Richard Band - The Resurrected: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1992 - 320kbps)

Lovecraft fans rejoice, for today you get awesome music from The Resurrected by director Dan 'O Bannon (RIP), which was based on The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. If you have not seen it, and I am sure most H.P. Lovecraft fans have, it is highly recommended that you do. The whole production is top-notch, and Richard Band delivers once again. If you missed the previous Lovecraft/Band albums on this blog, take a minute to do a search because his work is excellent and criminally underrated.

Here is some info in the liner notes from the composer:
Upon receiving this assignment, one of the elements I found most intriguing was how I could use a combination of orchestral instruments and electronics to create and ever-widening effect as they descended into the bowels beneath Charles Ward's house.
I loved the fact that as they descended to one level, there was still another lower level and another, and so on.
This allowed me to use such devices as having the clarinets, bassoons and celli echoing pizzacato effects, then turning into bass clarinets, contrabassoons and basses when reaching yet another level.
With each level reaching deeper and deeper, I attempted to have the music follow suit, getting lower, slower and more menacing but always trying to maintain a sense of impending discovery.
The orchestral devices mixed with the thematic structure climax upon reaching the lowest level, where the mutations resided, thus allowing me to once again reverse direction musically as they hurriedly ascend... escaping the inevitable fate of the ancient tomb.

Year of Release: 1992
Label: Intrada
Catalog Number: MAF 7036D
Genres: Soundtrack, Horror
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 320kbps
FLAC upgrade available upon request.

Tracklist:
1. Main Title (03:57)
2. Claire's Story (01:48)
3. Dog's Blood (02:21)
4. Charles Explores (02:45)
5. Fenner's Shock (00:59)
6. Nobody There (01:50)
7. Sheriff at the House (02:47)
8. Abomination (04:01)
9. In The Tunnels (05:53)
10. The Chamber (05:31)
11. Mutants (05:01)
12. Final Battle (08:07)

Download: Richard Band - The Resurrected (Original Soundtrack)
Download Size: 107MB

"Famous Monsters of Filmland" Magazine - Issues 1-10 (1958-1961

Since the scans of horror comics/magazines "Creepy", "Eerie" and "Tales From The Crypt" proved to be much more popular than I ever anticipated that they would be, and many of you have been requested for me to share more, I thought I would share another popular horror magazine that made its debut in the 1950s. Several years before the first issues of "Creepy" and "Eerie" hit the stand, Warren Publishing found a hit on its hands in the form of "Famous Monsters of Filmland", which made it's debut in 1958. It was the first magazine to cater to the fans of horror films. The following scans come courtesy of the scanning duo of "Teachbug & Sprout." As with the previous scans of horror comics and magazines from the 1950s, some of these are reprints, while others original issues. I didn't go through and label each file to distinguish between the originals and the reprints, but it is easy to differentiate between the two based on the condition of the pages. I plan to post the first 30 issues of FM before the Nightmare Before Christmas event ends. I will make 3 posts, with each one containing 10 issues. Below you will find an excerpt from Wikipedia's very informative article on Famous Monsters of Filmland:

"Famous Monsters of Filmland is a genre-specific film magazine started in 1958 by publisher James Warren and editor Forrest J Ackerman. Famous Monsters of Filmland (which quickly became known to fans as simply FM was originally conceived as a one-shot publication by James Warren and editor Forrest J Ackerman (1916-2008), with no discernible future, published in the wake of the widespread success of the package of old horror movies syndicated to American television in 1957. But the first issue, published in February 1958, was so successful that it required a second printing to fulfill public demand. Its future as part of American culture was immediately obvious to both men. The success prompted spinoff magazines such as Spacemen, Famous Westerns of Filmland, Screen Thrills Illustrated, Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella.

FM offered brief articles, well-illustrated with publicity stills and graphic artwork, on horror movies from the silent era to the current date of publication, their stars and filmmakers. Warren and Ackerman decided to aim the text at late pre-adolescents and young teenagers.
In the pages of FM, Forrest J Ackerman promoted the memory of Lon Chaney, Sr., whose silent works were mostly beyond the accessibility of fans for most of the magazine's life, but were a great influence on his own childhood. He also introduced film fans to science fiction fandom through direct references, first-person experiences, and adoption of fandom terms and customs. The magazine regularly published photos from King Kong (1933), including one from the film's infamous "spider pit sequence", featured in Issue #108 (1974) which, until Ackerman discovered a photo of a spider in the cavern setting, had never been proven definitively to have actually been filmed.

FM's peak years were from its first issues through the late 1960s, when the disappearance of the older films from television and the decline of talent in the imaginative film industry left it with a dearth of subject matter acceptable to both editor and fan. Warren and Ackerman created a jump in issue numbering from issue 69, which was printed in September of 1970, to issue 80 in October of 1970. They did this (according to the editorial in issue 80) because it brought them closer to issue 100, justifying the numerical jump because of the publishing of ten issues of the short-lived companion magazine 'Monster World' as issues that 'would have been' Famous Monsters issues. During the '70s, the magazine came to rely heavily on reprints of articles from the '60s. In the early 1980s, the magazine folded after Warren became ill and unable to carry on as publisher, and Ackerman resigned as editor in the face of the increasing disorganization within the captainless Warren Publishing Company. The magazine stopped publication in 1983 after a run of 191 issues.

The magazine directly inspired the creation of many other similar publications in the ensuing years, including Castle of Frankenstein, Cinefantastique, Fangoria, The Monster Times, and Video Watchdog. In addition, hundreds, if not thousands, of FM-influenced horror, fantasy and science fiction movie-related fanzines have been produced, some of which have continued to publish for decades, such as Midnight Marquee and Little Shoppe of Horrors. - Wikipedia"

Publisher: Warren Publishing
Schedule: Monthly
Publication Date: 1958-1983
Number of Issues: 191
E-book Format: .cbr & .cbz

Download: Famous Monsters of Filmland - Issues 1-5 (1958-1959)
Download Size: 176MB

Download: Famous Monsters of Filmland - Issues 6-10 (1960-1961)
Download Size: 192.6MB

VA - Phenomena (OST)

First of all, I would like to thank Zer0_II for extending the invitation for me to contribute to this project. It is a great pleasure for me to provide some wicked sounds to all of Digital Meltd0wn's readership this cheery season.

Phenomena is a 1985 horror/fantasy/thriller from Italian director Dario Argento starring Jennifer Connelly, and with music composed by progressive rock band Goblin. This is not the first time an Argento/Goblin soundtrack has appeared here. I thought it would round out the collection nicely. This is a big contender for my favorite Argento movie. It's full of memorable and disturbing imagery, as well as a variety of atmosphere changing from dreamy and hypnotic to full throttle violence. Like all Argento, it's not for everyone. Some people may not be able to get past how absurd the film is, but the film's silliness is only one aspect, and one I happen to enjoy.

This long out-of-print and impossible to find release is evidence of the film's manic mood changes. Even the rock tracks by Iron Maiden, Motorhead, and Andi Sex Gang are entertaining, but the real gems are the Goblin tracks and the contributions by Bill Wyman/Terry Taylor and Simon Boswell. Goblin's Phenomena, is a pop electronic rocker that makes excellent use of female operatic singing, and it is truly unforgettable in my opinion. Their other tracks range from hypnotic, to dreamy and tender. Most people's favorite track (and I am no exception) is Valley by Wyman/Taylor. It probably is the most haunting piece of music I have ever heard. I try not to listen to it too much, because I don't want to wear it out. Often I will measure my enjoyment of something by whether or not it gives me goosebumps, and Valley never fails.

Year of Release: 1987
Label: Cinevox
Catalog Number: CD-CIA 5062
Genres: Soundtrack, Progressive Rock, Hard Rock
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 320 kbps
FLAC upgrade available upon request.

Tracklist:
1. Goblin - Phenomena (4:25)
2. Iron Maiden - Flash of the Blade (4:09)
3. Goblin - Jennifer (3:51)
4. Andi Sex Gang - The quick and the dead (3:33)
5. Andy sex gang - You don't know me (2:38)
6. Goblin - The wind (1:18)
7. Bill Wyman & Terry Taylor - Valley (4:31)
8. Goblin - Sleepwalking (3:51)
9. Motorhead - Locomotive (3:25)
10. Goblin - Jennifer's Friend (3:28)
11. Simon Boswell - The Maggots (1:38)
12. Andi Sex Gang - The naked and the dead (2:37)

Download: VA - Phenomena (1985)
Download Size: 90MB

Digital Meltd0wn's Nightmare Before Christmas Begins...

