(By the way, if you have a suggestion for a future weekend discussion thread, I’d love to hear it.)
Here’s mine, in episode order:
• “Cotton Picker” from episode 112- UNTAMED YOUTH. Eddie Cochran, baby. Wow!
• “Scuba Party” from episode 204- CATALINA CAPER. Little Richard, hopped up on goofballs though he may be, is still Little Richard.
• “Wait’ll I Get You Home” from episode 307- DADDY-O. Dick Contino romances Lou Reed from the Transformer album cover. Mwah!
• “”The House on Brownsville Road”” from episode 506- EEGAH! It’s a cabbage patch Elvis! Tequila!
• “Stratosphere Boogie” from episode 609- THE SKY DIVERS. Nashville guitar great Jimmy Bryant livens up this Coleman Francis turd with one of his best songs. George Herman Ruth on guitar!
Least favorite: “Where Can You Be?” from episode 507 – I ACCUSE MY PARENTS. After “Are You Happy in Your Work,” it just feels gratuitous.
What are yours?
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I only have one favorite:
“California Lady” from Track of the Moon Beast.
“Mitchell” by Hoyt Axton.
Hoyt, how could you?
The main theme from Danger! Death Ray is far too catchy for it’s own good. I also have a soft spot for “Night Train to Mundo Fine” from Red Zone Cuba (like Mike says, they don’t call John Carradine “The Voice” for nothing). Hoyt Axton’s Mitchell theme sticks with me mostly because it reminds me of Crow’s “My-my-my-my God!” riff from the horrible sex scene. The dance music from The Creeping Terror is so bland as to be kinda good, and then of course there’s always the hot munitions and cool jazz from The Starfighters.
I kind of liked the theme to “Blood Waters of Dr. Z.” Also, that woman who suggests Glenn Close in “The Incredibly Strange Creatures . . .” put some oomph into her presentation, especially when compared with the others.
I’ve never admitted this to anyone before, but seeing as how I’m amongst friends… :grin: I’m actually fond of the music from ‘The Incredibly Strange Creatures…’ (show 812). My favourites are the Tennessee Ernie Ford soundalike song on the radio and the second (third?) song at the strip club that sounds like Ethel Merman gone wrong – I can’t remember the names and can’t find any info on them. But I occasionally wonder if a soundtrack album is in print. :oops:
Yes California Lady tops the list, but! How’s about Sidehackers’ Only Love (pads the film), and Critter’s Song, (well… four chords), lovingly rendered by the “Tab Hunters” from Girl in Gold Boots, or Mass Confusion from The Hellcats- no,no,no,no,no…YES!!! Yipes, Stripes! from Teenage Strangler.ANY song from Party Beach!!
Bests:
Stratosphere Boogie in Skydivers by J. Bryant is maybe the best song in an MST3K movie. The guitar work is terrific.
I love John Carradine singing “Night Train to Mundo Fine”. The man would be in any movie good or bad and try anything as a performer. What a professional and fun to watch no matter how bad the movie.
Wait Till I Get You Home from Daddy-O is a bit catchy.
Little Richard can sing for sure. He was a bright spot in Catalina Caper.
The soundtrack to Operation Double 007 was written by Ennio Morricone and as always, he wrote some terrific music, even though the movie was a turkey.
Worsts:
The song by the Cascades in Catalina Caper is truly terrible.
Any song from Giant Gila Monster. Dreadful stuff, all of it.
Albert Glasser’s movie scores for the B.I.G. movies assault the senses.
How about the original “Hear the Engines Roll Now” from Pod People?
Good? It’s THE BEST!
* This post was brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Department *
Hmmm…
I thought the songs from the Del-Aires in “Horror of Party Beach” were pretty good. I also liked the songs from “I Accuse My Parents”. “California Lady” is OK, if you’re into 70’s folk rock. And the Morricone music from both “Diabolik” and “Operation Double 007” are great. Another good one is the cool theme from “Village of the Giants”, later re-used in that awful dance scene (and ripped off by Quentin Tartikof for his “Grandhouse” flick).
As for the worst, I think I’ll go with that rhythmmically-challenged song from “I Was a Teenage Werewolf”, and anything by Arch Hall, Jr.
You know, I’ve been looking for an un-msted mp3 of “Night Train to Mundo Fine” for years. I love that voice.
