Album Review: Famous Monsters Speak

American pop culture has taken some wacky and unexpected turns over the years. The 1950s saw the rise of science fiction in film; creatures from outer space seemed to be on a non-stop mission to destroy Earth. And that craze affected the music landscape, too , with tunes like “Flying Saucers Rock ‘n’ Roll,” “Purple People Eater” and the like.”

Monsters, on the other hand, have always been big, as it were. From relatively early motion pictures featuirng Dracula and Frankenstein to modern times, audiences have consistently thrilled to the narratives around those characters. Mummies, witches, ghosts: their popularty goes well beyond the Halloween season.

In the 1960s, monstermania enjoyed a surge in popularity. Television had The Addams Family and The Munsters; those were comedies, but the ghoulish content was the foundation. And again, music took cues from that. So, too, on occasion, did spoken-word recordings. One of the (likely countless) endeavors seeking to exploit the public’s fascination with the genre was a curious quickie released in 1963, Famous Monsters Speak. Put together by a pair of entrepreneurs involved with an enterprise called Famous Monsters of Filmland, Famous Monsters Speak served up an LP’s worth of spooky monologues.

Famous Monsters Speak is, of course, a somewhat low-budget affair; how else to hope to turn a profit in an era when the vinyl LP sells for two or three bucks? Get one writer (Cherney Berg), one effects guy (Hal Johnson) and one voice actor (Gabriel Dell), book a couple hours at most in a recording studio, and off you go,

Side One, “Frankenstein Speaks” is 20 minutes portrayed as a kind of press conference. Our narrator sets the scene, and then a “crude recording” of Dr. Victor Frankenstein and the Monster (Dell, and Dell again) plays for the gathered crowd. It’s melodramatic stuff, very much in the style and tradition of radio plays from an even earlier era. Lots of growls, moans and howls figure into the mix, as do horse whinnies, chirping crickets, smashing glass, creaking doors and other liberally-sprinkled bits from a sound library. The whole thing ends in a foreboding manner, as we’re reminded that “no one is safe.” Nightmarish stuff for young kids, no doubt.

Even more atmospheric is Side Two’s “Dracula Speaks.” Our narrator pecks away on his typewriter, pausng ot tell us his account of encountering the legendary vampire. Igor and other stock characters fomr the story (or Hollywood’s take on it) populate the scene. Evil laughs and just the sorts of “accents” you’d expect (of the “I vant to suck your blood!” variety) are all over the 21-minute piece.

A mildly amusing artifact of an era, Famous Monsters Speak is far too talky to serve as background material for a Halloween party, but it’s worth a spin for anyone who likes a bit of kitsch, delivered with a straight face – where their monsters are concerned.

Now, if you need some actual music for your Halloween party, check back soon for a review of Return of Halloween Nuggets.