Bootleg Release
Genres: Film Score, Horror
Bitrate: 192kbps

Tracklist:
1. Camp Blood New
2. Prelude
3. We Weren't Doin' Anything
4. Main Title
5. Kill The Cook
6. The Snake
7. Ralph's Warning
8. What's In The Top Bunk
9. Jack's Death
10. The Outhouse
11. The Arrow
12. Resting
13. Bill Behind The Door
14. The Terror Begins
15. Mrs. Voorhees
16. Her Revenge
17. The Attack Continues
18. The Beheading
19. End Title (Sail Away Little Sparrow)
20. Source Music (The Ride To Camp)
21. Introduction To Horror

Download: Harry Manfredini - Friday the 13th (Complete Original Score)
Download Size: 71MB

Boris Karloff - Tales of the Frightened Volumes 1 & 2 (1963)

I present to you two classic volumes of ghost stories narrated by Boris Karloff for your listening pleasure. There is actually a lengthy tale behind how these recordings came to be, but I'll do my best to summarize the story for you. Apparently sometime in the late '50s/early '60s there was a syndicated radio feature titled "The Frightened", which didn't really get off the ground. No one seems to know exactly how many episodes of this series were broadcast, and none of the original recordings exist. The radio viginettes were written by Michael Avallone and read by Boris Karloff. A magazine of the same name served as a tie-in, with each issue containing one of the viginettes Years later these stories were published in a paperback format entitled "Tales of the Frightened". That same year Mercury Records released two volumes of Karloff reading these stories as a phonograph record.

These recordings are considered by many collectors to be among the best ghost story albums from this time. Karloff does a masterful job of narrating, creating an eery atmosphere that few others could match. Someone on a forum I frequent wrote: "He has a reassuring, grandfatherly quality, but manages to come across as foreboding at the same time." These stories aren't designed to scare the living hell out of you, opting more for the "Twilight Zone" or "Outer Limits" approach.

Electronic music can faintly be heard in the background. The music in question is a slowed down, heavily distorted version of "Song of the Second Moon" by Tom Dissvelt and Kid Baltan. It was released on The Elektrosonics' 1957 album "Electronic Music". Several of the stories also feature sound effects, such as screams, rattling chains, clock chimes and ticking, footsteps on creaking floorboards, which add to the overall atmosphere of the album.

I have a few more albums of ghost stories and spooky tales, as well as a few sound effects albums. It's been almost two years since I posted anything like this, so I can't recall how well these went over at the time. Please let me know if you would like to see more of this type of thing, or if you would prefer that I stick with the music.

Year of Release: 1963
Label: Mercury (MG 20815 / MG 20816)
Genre: Ghost Stories / Spoken Word
Bitrate: 192kbps

Tracklist:

Volume 1:
1. The Man in the Raincoat
2. The Deadly Dress
3. The Hand of Fate
4. Don't Lose Your Head
5. Call At Midnight
6. Just Inside the Cemetary
7. The Fortune Teller

Volume 2
1. The Vampire Sleeps
2. Mirror of Death
3. Never Kick A Black Cat
4. The Ladder
5. Nightmare
6. Voice From The Grave

Download: Boris Karloff - Tales of the Frightened Volume 1
Download Size: 46MB

Download: Boris Karloff - Tales of the Frightened Volume 2
Download Size: 41MB

Misfits - Halloween 7'' Single (1981 - FLAC)

On October 31st of 1981 the Misfits would release a 7" single that would serve as a new defining Halloween anthem for almost all who heard it for. This happens to be one of my favorite Misfits songs, right alongside "Bullet" and "Die, Die My Darling". Only 5,000 of these were released on Danzig's own label, Plan 9 Records. Since this is a Halloween "Countdown", I want to make sure that I get this posted before October 1st passes. I'm sure you all have become accustomed to me posting Wikipedia articles lately due to my lack of available time to write an adequate review, so I hope you all won't mind yet another.

"Halloween" is the fifth single by the horror punk band the Misfits. It was released on October 31, 1981 on singer Glenn Danzig's label Plan 9 Records. 5,000 copies of the single were pressed on black 7" vinyl, some of which included a lyrics sheet.

