WOOOOOO! Yeah, it's the witchin' season again, and true to form, we're looking at songs linked by a theme of, well, Halloween, looking at fear, the state of being afraid or things to scare you. BOO! Sorry...
No, we already did “Don't fear the Reaper” last Halloween, so this time we're kicking off with a power rocker from Uriah Heep, this is “Too scared to run”. BOO! Sorry. Again.
You might not equate the Eagles with being afraid, but on their last album, “Long road out of Eden”, they did tackle the subject somewhat, with “Somebody”. Here it is. BOO! Okay, I'll stop now. BOO! Sorrrrryyy...
(Okay, can't find the original online --- Eagles material is almost as restricted as Supertramp! --- so here's a cover version. These guys do a good job, I must say)
Always a favourite at Halloween, mostly due to its being used in the movie “American werewolf in London”, it's Creedence, with “Bad moon rising”.
Mike Oldfield's seemingly-innocuous instrumental has come to signify some of the most creepy, unsettling images ever due to its being recognised as the theme to “The Exorcist”.
The master (or at least, ex-master) of gore and horror, it's Alice Cooper, with words kids may still be daring each other with as the moon hides behind banks of thick dark clouds and the midnight hour strikes: “This house is haunted”. BOO! (Okay, that's definitely the last one. I promise. Would I lie to you?)
And of course tailormade for this occasion, and recently featured in our “Secret life of the album cover”, here are Iron Maiden.
Another duke of the Dark, Nick Cave sings about someone you would not like to meet tonight, at least not alone. Or at all. Watch out for his “Red right hand”...
One I have to include, though I have featured it before, is the eerie “Creepshow” from prog rockers Twelfth Night. It's long, but definitely worth taking the time to listen to. Sends shivers up yer spine...
Whether it's meant to be or not, I always found this piece by ELO seriously scary, with its weird unearthly cries like the wails of damned souls, the sound of whips and flames, spooky choirs and backwards masking, and as it's called “Fire on high”, always assumed it was a vision of Hell.
Finally, expect these tonight until it gets dark. It's Joe Cocker, with “Night calls”. Hey, you could always turn out the light, pretend you're not home, but then, you don't want to be a spoilsport, do ya? BOO! Okay, okay! I'm going...