Back in the '70's Electric Lemon Records produced a number of "mood music" albums aimed at the then-burgeoning horror genre; both "The Phantom of the Organ" and its companion effort "The Vampyre at the Harpsichord" featured decompositions on Spookdom's most revered instruments, a vintage Wurli-Morton 5-rank theatre organ and a rickety, out-of-tune harpsichord, full, most probably, of rats and spiders. Now re-issuing these two monstrosities, the label has opted for a two-for-one set. Compositions such as "Horror of Erik", "Symphony of Death" and "Devil's Love" evoke great gusto from noted phantom Erik at his keyboards. A kicky little sound trip through the catacombs is even thrown in for good measure.
The Vampyre does service to his unpopular threnodies - "Eternal Life Suite" and "Carnival of Souls" are most memorable and happily depressing in an eerie yet morbid kind of way. Such is assuredly the stuff to be played full blast on a stormy night in a decrepit old mausoleum or broken-down opera house near you. The recording quality is, simply, pristine! Horror fan/scribe Forrest J Ackerman penned the glittering liner notes, and entrepreneurs Milt Larsen (Executive Producer) and Verne Langdon (Producer) brought the projects to "life" as it were. If you're looking for horror music in the Grand Guignol tradition, look no further: this is the album made for monsters like yourself.
Track Listing:
Horror of Erik
Depression
Symphony of Death
Dementia Macabre
Devil's Love
Sound Trip Through the Catacombs
Echos of the Organ
Nocturnal Quest
Ode to the Tomb
Eternal Life Suite
Carnival of Souls
Flight of the Vampyre
Moonspell (Trance)
Undead Theme
Waltz of the Ghouls
$14.00