Other than that I really dig Arch Hall Jr’s music, although sadly the ones in Eegah were his worst.
2 words:
Yipe Stripes!
You know, it wasn’t a REAL song, but I’ve always had a particular fondness for “Rock and Roll Martian” from Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders.
No one likes “Pig Liquor” from Hobgoblins?
It’s not a number that stops the show, but I like the opening credits music in EEGAH! If you hear it unmsted, it’s got a pretty good mood to it.
I second the Rock ‘n’ Roll Martian comment!
And for something that really really doesn’t count . . . My unmsted copy of Gamera has a different dub and entirely different music in the “dancing teens get crushed by the friend to all children” scene, much better music, in fact. The dialogue is a lot funnier too.
Sampo, how in the world could you leave out “California Lady”? That song’s a gem!
I’m probably the only one who really likes the Cascades’ “There’s a New World Opening for Me,” aren’t I?
Lessee, what else? So many classic to choose from.
“Are you Happy in Your Work?” from I Accuse My Parents, which sometimes does pop into my head at work.
“Dr.Z’s Theme”
The end credit song from “Manos” is rather haunting, if unintelligible.
And yes, Clint, I also like “Pig Liquor,” although I don’t think I’d want to try liquor made from pigs.
Puma, I like “New World” as well, but probably because it was actually written by Ray Davies of the Kinks.
I like “Pig Liquor” (aka “Kiss Kicker”) too. Any song by a guy named Spit Spignola is okay in my book.
How about the song during the end credits of Squirm?
Kiss Kicker is great, and I also have to throw my support to California Lady.
I also like the Children of the world medley thing in Santa Claus.
“There’s a New World Opening for Me” isn’t THAT bad, mostly entertaining in an inane way. But to see the band in the movie play it is hysterical, especially the drummer who looks like he’s forty!
Does “I Sing Whenever I Sing Whenever I Sing Whenever I Sing” count?
Wait! How could I forget “Ah-So” from The Skydivers? Does Jimmy Bryant’s drummer look like Sgt. Carter or what?
I liked…
“Vickey” from “Eegah,”
“Night Train to Mundo Fine” -Oh John, how you move me.
That creepy song about the dark at the beginning of “Squirm”
Dont’ know the title, but that “Leslie Bore” song “…it hurts…(to staple your eyeballs)…”
and “Yipe Stripes.”
Oh, and hey, other Bob, Didja know you can get that soundtrack to Operation Double 007 on CD? I’ve got mine!
I’d have to really think to come up with 5, but, off the top of my head, my favorite song from any MSTed movie was “You Better Run” from The Final Justice. The bots do make it better, but it’s not a bad song on its own.
I also kind of like the kiddy Gamera theme from Gamera vs. Guiron.
I’m not really going by inherent quality of the song as much as how memorable it is to me… which usually means how often I find myself whistling/singing it. Also, I’m taking “songs” literally, and disqualifying instrumentals.
1. Theme to “The Hellcats” (209)
2. Night Train to Mundo Fine (Red Zone Cuba, 619)
3. Theme to “Girl in Gold Boots” (1002)
4. Are You Happy in Your Work? (I Accuse My Parents, 507) although I usually sing it as “Are you happy in your work?/Are you sappy and a jerk?”
5. California Lady (Track of the Moon Beast, 1007)
And an honorable mention for whatever that song was that Mamie van Doren danced to at the end of “Untamed Youth” (112). But it’s not on the list, because it’s not the song, per se, that I remember. Mamie’s gyrations (which I call “The Panty Dance”)… *that* sticks in the mind.
1. “Rock Candy” from Daddy-O is tops, man.
2. Anything from Eegah or Catalina Caper – both are so perfectly ’60s that I can relive my youth. (The musical scenes from Catalina Caper always remind me of that scene from That Thing You Do, with the Oneders as a background band.)
3. Teenage Strangler’s “Yipe Stripe” is right up there too.
4. The Del-Air’s music from The Horror of Party Beach.
5. The “Leather coat/duckbill hair” ditty from The Beatniks. Yeah, this sounds like a song that would take a nation by storm.
Also, the songs from Incredibly Strange Creatures are perfect in their awfulness. And there’s the jazz loop during the interrogation scene from The Dead Talk Back, and the heavy metal soundtrack that makes Zombie Nightmare so special. And I totally agree about “Night Train to Mundo Fine” and all the music from Skydivers.
