Music
Writer of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ Wanted Elvira to Voice the Narrator
“Darkness falls across the land. The midnight hour is close at hand.”
It’s always been kind of a bummer to me that writers often get left out in the cold, and the iconic song Thriller is a great example of what I mean. You know that it’s a Michael Jackson song, you know that John Landis directed the music video, and you probably even know that Rick Baker did the makeup effects for that video.
But do you know who wrote Thriller? That’d be Rod Temperton, who passed away just last year. Temperton wrote three songs on Jackson’s Thriller album, including the title track; his life and career are the subject of Jed Pitman’s forthcoming book The Invisible Man: The Story of Rod Temperton, being released on September 1.
Promoting the book, New York Post published a few quotes from Pitman today, revealing a really interesting little fun fact about Thriller. Of course, Vincent Price provided the voice-over narration for Thriller, but what you definitely did not know is that Temperton’s personal choice was Elvira, Mistress of the Dark!
From the site…
“During his research, Pitman found that Temperton was usually meticulous about his work. “He had all the parts in his head,” Pitman told The Post. “He knew exactly what he wanted, and how to get there.” But recording the iconic “Thriller” monologue was unusually slapdash.”
“Working with Quincy Jones, Temperton initially suggested Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (of the TV show “Fright Night,” originally), to record the spooky spoken-word part. But Jones suggested Price, who was a friend of his wife’s.”
Price proved to be the perfect person for the job, nailing it in just two takes.
And the rest is history.
Waxwork Records releases today the House (Hausu) Original Motion Picture Soundtrack!
“House, also known as Hausu, is a 1977 experimental Japanese Horror film written and directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi. The plot follows a schoolgirl traveling with her six friends to her ailing aunt’s country home where they come face to face with supernatural events as the girls are, one by one, devoured by the home.
“The soundtrack to House features original music by Asei Kobayashi, Mickie Yoshino, and Yoshino’s Japanese rock band, Godiego. The now classic soundtrack effectively lures you into a false sense of security. Beginning with upbeat pop-sing-a-longs and jovial tracks such as “Buggie Boogie” and “Cherries Were Made For Eating”, the soundtrack slowly transforms into a dark sonic landscape of chaos and psychedelia. The second half of the soundtrack offers a juxtaposed tone that sets the stage for dismemberment, man-eating pianos, flashing colors, hallucinatory visions, and gallons of blood seen in the film.
“In a successful attempt to attract younger audiences, Obayashi asked Yoshino to include tracks from his rock band Godiego, which also makes a cameo in the movie. Fusing elements of funk, jazz, rock, and romantic ballads, the soundtrack captures the absurd and whimsical nature that is House, contrasted with its experimental scenes of horror and madness.
“In celebration of the movie’s 45th Anniversary, Waxwork Records is thrilled to present House Original Motion Picture Soundtrack officially for the first time outside of Japan and reissued for the first time since its 1977 debut. Complete with 180-gram two-color split with splatter-colored vinyl, deluxe packaging, new artwork by Jake Foreman, heavyweight gatefold jackets with matte coating, a 12”x12” art print, and more!
House Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Features:
- The Complete 1977 Soundtrack Album
- Released For The Very First Time Outside Of Japan
- Reissued For The First Time Since Its 1977 Debut
- 180 Gram Countryside Green & Yellow Split with Pink and Sky Blue Splatter Colored Vinyl
- New Artwork by Jake Foreman
- Heavyweight Gatefold Packaging with Matte Satin Coating
- 12″x12″ Art Print
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