Friday the 13th: the Playlist Begins
Crossroads: The Spooky Rock and Roll Top 40, Chapter One
RRWS October Playlist, Part 1 | Originally published October 13, 2023
We are back from a short hiatus and ready to get back into listening to some great rock and roll and pairing it with some cool whiskey. This month, though, we're doing something a little different. As this episode publishes today, it's Friday the 13th. Over the next three weeks, we'll be diving into the macabre, exploring some of the spookier sounds that rock and roll has to offer. And of course, pairing that with some cool, maybe slightly spooky spirits.
Because there's so much great spooky music, I'm not going to focus on just one album. I wanted to spread it around. So I'm putting together my Spooky Rock and Roll Top 40. That means today we're going to drop 13 tracks into the playlist. Next Friday, another 13. And October 27th, another 13. But wait, you say, that's only 39. On Halloween Day, October 31st, I'll be dropping a special episode, probably a very short one, talking about my single most favorite spooky song. That'll complete the Top 40.
Since it is indeed Friday the 13th, a lot of the songs today center on that theme. Superstition, evil, bad luck, murder. You know, Friday the 13th kind of stuff.
1. Robert Johnson, "Cross Road Blues" (circa 1932-34)
Our first song is by far the oldest song in the playlist, probably for the whole 40. It's not even a rock and roll song. It's a blues song. I'm talking about Delta Blues legend Robert Johnson with "Cross Road Blues."
Standing at the crossroad, baby, rising sun going down. I believe to my soul now, poor Bob is sinking down.
There are a lot of reasons I included this here. First, it's been covered by all kinds of rock artists, most notably Cream with their version called "Crossroads." If you want to swap this version out with a rock and roll version, I guess you can, but I'd recommend you listen to Johnson's first if you haven't.
Johnson's version is raw, heartfelt, maybe even a little creepy when you put it in the context of the legend, which I'll share here in a moment. Johnson, often hailed as the King of the Delta Blues, had an influence on early rock and roll that you really can't overstate. He recorded only 29 songs before his early death at the age of 27. Johnson was the first of a long line of famous popular musical artists to lose their life at that age. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Brian Jones, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, and a lot of others followed as part of the 27 Club.
Johnson had a reputation for not being that great of a guitar player, but he disappeared for a while, and when he came back he was incredible. The story is told that upon hearing a Robert Johnson recording for the first time, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards asked, "Who is the other guitar player?" There was no other guitar player. Johnson was doing everything. And of course, there was no overdubbing during that time. It was straight to the recording.
The legend goes that Robert Johnson, desiring to become a great bluesman, went to the crossroads at midnight where he met the devil. In exchange for his soul, the devil tuned Johnson's guitar, granting him incredible musical abilities. The story has been retold and embellished over the decades. There's always a variation of it, and it's become an integral part of the Johnson mythos. The legend plays into the broader cultural motif of the Faustian bargain, where an individual trades his soul or moral integrity for worldly gains. For Johnson, it's significant given the broader context of the time and place. Life in the Delta was hard. You've got the racism of the early '30s in the South. You've got the Great Depression. It was a really tough time, particularly for Black Americans. So these stories and legends had greater significance.
Most of these legends, now with hindsight, can be explained by more pedestrian things. He likely learned guitar from great bluesmen of the region, and he was probably doing something he shouldn't have been doing with someone he shouldn't have been doing it with and got poisoned for it. You can learn all about that online. There are documentaries and plenty of stories. But today we're celebrating the legend, because it is Friday the 13th, Halloween is coming up soon, and it's a good creepy story.
I visited the Mississippi Delta about a decade ago. We went to Clarksdale and ate barbecue actually next to the supposed crossroads in Clarksdale, Mississippi. It was just a busy intersection, nothing real exciting. There was a little monument there that the town had put up. Other people claim that the true crossroads where Johnson sold his soul was in Rosedale, about 45 minutes south. We went there too. Didn't see the devil, so I can't verify its validity either. Either way, those legends fuel the Delta Blues to this day. Well, that and the fact that Delta Blues is incredible music that influenced generations of blues and rock artists to follow. Maybe that's more important. But at any rate, that's why it's kicking off the playlist.
