Friday 31/10,Saturday 1/11 and Sunday 2/11 at 6-8pm, and then later in the week on Mixcloud.com.

In this episode Patrick and Keith play some tracks that hopefully evoke the Halloween spirit without the crass commercialisation.

Electric Light Orchestra – “Fire on High”

from Face the Music (1975)

Patrick writes:

“Fire On High” sets the tone for Face The Music, and does so with unapologetic theatrical flair. The track opens with backwards-masked speech (which reveals the tongue-in-cheek phrase “The music is reversible… but time is not” when played forward), signalling Jeff Lynne’s awareness of the era’s rising paranoia about satanic messages in rock. The composition itself is a swirl of orchestral rock, gospel-like choirs, and driving rhythm — a statement of grand intent.

The Album:

Face The Music marked a turning point for ELO: the moment they fully merged rock texture with classical orchestration without restraint. It was darker, more daring, and more cinematic than their earlier work, yet still incredibly melodic. The album began their real push into mainstream popularity and helped shape the symphonic rock explosion of the mid-70s.

Joy Division – “Dead Souls”

from B-side (1980)

Keith writes:

“Dead Souls” was accredited to all members of Joy Division but was so named, allegedly, by Ian Curtis after he had read Gogol’s Dead Souls. 

When the band played this live Curtis danced on stage apparently sizing up the audience prior to coming in with the vocals. If true, very astute…

The A-side:

Atmosphere was the designated A-side of this remarkable single. Produced of course by Martin Hannett.

The Damned – “Street Of Dreams”

from Phantasmagoria (1985)

Patrick writes:

“Street Of Dreams” is The Damned at their most regal and gothic. Frontman Dave Vanian, who had long flirted with vampiric image and Victorian macabre, leans fully into a brooding, theatrical performance that sounds like Bauhaus filtered through cabaret and old horror cinema.

The Album:

Phantasmagoria was a significant stylistic shift for The Damned. Originally pioneers of UK punk, by this album they embraced post-punk atmospherics, synthesizers, grand imagery and gothic romanticism. It alienated some old fans but gained them a whole new audience in the emerging goth scene. The band were shapeshifters, and here they reveled in dramatic, candle-lit gloom.

Lee “Scratch” Perry – “Run Evil Spirits”

from Rainford (2019)

Keith writes:

“Run Evil Spirits” a track that well fits the brief; a rollicking exclamation and a dirty groove.

The Album:

Rainford was a late career attempt at artistic rejuvenation. It’s a good album but lacks the eccentric flair and attack of earlier work.

Rush – “Witch Hunt”

from Moving Pictures (1981)

Patrick writes:

Part of the band’s Fear series, “Witch Hunt” is atmospheric, slow, and foreboding — a meditation on mass hysteria and the violence of mob judgment. Geddy Lee’s bass simmers, Alex Lifeson’s guitars buzz like cicadas in heat, and Neil Peart’s lyrics strike at fear as a tool of control.

The Album:

Moving Pictures is widely regarded as Rush’s masterpiece — the perfect balance of prog-rock complexity and new wave accessibility. It features hits like “Tom Sawyer” and “Limelight,” but it’s Witch Hunt that shows the band’s philosophical edge and cinematic scope.

Otis Spann – “I’d Rather Be the Devil”

from Single (1954)

Keith writes:

“I’d Rather Be the Devil” AKA “It Must Have Been the Devil” was recorded at the legendary Chess studios and amongst the backing musicians was one BB King on guitar.

The Artist:

Otis Spann was one of the Blues foremost pianists. He died young, in 1970 at only an estimated 46 years old.

For many years his grave had no headstone until Blues enthusiasts raised the funds to pay for a headstone that read: 

“Otis played the deepest blues we ever heard – He’ll play forever in our hearts”.