At midnight tonight "Digital Meltd0wn's Nightmare Before Christmas" will begin. While many bloggers will be spreading the holiday cheer by sharing Christmas-themed albums, we here at Digital Meltd0wn have decided to say: Bah! Humbug! For those who haven't been following the blog, basically we plan to take the exact opposite course of those bloggers by sharing a plethora of horrifying and blasphemous items. For those of you who are familiar with the Halloween Countdown event, the concept is very similar. We will attempt to post at least one horror-related item each day during the month of December until Christmas arrives.

In addition to the regular contributors here at DM, we will be joined by a couple of special guest bloggers. Strange Ranger from the Motherfucker=Redeemer blog and Phelpster from the Manchester Morgue blog will be our special guests of honor, and I'm sure you will be delighted horrified by the material they intend to share. I would like to thank them for being generous enough to devote their time to this project. Please make them feel welcome here. We may also have a few more guest bloggers join us as late arrivals during the weeks to come.

I won't reveal what my fellow contributors intend to share, but I wanted to give you an idea of some of the items that I personally intend to post. The majority of my posts will most likely consist of out of print soundtracks to horror films. As requested, I plan to continue where I left off with the "Main Titles From Unreleased Horror Scores" series. I also plan to share more horror comic/magazine scans. Warren's "Famous Monsters of Filmland" will definitely make an appearance. I will leave it up to the readers to decide, but I will either continue where I left off with the "Creepy" and "Eerie" series, or share the complete run of EC's "The Vault of Horror" and "The Haunt of Fear". Lovecraft fans can expect to see various items devoted to the master.

It's almost midnight now, so without further ado, let Digital Meltd0wn's Nightmare Before Christmas begin...

Roger Roger - Drama and Suspense (Crea Sound - MC 8013) (320kbps)

This will be the last album in my dark and twisted library music series for the time being. The theme will resume again in January. For those of you who haven't been following the blog, we will be starting a project that has been in the works since October. "Digital Meltd0wn's Nightmare Before Christmas" will kick off on December 1st. I will be making a more formal announcement later this evening to reveal the names of the guest bloggers that will be participating in the event, as well as some of the items you can expect to see posted.

Roger Roger (aka Cecil Leuter, Eric Swan) is probably best known for his library music albums consisting of upbeat electronic pop and contemporary classical music. However, "Drama and Suspense" starkly contrasts with the bulk of his output, and stands as one dark and sinister piece of work in comparison. Drama and Suspense was released on the French library music label, Crea Sound, some time in the 1970s. This is another one of those albums that doesn't have a date on the front or back cover, and no one seems to know the exact year it was released. This album was originally shared on the Painted On Silence blog. Unfortunately the admin of that amazing blog decided to remove all of the download links from his posts and call it quits more than two years ago.

As the title suggests, Side A contains the dramatic themes, while Side B contains the suspense. Side A is the stronger of the two sides in my opinion. I'm reminded of some of the old science-fiction/horror soundtracks from the '50s and '60s, particularly some of Akira Ifukube's work on Godzilla and various other Japanese monster movie soundtracks he produced. The first couple of tracks have a militaristic feel to them, as if two massive armies are about to meet on the battlefield. Judging from the titles, I assume this is what Roger Roger had in mind as well. These tracks are full of pounding percussion and bursts of heavy brass. While this side represents the drama, some of these themes also have an ominous and suspenseful tone to them as well. The last two tracks, particularly "Strange Motion", deviate from this formula a bit. "Strange Motion" has more of a whimsical and dreamlike science-fiction sound to it.

Side B represents the "Suspense" in the title. It consists entirely of tracks which are darker and more mysterious in tone, which is something you don't usually hear from Roger Roger, and I for one love it! These tracks also have that early sci-fi/horror feel to them, which I have grown rather fond of over the years. I consider the first track, "Frankstenstein", along with the last track, "Weird Moment", to be the strongest on Side B. Frankenstein introduces the macabre sounds, and happens to be my favorite on Side B. It features that classic sci-fi/horror sound I have repeatedly referred to. The sinister music is punctuated with outbursts of deep brass, and accompanied by the sound of gusts of wind, which increase in intentisity as the track progresses. My only complaint about this release would be that the next few tracks are somewhat similar to one another and repetitive. "Weird Moment" closes out Side B on a strong note though. Although it is rather simple in structure, it has a genuinely creepy sound. I can't be certain, but I believe either synthesizers or keyboards are being used here to create the eerie melody heard throughout the track. It is accompanied by the faint sound of rattling chains, and occassionally interrupted by mellow, dreamlike interludes.

While this isn't the strongest album Roger Roger ever released, it is certainly a departure from the style of music he was known for, making it a unique oddity in his vast catalog. As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, this will be the last library music album that I will share until January. Let Digital Meltd0wn's Nightmare Before Christmas begin...

Year of Release: 197x (Unknown)
Label: Crea Sound Ltd.
Catalog #: MC 8013
Genres: Library Music, Contemporary Classical
File Format: MP3
Bitrate: 320kbps

Track List:
A1. War of the Planets
A2. The Aggressors
A3. The Hobsters
A4. Dark Journey
A5. Invasion
A6. Strange Motion
A7. Alert
B1. Frankenstein
B2. Furtive Incident
B3. Catastrophe
B4. The Search
B5. Anxiety and Fear
B6. The Rendezvous
B7. Weird Moment

Download: Roger Roger - Drama and Suspense (Crea Sound - MC 8013)
Download Size: 65MB

Camille Sauvage - Fantasmagories (Montparnasse 2000 - MP 33) (320kbps)

With our upcoming "Nightmare Before Christmas" project beginning on December 1st, I wanted to transition into the project by sharing a couple of dark and twisted library music lps. First up is the one that immediately came to mind, and also happens to be one of my favorite library music albums - "Fantasmagories" by French Composer Camille Sauvage, released on the legendary Montparnasse 2000 library. He also released a handful of albums on Montparnasse 2000 using the alias Eric Framond, which people often mistakenely cite as his real name. I couldn't find any concrete information regarding the year this was released, but I am certain that it was released some time in the 1970s.

While Fantasmagories is a horror themed album, it isn't as horrifying as people often like to make it out to be. However, for a library music lp this is certainly a twisted album that does have its darker side. This is very abstract music, perhaps best categorized as musique concrete or avant-garde depending on who you ask. In many ways this reminds me of a cross between Wayne Bell and Tobe Hooper's soundtrack to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Japanese duo Haruomi Hosono and Tadanori Yokoo's soundtrack to Cochin Moon. Sauvage masterfully incorporates screeching out-of-tune saxophones, menacing basslines, a plethora of percussion instruments, finger-snaps, strange electronic sounds, ghostly voices, Jews harp, horns and flutes to create this dark masterpiece.

There is also a distinct jazz sound which can be heard on tracks such as "Magma", "Enfirissimo", and "Pavillon Des Agités". Although they retain the sparse and disonant mood created by the other tracks, they also sharply contrast with them in several ways. Aside from the jazz flavor, the most obvious difference is that they are lighter in mood. They also loosly adhere to a rhythmic meter, as opposed to the complete abandonment displayed on the more abstract tracks.

On a side note, this is the only Camille Sauvage album that I have had the pleasure of listening to. I have searched for the album "7 Drums Concerto" for years to no avail. If any of you could help me out I would greatly appreciate the gesture.

Year of Release: 197x
Label: Montparnasse 2000
Catalog #: MP 33
Genres: Library Music, Experimental, Musique Concrete...
Bitrate: 320kbps

Track List:
A1. Terrifical Night
A2. Musique De L'Au-Delà
A3. Magma
A4. Vivisection
A5. Ectoplasme
A6. Enferissimo
B1. Charette Fantôme
B2. Le Jugement Dernier
B3. Pavillon Des Agités
B4. Rapacité Nocturne
B5. Requiem Pour Satan
B6. Rhapsodie Pour Belphégor

Download: Camille Sauvage - Fantasmagories
Download Size: 77MB

Sven Libaek - Boney (1972) + Nickel Queen (1973)

Sven Libaek has experienced a recent surge in popularity due to his compositions from "Inner Space" recently being used in the film, "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou". Below you will find two rare soundtracks from the Australian composer available for download, "Boney" and "Nickel Queen", both of which have long been out of print. Before I begin I would like to say that I am posting these with the serious Sven Libaek fan in mind, which is not to say that you shouldn't listen to these if you're not familiar with his work. However, for those of you who are unfamiliar with Sven Libaek, I would recommend that you check out some of the more celebrated and interesting works in his catalog before listening to these, such as "Inner Space", "My Thing", "Nature Walkabout" or "Solar Flares".