The "Halloween" single was the last Misfits release to include guitarist Bobby Steele. Both songs on the single had been recorded in August 1980 for a planned album. During the sessions bassist Jerry Only was grooming his younger brother Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein to join the band, and Doyle recorded his own guitar tracks and overdubs separately in addition to Steele's. The tracks were mixed in September, but in October Steele was ejected from the band in favor of Doyle and the planned album was scrapped. Five of the songs were released as the 3 Hits from Hell EP, while "Halloween" and "Halloween II" were released as a single. In 2001 Caroline Records announced attempted to release the complete sessions as 12 Hits From Hell, but production was called off after Danzig and Only expressed concerns with the album's layout, packaging, liner notes, mixing, and mastering. The lyrics to "Halloween II" are in nonstandard Latin, translating to:

Ancient formulas of exorcisms and excommunications
That witches and those made wolves believe
I maim now the demon clothed in wolfskin
Having to hide in the hollow of a tree
I say werewolves can change shapes

Following the band's breakup in 1983, "Halloween" was reissued on the 1985 compilation album Legacy of Brutality with overdubbed guitar and bass tracks recorded by Danzig. The original versions of both songs were re-released on Collection II in 1995, and all of the versions were included in The Misfits box set in 1996, along with the original studio recording of "Halloween II".

Mudhoney included a sample of "Halloween" in their 1988 cover of Sonic Youth's song of the same title on the "Touch Me I'm Sick"/"Halloween" split single. "Halloween" has been covered by several other bands in subsequent years: AFI covered the song for their All Hallow's EP (1999), and Dropkick Murphys recorded a version for the compilation Back on the Streets: Japanese/American Punk Unity (2000) which was later re-released on Singles Collection, Volume 2 (2005).

Danzig re-recorded "Halloween II" with his post-Misfits project Samhain. This version appeared on November-Coming-Fire (1986) and Live 85-86 (2001). "Halloween II" has also been covered by Tenebre on the tribute album Hell on Earth: A Tribute to the Misfits (2000) and by Cradle of Filth on the Underworld: Evolution soundtrack and Thornography (2006), though Cradle of Filth's cover is based on the Samhain version. - Wikipedia"

Year of Release: 1981
Label: Plan 9
Genres: Horror Punk, Punk Rock
Bitrate: FLAC / Lossless

Download: Misfits - Halloween 7" Single
Download Size: 32MB

Halloween Countdown 2010 Begins

October is here, which means that "Halloween Countdown 2010" has officially begun. Halloween Countdown is a community wide event that many different bloggers take part in every October. Basically what we do is post a Halloween related item every day until October 31st arrives. Unfortunately I wasn't able to take part in the event last year because I was moving and without internet access, so I'm really happy to be able to take part in it this year. I'll be putting up a list of all the bloggers I know of that are participating in this event, and I also plan to create a Halloween Countdown blogroll to place in the sidebar so that everyone can stay up to date with their latest posts.

I'm not really a big fan of the light-hearted material that other bloggers post for Halloween. You aren't going to see any "Monster Mash" or "Purple-People Eater" type of material posted here. Instead I will be focusing on material of a darker nature. As with other special events that take place on this blog, I will also be throwing in a few non-music related items. I plan to put up my collection of e-book scans of "Weird Tales Magazine", some old Warren horror comics such as "Creepy" and "Eerie", a few sound effects albums, and possibly even some more audiobooks. All you H.P. Lovecraft fans can also expect to see a few more posts inspired by the master of macabre.

That's enough talk for now, let's get this thing started....

The Story of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, & Return of the Jedi (Audiobooks)

It is past midnight, and I had originally planned to post my first material for "Halloween Countdown 2010" since it is technically October now, until I realized that I forgot to share these albums. It would be borderline-blasphemous to finish off "Sci-Fi September" without even making the slightest mention of Star Wars. I had intended to kick off "Sci-Fi September" with these, but I encountered problems with my copy of "The Story Of The Empire Strikes Back". I wanted to share the entire set released by Buena Vista Records, however, the version of Empire I'm sharing was released by RSO as both "The Story of The Empire Strikes Back", and the strangely-titled "The Adventures of Luke Skywalker".