Sting – “Moon Over Bourbon Street”

from The Dream of the Blue Turtles (1985)

Patrick writes:

Sting channels the internal anguish of the immortal vampire Louis from Interview With The Vampire — loneliness, guilt, hunger, and beauty intermingling in a jazz-laced nocturne. Double bass and clarinet create misty New Orleans alleyways in sound.

The Album:

The Dream Of The Blue Turtles was Sting’s first solo album after The Police, demonstrating his desire to explore jazz, poetry, and world rhythms. It’s thoughtful, elegant, introspective, and full of narrative songwriting — a clear departure from stadium rock. It proved Sting was more than a frontman: he was a composer.

Drive-By Truckers – “Where the Devil Don’t Stay”

from The Dirty South (2004)

Keith writes:

Another Devil bothering track that contains all the good things in a sound Southern Gothic life: The Devil, gamblin’ and whisky…

The Album:

The Dirty South is the fifth album by the band and, like its predecessor, Southern Rock Opera, the album examines the state of the South, and unveils the hypocrisy, irony, and tragedy that continues to exist.

Thee Generators – “Bela Lugosi”

from The Devils Chords (2015)

Patrick writes:

A swaggering, invigorated garage-punk tribute to the man who became Dracula in the public imagination. The track celebrates Bela Lugosi’s everlasting shadow over gothic culture and horror cinema.

The Album:

The Devils Chords is raw, loud, and alive — rock’n’roll with grit under its fingernails. Thee Generators capture the feeling of a sweating venue, sticky floors, amps turned too high, and absolute sincerity in the performance.

The Soul Messengers – “Burn Devil Burn”

from The Soul Messengers (1975)

Keith writes:

The Soul Messengers were a group of Black Hebrew expats who crafted a mesmerizing blend of soul, funk, psych, gospel, and Hebrew traditional songs.

In Liberia, the trio of Ben Ammi, Hezekiah (Charles Blackwell), and Yehudah (Thomas Whitfield) formed the core of the Soul Messengers. They captivated audiences in Monrovia, introducing modern soul and funk to West Africa.

In 1969, the band settled in Dimona, Israel, continuing their musical journey. Whilst their recording career ended in 1978, the legacy of the Soul Messengers lives on. Today, Black Hebrews reside in Dimona, their home since 1969. The Soul Messengers’ music remains a testament to their enduring message of liberation and fusion of the secular and sacred

Jace Everett – “Bad Things”

from Jace Everett (2005)

Patrick writes:

A swampy, bluesy seduction ritual of a track. It found worldwide recognition when True Blood used it as its theme, cementing its association with Southern Gothic sensuality.

The Album:

Everett’s debut mixes Americana, outlaw country, and rockabilly energy. At the time, it flew under the radar — but after True Blood, the album was rediscovered as a hidden gem of dark-country swagger.

Jimi Hendrix – “Voodoo Chile”

from Electric Ladyland (1968)

Keith writes:

A work of staggering genius, Voodoo Chile takes the listener on a tour of all the famous blues tropes but accompanied by blistering guitar.

Following Hendrix’s in September 1970, the track was released as a single and made number one for one week in the UK.

The track has been deployed in many films and the song’s opening half-strum; staccato scratch signals many significant movie moments. It is used in Black Hawk Down to maximum effect.

The Album:

Electric Ladyland is the third and final album by The Experience and the only one of their three albums to make the number one spot. An absolutely essential album.

The Space Pirates of Rocquaine – “The Witch Of TheLongfrie”

(2013)

Patrick writes:

A folk-rock epic born of island myth and oral storytelling — literally music that knows the coastline it comes from. Fiddle, harmony, and sea wind woven together into narrative song.

The Album:

Their work stands as local folklore set to music — songs of Guernsey’s landscapes, legends, and characters. Its music rooted in place, performed with communal fire.

Lou Reed – “Halloween Parade”

from New York (1989)

Keith writes:

Halloween Parade perfectly captures the essence of a Halloween parade in New York City, where a diverse array of characters comes together, but a sense of woozy sense absence and melancholy drifts within the midst of the celebration.

