Updated 04-May-2020.
Mondo shtuff from around the internet, all about MONSTER MASH!
Fifty years since its initial release, Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s “Monster Mash” has long since entered the pantheon of holiday evergreens.
My botty best at summarizing from Wikipedia: “Monster Mash” is a 1962 novelty song by Bobby “Boris” Pickett . the song was released as a single on Gary S. Paxton’s label in august 1962 . it was #1 on “Monster Mash” was composed by Pickett and fellow band member Lenny Capizzi . the song was partly inspired by paxton’s earlier novelty hit “Alley Oop” the producer made extensive classic 1940s horror film icons include the Wolfman, Igor, Count Dracula and his son . character actor Peter Lorre never played, though he did play numerous deformed eccentrics . the mad scientist invite the BBC banned the record from airplay in 1962 on the grounds that the song was “too morbid” the record was re-released in the united kingdom in 1973, where it peaked at #3 in early October . Bobby and the Crypt-Kickers toured Dallas and St. Louis around the 1973 Halloween holiday . “Monster Mash” re-entered the British charts again on November 2, 2008 at #60 . in 1974, Buck Owens had re-invented “Monsters’ Holiday” the song peaked #6 on Billboard in mid-September of the same year . a movie musical based on the song in 1989, Stuart Hersh and Pickett recorded a perfect copy of “Monster Mash” the pair undercut the owners of the track, Universal . Pickett was missing out on thousands of dollars in licensing fees . “Monster Mash” peaked at #27 on the digital song sales chart in 2005, 2007 to 2011 . the song is played annually on Sirius XM satellite radio . children of the night performed their version of “Monster Mash” on Juke Box Jury . Vincent Price issued a version in the u.k. on EMI Records . British ska band Bad Manners covered in 1977, the “Monsters” recorded “The Monster Mash” on H&L Records . in 1988, The Big O recorded a version featured over the end credits for Return of the living dead Part II . Boot bassist Jerry Only: “the song was always a childhood favorite of mine” “Monster Mash” was a no-brainer for the Misfits to cover as a timeless Halloween release . a live performance Deluxo had recently acquired the rights to the film in hopes of restoring it . they eventually found a quality 16 mm print and the Misfits hosted a special screening . notable attendees at the screening included members a DVD version of the film was eventually released in 2003 by Anchor Bay Entertainment . it was restored from a different 35 mm print . was used under license from his daughter Sarah Karloff in artwork . the artwork was used in connection with a free MP3 download of the band’s live recording of “Monster Mash” the finished single was released physically in October 1999 as the first release of misfits records . Ramone called this version of the song “probably the best version we’ve ever done” “‘Monster Mash’ always reminded me of Boris Karloff,” Ramone said . the first pressing had the studio version on both sides and consisted of 1,000 copies: 800 on green vinyl, 100 on red, and 100 on gold . it was sold by the band while on tour and also by mail order through their ” the vinyl single sold out and is no longer in print . a second pressing consisted of 1,000 copies on glow-in-the-dark vinyl . available exclusively by mail order through band’s website .