Before I write too much more, I should point out that these are not audio recordings for the Star Wars read along books. Basically these albums are abridged audio recordings of the dialogue and sound effects from each of the films in the original Star Wars Trilogy, with a narrator describing certain action scenes and transitions in the films. Each album was released the same year the respective film was released in theatres. In all honesty I personally don't expect to find myself listening to these very often in the future. So, why am I sharing these you ask? Because I know there are a ton of Star Wars fans who snatch up anything and everything related to Star Wars, including a few who may appreciate and listen to these much more than I would. It's also a great source for anyone looking for audio samples from the films.

This officially brings "Sci-Fi September" to an end, which leads us to "Halloween Countdown 2010". I have a lot of deliciously horrible stuff that I look forward to sharing with you over the next month. Tomorrow I will post a summary of all the albums that we shared during "Sci-Fi September", and also dedicate an introduction post to "Halloween Countdown 2010". Expect to see a new look for the blog to accompany the event also.

The Story of Star Wars

Year of Release: 1977
Label: Buena Vista Records
Bitrate: 192kbps

Download: The Story of Star Wars
Download Size: 67MB

The Story of The Empire Strikes Back

Year of Release: 1980
Label: RSO Records
Bitrate: 320kbps

Download: The Story of The Empire Strikes Back
Download Size: 97MB

The Story of Return of the Jedi

Year of Release: 1983
Label: Buena Vista Records
Bitrate: 128kbps

Download: The Story of Return of the Jedi
Download Size: 41MB

X Minus One Radio Show (Complete Series - 126 Episodes) (1955-1958)

SThe last day of September is here, and with it comes an end to "Sci-Fi September". I've had a lot of fun doing this, and I hope that everyone has enjoyed the material I have shared this month. There were many albums that I didn't get a chance to sure, and perhaps I'll put them up after October is over. Once again, I will be participating in "Halloween Countdown" next month, a community wide event that several bloggers take part in during October, in which the participants post Halloween related material until October 31st finally arrives.

I wanted to share something special for the last day of "Sci-Fi September", and while it isn't music, I hope it will bring you as much enjoyment as it has for me. I present to you all 124 episodes of the OTR (Old-Time Radio) show, X-Minus One. I have several OTR shows in digital format, most of which originated from Archive.org, and the archives normally just contain the audio files of each episode. When I searched for episodes of X Minus One and found this collection I was immediately stunned upon extracting the archived contents. It is was immediately obvious that the people responsible for putting this collection together display a level of devotion that is unparalleled among OTR enthusiasts. The group responsible have dubbed themselves "The Old Time Radio Researchers Group". You can find the link to their website, which contains several other OTR collections, at the bottom of this post. The group makes the accuracy and completeness of their collections one of their top priorities, and they even issue their own certifications for their releases based on "OTRR Certified Standards". This release was issued both "OTTR Certified Accurate" and "OTTR Certified Complete" certificates, which indicate that the series is as complete as possible, and each track is properly identified and labeled. The Certified Series section of their website states the following:

"The OTRR Group's Certified library is currently the most accurate archive of OTR series in the world. Each series has been thoroughly researched, accurately labeled (dates and titles), and transcribed at the highest quality possible. Furthermore, each series also includes many additional historic features such as photos, bios and additional sound clips."

As is mentioned above, not only does this collection contain all 124 episodes, but it also includes e-books for dozens of the episodes, digital scans of Galaxy magazine in e-book format, dozens of custom album art images, CD labels, pictures of the authors, scripts from the show, and slew of other bonus features. OTRR has truly went above and beyond in putting this collection together and I couldn't be more impressed. The download is rather large, with the download size of each disc exceeding 600MB; however, if you're a fan of science fiction, and have even the slightest interest in old time radio shows, you'll be very thankful that you took the time to download this collection.

Once again, I'm short on time, so I'm going to close this post out by sharing some information from the X Minus One Wikipedia article:

X Minus One was a half-hour science fiction radio series broadcast from April 24, 1955 to January 9, 1958 in various timeslots on NBC.

