Frankie Stein and His Ghouls Shock! Terror! Fear! (Emerald Green)

After years of visiting graveyards, combing through haunted houses, and pursuing (heh heh) dead ends, we finally tracked down the rights to the legendary Frankie Stein and His Ghouls series! Why did we risk life, limb, and livelihood to find these records? Well, there’s something extra special about these Frankie Stein and His Ghouls records. You wouldn’t think that Halloween records released by a subsidiary (Power Records) of a children’s specialty label (Peter Pan Records) would be so…er…visceral, but these records are definitely the most out there of their kind. And there might be a reason for that…you see, it has been revealed that the Power label enlisted the aid of some very, very interesting musicians for some of its projects. For instance, the imprint’s 1966 album Batman and Robin by The Sensational Guitars of Dan and Dale was actually produced by Tom Wilson of Bob Dylan, Velvet Underground, and Mothers of Invention fame—and the band was made up free jazz legend Sun Ra and members of The Blues Project! Which has led to all sorts of speculation about who Frankie Stein and His Ghouls actually were; among the names bandied about are guitarist Duane Eddy, jazz saxophonist Max Greger, and, yes, Sun Ra and the Blues Project again. At any rate, prepare yourself for frenetic rock-and-twist workouts punctuated by deranged howls and shattering sound effects. And with a back story like this, it’s no wonder original copies of these albums sell for downright horrifying prices! This is the first reissue of any kind of the 1965 Shock ‘N’ Roll classic, featuring song titles like “The Ghostman Always Rings Twice,” “Slay Boy,” “Who’s Afraid of the Weerdo Wolf,” etc. All set to your favorite period dance beats. Emerald green vinyl limited to 900 copies!

1. Who’s Afraid of Weerdo Wolf (Watusi)
2. Bodies Under the Bridge (Swim, Twist)
3. Slay Boy (Fox Trot, Hully Gully)
4. Horror Staccato (Monkey, Lindy)
5. Ankle Twist (Twist)
6. Doom at Midnight (Frug)
7. Stoned (Monkey, Watusi)
8. Stoned Again (Monkey, Watusi, Lindy, Twist)
9. The Ghostman Rings Twice (Mashed Potato)
10. Doomsday (Fox Trot)