2. The Rolling Stones, "Dead Flowers" (Sticky Fingers, 1971)
One of those artists influenced by the blues was the Rolling Stones. This song is not really blues influenced, though. It's more country and honky-tonk influenced, which you can probably draw some connections to the blues. They were all happening around the same area at the same time. But it's a great song, and some of the lyrics are a little creepy.
Take me down, little Susie, take me down. You know you think you're the queen of the underground? And you can send me dead flowers every morning. Send me dead flowers by the mail. Send me dead flowers to my wedding. And I won't forget to put roses on your grave.
Even though it's not necessarily a scary song, it's a little creepy, isn't it?
3. Atlanta Rhythm Section, "Spooky" (1972)
Most Halloween playlists include "Witchy Woman" from the Eagles, maybe "Evil Woman" from ELO. I got another woman for you. Here's an alternative from that same ballpark, that same era, same kind of music, sort of.
Just like a ghost, you've been a-hauntin' my dreams. So I'll propose on Halloween. Baby, love is kinda crazy with a spooky little girl like you.
Kind of a fun song and a little different than the other ones you normally hear. You probably know it, but it's not one you hear as much as the others. A good inclusion, I think.
4. David Bowie, "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)" (Scary Monsters, 1980)
David Bowie is among my favorite artists, and he's had his share of songs I might call haunting or ethereal, maybe a little creepy. But the one that stands out would be the self-titled track from his 1980 record "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)."
This is the first album after Bowie's Berlin Trilogy, and it ushers in a new era. We hear about eras now for particular artists. Well, it was Bowie who really first had a career filled with different eras, and they were very separate and distinct. Once he completed telling the story he wanted to tell with one of his personas, he would make an abrupt switch to something else. Did that over and over through his career. This era set him off on his journey into the '80s, which continued his legendary status.
It's a great song, and Robert Fripp's guitar (Robert Fripp of King Crimson, of course, who collaborated with Bowie a lot during this era) adds a great deal to the creep factor.
She had an aura of rooms, she was tired, you can't hide beat. When I looked in her eyes they were blue but nobody's at home. She could have been a killer if she didn't walk the way she do, and she do. She opened strange doors that we'd never close again. She began to wail jealousies, scream. Waiting at the light, know what I mean? Scary monsters, super creeps, keep me running, running scared.
5. Talking Heads, "Psycho Killer" (Talking Heads: 77, 1977)
I always put this in my Halloween playlist. If you know me and I've sent you my Halloween playlist in the past, "Psycho Killer" is often a part of it. There's nothing really scary about the song other than the presence of the words "psycho killer." It's kind of creepy, but nothing truly scary. But you can't tell me that if you were walking down a dark street and David Byrne popped out, you wouldn't be a little spooked.
Run, run, run, run, run, run, run away. Psycho killer.
So it fits.
6. Alice Cooper, "He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)" (Constrictor, 1986)
This next tune is the latest song by date in this first group, but you can't not include it in a Friday the 13th episode because it's about the Friday the 13th movies. We're talking about "He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)," Alice Cooper's song from his album "Constrictor" as well as the soundtrack to "Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives."
He's back, he's the man behind the mask, and he's out of control. He's back, the man behind the mask, and he crawled out of his hole.
It featured the famous Friday the 13th sound effect. Alice Cooper still performs this tune quite often in his live shows. Of late, he's been known to have Jason murder a couple of his production assistants live on stage during the show. They're always okay by the next show, so I don't think it's permanent.
7. Alice Cooper, "Steven" (Welcome to My Nightmare, 1975)
We're staying in Alice Cooper land to talk about one of the key songs of what I'll call the Alice Cooper universe. "Steven" features a character who, from what I can gather, is a criminally insane murderer in a straitjacket in an insane asylum. Steven plays a big part in the concept record "Welcome to My Nightmare," which was Alice's first solo record, separate from the Alice Cooper Band that made the first several albums of his career. Steven became a popular character, and Alice alluded to him in a lot of different songs, either by name or just in reference, across the rest of his catalog.
The prototype tune for Steven was from an earlier album that we talked about on the show a couple episodes ago: "Love It to Death" and "The Ballad of Dwight Fry." Alice still performs one or the other, "Dwight Fry" or "Steven," during his shows, and it becomes part of the third act, the straitjacket and guillotine theatrical scenes toward the end of the set.