The other reason I am posting these two albums is due to the controversy that was generated over their removal from another blog. Both of these were posted on the Pecks Spet Rips blog over three years ago, much to the delight of Libaek fans everywhere. While the download link for "Boney" simply expired, shortly after the "Nickel Queen post was made the "original ripper" left a commen demanding that the blog admin not only remove the download links, but the entire post. The reason given was that he was angry over having not received credit for the rip. Despite the admin's attempt to give this person credit in his post, they insisted that it be removed regardless. Suprisingly enough the blogger removed the download links along with the post, depriving many people the opportunity to listen to this rare Sven Libaek album. TI've already discussed exactly how I feel about the entire episode in the comments section of this post so I won't go into it again. However, I will say that as long as these albums remain out of print, they will remain on Digital Meltd0wn.

Fortunately I was able to grab "Boney" before it was removed. I would like to thank øשlqæda for leaving "Nickel Queen" in the comments section of my previous post. He runs a blog called Holy Marbles, which can be found here: http://holywarbles.blogspot.com Holy Warbles is an absolutely amazing blog featuring tons of great music from all over the world. Be sure to pay it a visit if you haven't already.

Sven Libaek - Boney

"Boney" was a television series about an Aboriginal detective. While Boney certainly has a few suspenseful crime jazz tracks, it is largely a laid back affair and the action packed spectacles you might expect to hear are conspicuously absent. As a reviewer on another site so aptly stated: "judging by the soundtrack this must have been the most chilled-out cop show of all time", and I tend to agree. One would expect "Action Theme" and "Murder in the Outback" to be suspenseful numbers, yet they are actually mellow jazz compositions, with a very brief and mild amount of suspense on "Murder". There are a couple of tracks which have a nice chilled out spaghetti-western vibe to them, which I would imagine Libaek used to coincide with the rural setting of the series. Overall this is a solid album, which I'm sure all of you Libaek fans will enjoy.

Year of Release: 1972
Label: Festival Records
Catalog #: FL 34660
Genres: Television Soundtrack, Library Music, Jazz
Bitrate: 192kbps

Track List:
A1. Boney Title Music
A2. Boney Theme
A3. Love Theme
A4. Action Theme
A5. Murder In The Outback
A6. City Lights
B1. Outback Theme
B2. The Fight
B3. Wild Formations
B4. Relief
B5. Boney Theme

Download: Sven Libaek - Boney
Download Size: 51MB

Sven Libaek - Nickel Queen

"Nickel Queen" was an Australian comedy film released in 1971. The plot revolves around an outback pub owner who finds herself an overnight millionaire after staking a claim during the "nickel boom" of the late 1960s. For those interested, I actually stumbled across this site, where you can watch the entire film online (you need to download the divx webplayer plugin if you don't have it). The music consists of light, upbeat jazz, which many people would categorize as lounge music. One thing that makes this album unique among Sven Libaek albums is the inclusion of a several vocal tracks, making this his most vocally oriented release. The vocals come courtesy of session singers Kerrie Biddell and Terry Kaff. The inclusion of the didjeridu at the onset of the album, and sitar in "Go Anywhere", which are two instruments that I find very captivating, were a nice added touch. The upbeat, poppy percussion work that can be heard throughtout would have to be the highlight of this album for me. While I'm a big fan of Sven Libaek's work, and I can appreciate the beauty of the arrangements, I have to say that overall this album really isn't my cup of tea. While I generally prefer not to share albums that I don't thoroughly enjoy, I felt as if it was important to share this for the reasons listed above.

Year of Release: 1973
Label: Philips
Catalog #: NA
Genres: Soundtrack, Library Music, Jazz
Bitrate: 320kbps

Track List:
A1. Look (Every Day)
A2. Take Without Giving
A3. Jenny Blake
A4. Go Anywhere
A5. News From The Exchange
A6. Park Scene (Look, Every Day)
B1. Go Anywhere
B2. Go Anywhere (Instrumental)
B3. Spinifex Hill (Look, Every Day)
B4. Meg's Shopping Spree (Take Without Giving)
B5. Mrs. Benson
B6. The Fall Of Benson Mining
B7. Look (Every Day)

Download: Sven Libaek - Nickel Queen
Download Size: 66MB

WFMU's Beware of the Blog

I would like to thank Doug Schulkind for featuring Digital Meltd0wn on WFMU's Beware of the Blog. While checking my traffic statistics this morning I noticed a dramatic increase in visitors to the blog. I was surprised to discover that several hundred of them were coming from a post on WFMU's Beware of the Blog. If you're familiar with WFMU then you will know how much of an honor it is to make an appearance on their site in any form or fashion. Doug Schulkind writes a weekly feature on WFMU's Beware of the Blog entitled "Mining the Audio Motherload, in which he regularly shares amazing obscure albums from a variety of blogs. Doug chose my recent post of Black Merda's self-titled album for Mining the Audio Motherload Vol. 92, which can be found here: http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2010/11/mining-the-audio-motherlode-volume-92.html. While being featured there doesn't particularly make me or this blog special, as I'm sure the Mutant Sounds blog probably appears there every other week, it does mean something to me. I've been a long time fan of WFMU, and it's a real honor to see DM featured there in any form. So thank you Doug for helping me fulfill one of my goals as a blogger. Here the links to WFMU and the Mining The Audio Motherload archives:

WFMU Homepage: http://wfmu.org

WFMU's Beware of the Blog: http://blog.wfmu.org

Mining the Audio Motherload Archives: http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/mining-the-audio-motherlode/

Roger Roger - Sounds Industrial (L'Illustration Musicale - IM 25) (1976 - 320kbps)

Despite possessing a rather large library music collection, I have neglected to share many albums here for one reason or another. During the next two weeks I plan to share a few of my favorite library music albums, better known to some people as production music. If you are unfamiliar with library music then you should check out this Wikipedia article, which provides a decent overview of the genre. In the coming weeks you can expect to see a mixture of albums that any library music enthusiast will be familiar with, along with a few very rare and obscure albums, which hopefully haven't already been posted elsewhere.

First up we Roger Roger's Sounds Industrial (IM 25), which was released on vinyl in 1976 by the L'Illustration Musicale library label. Although Roger Roger happens to be one of my favorite library music composers, I had intended to share a more accessible album here first. The other album I was uploading canceled due to an error, so I just decided to run with it. Roger Roger was a French composer who was born in 1911 and died in 1995. As strange as it seems, his real name was actually Roger Roger. He also released several albums using the aliases Cecil Leuter, which he primarily used for his electronic output, and Eric Swan. Roger Roger was one of the most prolific of all the library music composers during his career, having composed music for dozens of production libraries, television shows and radio. He is well known among library music enthusiasts, although because he preferred to compose music for the more obscure library labels, he never achieved the recognition that many prolific film score composers do. He released albums on several different labels, although is best remembered for the work he did for the Mood Music series on the Chappell label. He was also one of the earliest composers to use the Moog synthesizer, releasing Pop Electronique in 1969, only five years after Bob Moog released his first synthesizer. While his early electronic output tends to be his most popular work, he dabbled in a diverse range of styles, including jazz, classical, psychedelic, experimental and exotica.

Sounds Industrial is one of Roger Roger's earliest albums of electronic music. One thing I love about many library music LPs is that you get the opportunity to hear classicaly trained musicians have fun and experiment, and I get the feeling that Roger Roger was doing just that with this album. At the core of this album is some excellent minimalistic synthesizer music. While each track is short, often averaging roughly a minute each, Roger Roger is able to create very dynamic pieces of music within a very short period of time. What I love about this album is the way each track progressively builds in complexity and atmosphere, yet manages to retain a certain level of simplicity. Most of tracks begin with a very sparse minimalist sound, usually just a simply synth melody, or perhaps a bleep here and a blip there. Then various instruments, sound effects and textured ambient sounds are incorporated one by one, and each track takes a life of its own as it becomes progressively more complex.

I can see this appealing to a variety of people,especially those of you who enjoy experimental, minimal synth, ambient, space-age pop, early electronic music, or just electronic music in general. Hopefully this will serve as an introduction to both library music, as well as Roger Roger, for a few of you. As I mentioned before, you can expect to see more of his albums here on DM in the near future, including those he released under his aliases.

Year of Release: 1976
Label: L'Illustration Musicale
Genres: Library Music, Early Electronic, Experimental
Bitrate: 320kbps

Track List:
01. Sounds Industrial N°1
02. Sounds Industrial N°2
03. Sounds Industrial N°3
04. Sounds Industrial N°4
05. Sounds Industrial N°5
06. Sounds Industrial N°6
07. Sounds Industrial N°7
08. Sounds Industrial N°8
09. Sounds Industrial N°9
10. Sounds Industrial N°10
11. Sounds Industrial N°11
12. Sounds Industrial N°12
13. Sounds Industrial N°13
14. Sounds Industrial N°14
15. Sounds Industrial N°15
16. Sounds Industrial N°16

Download: Roger Roger - Sounds Industrial (L'Illustration Musicale - IM 25)
Download Size: 59MB

16 Horsepower - Live In Berlin (9/03/1996)

16 Horsepower is the group I recommend to those who say that they despise country music. They were one of the greatest groups to emerge from the alternative country, also commonly referred to as alt-country, scene during the '90s. This isn't your stereotypical radio-friendly country music, and for those of you who avoid the genre like the plague, you might very well find yourself saying "I despise most country music" once you've had the opportunity to hear 16 Horsepower and their counterparts. There isn't much information to be found on the internet for the download provided below, although if anyone has info regarding this recording please share it in the comments section. I downloaded this album, along with a few other 16 Horsepower bootlegs, from an individual on Soulseek years ago. I properly tagged all of the tracks, and created the album cover you see above. What I can tell you about this is that it is a bootleg recording of a live performance by 16 Horsepower in front of a small crowd in Berlin Germany on September 3rd, 2006. The group performed a number of songs from both their self-titled EP, as well as their first full-length album, Sack Cloth 'n Ashes, which was released in February earlier that year. While this is no soundboard recording, it is perfectly listenable for a bootleg recording, and captures 16 Horsepower during a time when they were at their creative peak.


16 Horsepower's unique musical style was the result of a fusion of heavy rock with more traditional genres that originated from the South, such as folk, country and bluegrass. They seemlessly wove all of these these influences together with a dark, modern twist, creating a sound that was remarkably unique and refreshing. The group utilized a wide variety of musical instruments, regularly making use of acoustic, electric and steel guitars, upright and flat top bass, accordians, banjos, fiddles, cellos, violins, pianos, organs and keyboards.

The group's lyrics and subject matter often complex religious matters, particularly conflict and redemption. This can be attributed to Edwards' upbringing as the grandson of a traveling Nazarene preacher, which would later influence the creation of his brand of fire and brimstone rock. Despite the group's country and folk roots, they considered themselves to be a rock band first and Among others, they regularly cited Joy Division, The Gun Club, Nick Cave and The Birthday Party as their primary influences. They would eventually cover The Gun Club's "Fire Spirit" on their 1998 EP, The Partisan, and tour with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds in 2004.

In 2005 the group split apart due to personal differences, with some of the members moving on to focus full-time on the side-projects that they had formed prior to the group's split. Lead singer David Eugene Edwards would turn his attention to Wovenhand, a group he formed along with bassist Pascal Humbert while 16 Horsepower was taking a temporary hiatus in 2001. While Humbert would continue to play for Woven Hand after 16 Horsepower disbanded, he primarily focused on his own band, Lilium.

Year of Release: 1996
Label: N/A (Bootleg Release)
Recording Date: September 3rd, 1996
Genres: Alternative Country, Folk, Bluegrass
Bitrate: 192kbps

Track List:
01. Low Estate
02. American Wheeze
03. Shametown
04. Black Soul Choir
05. Horse Head
06. South Pennsylvania Waltz
07. Phyllis Ruth
08. Ruthie Lingle
09. Harm's Way
10. Pure Clob Road
11. Black Bush
12. I Seen What I Saw
13. Heel On The Shovel
14. Haw
15. Coal Black Horses
16. Prison Shoe Romp
17. Neck On The New Blade
18. Dead Run
19. Strong Man

Download: 16 Horsepower - Live In Berlin (9-03-1996)
Download Size: 117MB

Born Bad Volumes 7 & 8

This is a continuation of my previous post in which I posted Born Bad Volumes 1 through 6, which can be found posted here: http://digitalmeltd0wn.blogspot.com/2007/04/born-bad-compilation-series-collects.html I'm on break from school, and I have to go to work as soon as I get out, so I'm going to keep this post short. Many years after the original Born Bad compilation series was released, an individual released a couple of bootlegs, Born Bad Volumes 7 & 8. For the most part the music contained within these volumes is in the same vein as the rest of the series. One noticeable difference is the absence of songs which would eventually be covered by The Cramps, which were heavily featured throughout the first six volumes. Another minor difference is that both volumes contain 16 tracks, while the original six volumes contained 14 tracks each. Aside from these differences these bootleg volumes integrate well with the first six volumes, and one can listen to them all seamlessly. Below you will find an excerpt from my previous post, which covers some of the general info about the first six volumes:

In 1986 the first of a series of compilations entitled "Born Bad" introduced listeners to a number of bands that greatly influenced the rockabilly and psychobilly bands in the decades that followed. Perhaps the most important band to emerge was The Cramps, a band that I have featured here on DM many times in the past. The Cramps helped to usher in a new wave of rockabilly acts across the world, and inadvertently created a new genre in the process. They combined the sound and style of the early country, rockabilly and garage rock acts of the '50s and '60s with the newly emerging punk rock attitude and style of the late '70s. Their unique approach was labeled as "Psychobilly", and thus a genre was born.

The Born Bad series collects together the original music that inspired bands such as The Cramps. The six original volumes contain 84 tracks, with each volume in the series containing 14 tracks. The first volume is often listed as "Volume One: Songs The Cramps Taught Us", not to be confused with the bootleg release of the same name, which can be found here: http://digitalmeltd0wn.blogspot.com/2007/12/various-artists-songs-cramps-taught-us.html A sticker was included on the vinyl release of the first volume that read "Songs The Cramps Taught Us", although it would not be included on any of the volumes that followed. For those of you who are interested in listening to the early rockabilly, country, rock 'n' roll and garage rock acts of the '50s and '60s that inspired The Cramps, it gets no better than this compilation. Those of you who are familiar with The Cramps will recognize these songs, as the band sought to pay tribute to the artists that inspired them by performing their own cover versions to many of the songs contained in the Born Bad series.

Born Bad Volume 7

Label: Born Bad
Genres: Garage Rock, Rockabilly, Proto-Punk
Bitrate: 220VBR
Format: MP3

Tracklist:
1. Ric Cartey - Oo Wee Baby
2. Johnny Fortune - Dragster
3. The Blues Rockers - Calling All Cows
4. Roy Brown - Buther Pete Part 1
5. Larry Phillipson - Bitter Feelings
6. Terry Dunavan - Earthquake Boogie
7. The Shells - Whiplash
8. The Fanatics - I Will Not Be Lonely
9. The Wailers - Hang Up
10. Junior Thompson - How Come You Do Me
11. The Rhythm Rockers - Madness
12. Kit & the Outlaws - Don't Tread On Me
13. Charlie Feathers - One Hand Loose
14. The Embers - I Walked All Night
15. Gene Summers - Taboo
16. Link Wray - Rumble

Download: Born Bad Vol. 7
Download Size: 51MB

Born Bad Volume 8

Label: Born Bad
Genres: Garage Rock, Rockabilly, Proto-Punk
Bitrate: 192kbps
Format: MP3

Tracklist:
1. Sheriff & the Ravels - Shombolar
2. Bo Diddley - Dancing Girl
3. Walter Brown - Jelly Roll Rock
4. Keith Courvale - Trapped Love
5. Hayden Thompson - Blues, Blues, Blues
6. Lightnin' Slim - It's Mighty Crazy
7. Roy Brown - Butcher Pete, Part 2
8. Danny Dell - Froggy Went A Courting
9. Fender Four - Margaya
10. Elvis Presley - Do The Clam
11. Slim Harpo - Strange Love
12. Randy Alvey - Green Fuzz
13. Captain Beefheart - Hard Working Man
14. Sonny Burgess - Red Headed Woman
15. Don & the Galaxies - Sundown (Instrumental)
16. The Revels - Intoxica

Download: Born Bad Vol. 8
Download Size: 54MB

Blo - Chapter One

By Request, this post was re-uploaded 01/17/2015. NØ

Blo (aka BLO) were an early 70's African band that fused the Afrobeat rhythms of their native Nigeria with the mind-expanding psychedelia and funk of late 60's rock from the Western world. The three members, Berkely Jones, Laolu Akintobi and Mike Odumosu created the name BLO from B for Berkely, L for Laolu and O for Odumosu. Their debut record, Chapter One, is considered by many to be one of the most sought after albums from Africa. While it isn't nearly as funky as their following albums, it still stands as one of the best psych-funk albums to ever come out of Africa.

Chapter One walks the line between rock, funk and psychedelia. Perhaps the most obvious reward in listening to this album is the great guitar work featured prominently throughout the length of the album. At times it is straight forward and driving, yet most of the time it has an "out of this world" psychedelic sound to it. On the instrumental track, "Miss Sagitt", it even sounds Arabic towards the latter half of the track. The bass and drums are fantastic also, but most of the “African beat" was reduced to traces because they were in fact completely absorbed into the heavy rock drive. As for the vocals, they are sparse throughout, and the majority of these tracks would be instrumentals were it not for the occasional vocal outburst. The group would change direction after this album after being pressured by their label to make a more funk dominated record.