If only Manos had had a few musical numbers to liven it up….
Sampo nailed one of mine, “Stratosphere Boogie.” That’s a great tune. “Ha-So” and “Tobacco Worm” are both pretty good, (yes, the awful opening of Ha-So is awful, but the rest of the song is great) but less than Stratosphere Boogie.
I also really like the music by Danny Dean & The Daredevils in “Teen-Age Strangler.” I don’t know if they have names, but the song they play while “that nutty Jack Tripper” strangles Tony’s girlfriend is their best.
Another great is the song in “Danger Death Ray” that they sing “Watermelon Man” to.
I’ll go ahead and totally mis-answer the question by listing the score from “Sword & The Dragon.” That’s some great stuff.
For my least favorite, it’s probably that awful, barely heard, “The Day The Willows Wept” in Teen-age Strangler. It’s the song that prompts Mike and the Bots to sing, “God Bless America!!!”
(Then again, there’s those well-produced, but utterly painful Paul Anka “Lonely” songs in Girls Town … and that weird love song in Warrior of the Lost World … and I don’t care what Marshall Crenshaw thinks, “There’s A New World” is awful.)
“Ba Ba Da Ba Dah Dah” – Danger! Death Ray!
“Dedededededee Dudududududuh” – Diabolik
“Bubububububu-bu-bu-buUH” – Creeping Terror
“Daaa Da Da Dah Daaa Da Da DuhAAAA” – Starfighters
I can’t make up my mind which song are my favorites, but here’s five I dislike:
1. Hooray for Santy Claus (Santa Claus Conquers the Martians) – This is inane, even for a kid’s song
2. Laugh Children, Laugh (The Giant Gila Monster) – just way too repetative
3. Torgo’s Theme (Manos: The Hands of Fate) – even more repetative (though I’m curious what Liberace could’ve done with it)
4. Row, Row, Row Your Boat (Manos: The Hands of Fate) – Ok, so maybe this doesn’t count…
5. The Book of Love (Catalina Caper) – Actually the song isn’t too bad. I just can’t stand that spazzy guy’s dancing.
“Rock Candy Baby” from Daddy-O is a great song and hard to get out of your head after a viewing. I really like the simple and catchiness of the above mentioned “Ba Ba Da Ba Dah Dah” from Danger! Death Ray! The goofiest lyrics to any song has to go to “Hear The Engines Roll” or whatever its called.
“Hideous Control Now!” from Pod People.
“Stratosphere Boogie” from Skydivers. I didn’t even know it had a name. It really does brighten an otherwise depressing movie.
“Going Down to the Beach” from Catalina Caper.
“The Zombie Stomp” from Horror at Party Beach.
“Shick out of Shape” from The Incredible Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed Up Zombies. Try Gillette!
no California Lady?
Another great topic, Sampo! I’ll keep Motorhead’s classic “Ace Of Spades” (from Zombie Nightmare) out because it wasn’t actually performed by the band within the film itself. Here are mine:
“Rock Candy” from Daddy-O
“Here The Engines Roll Now” from Pod People
“Are You Happy In Your Work?” from I Accuse My Parents
“Yipe Stripes!” from Teenage Strangler
“Pig Liquor” from Hobgoblins
Honorable Mention: Don’t know the name of it, but the song The Birds do in The Killer Bees. Notice a young Ron Wood hamming it up for the cameras.
Worst: “Vicky” from Eegah! I don’t care what anyone says, Arch Hall Jr. is NOT a good singer!
No love for Jim Stafford in Riding with Death?
Yeah okay, I can see why not
Sampo: suggestions for future weekend threads:
-Most Memorable On-Screen Villians
-Funniest Exchanges Between Joel/Mike and the ‘Bots (both segment or in-theater)
-Most Disgusting On-Screen Characters
-Best Invention Exchanges
Let me know what you think!
Do you know (and do you care) that “Lonely Boy” by Paul Anka (from Girls Town) is the only song in a MSTed movie to be a number one hit on the Billboard charts?
And another thing: Something’s always bugged me about the song “The House On Brownsville Road” from Eegah. Not Arch Hall Jr.’s singing -that’s always bugged me plenty – but the lyric “Nobody lives on the Brownsville Road.” Gee whiz, if nobody lives on the Brownsville Road, then why the heck are you singing about it? :smile:
I second that suggestion for “Most Memorable On Screen Villains.”
