This Week in Strange Music - Episode 7

1. Song: "Hot Rod Guitar"
Artist: Pete Drake 

Okay, so I have this habit of buying weird, old albums and some time ago, I picked up a record called "Fire on the Strings." This is not the "Fire on the Strings" album by country/western guitar slinger Joe Mapis, who just so happens to have a record by the same name. No siree, Bob. This "Fire on the Strings" is a compilation album from 1967 that features a variety of "Great Country and Western Instrumentals." What possessed me to buy this record, I cannot say, because let me tell you that "great" is pushing it. I suppose I bought it because it's got a guitar on the cover, and being a guitar player myself, I thought I might find something interesting and/or inspiring on it. I did not. I did, however, find something weird. 

Track number 5 on side two is a song by Pete Drake called "Hot Rod Guitar," and the description on the track on the record sleeve says, "Outstanding steel guitar musicianship is displayed on this instrumental which captures many of the sounds of America's open roads." Well, I don't know what roads Mr. Drake drives (drove? He may be dead ....) on, but I have never heard sounds like these on the asphalt. Have a listen and see what I mean. 

"Hot Rod Guitar" - Pete Drake 

 

2. Song: "Phone"
Artist: Dirge

I love this song, and not just because it sounds like something I wrote, or because the band shares my taste for mixing music with everyday (or found) sounds, or because it's rather sad and depressing, like the music I tend to write. I'm almost positive this song uses some of the same notes Isis (the band, not the terrorist group) uses in their song "So Did We," but I could be wrong (but I don't think so). 

Anyway, this is cool, moody, atmospheric sounding music with an enigmatic, rambling, one-sided conversation-style (you know, like someone talking on a phone) lyrics. And on top of all that, the cover for this record features an old photograph of people curling on a frozen pond with brooms!

PS.) Dirge gets extra points for naming the first song on this record "Hidden Track." Ha!

"Phone" - Dirge 

 

3. Song: "Teenage Girl Ghoul A Go-Go"
Artist: Armageddon Gospel Revival

Hey, so it's Halloween, so why not through in a weird song that is somewhat related to the pagan holiday we all celebrate for some reason? Anyhoo, I actually came across this track a few months ago and have been sitting on it this whole time. What I didn't know then that I do know now is that this song comes from a soundtrack for the movie, "Caress of the Vampire 2: Teenage Girl Ghoul A Go-Go," and I didn't know that because I didn't bother to read the damn webpage I found the song on (duh!). 

So, it seems the people who made the movie (those people being the people of Severed Lips Recordings) got the opportunity to create a feature film and soundtrack. According to the web page about it on archive.org, "The title given them was Caress of the Vampire 2, the only requirement that it had nudity." You can read about the film's "inane plot" here. It does sound inane, but the this song that I've chosen for you is not. This is a ripping garage rock instrumental, and I chose it out of all the songs on this soundtrack (including the "remix" of the song that seems to be no different than the original other than the fact that it's one second longer) because it sounds the best.

So, before the clock strikes midnight on spooky season, take Teenage Girl A Go-Go for a spin. 

PS.) Also featured on this soundtrack is a song ("Move") by garage rock band Creeping Pumpkins, who I mentioned in my write up of the compilation record The Deadly Spawn in This Week in Strange Music - Episode 3

 "Teenage Girl Ghoul A Go-Go" - Armageddon Gospel Revival

That's it for now. Until next time, babies ... stay strange!