Initially a revival of NBC's Dimension X (1950–51), the first 15 episodes of X Minius One were new versions of Dimension X episodes, but the remainder were adaptations by NBC staff writers, including Ernest Kinoy and George Lefferts,of newly published science fiction stories by leading writers in the field, including Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, Robert A. Heinlein, Frederik Pohl and Theodore Sturgeon, along with some original scripts by Kinoy and Lefferts.

Included in the series were adaptations of Robert Sheckley's "Skulking Permit," Bradbury's "Mars Is Heaven," Heinlein's "Universe" and "The Green Hills of Earth", " Pohl’s "The Tunnel under the World," J. T. McIntosh’s "Hallucination Orbit," Fritz Leiber’s "A Pail of Air" and George Lefferts' "The Parade."

The program opened with announcer Fred Collins delivering the countdown, leading into this introduction (although later shows were partnered with Galaxy Science Fiction rather than Astounding Science Fiction):

..."Countdown for blastoff... X minus five, four, three, two, X minus one... Fire! [Rocket launch SFX] From the far horizons of the unknown come transcribed tales of new dimensions in time and space. These are stories of the future; adventures in which you'll live in a million could-be years on a thousand may-be worlds. The National Broadcasting Company in cooperation with Street and Smith, publishers of Astounding Science Fiction presents... X Minus One."

The series was canceled after the 126th broadcast on January 9, 1958. However, the early 1970s brought a wave of nostalgia for old-time radio; a new experimental episode, "The Iron Chancellor" by Robert Silverberg, was created in 1973, but it failed to revive the series. NBC also tried broadcasting the old recordings, but their irregular once-monthly scheduling kept even devoted listeners from following the broadcasts. All episodes of the show survive. - Wikipedia"

Disc 1 - Tracklist:

00. Introduction to the OTRR
01. X Minus One Audio Brief
000. And The Moon Be Still As Bright
001. No Contact
002. The Parade
003. Mars is Heaven
004. Universe - Robert A. Heinlein
005. Knock - Frederic Brown
006. The Man in The Moon
007. Perigi’s Wonderful Dolls
008. The Green Hills Of Earth
009. Dr. Grimshaw’s Sanitorium
010. Nightmare
011. The Embassy
012. The Veldt
013. Almost Human
014. Courtesy
015. The Cold Equation
016. Shanghaied
017. The Martian Death March
018. The Castaways
019. And the Moon be still as bright
020. First Contact
021. Child’s play
022. Requiem
023. Hello Tomorrow
024. Dwellers in silence
025. The Outer Limit
026. Zero Hour
027. Vital Factor
028. Nightfall
029. To the Future
030. Marionettes, Inc.
031. A Logic Named Joe
032. The Roads Must Roll
033. Time And Time Again
034. Perigi’s Wonderful Dolls (Rebroadcast)
035. The Parade (Rebroadcast)
036. Cave Of Night
037. C-Chute
038. Skulking Permit
039. Junkyard
040. Hello, Tomorrow
041. A Gun For Dinosaur
042. Tunnel Under The World

Disc 2 - Tracklist:

043. $1000 A Plate
044. A Pail Of Air
045. How-To
046. Star Bright
047. Jaywalker
048. The Sense Of Wonder
049. Sea Legs
051. Hallucination Orbit
050. The Seventh Order
052. The Defenders
053. Lulunganeena
054. Project Mastadon
055. If You Was A Mocklin
056. Project Trojan
057. Wherever You May Be
058. Mr. Costello, Hero
059. Bad Medicine
060. The Old Die Rich
061. Stars Are The Styx
063. The Last Martian
062. Student Body
064. The Snowball Effect
065. Surface Tension
066. Tunnel Under The World (Rebroadcast)
067. The Lifeboat Mutiny
067. The Map Makers
069. Protective Mimicry
070. Colony
071. Soldier Boy
072. Pictures Don’t Lie
073. Sam, This Is You
074. Appointment In Tomorrow
075. (Repeat of episode 17)
076. Chain Of Command
078. There Will Come Soft Rains
079. Hostess
080. The Reluctant Heroes
081. Honeymoon In Hell
082. The Moon Is Green
083. Saucer Of Loneliness
084. The Girls From Earth
085. Open Warfare
086. Caretaker
087. Venus Is A Man’s World
088. The Trap
089. Field Study
090. Real Gone

