Oh, you didn’t think that God’s word and martial arts were simpatico? Think again…
Everybody was kung fu preaching…
Apparently, numerous film makers have enjoyed the kung fu Jesus concept as well.
There is even a band.
Now onto another kind of tough guy. Nicky Cruz has been through some things. If only more gang members experienced instantaneous conversion, eh?
Scare tactics?
And this…I absolutely don’t know…
Another intriguing subset of Christian entertainment involves faraway lands and space travel.
Boldly converting where no one has converted before!
I must have missed the flying saucer parables…
Hmm…this album has something to say. There are some major philosophical and ideological principles at work in this creation.
Technically, this is not space. Where is the Bibleway Radio Choir bus headed? Heaven? Must be someplace great, with all those people running on air to catch up.
And these boys are certainly not going to space…but they’re a-travelin’ to distant lands!
Did you know there’s a subgenre of Christian puppetry records? Believe it.
The puppet prerequisites? Awkward, malformed or otherwise terrifying.
We also find the occasional doll on these covers. Here, the doll is clearly fed up with this child’s incessant praying.
Almost forgot one! There is indeed a puppet here, but the menacing mascots caused me to overlook him entirely.
Any music post seems dreadfully incomplete, due to my incurable music obsession. But here are a few fun things.
I’d first like to share some fantastic vinyl art I found over at LP Cover Lover:
I think any commentary would only detract from the image here, so I’ll just let you absorb it…
Hm. Androgynous sorcery.
I hate to think of what unsavory things Dracula may be whispering to her:
Hooray for the Netherlands…
Soul Dracula is my favorite:
As far as I can tell, THIS is Soul Dracula (don’t miss this video). Could there be more than one disco vampire? For the record, a “disco vampire” image search is completely unspectacular…I tried.
And if you’re on a last minute search for a Halloween Party Soundtrack, have no fear…SheWalksSoftly is here to help:
Digital Meltdown has uploaded an amazing selection.
The Manchester Morgue also specializes in horror soundtracks. Some really rare ones turn up here!
3 Disc Halloween Mix: V/A- One Stop Halloween Music Shop
Some score/soundtrack material: V/A- History of Horror, 2 discs
And some Motown oldies: V/A- There’s a Ghost in My House
I have plenty more Halloween mixes of deathrock, psychobilly, doo-wop, etc (along with countless classical horror scores). I’ll gladly upload them if anyone is still on the lookout for tunes.
I’m sneaking in one more song: Now I’m Feeling Zombified by Alien Sex Fiend. This band is just a delightful carnival of b-movie horror aesthetics.
(I still thank Ronnie for playing ASF albums in their entirety on his radio show many years ago when I was searching everywhere and couldn’t find them in stores).
I leave you with my favorite vintage horror theme song: THE BLOB. It’s just so smooth and catchy! I dare you not to shimmy, tap, snap, bob or twist.
Curious Expeditions posted a fascinating legend about Gloomy Sunday, a song written by Hungarian composer Rezső Seress in 1933. It is about a man who loses his lover to an untimely death and plans to commit suicide in order to join her.
“Hauntingly beautiful, the story goes that the song was so sad, so depressing, so completely soul crushing, that upon hearing it even once, Hungarians were driven to suicide. And not just a few, during its era, hundreds of suicides were attributed to the melody.
The legend grew. One story went that a young paperboy who had everything to live for heard the song in passing and immediately threw himself into the Danube. Rumors about the song that hypnotized any who heard it into walking straight out of the first open window became became so pervasive that Hungary is said to have responded with a nationwide ban of Gloomy Sunday.”
That being said, you can listen to the song here if you wish. I actually find it quite beautiful.
I always do a bit of extra searching beyond my original sources, and I discovered that Sarah McLachlan does a cover of Gloomy Sunday, also posted on youtube.
These pictures are stunning. Deviant Artist apricot8585 has a little gallery of Alice in Wonderland characters, rendered in colorful Japanese style.
I could stare at these forever; so much detail.
I *highly recommend* looking at the rest of her gallery and checking out the full image sizes.
And for fellow Alice in Wonderland fans, here are a few fun related things…
Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
Jan Svankmajer’s Alice
American McGee’s Alice
American McGee’s Alice Score
Alice in Sunderland
The American McGee’s action figures
This has been posted on a number of blogs lately, but I hate to risk anyone missing it. The Faith Tones almost manage to top the Firm Believer Christian fitness record I posted previously.
A million thanks to LP Cover Lover.
Aw, isn’t this nice? The “I Am a Sunflower” collection of children’s songs. Wait a minute, are those…rifles?
Why yes! These are the children of Mao’s communist regime. You can join the children in singing the classic hits “Criticize Lin Pioa and Discredit Him Completely” and “Little Red Guards Attend a Repudiation Meeting.”
Someone REALLY needs to design an album of GW Bush era lullabies. Maybe I’ll do it. Song title suggestions anyone?
This 1961 release is without a doubt the best rare music I’ve come across all year.
Back cover (click to enlarge):
WFMU’s Beware of the Blog has three songs available for download:
“Will to Fail”
“Repressed Hostility Blues”
“It Must be Something Psychological”
Run…don’t walk…to get these songs! “Will to Fail” is my favorite.
I have talents that I never use
I try to win but I love to lose
because I’ve got the will to fail
I secretly am enjoying myself
but slowly I’m destroying myself
(Not my personal anthem, but I think we all know people the song describes)
If only all psychological issues could be transformed into catchy, chipper tunes.
Thanks so much, Tom from Mind Hacks, for posting this.
I came across a few moments of the Animusic series on PBS last night, and was immediately entranced. I scrambled feverishly for the remote and a blank VHS tape…then I remembered youtube.
Recipe for instant smile: a MST3K-esque set, robots (my favorite is the red one on the right, especially when it puts its arms up and just flows with the music), and synth pop that stirs my 80’s nostalgia.
This series seems to be full of creepily anthropomorphic creations playing music…on themselves.
SheWalksSoftly 