Spooktacular Party Songs
Amazon; Discogs

This was first released in 1996. I don't know when I got it, but I'm listening to it again in October 2023 for this review.

1. "Monster Mash", by Bobby "Boris" Pickett: There's a good reason this is a classic of the season. It's a perfect mash-up of early 1960s rock & roll and horror movies. It's really funny, but it also sounds genuinely good.

2. "Werewolves of London", by Warren Zevon: This one's sound is less of a mashup, IMO, and more just a good song that happens to be about a vaguely macabre (yet totally fashionable) subject matter. Always catchy.

3. "Hot, Hot, Hot", by Buster Poindexter: TBH, this one doesn't really feel to me like it belongs in this collection. There's nothing Halloweeny about it at all, it feels more like a summer jam. But it's definitely fun.

4. "Haunted House", by Jumpin' Gene Simmons: This is one I'm a little less familiar with than some songs on the album, but it totally fits the theme of the album. And it's fun.

5. "The Purple People Eater", by Sheb Wooley: This is probably the most eccentric novelty song on the album, but it's fun and I guess it sort of fits the spirit of the holiday. And it leads perfectly into the next song...

6. "Tequila", by The Champs: This is one of the least Halloweeny songs on the album, but I guess it's still good for something to play at a party, no matter the theme.

7. "Ghostbusters", by Ray Parker Jr.: You've gotta love the theme from Ghostbusters. Fits the theme, it's totally fun, and a Halloween essential.

8. "The Time Warp", from The Rocky Horror Picture Show: A personal favorite. Totally raucous, totally ooky, madcap, countercultural bliss. Not perfectly Halloweeny, but it evokes the movie which itself is appropriate viewing for the holiday. And it works for any party... if your guests are cool enough to handle it.

9. "Celebration", by Kool & The Gang: *shrug* It's a good party song. Probably the very least Halloweeny song on the album, but whatevs.

10. "Witch Doctor", by David Seville: Also known as the other Chipmunks song. It's... okay. Possibly a little problematic, but I guess it's kinda fun. Kinda.

11. "Spooky", by Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost: Reasonably suitable to the season, certainly not the least Halloweeny song, but probably the most "normal" song on the album. Kinda mellow, which is a nice change of pace from the generally frenetic songs on the album.

12. "The Addams Family Main Theme", by Vic Mizzy with His Orchestra and Chorus: Well, this is the shortest song on the album, being just the theme song from The Addams Family. I know I already called "The Time Warp" ooky, but of course that's a more apt description for this one. Not exactly Halloweeny, but the macabre nature of the show fits the season.

Well, that's it, that's the album. I used the word "fun" a lot, and I could have used it even more than I did. Really, every song on the album is fun. If you're having a Halloween party and want to go old-school with a CD instead of a playlist on your mp3 player or Spotify or whatever, this is a good place to start. Definitely gonna need more than just this one album, though, if you want your party to last longer than an hour.