Disc 3 - Tracklist:

091. The Seventh Victim
092. The Lights on Precipice Peak
093. Protection
094. At the Post
095. Martian Sam
096. Something for Nothing
097. Discovery of Morniel Mathaway
098. Mans Best Friend
099. Inside Story
100. The Category Inventor
101. Skulking Permit
102. Early Model
103. The Merchants of Venus
104. The Haunted Corpse
105. End as a World
106. The Scapegoat
107. At the Post
108. Drop Dead
109. Volpla
110. Saucer of Loneliness
111. The Old Die Rich
112. Tsylana
113. The Native Problem
114. The Wind Is Rising
115. Death Wish
116. Point of Departure
117. The Light
118. Lulu
119. The Coffin Cure
120. Shocktroop
121. The Haunted Corpse
122. Double Dare
123. Target One
124. Prime Difference
125. Gray Flannel Armor
126. The Iron Chancellor

Download Disc 1:

X Minus One Radio Show - Disc 1 - Part 1
X Minus One Radio Show - Disc 1 - Part 2
X Minus One Radio Show - Disc 1 - Part 3
X Minus One Radio Show - Disc 1 - Part 4
X Minus One Radio Show - Disc 1 - Part 5
X Minus One Radio Show - Disc 1 - Part 6
X Minus One Radio Show - Disc 1 - Part 7

Download Size: 614MB

Download Disc 2:

X Minus One Radio Show - Disc 2 - Part 1
X Minus One Radio Show - Disc 2 - Part 2
X Minus One Radio Show - Disc 2 - Part 3
X Minus One Radio Show - Disc 2 - Part 4
X Minus One Radio Show - Disc 2 - Part 5
X Minus One Radio Show - Disc 2 - Part 6
X Minus One Radio Show - Disc 2 - Part 7

Download Size: 623MB

Download Disc 3:

X Minus One - Disc 3 - Part 1
X Minus One - Disc 3 - Part 2
X Minus One - Disc 3 - Part 3
X Minus One - Disc 3 - Part 4

Download Size: 358MB

Karl-Birger Blomdahl - Aniara: A Space Opera In Two Acts (1959)

My last contribution to "Sci-Fi September" is the opera Aniara.

The opera was composed by Karl-Birger Blomdahl and originally debuted in 1959. Ariana is based upon the epic science fiction poem of the same name, originally written by Harry Martinson.

I am no opera expert by any means, but I will say that I quite enjoy this piece. Rather than reading me fumble feebly with my description, I present to you a review of the opera found in Time Magazine from back during its 1959 debut:

After the nuclear explosion that atomized the planet Doris, the scientist named Mimarobe was seized by the space cadets and thrown into Captain Chefone's dungeon, accused of fouling the radiation apparatus that powered the electronic brain. As presented in Stockholm's Royal Opera House last week, this kind of interstellar meller was meant not for science-fiction escapists but for devotees of avant-garde music. Occasion: the premiere of Swedish Composer Karl-Birger Blomdahl's Aniara, widely hailed as the first operatic excursion into the world of outer space.

Based on a "space cycle" by Swedish Poet Harry Martinson, Aniara proved to be a lengthy allegory about man's journey through life "in the spiritual void" that sucks him at last to his own destruction. The curtain rises on the interior of a spaceship dominated by the towering electronic brain, a mechanism so advanced that it is nearly human. Ranged in front of it as ghostlike silhouettes, the passengers chant a lament for the planet Doris (actually the Earth) they just left behind.

The spaceship Aniara is one of several making the milk run between Doris and Mars, bearing loads of earthlings in flight from the threat of atomic destruction. A day's flight from Mars, Aniara's steering mechanism is jammed, and the ship wanders haphazardly out of the solar system ("We are always en route to infinity," sings the chief engineer); at the same time, the electronic brain reports the destruction of the planet Doris.

Mankind's Epitaph. From then on, the opera details the moral and physical collapse of Aniara's 8,000 travelers. The passengers seek to distract themselves, turning first to jitterbugging (led by a party girl named Daisi Doody), later to an atavistic sex cult called "Yurg," involving lascivious dances in a hall of mirrors. The chief engineer dies, and during a gaudy celebration is fired in a coffin to become a sun satellite. After 24 years of space travel, the remaining passengers die, aware too late that in the destruction of his home planet man had lost the only paradise he will ever know. A late survivor sings mankind's epitaph:

Buried in our huge sarcophagus We traveled on in desolate space, Released from the sting of implacable stars And through us all passed Nirvana's wave.