Year of Release: 1972
Label: EMI
Genre: Afrobeat, Funk, Psychedelic
Bitrate: 320kbps

Track List:
1. Preacher Man
2. Time to Face the Sun
3. Beware
4. We Gonna Have a Party
5. Don't
6. Chant to Mother Earth
7. We are out Together
8. Miss Sagitt (Instrumental)

Download: BLO - Chapter One
Download Size: 74.8 MB

Post-Halloween Countdown 2010 Report

Halloween is officially over, bringing an end to this year's Halloween Countdown 2010 event. I wanted to dedicate a post to comment on on the Countdown, thank a few individuals and make a few important announcements regarding my future plans for the blog.

This year's Halloween Countdown was a success in many different ways. First of all I would like to say that I had a blast being able to share so many horror-inspired downloads with you all, and having the chance to talk to many of you who share a common interest. First of all I would like to thank my girlfriend for being unselfish enough to provide me with the time to share all sorts of horrifying things with you all during the Countdown. I would also like to personally thank NØ, wcme and especially Strange Ranger for their contributions to the blog during the Countdown. In case you missed it both wcme and Strange Ranger shared a number of amazing horror soundtracks in the Halloween Countdown Request Thread, which you can find here: http://digitalmeltd0wn.blogspot.com/2010/10/halloween-countdown-request-thread.html

We managed to put up 49 posts during the month of October, which eclipsed our previous high of 43 posts in one month. The previous high just so happened to occur during the Halloween Countdown 2008 event. We also passed the 600th post mark last week, an accomplishment that I'm very proud of. We managed to lure in 24,875 unique visitors during the month of October, including 1,118 unique visitors on Halloween day. This is a significant increase in visitors in comparison with the traffic from previous months. I haven't had the time to put up such a large number of posts since I started college last October. NØ deserves full credit for making the majority of the posts during the last year. Fortunately I just so happen to be in the easiest course at my college at the moment, which provided me with the opportunity to go crazy with the blog for a few weeks.

I also wanted to let you know that I am planning an event similar to the Halloween Countdown for December. Unless I come up with a more fitting name between now and then, I'm going to go with "Digital Meltd0wn's Nightmare Before Christmas". I know it isn't terribly original, or at all for that matter, but considering what I have planned I can't think of a more fitting name. Basically we are going to do a similar countdown to Christmas, in which I plan to post all of the horror-inspired material that I didn't have time to post for this year's Halloween Countdown. You can expect an orgy of blasphemy here on Digital Meltd0wn throughout the month December. I hope to bring aboard a few guest-bloggers for the event, consisting of admins from blogs which tend to focus on the dark side of things, who will bring with them an expert level of knowledge regarding all things horror.

One last announcement and then I will put this post out of its misery. There are several of you who frequent this blog due to my Lovecraft-related posts. I wanted to inform you all that I will be making a major announcement on this blog in November which should excite all of you. I wish that I could announce it now, but I still need to iron out a few wrinkles before I can make a final announcement. Keep an eye out here for more details in the weeks to come.

During the month of November I plan to work on re-uploads, share a few of the albums that I didn't have time to post during "Sci-Fi September", and share music from a few independent artists and labels. Once again I would like to thank both contributors and visitors alike for helping to make Halloween Countdown 2010 such a kick-ass event. I look forward to sharing many more similarly horrifying posts with all of you in December.

H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Festival #1-3 (Comic Mini-Series)

This will be my last post for the 2010 Halloween Countdown. It is after midnight where I'm at, which means that Halloween is technically over, but I'm one of those people who don't consider it to be over with until I finally close my eyes and go to sleep, which means that you all get one more horror-inspired post for the night. Please be sure to check out my "Post-Halloween Countdown Report" that I plan to post tomorrow. There are a few announcements I would like to make regarding my plans for the blog during November and December, as well as a few people that I would like to thank. I've had a lot of fun posting horror-related material all month long, and having the chance to interact with many of you in the process. I would like to thank both contributors and visitors alike for helping to make Digital Meltd0wn's 2010 Halloween Countdown one kick-ass event.

Those of you who follow this blog regularly should know by now that I'm a huge Lovecraft fan. In fact, I plan to put together an index of all my Lovecraftian posts next month so that you can easily find any Lovecraft-related item you might happen to be looking for here. I plan to create a "master index", as well as a sub-index for each medium, such as one for audiobooks, e-books, etc. I also plan to make a major announcement next month that will hopefully excite Lovecraft fans everywhere, so you may want to keep an eye out for that. I recently started posting the occasional digital comic download here on the blog, due in part to my own recently renewed interest in comics, as well as the unexpected interest expressed by many of the visitors here.

"H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Festival" was a three part mini-series published by Millennium Productions in 1993. It is based on H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos and follows the perils faced by a group of investigators called the Mistkatonic Project. Unfortunately Millennium Comics closed its doors for good in 2000, inevitably making this comic out of print. Millennium was well known for releasing one-shots, graphic novels and mini-series, rather than primarily focusing on continuing series as most comic publishers tend to do. In addition to Cthulhu: The Festival, Millennium also released two other mini-series based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft, including "H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu" three part mini-series (1991) and "H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: Whisperer In Darkness" 3 issue mini-series (1991). For more H.P. Lovecraft comic goodness, check out my H.P. Lovecraft Comic Book & Graphic Novel post here: http://digitalmeltd0wn.blogspot.com/2008/10/hp-lovecraft-comic-books-graphic-novels.html

Year of Release: 1993-1994
Publisher: Millennium Productions
Genre: Horror, Science-Fiction
Format: .cbr (Comic Book Reader file)

Download: H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Festival #1-3 Mini-Series
Download Size: 41MB

Halloween Countdown - Request Thread

Requests

Dan Neufeld - Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural Soundtrack
Bernard Herrmann - It's Alive (aka Baby Killer) Complete Score (Request Filled)
Claudio Simonetti - The Third Mother (La Terza madre) (Request Filled)
Various Artists - Hideaway Soundtrack (1995) (Request Filled)
James Bernard - Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970) (Request Filled)
James Bernard - She (1965)
Mario Nascimbene - The Vengeance of She (1968)
Jay Chattaway - Silver Bullet (1985) (Request Filled)
Daniel Licht - Bad Moon (1986) (In 320kbps mp3 or FLAC) (Request Filled)
Ennio Morricone - The Thing - Expanded Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtracks to Hammer Films in 320kbps

I would like to thank Strange Ranger from the Motherfucker=Redeemer blog for filling the majority of these requests. Thank you so much for your help. It has certainly been appreciated.

Someone suggested that I start an open request section for the Halloween Countdown, which I thought was a fantastic idea. I wish that I had started this at the beginning of October, but I suppose its better late than never. I have also been planning on posting the items that I didn't have time to post this month in December as part of a "Nightmare Before Christmas Countdown", so I will leave this post up until then, and possibly longer. Please request anything that might be considered Halloween or horror related by posting a comment here. Requests may consist of music, e-books, audiobooks etc. as long as they are Halloween or horror related.

If you are going to request a soundtrack for a movie, please ensure that one was actually released for the film. Likewise, if you are looking for a bootleg, complete/expanded score etc. please make sure one exists before requesting it. That way our list won't be full of requests that can't possibly be filled due to the fact that they don't exist. Please try to be descriptive and specific when making your request so there won't be any doubts about exactly what it is you are requesting. I will continuously update this post to add each item that is requested. Please help me out by helping to fill the requests that are posted. I'm currently working and going to school full time, and I spend what little free time I have posting content for the blog, so it is unlikely that I will be able to fill all of the requests myself. All requests that are able to be filled will be posted in the comments section of this post. Let the requesting commence...

Fred Myrow & Malcolm Seagrave - Phantasm 24k Gold Limited Edition Soundtrack (1979 - 320kbps)

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm not going to be able to post all the material I had planned for Halloween. With only four hours of our most beloved holiday remaining, I'm only going to have time to throw up posts in a quick and messy fashion. Just think of the next four hours as the equivalent to me handing out treats to all who visit this blog during the final hours of Halloween.

First up is the 24k Gold Edition Soundtrack of Phatasm released by New Breed Productions in 1995. Only 2,500 copies of this version were released as part of the signature edition laserdisc Phantasm box set, making it long out of print, unavailable for purchase and extremely rare. The music was composed by Fred Myrow & Malcolm Seagrave, and the soundtrack was originally released on vinyl in 1979.

Year of Release: Original: 1979 | 24k Gold Edition: 1995
Label: New Breed Productions
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Horror
Bitrate: 320kbps MP3

Tracklist:
1. Intro and Main Title
2. Welcome to Morningside/Hand In Box
3. Mineshaft Chase
4. Phantasmagoria/Silver Sphere Disco
5. Hearse Inferno
6. Cemetary Spectres
7. Spacegate to Infinity
8. Jody to Morningside/Just A Dream
9. Phantasm Atmosphere
10. Tall Man on Main Street
11. Funeral Organ/Dwarf In Hearse
12. Under The Car
13. Mike on the Road
14. Hearse Chase
15. Overturned Ice-Cream Truck
16. End of the Game
17. Or Is It?