"Steven" is a really creepy song. The piano is really good. The vocals are interesting and unsettling. Definitely a good spooky song for this season.
I don't like to hear you cry. You just don't know how deep that cuts me. So I will cover up my eyes, and it will go away. You've only lived a minute of your life. I must be dreaming. Please stop screaming.
8. Thin Lizzy, "Killer on the Loose" (Chinatown, 1980)
From one killer to another. "Killer on the Loose" is a song all about Jack the Ripper. Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy hold a special place in my heart. I love Phil Lynott and I call them the greatest Irish rock band, mainly because it annoys U2 fans. But I believe it, and I think U2 would tell you that too if you asked them, because they were friends. I normally talk about Lizzy around St. Patrick's Day and probably will again in a few months, but this one fits right in the spooky season playlist.
Some people they call me Jack, some people they call me insane. I'm looking for somebody and I don't even know her name. I might be looking for you, wherever you may be, for there is something I've gotta do to you and it's between you and me. Now you might think it's fun, or maybe it's a joke, but you've got plenty of reason to worry, 'cause you wouldn't stand a hope. There's a killer on the loose again.
9. Atomic Rooster, "Death Walks Behind You" (Death Walks Behind You, 1970)
This next song is from a band I'm kind of new to. I first came upon Atomic Rooster about two years ago, a British band, through Pete Pardo at the YouTube channel and website Sea of Tranquility. I've really gotten into some of their music. The tune "Death Walks Behind You," from their 1970 album of the same name, has a real place on this list. Even if you don't know it, I think you'll find the song pretty fitting.
Lock the door, switch the light. You'll be so afraid tonight. Hide away from the bad. Count the nine lives that you had. Start to scream, shout for help. There is no one by your side.
10. Stevie Wonder, "Superstition" (Talking Book, 1972)
We're getting out of the creep and murder for a moment and getting into some superstition, which is a big component of Friday the 13th, obviously. Everybody knows this song, but you'll notice throughout the tune that many of the words have to do with common superstitions. The number 13, broken mirrors, ladders, other stuff.
When you believe in things that you don't understand, then you suffer. Superstition ain't the way.
11. Blue Öyster Cult, "Nosferatu" (Spectres, 1977)
Blue Öyster Cult appears in many Halloween playlists. Your typical BOC tune in a Halloween playlist would be "Don't Fear the Reaper." Great song. Maybe even "Godzilla," another great song, if you include the classic monsters in your definition of horror. But I would raise another option. From 1977's "Spectres," which is actually a creepy Halloween album from start to finish if you want to go listen to the whole record. I'm picking out one tune: "Nosferatu." It follows the German version of the Dracula story made famous by the 1922 silent film "Nosferatu" starring Max Schreck as a very creepy vampire named Count Orlok.
Deep in the heart of Germany, Lucy clutched her breast in fear. She heard a beat of her lover's heart. For weeks she raved, in dreams he appeared. From far-off Transylvania, only a woman can break his spell. Pure in heart, who will offer herself to Nosferatu.
Many call this movie the scariest of all the Dracula movies, partly because there's a legend that came up around Max Schreck that he was actually a vampire. One of those great legends from 100 years ago, like the Robert Johnson legend. Not really true, but a whole lot of fun. "Spectres" has become one of my favorite BOC records. The piano on this song is so cool and haunting. Definitely listen to "Nosferatu."
12. Heart, "Devil Delight" (Magazine, 1977)
From Dracula to the Devil. This isn't really a spooky song, but there are some spooky elements in it, and a good playlist is about ebbs and flows. It should tell a story, just like an album should tell a story even if it's not a concept album. It should have an order to it. A playlist should too. "Devil Delight" is a good song to break up the scary stuff with some great blues. It's got a heavy blues feel that carries the theme all the way through. We started with "Cross Road Blues." This picks it up, updates it, adds some heaviness to it, and features some killer, soulful vocals from Ann Wilson, one of the great rock and roll singers.
You might feel me burning all night. Like a dirty demon daughter, don't put up no fight. I dance in the spotlight, I'm alright. It's just my devil, my devil delight.
