New Halloween compilation makes it a happy Rocktober

Along with the annual visit of witches, ghosts, and goblins comes a musical treat courtesy of the Brits. 100 Hits: Halloween is the newest release in the successful 100 Hits series on the appropriately named Demon label.

This is arguably the coolest collection of seasonal music ever concocted. It’s a five-disc affair containing four CDs plus a karaoke DVD featuring a treat bag full of seasonal classics for your Halloween bash. But it’s the four CDs that are the real treat of this set. Sure, it’s got the warhorses like “Monster Mash,” “Purple People Eater,” “The Witch Doctor,” and “Haunted House” that are on every Halloween collection available at Target and Walmart, but there’s more, so much more.

First of all, one CD is totally dedicated to movie and TV themes ranging from Psycho to Twilight Zone to The Munsters. That leaves three more CDs of music, and I challenge anyone to find another Halloween collection that includes the likes of blues legend Robert Johnson (”Me and the Devil Blues”), rockabilly giant Gene Vincent (”Race with the Devil”), Frank Sinatra (”Witchcraft”), jazz legend Chet Baker (”Old Devil Moon”), Johnny Cash (”Ghost Riders in the Sky”), the Guess Who (”Clap for the Wolfman”-when was the last time you heard that one?), Bow Wow Wow (”I Want Candy”), jazz icon Thelonious Monk (”Mysterioso”), “The Divine” Sarah Vaughan (”Bewitched”), Edgar Winter (”Frankenstein”) and Big Band great Glenn Miller (”Ding! Dong! The Witch Is Dead”)!

And that’s just scratching the caramel apple surface! You don’t need a party to have a great time with this collection, which gets a five-pumpkin rating from me. If you’re unable to get it at your local record store, you can get it online from Amazon.

This month’s column is dedicated to the memory of Les Paul, the legendary “Wizard of Waukesha” who died on Aug. 13 at 94. Not only was he a fabulous musician but his inventions and innovations in guitars and recording techniques are also greatly responsible for the way we hear pop music today. And he never forgot his Wisconsin roots. I also want to thank the Paul family for the public memorial held at Discovery World (home of the wonderful Les Paul House of Sound) on Aug. 21. It was great for the Milwaukee fans and friends to have this opportunity to pay respects.

Pat MacDonald with melaniejane, Purgatory Hill

Wisconsin native Pat MacDonald, who gained eternal fame for his ’80s anthem “The Future’s So Bright (I Gotta Wear Shades)”, returns with his brand new album Purgatory Hill, recorded at Milwaukee’s Makin’ Sausage Music, on which he’s ably assisted by Bay View’s own melaniejane. Sprinkled among the originals on the disc are three cool covers: Iggy Pop’s “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” PJ Harvey’s “Meet Za Monster,” and the blues standard “Rollin’ and Tumblin’.” It all makes for a punk-folk feast. Pretty good for a guy who plays a guitar made from a cigar box. More info at purgatoryhill.com or melaniejane.com.

NOW HEAR THESE!

By Randy Otto

Guitar Faculty Recital, Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, Oct. 25, 3pm

The conservatory presents a number of recitals annually that spotlight their illustrious faculty, but this one consistently draws sellout crowds. It’s understandable considering that it’s a showcase for every guitar style imaginable. Department chair Matt Schroeder (pride of the Twin Cities—Manitowoc and Two Rivers) always does a great job in rounding up a wide range of talented colleagues for this program, and this year promises to be no exception. For more info and tickets call (414) 276-5760 or go to wcmusic.org. But hurry, this event will be a sellout!

Various Artists, 101 Running Songs

Earlier this year I reviewed 101 Housework Songs, one of the most novel music compilations I’ve ever encountered. Now the Brits, courtesy of master compiler Ashley Abram and his team, strike again with 101 Running Songs. It’s a five-CD set featuring, you guessed it, songs to accompany you as you run, walk, or whatever you do to work those muscles. Like Housework Songs, the variety and sequencing of the songs are a large part of the fun. The songs are drawn from the ’50s (Fats Domino’s “I’m Walkin’”) to 2009 (Kelly Clarkson’s “My Life Would Suck Without You”), from golden oldies (Spencer Davis Group’s “Keep On Runnin’”) to recent classics (Reel 2 Real’s “I Like To Move It”). And you’ll find selections from the totally unexpected (Weather Report’s “Birdland”) to absolutely perfect (Bill Conti’s “Gonna Fly Now—Theme From Rocky”). Chalk up another one for Mr. Abram, the guy responsible for creating the legendary Now That’s What I Call Music series, which began in the UK way back in 1983 and has now reached an astounding 72 volumes. More info at nowmusic.com.