Download: Fred Myrow & Malcolm Seagrave - Phantasm 24k Gold Limited Edition Soundtrack
Download Size: 82MB

Ennio Morricone - The Thing: Expanded Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1982 - 320kbps)

Happy Halloween freaks! I had hoped to be able to post several different items today, but it doesn't appear as if I'm going to have enough time now. Unfortunately my computer was accidentally unplugged, and everything I had been writing in preparation for today's posts was lost. I will try to make the best of the situation regarldess. Back in 2008 I posted Ennio Morricone's Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to "The Thing", which can be found here:

http://digitalmeltd0wn.blogspot.com/2008/10/ennio-morricone-thing-ost.html

While checking my statistics, I recently discovered that it has since become the second most downloaded album on the entire blog. Most of the traffic is coming from people searching google for "The Thing OST". I did a search of my own which resulted in my blog showing up as the number one result out of over one million different sites for that particular search, which explains the recently influx of visitors.

A fellow by the name of The Doc recently requested that I posted this soundtrack. It is the first of three bootleg soundtracks/scores for The Thing that I plan to post. Fortunately there is more information available regarding this release than the two others I possess. It was released under the title of "The Thing: Expanded Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" by a group or individual known as PROTUB. While it is a bootleg release, it was falsely labeled and circulated as a promotional release. In fact, to this day you still find this version listed and tagged as "Promo" on several different websites. It contains 19 tracks, which is nine more than what the official original soundtrack contains, with a running time of roughly 75 minutes 45 seconds.

Unfortunately there are still a few mysteries surrounding this release as well. Most importantly, I have no idea what the source is for the extra music contained on this release. In most cases, bootleg releases contain music ripped from the music of a DVD or VHS release, with the most common method being to isolate and rip the music from the 5.1 surround sound tracks contained on the DVD. My DVD of the film is over a thousand miles away, so unfortunately I can't compare the music found on this version to the music included in the film. Perhaps someone could shed some light on the origins of the various bootleg releases in circulation for this film.

In addition to this bootleg, I also have two bootleg versions that were released under the same title, "The Thing: Complete Motion Picture Score". The first is a rip containing 17 tracks which are individually named. It primarily consists of low bitrate 128kbps MP3 files. It also includes a track containing audio from the trailer. A review I found on Rateyourmusic.com claims that this version contains music composed by John Carpenter, as well as unused music cues.

The second bootleg is only 15 tracks long, the majority of which are of a higher quality bitrate of 320kbps MP3. The tracks were not named, nor did it include custom album art. However, it does contain tracks which were not included on the two other bootlegs. I plan to post these two bootlegs eventually, although I plan to spend the rest of the day posting treats for those who visit this blog during the final hours of Halloween. I will try to post them within the next couple of days though. Once I do I all add all of the links to each post, and hopefully someone will be able to provide further information about the three versions. In the meantime, I present to you Ennio Morricone's Expanded Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to The Thing.

Year of Release: Original: 1982 | Expanded: Unknown
Label: PROTUB
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Horror
Bitrate: 320kbps

Track List:
1. Opening Credits/Main Theme
2. Humanity (Part One)
3. Humanity (Part Two) (4:12)
4. Shape (Suite One) (2:43)
5. Shape (Suite Two) (2:31)
6. Shape (Suite Three) (1:48)
7. Sterilization (3:49)
8. Despair/The Discovery (3:08)
9. The Warning Sign (3:18)
10. Bestiality (Part One) (1:57)
11. Wait (2:01)
12. Contamination (1:04)
13. Solitude (1:35)
14. Eternity (7:43)
15. Wait (Part Two) (5:39)
16. Research (0:49
17. Sterilization/Solitude (Part Two) (11:30)
18. Main Theme (Version Two) (10:01)
19. Main Theme (Alternate Take) (4:27)

Download: Ennio Morricone - The Thing: Expanded Motion Picture Soundtrack
Download Size: 173MB

Chu Ishikawa - Tetsuo: The Iron Man & Tetsuo: Body Hammer (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Saved this post for Samhain itself.

One of my favorite films, a 1989 cyberpunk vision of urban nightmare & bod-mod horror from avant-garde Japanese filmmaker extraordinaire Shinya Tsukamoto, filmed in 16mm. Tetsuo:The Iron Man is a nonstop barrage of nerve-shredding, mind-splitting surrealism that serves as a jarring analysis of the paranoia of industrialization. The constant manipulation of multiple cinematic techniques, including film-speed & stop motion, coupled with the film's fever-pitched assault on the senses, creates a consistently unsettling aura of impending doom.

Chu Ishikawa’s intense soundtrack is equally discordantly grating, filled with the searingly crackling & pounding sounds of scraping metal & rending tissue. It is the perfect match to the film, easily as assaulting on the ears as the film's visual scheme is on the eyes. This film & score are impossible to forget, leaving a lasting impression on those who subject themselves to its cognitive horrors, searing itself into not only your mind, but into your entire consciousness.

This CD also contains the soundtrack to Tetsuo II: Body Hammer.
Tracks 1, 4, 5 from "Tetsuo: The Iron Man", tracks 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 from "Tetsuo II: Body Hammer".

Year of Release: 1994
Label: Japan Overseas
Catalog #: JO94-0
Genre: Soundtrack, Industrial, Noise
Bitrate: 320kbps

Tracklist:
1. Megatron
2. The Sixth Tooth
3. Rana-Porosa Porosa I
4. Mausoleum
5. Lost
6. Dinosauroid
7. Rana-Porosa Porosa II
8. A Burned Figure

Download: Chu Ishikawa - Tetsuo & Tetsuo II: Body Hammer OST
Download Size: 86.3MB (ripped at 320Kbps)

Tales From The Crypt Comic - Issues 42-46 (EC Comics)

I made a mistake when I posted what was intended to be my final installment in the complete run of "Tales From The Crypt" comics, a series of horror comics spanning 27 issues which were published by EC Comics during the 1950s. I had intended to post issues 38-46, but ended up accidently leaving issues 42-46 out of the file I posted. Here are the final fives issues of Tales From The Crypt for your enjoyment. I covered most of the history behind the comic in my last post, so I'm simply going to copy & paste that info below to save some time. You can find the previously posted issues here:

Tales From The Crypt - Issues 38-41
Tales From The Crypt - Issues 28-37
Tales From The Crypt - Issues 17-27

Note: Series started with issue #17

"Despite the fact that only 27 issues were published, Tales From The Crypt managed to be one of the most influential horror comics of all time, spawning three movies, a television series on HBO and a Saturday morning cartoon.

I will be posting these 10 issues at a time, with the first collection starting at #17 and ending at #27, which were published between 1950-1953. If you are wondering why I am starting with issue #17, it is because during this time publishers would often change the name of a comic, yet keep the numbering system for issues intact. In this case the original comic was called "Crime Patrol", until issue #17 where it was changed to "Crypt of Terror". After two issues EC again changed the name to "Tales From The Crypt". The collection presented for download contains scans of both the original comics as well as reprints. I should point out that the reprints are numbered differently than the original. For example, the reprint issue #18 of Crypt of Terror, is numbered as issue #2 on the cover. I have kept the original numbering system for the issues intact, so the file names are correct, even though the reprint covers might have a different issue number. The reprints are noted in the file name and are of much better quality than the original scans. You can find a summary of the stories contained in each comic on the Wikipedia article for the comic, which I have linked to above. Below you will find an excerpt from Wikipedia covering the history of the comic and it's sibling publications. You will need a comic book reader program to view the .cbr and .cbz files. I suggest CDisplay if you only need a simple viewer, or ComicRack if you're looking for a more fully featured program, both of which are freeware programs. Below is an excerpt from Wikipedia outlining the history behind the comic:


"Tales from the Crypt is a bi-monthly horror comic anthology series that, together with its horror siblings The Haunt of Fear and The Vault of Horror were published by EC Comics in the early 1950s. Tales from the Crypt hit newsstands with its April/May 1950 issue and ceased publication with its February/March 1955 issue, producing a total of 30 issues. The title was popular, but, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, comic books came under attack from parents, clergymen, schoolteachers, and others who believed the books contributed to illiteracy and juvenile delinquency. In April and June 1954, highly publicized Congressional subcommittee hearings on the effects of comic books upon children left the industry shaken. With the subsequent imposition of a highly restrictive Comics Code, EC Comics publisher William Maxwell Gaines canceled Tales from the Crypt and its two companion titles in September 1954. All three titles have been reprinted at various times since their demise and have been adapted for television and film.