One song that I like by any standard is the Motorhead chestnut “The Ace of Spades.” Getting the rights to that must have taken up 9/10ths of the “Zombie Nightmare” budget. It did strike me odd, however, that Servo, who later on in the episode compared the mohawked thug to Stiv Bators, didn’t seem to know much about Lemmy and the boys.
I do like the music behind the Santa Conquors the Martians opening and I also have to admit to enjoying some of the cheesy songs in Girl in Gold Boots. There’s just so many episodes with memorable numbers and pieces so it’s hard to pick. As far as score music though, Diabolik is number one. It’s the only stuff from an MST movie I have on MP3. Too bad there isnt an actual soundtrack that isnt derived from the movie itself. At least that i’ve been able to find. Just some vinyl bootlegs.
As for other discussions. Lately i’ve been thinking alot about Mstie-isms used in daily life, since the favorite Shorts thread a while back. My friend and I were trying to come up with what might be the number one thing used over the years and it’s impossible. The list just goes on and on…
I actually like the music from Danger! Death Ray! quite a bit. Not just “Ba ba da ba da da” but also “Watermelon Man”.
I can’t believe noone’s suggested the Jet Jaguar theme song at the end of Godzilla vs. Megalon. The lyrics translated are a scream but the song itself I could definitely see becoming very popular in Japan. They like weird things like that.
I like the song you hear playing in the van in “Pod People.” It sounds like Ringo Starr doing Reggae but it’s kind of catchy.
Actually good:
Little Richard in Catalina Caper
The Platters in Girls Town
The Del-Aires in Horror of Party Beach
Favorites to laugh at:
Ba ba da ba da da from Danger! Death Ray!!
Theme from Operation Double 007
“Hooray for Santy Claus”
Really awful:
“Shick out of Shape” from The Incredibly Strange Creatures (those dancers, those dancers…)
“Shine Your Love” from Angels’ Revenge
anything by Arch Hall, Jr.
The Cascades in Catalina Caper
Honorable mention:
“Ah-so” from The Skydivers is really embarassing
My other two cents:
“California Lady” is completely unremarkable. I suspect that the reason so many people are mentioning it is that it’s one of the few songs from the Sci-Fi era.
After watching the episode for the first time a few months ago, I had the tune to Moon Zero Two stuck in my head.
“MOOOON ZERO TWOOOOO! MOON ZERO TWO!”
Oh, I second the suggestions for future topics, esp. Memorable On-Screen Villains, Most Disgusting On-Screen Characters, and MST-isms in daily life. Maybe also Best (or Wrong-Choice) Stingers?
As for new topics, I don’t think we’ve done Favorite/Least Favorite Invention Exchange.
>>You know, it wasn’t a REAL song, but I’ve always had a particular fondness for “Rock and Roll Martian” from Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders.<<
I remember reading somewhere that Mary Jo first thought the boy was saying, “f—–g old martian!” So now, every time I see it, I silently sing it that way.
My favorites:
-Kiss Kicker from Hobgoblins
-the Little Richard scene from the awful Catalina Caper
-Night Train to Mundo Fine from Red Zone Cuba
-California Lady from Track of the Moon Beast
-I’m Just a Lonely boy from Girls Town
-Hike up your Britches like mine … er I mean Rock Candy from Daddy-o
-The “you better run, you better hide” ending theme from Final Justice.
Actually, “It’s Not What I Need You For” by the Birds in “The Deadly Bees” is kind of a fun song, as well. And it’s got Ron Wood on guitar.
“Stop the Music”, though, which follows, is hilariously over the top. You couldn’t get a starker contrast between proto-punk energy and Petula Clark bombast.
Hey Zack– I know where you can get an MP3 of un-MSTed Mundo Fine. http://www.agonybooth.com/recaps/Red_Zone_Cuba_1966.aspx
Whoops, actually the next page of that article: http://www.agonybooth.com/recaps/Red_Zone_Cuba_1966.aspx?Page=2
Got to agree with the Birds song, affectionately titled “Eight Miles Wrong”. Also, I’m a pretty big fan of the end credit music (Shadows) to Squirm. Following a decent movie, it might have been memorable.