Original Soundtrack, Inglorious Basterds

Speaking of compilations, a friend and I had a recent conversation in which we were discussing film directors who made the most effective use of existing music in their movies. We came up with Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, and the recently deceased John Hughes. You can now add Quentin Tarantino to that list as well, a film director who also has a phenomenal record collection. His use of their music in his movies jumpstarted the careers of Dick Dale (Pulp Fiction) and the 5.6.7.8’s (Kill Bill). With his latest movie, Inglorious Basterds, Tarantino draws upon the work of his favorite film composers, reasoning what’s the use of commissioning new music when the perfect music already exists! Tarantino selected themes from film music giants like Dimitri Tiomkin, Lalo Schifrin, and, especially, the legendary Ennio Morricone, plus French and German pop songs from the Nazi era (The song “Man with the Big Sombrero” is one catchy ditty!), the theme from Burt Reynolds’ 1973 White Lightning and a ’70s funk track from the late Billy Preston. Even David Bowie’s “Putting Out Fire” (the forgotten theme from the 1980 movie Cat People) made the cut…and it all works! Say what you want about his movies, Tarantino’s soundtrack albums always make for fascinating listening.

Cheap Trick, Sgt. Pepper Live

Upon the release of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967, the Beatles announced there would be no live performances of this album, saying it would be impossible to reproduce the music onstage. Flash forward to 2007, when Cheap Trick, Rockford’s finest, were approached to perform the album live in its entirety for a benefit concert in New York. If ever there was a band qualified to accept the challenge, it would be the Tricksters, and they did so with relish. Recruiting members of the New York Philharmonic, an Indian music ensemble and guest vocalist Joan Osborne (she appears on “Lovely Rita Meter Maid”), the band played the entire album (with an encore of the “Abbey Road Medley” thrown in for good measure), and the event was filmed and recorded for posterity. Now with The Beatles: Rock Band game and the Fab Four’s remastered CDs selling like crazy, what better time to release the live album?

The album sounds great, thanks in no small part to engineer Geoff Emerick, who was the engineer on the original Pepper album, as well as Cheap Trick’s 1980 opus All Shook Up. And if nothing else, Sgt. Pepper Live offers conclusive proof that Robin Zander is truly one of the all-time great voices of Rock. Just listen and marvel to how he wraps his inner John, Paul, George, and Ringo around these songs, a daunting task for any singer (especially on “A Day in the Life”).

The Tricksters will be repeating this show again soon, this time at the Hollywood Bowl, but you can enjoy it anytime on the live album. In addition, all artist royalties from CD and DVD sales are being donated to the fight against prostate cancer. Fab!

Joshua Bell, At Home with Friends

So you’re violin superstar Joshua Bell, and you’ve performed to great acclaim around the world. So what do you time during your down time in your New York home? Why, invite some friends over for a little musical jammin’! And when your friends include Chris Botti, Sting, Josh Groban, newly minted Emmy-winner Kristin Chenoweth and MSO Pops conductor Marvin Hamlisch (just to mention a few), wouldn’t it be great to a the proverbial fly on the wall for those get-togethers? Not to worry, these sessions are now available on CD in your very own home (or wherever you listen to music). A standout highlight is his performance with Anoushka Shankar, playing a duet piece composed by her father, sitar master Ravi Shankar.

Los Lobos, Los Lobos Goes Disney

On Halloween, Los Lobos, one of the truly legendary American rock bands, returns for another Milwaukee visit, this time at the Northern Lights Theater. Now, you might think it a bit odd that the band would be out on tour without a new album to support. And you’d be wrong, because they’ve just released Los Lobos Goes Disney, arguably the most fun Disney collection to come along since the great Stay Awake in the ’80s (and Los Lobos appeared on that album, playing The Jungle Book’s “I Wanna Be Like You,” which is reprised on the new album). The catch is it’s only available at Amazon, but it’s certainly worth seeking out. Imagine hearing Los Lobos doing songs such as “Heigh-Ho,” “Cruella De Vil,” “The Tiki Tiki Room,” “Bella Notte,” “Bare Necessities,” and “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah”! Even their rendition of “It’s a Small World” will make you smile, not cringe! It’s a great Christmas gift idea for Disney fans of all ages (remember, it’s not too early!).

WMSE Fall Membership Drive, beginning Oct. 26

As a volunteer at Frontier Radio WMSE, I’d be remiss if I didn’t alert you to the station’s Fall membership drive. $125,000 needs to be raised by Dec. 31 to keep the station going and presenting the mix of music and volunteer DJs unlike any other station in town. And please note that WMSE receives no support from the government, so it relies 100-percent on support from listeners and area businesses to keep the music coming, making it a truly public radio station. Of course, the pledge drives are also great opportunities for the station to present amazing live-in-studio performances. In the recent past, there have been live sets from The Blasters, Robyn Hitchcock, and blues guitar wonder kid Tallan (T-Man) Latz during station pledge drives. So tune in for the fun at 91.7 FM or wmse.org, and don’t forget to pledge, either online by phone at (414) 799-1917. Now more than ever, every dollar counts!