Halloween comes early thanks to those cool cats at Rock Beat Records who reach deep into their cauldron and conjure a collection that’s certain to give thrills all year round. The third in a spooky series, Return Of Halloween Nuggets assembles 18 spellbinding cuts from the 1950’s and ‘60s (plus two vintage movie trailers for good measure) that incorporate everything from raw rock and roll to raucous R&B via garage and surf-tinged instrumentals. Guaranteed to get any party jumping, this compilation proves that Nuggets are for all seasons, and not just Halloween.

Digging deep into the music vaults, Return Of Halloween Nuggets has obviously been compiled by music obsessives and no matter how vast your musical knowledge, this set will undoubtedly throw up more than a few surprises. Deftly avoiding the usual suspects, Halloween Nuggets culls its track list from forgotten gems, one (and no) hit wonders, alongside tracks that were previously only available on vinyl, and the result is refreshingly original and satisfies in a way that other anthologies don’t. It’s a rare cut from garage rock band The Shandells that kicks things off, ‘Gorilla’ evidences a British Invasion influence, yet the band would return the favour by inspiring the Sex Pistols with their parred back approach. In fact, many of these tracks inhabit the proto-punk sphere, each being sub three minute energetic blasts that radiate effervescence, and even the soulful ‘Witchcraft In The Air’ (by Bettye LaVette) bristles with energy. As the collection bounces betwixt genres like a silver ball between the bumpers, it’s precisely this vigour that, along with the lyrical themes, stitches the all the songs together.

As a historical document Return Of Halloween Nuggets is priceless and contains seeds that would come to fruition many years hence. If you take Teddy Durant’s ‘The Night Stalker’ and marry it to ‘The Chiller’ by Vic Plati Quintet, then you pretty much have the whole White Zombie experience. Much was made about psychobilly being born in the UK in the early 1980s, yet cuts such as ‘Scream’ prove that horror themes married to rowdy music is nothing new. The movie trailer for The House On Haunted Hill makes a nice intermission and features a suitably spooky performance from Vincent Price; who knows where Alice Cooper got the idea for ‘Black Widow’, but my guess is here. Likewise, if Sam Cooke has been raised in a New Orleans opium den then I’d imagine he’d have written songs such as ‘Cha Cha With The Zombies’. Each of these nuggets is a bud that flowered in the coming decades and part of the joy of listening is having those “lightbulb” moments when you uncover the genesis of much modern music.

Released on CD, digitally and scary orange and black splattered vinyl, Return Of Halloween Nuggets continues to serve up dark delights and whether spring or fall will make your bones shake, your heart rattle and your head roll.

• Return Of Halloween Nuggets is released via Rock Beat Records/Liberation Hall on 23rd August 2024 and is available here

Track List:

1. Gorilla – The Shandells
2. Roland – Billy Duke & The Dukes
3. Burn Witch Burn – The Circus
4. The Night Stalker – Teddy Durant
5. Haunted House – Cris Kevin
6. Devil’s Gotten Into My Baby – The Devotions
7. Castin’ My Spell – The Spellbinders
8. Creature From Outer Space – Sonny Day & The Tony Ray Combo
9. The Chiller – Vic Plati Quintet
10. The House On Haunted Hill Movie Trailer – feat. Vincent Price *
11. Were Wolf – Carl Bonafede & The Gem Tones
12. Scream – Ralph Nielsen & The Chancellors
13. Knives And Lovers – Frankie Stein & His Ghouls
14. Witchcraft In The Air – Bettye LaVette
15. Voodoo Doll – Glenda & Glen
16. Cha Cha With The Zombies – The Upperclassmen
17. The Hearse – Terry Teen
18. They’re Here – Boots Walker
19. Mad Witch – Dave Gardner
20. Robot Monster Movie Trailer *

*CD/Digital Bonus Tracks