Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Halloween

Released

Following on the heels of Rhino’s Just Can’t Get Enough anthology series looking at early 80s new wave and alternative radio classics, separate one-off compilations took some deeper or themed dives here and there, with their Halloween entry being one of the most delightful, embracing songs from the serious to the silly from any number of acts in the general field. Kicking off with “The Time Warp” from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, various other TV and movie cuts get celebrated, including the Ramones’ “Pet Sematary,” the Comateens’ romp through “The Munsters Theme” and MX-80 Sound’s take on John Carpenter’s Halloween theme. A whole stretch of different songs called “Halloween” gets pride of place – the Dream Syndicate, the Misfits, Sonic Youth and Siouxsie and the Banshees are featured among others – while the inclusion of Ministry’s 1984 dark dance classic “(Every Day Is) Halloween” was almost inevitable. If there’s a surprising omission it would be anything from the Cramps, but when you’ve got Roky Erickson wailing about the “Creature With The Atom Brain,” it’s a good time.

Ned Raggett

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