In 1950, publisher William Gaines and his editor Al Feldstein discovered they shared similar tastes in horror and began experimenting with horror tales in their crime titles. Tales from the Crypt traces its origin to a Feldstein story, "Return from the Grave!", in EC's Crime Patrol (#15, December 1949/January 1950) with the Crypt-Keeper making his debut as host. Issue #16 featured more horror tales than crime stories, and, with issue #17, the title changed from Crime Patrol to The Crypt of Terror. Due to an attempt to save money on second-class postage permits, the numbering did not change with the title, and continued as The Crypt of Terror for the next two issues. The title saw its final form, Tales from the Crypt, with issue #20, October/November, 1950." - Wikipedia

Publisher: EC Comics
Schedule: Bimonthly
Publication Date: 1950-1955
Number of Issues: 27
E-book Format: .cbr & .cbz

Download: Tales From The Crypt - Issues 42-46 (EC Comics)
Download Size: 86MB

John Carpenter - Halloween Original Soundtrack & 20th Anniversary Edition (1978)

Update October 28th, 2010: This is an update to my original post from 2008 for John Carpenter's Original Motion Picture Soundtrack for Halloween. Below you will find both the original soundtrack released on vinyl in 1978, as well as the 20th Anniversary Edition released in 1998. The 20th Anniversary Edition is in 320kbps MP3, while the original is only 128kbps. I have searched all over for a higher quality version of the original soundtrack, but apparently it is much rarer than I imagined. If anyone has the original soundtrack in a higher bitrate and is willing to share, please drop a link in the comment section. I would greatly appreciate the gesture, and I'm sure the readers would also.

To conclude my trilogy of modern day monster movies, we have the granddaddy of them all, Halloween. John Carpenter's Halloween helped to revolutionize the horror film genre. It is commonly credited it as being the first slasher movie, although Mario Bava's "Bay of Blood", released in 1971, was actually the first. However, Carpenter introduced a number of elements in Halloween that would become common in many of the slasher films that followed. Despite the fact that it was shot on an extremely low budget, it remains as one of the most successful independent movies of all time, grossing $65 million dollars. It is also widely regarded by a number of critics (myself included), as one of the best, if not the best, horror movies of all time.

In addition to writing and directing Halloween, John Carpenter also composed the score for the film. He credits both Goblin and Bernard Herrmann as major influences for the composition of the score. The score helped to push a great independent movie into legendary status. It is very minimalistic, yet extremely effective in achieving it's goal of creating a feeling of anticipation and dread within the listener. Carpenter needed only a few piano medleys, coupled with electronic sound effects and synthesizers, to create one of the most chilling scores of all time. I would have liked to have written more about this soundtrack, but I'm feeling a bit under the weather at the moment. There isn't much that I can say about this essential score that hasn't already been said though. Needless to say this makes for great Halloween music, and I hope many of you will be enjoying this when that day comes. As for the sequel, here you can find John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - Halloween II: 30th Anniversary Expanded Original Motion Picture Soundtrack http://digitalmeltd0wn.blogspot.com/2010/10/john-carpenter-alan-howarth-halloween.html

Halloween - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1978)

Year of Release: 1978
Label: Varèse Sarabande (STV 81176)
Format: Vinyl LP
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Horror, Electronic
Bitrates: 128kbps

Track List:
1. Halloween Theme - Main Title
2. Laurie's Theme
3. Shape Escapes
4. Meyer's House
5. Michael Kills Judith
6. Loomis and Shape's Car
7. The Haunted House
8. The Shape Lurks
9. Laurie Knows
10. Better Check The Kids
11. The Shape Stalks

Download: John Carpenter - Halloween Original Soundtrack
Download Size: 31MB

Note: I will replacing this link with a new download link to a higher quality version of this tomorrow morning.

Halloween 20th Anniversary Edition Soundtrack (1998)

Year of Release: 1998
Label: Varese Sarabande
Format: CD
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Horror, Electronic
Bitrate: 320kbps

Tracklist:
01. John Carpenter - Halloween Theme
02. John Carpenter - Halloween 1963
03. John Carpenter - The Evil Is Gone!
04. John Carpenter - Halloween 1978
05. John Carpenter - The Boogie Man Is Coming
06. John Carpenter - The Shape
07. John Carpenter - The Hedge
08. John Carpenter - He Came Home
09. John Carpenter - Trick Or Treat
10. John Carpenter - The Haunted House
11. John Carpenter - The Devil's Eyes
12. John Carpenter - The Boogie Man Is Outside
13. John Carpenter - Damn You For Letting Him Go!
14. John Carpenter - Empty Street
15. John Carpenter - See Anything You Like
16. John Carpenter - Lock The Door
17. John Carpenter - He's Here
18. John Carpenter - Light's Out
19. John Carpenter - Cut It Out
20. John Carpenter - Tombstone
21. John Carpenter - The Shape Stalks Laurie
22. John Carpenter - Turn Around
23. John Carpenter - Unlock The Door
24. John Carpenter - The Hangar
25. John Carpenter - Call The Police
26. John Carpenter - Last Assault
27. John Carpenter - Was It The Boogie Man
28. John Carpenter - End Credits - Halloween Theme (Reprise)

Download: John Carpenter - Halloween 20th Anniversary Edition Soundtrack
Download Size: 124MB

John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - Halloween II 30th Anniversary Expanded Soundtrack (1981 - FLAC & 320kbps)

While checking my statistics I have noticed a lot of people are finding their way here via google after searching for "Halloween OST", which is understandable with Halloween being only three days away. I'm pleased to be able to deliver to you the 30th Anniversary Expanded Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to Halloween II. Those looking for John Carpenter's Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to the original 1978 Halloween can find it here: http://digitalmeltd0wn.blogspot.com/2008/10/john-carpenter-halloween-ost.html

In 1981 John Carpenter released Halloween II, the sequel to one of the horror genre's most acclaimed films of all time. The original Halloween became the most successful independent film of all time shortly after hitting the theaters in 1978, and quickly gained a massive cult following. One aspect of the film that helped to create the extremely tense atmosphere of dread was the music composed by John Carpenter & Alan Howarth. The soundtrack for the film managed to transcend the film it was composed for, and gained a cult following of its own. Carpenter's Halloween Theme has since become synonymous with the the Halloween holiday, and is one of the most recognizable film themes from any genre.


When Carpenter started working on the sequel, he decided to revisit the themes from the original due to their effectiveness and popularity. Rather than using the exact same music, he chose to compose variations of his original compositions, particularly the main theme's familiar piano melody played in a 5/4 time rhythm, which was performed on a synthesizer organ rather than a piano. The use of a more modern synthesizer and the changes in composition gave the theme an overall darker and more gothic tone to it than the original. Carpenter performed the score with the assistance of Alan Howarth, who would go on to work with Carpenter on many future projects, such as Escape from New York, The Thing and Christine. In addition to Howarth and Carpenters music, the soundtrack also includes The Chordettes song "Mr. Sandman", which sharply contrasts with the darker elements of the film and music. It was used to accompany the scenes in the film in which the character of Laurie Strode frequently loses and regains consciousness.

The 30th Anniversary Expanded Edition was released in very limited numbers, with only 1,000 being produced. Needless to say this out or print and physical copies are extremely rare. Not only does this edition contain the remastered original 1981 Halloween II soundtrack, but it also includes a special suite of seven tracks, consisting of the entire film score sequenced in chronological order, along with previously unreleased music. Needless to say this is absolutely essential listening for any horror fan, and hopefully this will satisfy those of you who have been searching google for the soundtrack to Halloween.

