It is so exciting to be kicking off another Halloween season here on Moshpits and Movies and as is tradition every post will be Halloween themed so that we can pay tribute to the best holiday of all. I have covered so many artists in the past from the Murderdolls to Type O Negative and all the different incarnations of Glenn Danzig. So, I wanted to do something a little different to kick off the season and I decided that we would cover Don Hinson & The Rigamorticians 1964 album Monster Dance Party. Bobby “Boris” Pickett kicked off the tradition of making Halloween music with his hit Monster Mash which then sent the record industry into a frenzy and here we insert Las Vegas disc jockey Don Hinson who decided to put his own spin on the novelty music. One of the mysteries to me for some reason is that I can not figure out exactly who in the world The Rigamorticians were exactly as no one online seems to know either, but the album was produced by Gary Paxton who also produced Bobby Pickett’s Monster Mash.
1. Monster Mash-This is probably one of the most famous Halloween songs ever recorded and has been covered by everyone. This version has more of an R&B flavor to it than the Pickett version. 5/5
2. Monster Jerk– The song seems to be sung by Igor as he tells you all about his favorite dance moves. I love the Motown R&B dance feel to it that it has. 4.5/5
3. Do The Rigamortis– Dracula teaches and tells Igor all about a new dance move that he saw at a ball that had Mummies and more at. 4/5
4. Robbin’ Graves-Cool swinging sixties style music as they dig up graves looking for body parts for Frankensteins monster. 4/5
5. Werewolf Watusi– Dracula travels with a she-wolf to a new spot where he witnesses the new dance that 150 werewolves were performing all due to a flea epidemic. 4/5
6. Monster Swim-a very swinging 60’s swing music classic that tells you that the Monster Mash is over and now the Swim is in. 4/5
7. Riboflavin-Flavored, Non-Carbonated, Polyunsaturated Blood– This is probably my favorite song by Don Hinson and an original that is all about a alternative that Dracula has come up with for Vampires who didn’t have to be rely on blood. 5/5
8. Phantom Of The A-Go-Go – I love the organs in this track giving it a little bit of a psychadelic rock feel mixed with the R&B and Jazz. A very danceable song at 4/4 time and makes it groovy. 4/5
9. Monster Dance Party– I love this track because it’s more of that organ driven R&B dance flavor that they give you. I can only imagine this music when it was played at clubs. an instrumental track. 4.5/5
10. Monster Surf Stomp-a track that adds a little bit of surf music flavor to it with the guitars on top of what it’s already doing which is very cool. Another instrumental track. 4.5/5
11. That Little Old Graverobber Me– a slower tempo track that is all about a Dean Martin like guy who runs into Igor who is robbing graves. a very cool track. 5/5
12. Home In The Castle East– The last track on the album that is very upbeat in tempo which means it’s danceable with the organs playing as well with the big tuba sounds, etc. another instrumental track. 4/5
My Final Thoughts– If you’re looking for fun nostalgic music from 55 years ago then this is the album for you. I have always loved Halloween music because it meant that the best holiday was near. I am giving the album 4.3 stars out of five for a final grade.
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