And at the end of the tune, Wilson sings "I see the devil" over and over with a creepy echo that more than qualifies it for inclusion.
13. Black Sabbath, "Children of the Grave" (Master of Reality, 1971)
Time to close out the first 13. There's a ton of Sabbath songs that could be in a spooky playlist, and there will probably be some more in the next couple of installments. But "Children of the Grave" from "Master of Reality" is a good way to close out Chapter One.
It's got a repeating guitar riff that's really great, really heavy. Strange-sounding drums, also repetitive, over and over again, kind of a frenzy. Ozzy's vocals are heavily produced, with a distant, echoey sound. It's just a cool song with a cool vibe. The lyrics aren't really creepy, even though the song is called "Children of the Grave." It's not about zombie children or anything. It's actually an anti-war song. Talks about war and violence, kind of a pick-up where "War Pigs" from "Paranoid" left off. Sadly, it's got some resonance with the horrible things going on in the world right now. I don't want to bring too much reality into our spooky rock and roll escape here. This is supposed to be a fun list. And the ending actually offers a message of hope.
So you children of the world, listen to what I say. If you want a better place to live in, spread the word today. Show the world that love is still alive, you must be brave. Or you children of today are children of the grave.
And then the real end closes with a howling wind sound effect and whispers of an echoing "children" as it fades out. A nice creepy ending to the first 13 songs, Chapter One of the Top 40 playlist. We'll get back to the rest next week.
The pairing: Blue Note Bourbon "Crossroads"
A few weeks ago I picked up a bottle from Blue Note Bourbon out of Memphis, Tennessee. It's called “Crossroads”. See what I'm doing here?
I figured it might fit today's episode pretty well considering the opener of the playlist. The bottle has an image of a guitar player with an acoustic guitar, I guess resembling Robert Johnson, although the head is blurred and vague. In the background are two highway signs, Highway 61 and 49, the legendary crossroads we talked about earlier. Blue Note is from Memphis, which is about an hour and a half north of said crossroads. Memphis played a big part in the proliferation of blues artists in the early 20th century, and of course in the mid-20th century, rock and roll got its start there as well.
Crossroads is a 100-proof bourbon that differentiates itself from other bourbons, and other whiskeys in the Blue Note line, because it's finished with toasted French oak staves. A stave is just wood that's placed into the whiskey, rather than the whiskey going into another barrel for finishing after it leaves the new oak. They plunk some French oak staves in, and it gives it a different flavor profile with some different tasting notes.
The tasting
I'm not a professional taster, as I always say, but it's pretty fragrant on the nose. I get a grape juice or an apple juice. At least that's what I got the first time. After a second nose, after I tasted it, I got banana bread as well, which sounds pretty good, right?
I get some of that on the taste too. There's definitely that banana bread. Some apple, some caramel, typical bourbon stuff. Definitely a spice. There's a good amount of rye in there. The mashbill is reportedly something like 70% corn, 21% rye, and some malted barley, though I couldn't confirm that on the Blue Note website, so take that with a grain of salt. But you do get that rye spice. And then there's a lingering sweetness on the finish along with that oaky taste. I'm not sophisticated enough to discern the difference between the new oak barrels it was aged in and the French oak staves that were put in, but there's definitely that presence on the finish.
The verdict
Overall, it's a good whiskey. Not scary, so maybe it's not the perfect bottle for this playlist. But it really fits, I think, considering a lot of the content throughout the songs we picked today. And the proof, plus that rye spice, does give it a little bit of a bite, so maybe that'll scare some people. Blue Note says it's smooth and doesn't drink up to the level of its proof. I don't know if that's true. I think that's marketing. I think it drinks like a 100-proof whiskey, from my limited expertise. But that's neither here nor there. It's got a good flavor and it's interesting. Check it out if you happen to be in Memphis or one of the states it's sold. I bought mine from Total Wine in the suburbs of Kansas City for about $40-45. It's a really cool bottle too for a music fan. If you're a bourbon drinker and you want some interesting stuff, it's a nice, fun bottle to look at and show off to your friends. Can't discount that kind of stuff.
Next week we're back at it again with Chapter Two of the spooky playlist. No spoilers, but it's probably going to be a little heavier.
Listen to the playlist: