3 Halloween Party Alternatives

The 31st of October has had relatively few songs dedicated to it over the years. Whereas innumerable artists have released Christmas albums, I'm not sure anybody has ever entered the studio and recorded an LP's worth of Halloween-themed material; even Halloween singles are few and fairly far between.

This dearth of spooky music means that every Halloween party in the country will be dancing to the same handful of songs this coming weekend. The Monster Mash, Warren Zevon's Werewolves of London, the entire Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack...these are the songs that soundtrack our fancy-dressing and apple-bobbing year after year after year.

So, if you're throwing a party of your own this Saturday, why not shake things up a little? Here are three appropriately Halloweeny albums that you can toss on if you fancy a change from the usual stuff:

The Royal Society by The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster

A slightly lengthier listen than its predecessor, the blink-and-you'll-miss-it Horse of the Dog, this album is a ghost train rollercoaster ride that's almost cartoonishly fiendish in places.

Key Halloweeny Track: Puppy Dog Snails

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Murder Ballads by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Averaging six and a half deaths per song (according to Wikipedia), this is an album most foul that's somewhat more brutal than your usual Halloween fare. The Monster Mash it ain't.

Key Halloweeny Track: The Curse of Millhaven

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Songs the Lord Taught Us by The Cramps

Rounding off our trio of terror is the album that invented B-movie horror rockabilly and probably provided a lot of inspiration for the other two artists on this list. With song titles like Zombie Dance and I Was a Teenage Werewolf, I'm frankly amazed that The Cramps haven't yet taken their place alongside Alice Cooper in the pantheon of October 31st standards.

Key Halloweeny Track: I Was a Teenage Werewolf

Suggest your favourite Halloweeny LPs in the comments.