Year of Release: Original: 1981 | Rerelease: 2001
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Horror
Bitrates: FLAC & 320kbps MP3

Tracklist:
1. John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - Halloween II Theme
2. John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - Laurie's Theme
3. John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - He Know's Where She Is
4. John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - Laurie and Jimmy
5. John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - Still He Kills
6. Alan Howarth - Shape In Laurie's Room
7. John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - Mrs. Alves
8. John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - Flats In The Parking Lot
9. John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - Michael's Sister
10. John Carpenter - The Shape Stalks Again
11. John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - Operation Room
12. The Chordettes - Mr. Sandman
13. John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - Halloween II Suite A
14. John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - Halloween II Suite B
15. John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - Halloween II Suite C
16. John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - Halloween II Suite D
17. John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - Halloween II Suite E
18. John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - Halloween II Suite F

320kbps MP3 Download: John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - Halloween II 30th Anniversary Expanded Soundtrack
Download Size: 159MB

FLAC Download: John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - Halloween II 30th Anniversary Expanded Soundtrack
Download Size: 461MB

VA - Main Titles From Unreleased Horror Scores Vol. III

Continuing where I left off with my last post, I present to you the third volume in the Main Titles From Unreleased Horror Scores collection. I gave a brief description of the collection in my original post, so in order to save myself some time, I am simply going to copy & paste it to each subsequent post. You can find the download links to "Main Titles From Unreleased Horror Scores Volumes I, II and IV below:

VA - Main Titles From Unreleased Horror Scores Vol. I
VA - Main Titles From Unreleased Horror Scores Vol. II
VA - Main Titles From Unreleased Horror Scores Vol. IV

Back in March of 2008 the Unreleased Horror Scores blog posted several volumes of "Main Titles From Unreleased Horror Scores" compilations. Unfortunately the download links posted on his blog have been dead for some time now. I will be posting the first five volumes from this collection tonight and tomorrow. While the title of the compilation states that these are from unreleased horror scores, several of these scores actually have been released. These are actually audio rips from VHS tapes of each of the films. While I'm sure this brings up dreadful visions of horrible sound quality, the quality isn't as bad as you would imagine. These actually sound fairly decent considering they are VHS audio rips, aside from a couple of tracks which have some distortion and background noise. The low quality recordings actually compliment the creepy atmosphere created by the music in some cases, as with Carl Zittrer's organ themes for Deranged.

As I mentioned before, the download links on the Unreleased Horror Scores blog have been dead for some time now. Fortunately the Egg City Radio blog re-uploaded the first five volumes and added tags to the tracks. I went a step further and retagged it once again. I added the proper artists to each track, corrected the titles and made a few other slight alterations. These compilations have generated a fair amount of interest, and I'm glad that I am able to help keep them alive for those interested.

Each of these compilations features a remarkable array of music from various horror films, the majority of which are main and end titles from the films. While the majority of the music contained within these collections is fantastic, there are also a few selections that leave much to be desired. There is a wide range of films from all over the world represented in each compilation, from popular horror films familiar to all, to those that have been long forgotten by all but a few. These compilations are essential listening for any horror fan.

Year of Release: 2008
Label: N/A (Bootleg Release)
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Horror
Bitrate: 320VBR

Tracklist:
1. Bob Summers - One Dark Night: Opening Theme (1983)
2. Bob Summers - One Dark Night: End Titles (1983)
3. Drew Neumann & Eric Rasmussen - Scalps: Opening Titles (1983)
4. Drew Neumann & Eric Rasmussen - Scalps: Black Claw (1983)
5. Drew Neumann & Eric Rasmussen - Scalps: The Hunt (1983)
6. Drew Neumann & Eric Rasmussen - Scalps: The Chase II (1983)
7. Drew Neumann & Eric Rasmussen - Scalps: Final Chant (1983)
8. Drew Neumann & Eric Rasmussen - Scalps: End Title (1983)
9. Claudio Simonetti - Cut and Run: End Titles (1985)
10. Claudio Simonetti - You'll Die at Midnight: Opening Titles (1986)
11. Fruer - Underworld: Opening Sequence (1987)
12. Fruer - Underworld: End Titles (1987)
13. Claudio Simonetti - Body Count: Main Title (1987)
14. Simon Boswell - Delirium Photo of Gioia: Opening Titles (1987)
15. Simon Boswell - Demons III: The Ogre: Opening Title (1988)
16. Simon Boswell - Demons III: The Ogre: End Titles (1988)
17. Al Festa - After Death: The Voodoo Spell (1988)
18. Al Festa - After Death: The Empty Graves (1988)
19. Adriano Maria Vitali - Evil Clutch: Opening Titles (1988)
20. Adriano Maria Vitali - Evil Clutch: Vacant Village (1988)
21. Adriano Maria Vitali - Evil Clutch: Drawn Into A Nightmare (1988)
22. Adriano Maria Vitali - Evil Clutch: Some Thing Great (1988)
23. Adriano Maria Vitali - Evil Clutch: End Titles (1988)
24. Carlo Maria Cordio - Shocking Dark: End Title (1989)
25. Cory Lerios, John D'Andrea & Graeme Revell - Child's Play 3: Opening Titles (1991)
26. Cory Lerios, John D'Andrea & Graeme Revell - Child's Play 3: End Titles (1991)
27. Thomas Chase & Steve Rucker - 976-Evil: End Titles (1988)
28. Claudio Simonetti - The Washing Machine: Opening Titles (1992)
29. William Penn - Confessions of a Serial Killer: Opening Titles (1994)
30. James Fearnley - God's Lonely Man: Main Titles (1996)

Download: VA - Main Titles From Unreleased Horror Scores Vol. III
Download Size: 87MB

VA - Main Titles From Unreleased Horror Scores Vol. II

Continuing where I left off with my last post, I present to you the second volume in the Main Titles From Unreleased Horror Scores collection. This is the second volume of five that I will be posting here. I gave a brief description of the collection in my original post, so in order to save myself some time, I am simply going to copy & paste it to each subsequent post. You can find the download links to "Main Titles From Unreleased Horror Scores Volumes I, III and IV below:

VA - Main Titles From Unreleased Horror Scores Vol. I
VA - Main Titles From Unreleased Horror Scores Vol. III
VA - Main Titles From Unreleased Horror Scores Vol. IV

Back in March of 2008 the Unreleased Horror Scores blog posted several volumes of "Main Titles From Unreleased Horror Scores" compilations. Unfortunately the download links posted on his blog have been dead for some time now. I will be posting the first five volumes from this collection tonight and tomorrow. While the title of the compilation states that these are from unreleased horror scores, several of these scores actually have been released. These are actually audio rips from VHS tapes of each of the films. While I'm sure this brings up dreadful visions of horrible sound quality, the quality isn't as bad as you would imagine. These actually sound fairly decent considering they are VHS audio rips, aside from a couple of tracks which have some distortion and background noise. The low quality recordings actually compliment the creepy atmosphere created by the music in some cases, as with Carl Zittrer's organ themes for Deranged.

As I mentioned before, the download links on the Unreleased Horror Scores blog have been dead for some time now. Fortunately the Egg City Radio blog re-uploaded the first five volumes and added tags to the tracks. I went a step further and retagged it once again. I added the proper artists to each track, corrected the titles and made a few other slight alterations. These compilations have generated a fair amount of interest, and I'm glad that I am able to help keep them alive for those interested.

Each of these compilations features a remarkable array of music from various horror films, the majority of which are main and end titles from the films. While the majority of the music contained within these collections is fantastic, there are also a few selections that leave much to be desired. There is a wide range of films from all over the world represented in each compilation, from popular horror films familiar to all, to those that have been long forgotten by all but a few. These compilations are essential listening for any horror fan.

Year of Release: 2008
Label: N/A (Bootleg Release)
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Horror
Bitrate: 320VBR

Tracklist:
1. Carl Zittrer - Deranged: Opening Titles (1974)
2. Carl Zittrer - Deranged: End Titles (1974)
3. Dana Kaproff - When A Stranger Calls: Opening Titles (1974)
4. Dana Kaproff - When a Stranger Calls: End Titles (1974)
5. Guido & Maurizio De Angelis - Slave of the Cannibal God : Main Titles (1978)
6. Goblin & Gianni Dell'Orso - Hell of the Living Dead: Main Titles (1980)
7. Shuki Levy - Dawn of the Mummy: End Credits (1980)
8. Elgio Mancuso & Burt Rexon - Burial Ground: The Earth Will Rumble/Opening Titles (1980)
9. Eglio Mancuso & Burt Rexon - Burial Ground: End Titles (1980)
10. Andrzej Korzynski - Possession: Opening Titles (1981)
11. Franco Campanino - The Sword of the Barbarians - Opening Titles (1982)
12. Lalo Schifrin - Amityville II: The Possession: End Titles (1982)
13. John Cacavas - Mortuary: Main Title (1982)
14. David Gibney - Superstition: Opening Title (1982)
15. David Gibney - Superstition: End Titles (1982)
16. Jonathon Newton - Unhinged: Opening Titles (1982)
17. Jonathon Newton - Unhinged: Don't Go Into the Shed (1982)
18. Jonathon Newton - Unhinged: Nancy Tries To Leave (1982)
19. Jonathon Newton - Unhinged: Choppin' Wood (1982)
20. Jonathon Newton - Unhinged: Unhinged Insanity (With Screams) (1982)
21. Jonathon Newton - Unhinged: End Titles
22. Guidio & Maurizio De Angelis - A Blade in the Dark: Opening Titles (1983)
23. Guido & Maurizio De Angelis - A Blade in the Dark: End Titles (1983)
24. Jaime Mendoza-Nava - Mausoleum: Opening Titles (1983)
25. Cam - Pieces: Opening Titles (1983)

Download: VA - Main Titles From Unreleased Horror Scores Vol. II
Download Size: 51MB