Mankind's Prayer. To this Buck Rogers apocalypse, Composer Blomdahl fitted an atonal score marked by vocal passages of labyrinthine difficulty and orchestration of such transparent delicacy that it sometimes seemed like chamber music. Frequently the chorus was used unaccompanied as a tautly dramatic background to the soloists' soaring vocal lines, and in some sequences Blomdahl abandoned the orchestra altogether in favor of taped electronic effects. One scene unfolds against a Jabberwockian mixture that includes the speaking voices of Eisenhower. Khrushchev, Hitler, Mussolini and the defendants at the Nürnberg trials.

The first-night audience gave Composer Blomdahl and performers a 15-minute ovation, and Stockholm's critics lathered their reviews with praise. Composer Blomdahl, 43, would own to only one temporary misgiving about his first popular success: during the two years he spent writing it, he feared that before it was finished its interspatial theme would already have become old hat.

According to the Wikipedia entry, the original performance was broadcast on Swedish radio. A later recording was recorded and conducted by Stig Westerberg. I believe this is the Stig Westerberg version, but I have no reliable way of guaranteeing this. Regardless, I hope you enjoy.

Download: Aniara: A Space Opera in Two Acts

Download Size: 125.25 mb

Various Artists - Warp Back To Earth

This compilation pays homage to the music of Peter Thomas, a German composer who was featured in my last "Sci-Fi September" post.

In the late nineties it seems that many musicians started to pay attention to Peter Thomas' work. Someone had the idea to make a remix album honoring his past work. Thomas dug up some samples and sent them out to a variety of artists to see what they would come up with. The album itself features two discs. The first disc features the remixes that were contributed by the chosen artists. The second disc is rather cool as it pulls back the curtain for the listener and lets us hear the original source material.

The music found on the album shows off the versatility of the source materials. One moment you are floating through Sterolab's "Blaue Milch" and pretty soon you are faced with the fuzz-filled Momus track "Dub in My Club" with a variety of twists and turns found throughout. An excellent and worthwhile compilation if you are willing to put in the time to listen.

Tracklist:

Disc 1
1. Dauerfisch - Es lauft
2. Stereolab - Blaue Milch
3. The Sons of Silence - There is No Such Thing as Bad Weather
4. Mina - P.etit.e
5. Saint Etienne - Chaos in the Gym
6. Yoshinori Sunahara - PTvsYS
7. Brezel Goring - Raumpatrouille Opium
8. John McEntire - Neutron
9. Tipsy - Evil Guitar
10. Ronnie & Clyde - Zero One
11. High Llamas - The Bells of Senegal
12. Mr. Scruff - Ron's Newt
13. Stock, Hausen & Walkmen - Space Rocks
14. Momus - Dub in My Club
15. Coldcut - Peter In Space
16. Schneider TM - Neukoment
17. Peter Thomas & The Maxwell Implosion - Warp Back to Earth

Disc 2 (Peter Thomas Samples):
1. Onanirato
2. Synthesizer's Melody
3. Zero Zoom Novembra
4. Flirtation
5. Love 71
6. Dark Nature
7. Apartmenthouse
8. Espionage Under Water
9. Galaxy Fall Out
10. Nuclear Chemistry
11. Neutron
12. Lobby and Supercomputer
13. Aum
14. Leukozyt
15. Communication in Hyperspace
16. Little Computer
17. Tremolo Elecktro
18. Heptaeder
19. Exiting Two Tones
20. EKG
21. Phasing Violins
22. Kybernetiker in Eile
23. Fotus Irrationales
24. Basso Secco
25. Freelance Dance
26. Sub Deep Frequencies in Violet
27. Saekular Plasma
28. Iterierte Brush Sequence
29. Brush Sequence

Download: Warp Back to Earth - Disc 1
Download Size: 170MB

Download: Warp Back to Earth - Disc 2
Download Size: 127MB