![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/famous_monsters_speak.jpg\")
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 \u201cFlying Saucers Rock \u2018n\u2019 Roll,\u201d \u201cPurple People Eater\u201d and the like.<\/p>\n
Monsters, on the other hand, have always<\/i> been big, as it were. From relatively early motion pictures featuring Dracula and Frankenstein to modern times, audiences have consistently thrilled to the narratives around those characters. Mummies, witches, ghosts: their popularity goes well beyond the Halloween season.<\/p>\n
In the 1960s, monstermania enjoyed a surge in popularity. Television had The Addams Family<\/i> and The Munsters<\/i>; 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\u2019s fascination with the genre was a curious quickie released in 1963, Famous Monsters Speak<\/i>. Put together by a pair of entrepreneurs involved with an enterprise called Famous Monsters of Filmland, Famous Monsters Speak<\/i> served up an LP\u2019s worth of spooky monologues.<\/p>\n
Famous Monsters Speak<\/i> 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.<\/p>\n
Side One, \u201cFrankenstein Speaks\u201d is 20 minutes portrayed as a kind of press conference. Our narrator sets the scene, and then a \u201ccrude recording\u201d of Dr. Victor Frankenstein and the Monster (Dell, and Dell again) plays for the gathered crowd. It\u2019s 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\u2019re reminded that \u201cno one is safe.\u201d Nightmarish stuff for young kids, no doubt.<\/p>\n
Even more atmospheric is Side Two\u2019s \u201cDracula Speaks.\u201d Our narrator pecks away on his typewriter, pausing to tell us his account of encountering the legendary vampire. Igor and other stock characters from the story (or Hollywood\u2019s take on it) populate the scene. Evil laughs and just the sorts of \u201caccents\u201d you\u2019d expect (of the \u201cI vant to suck your blood!\u201d variety) are all over the 21-minute piece.<\/p>\n
A mildly amusing artifact of an era, Famous Monsters Speak<\/i> is far too talky to serve as background material for a Halloween party, but it\u2019s worth a spin for anyone who likes a bit of kitsch, delivered with a straight face \u2013 where their monsters are concerned.<\/p>\n
Now, if you need some actual music<\/i> for your Halloween party, check back soon for a review of Return of Halloween Nuggets<\/i>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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