The Album:

New York is Reed’s fifteenth solo studio album and was released to universal critical acclaim in 1989.

Undoubtedly one of Reed’s strongest solo albums and again, well worth investigating.

Mogwai – “Wizard Motor”

from Les Revenants OST (2013)

Patrick writes:

Slow, pulsing, steadily intensifying — Mogwai excel at making the unseen felt. “Wizard Motor” grows like headlights slowly appearing on a deserted road.

The Album:

Les Revenants is a soundtrack album full of quiet dread and haunting beauty, written for the French supernatural drama about the dead returning. Mogwai don’t score scenes — they score emotions.

The Psychedelic Furs – “The Ghost In You”

From Mirror Moves (1989)

Keith writes:

Time to introduce some ghosts into the proceedings. A single taken from the band’s fourth album, Mirror Moves.

The Album:

Mirror Moves was released in 1984 and in 1985, during the promotion of The Head on the Door, Robert Smith of the Cure claimed that Mirror Moves was one of his five favorite albums. 

Gil Scott-Heron – “Me And The Devil”

from I’m New Here (2010)

Patrick writes:

A reimagining of Robert Johnson’s legendary blues crossroads myth, delivered by Gil Scott-Heron with cracked, weathered, intimate intensity. It feels like confession.

The Album:

I’m New Here was Scott-Heron’s final album — a sparse, heartbreaking fusion of blues, spoken word, electronic elements and vulnerability. A late-career masterpiece, raw and unguarded.

John Martyn – “I’d Rather Be the Devil”

From Live at Leeds (1976)

Keith writes:

An extended live outing for this Skip James song. A quite magical performance from the recently departed Danny Thompson.

The Album:

Live at Leeds was originally available by mail order from Martyn himself. If has been re-released several times with the addition of extra tracks. Well worth acquiring to hear Martyn in the context of a band that were willing to flow his extremely inventive improvisations.

John Carpenter – “Halloween Theme”

from Halloween OST (1978)

Patrick writes:

Written in 5/4 time, minimal, eerie, relentless. Carpenter composed it himself because the film had no budget for a composer — and accidentally created one of the most iconic horror themes in history.

The Album:

The Halloween soundtrack pioneered the idea that horror could be scored with synthesizers, influencing decades of cinema. Cold. Mechanical. Unforgettable.

Screaming Jay Hawkins – “Little Demon”

From Cow Fingers and Mosquito Pie (1991)

Keith writes:

in “Little Demon,” Screamin’ Jay Hawkins tells a story about a crazy little demon in the valley who was singing a weird tune. The demon had fire in his eyes and smoke coming out of his head, and he was so possessed by his passion for a lost love that he had to run through the world until he understood his pain. The demon caused many unexpected effects on the world around him, making the sky turn green and grass turn red, while adding hair to grandma’s bald head. The demon wanted to get his love back, and he used his powers to push back time and bring back yesterday, but he still ended up isolated, stuck in his madness.

So there…

The Album:

An expansive collection of all Hawkins’ well-known tracks plus others. Great fun.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – “Release The Bats”

single (1981)

Patrick writes:

Chaotic, feral, and deliberately absurd, this is Nick Cave in his wildest, wild-child era. It’s not gothic romance — it’s gothic riot.

Cultural Moment:

Released during The Birthday Party era, before The Bad Seeds refined him, this track is a document of Cave’s unhinged beginnings — violent, playful, extreme.

Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou – “Ballad of The Spirirts”

From Emahoy (1991)

Keith writes:

Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou (1923- 2023) was an Ethiopian composer, pianist, and nun.

For three decades, she lived a reclusive life with only rare performances. Three tribute concerts were held in Jerusalem in 2013 to mark her 90th birthday, and a compilation of her musical scores were released.

Her work amazingly appeared in many adverts, documentariesand movies.

The Album:

The album Emahoy was released as part of the recommended series of Ethiopian music known as Éthiopiques.