TV Cemetery: The One-and-Done Shows - Special Halloween Edition

Happy Halloween!

Thanks for stopping by the Hideaway - 

here's your treats!

A special look at television shows that were axed after one season yet live on through digital media, streaming from the Cloud and shiny optical discs.  These are HERC's favorite one-and-done shows that were spooky, creepy and just a little bit out there. (There are gremlins at work in this post - try as he might, HERC has been unable to rid the post of them.  He's rewritten, copy and pasted, saved, drafted, saved, updated, etc yet it remains all FUBAR.)

Kolchak: The Night Stalker [1974]

Preceded by two made for TV movies - The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler - this series lasted just 20 episodes but inspired later long-running series such as The X-Files and Supernatural with it's monster (or creature) of the week story lines.  HERC used to watch this show as if his life depended on it.  In 2005, former X-Files writer and producer Frank Spotnitz brought back the series as Night Stalker.  It ran for just six episodes before being cancelled which was a mercy kill in HERC's eyes as the show was lame.  The entire series including 4 unaired episodes is available on DVD as is the entire original series and the two movies.  (Click on the movie titles above to watch.)

Project U.F.O. [1978] 

HERC SR. is a proud retired Air Force and Vietnam Veteran and a U.F.O. enthusiast as well.  Project U.F.O. is one of the few shows HERC remembers watching with his father.  Each week, a team of two Air Force investigators, would look into a file from Project Blue Book,  the United States Air Force's official systematic study of unidentified flying object sightings, which was active from 1952 until 1969.  The show was also an inspiration for The X-Files.

Technically, Project U.F.O. lasted two seasons, first as a mid-season replacement for an abbreviated 13 episodes in the Spring of 1978 and then a Fall/Winter 1978 10 episode season that ran one week onto 1979 before being cancelled.  An additional 3 episodes aired in the Summer of 1979.  Sadly, the rights to this series are in legal limbo and it has never been officially released.  The truth is out there for those who seek it...

American Gothic [1995]

Purely by chance, HERC happened to catch the premiere episode that fateful night in 1995 while sick in bed.  He was hooked and scarfed up each episode as it aired but has yet to break down and order the series on DVD.  The show was just the right amount of creepy for his sensibilities [What? You didn't know HERC was a scaredy cat?] with a truly dark delightful cast, especially Lucas Black, Gary Cole and Sarah Paulsen. Joe, Alison's husband from Medium makes an early appearance as well. Who knew Seventies teeny-bopper sensation and former Hardy Boy Shaun Cassidy, the show's creator, had such a fertile, Stephen King-like imagination? 

Dark Skies [1996]

A indirect descendant of The X-Files, this show's premise was a simple and intriguing one: "History as we know it is a lie."  Basically, an ongoing alien infiltration of the people of Earth had necessitated a Government coverup.  Eric Close, who can be seen on Nashville this season, was the star of Dark Skies as well as the narrator.  The show's creators had a five season plan that was made irrelevant when NBC cancelled the show after it's 20 episode first season.  Fortunately for fans, the show has been released on DVD.

Special Unit 2 [2001]

Like everyone else he has ever discussed this show with, HERC missed the initial airing of Special Unit 2 on the fledgling UPN network in 2001 but caught the re-airing on the Sci-Fi Network before it became the SyFy Netowrk.  It is hard to describe the show but it is alternately creepy and funny kind of like Men In Black or maybe Ghostbusters.  Again, technically, the show ran for two seasons: a six episode first season in the Spring of 2001 followed by a 13 episode season from Fall 2001 until Spring 2002.  Fans of Abby on NCIS can catch the actress in an earlier role, as a blonde misinformation officer on this show.  It has since been shown in several marathon airings on the Sci-Fi Network.  No DVD release yet but kindred spirits have posted the majority of episodes on YouTube.

Fear Itself [2008]

A horror anthology series along the lines of Rod Serling's Night Gallery, Showtime's Masters Of Horror or HBO's Tales From The Crypt, each episode was a stand alone suspense or horror tale.  NBC aired eight uneven episodes in June and July 2008 before putting show on hiatus with a promised return after the Summer Olympics that year.  The show wasn't mentioned again until it was offically cancelled in March 2009 with five unaired episodes in the can.  The Complete Series DVD was released in September 2009 including all 13 episodes.  HERC's favorite episode is "In Sickness And In Health" directed by John Landis and starring "Jules" and "Shawn" from the show psych as a couple about to be married when she receives a note that reads "The person you are marrying is a serial killer."

Creepy Covers [HERC's Halloween Mix]

Cover versions are songs in costume.  While the original versions of these songs may not qualify as Halloween hits, these versions are hairier and scarier. 

Wicked Women [HERC's Halloween Mix]

Woman may very well be the root of all evil depending on your interpretation of Genesis 3:06.  If you are still undecided, check out the songs in the playlist at the end of this post in which much more testimony is provided.  Until then, here's a few videos to help build a case.

Songs That Haven't Been Played To Death - Hidden Halloween Hits [HERC's Halloween Mix]

[portions of this column originally appeared on Seven With Devyn]

The Halloween Playlist is a little more elusive, the pool of songs a little more shallow, than almost any other seasonal or situational playlist. Do you go all atmospheric musically? Do you go Goth? Do you go the familiar horror movie music? Do you go the “scare the children” route? Do you get all high concept? Do you go with all "Thriller" cover songs? Do you use songs only about Hell and the Devil? HERC’s done it all and he’s been everywhere, man, and now he’s gonna share a few lesser known tracks from throughout all time with you.

"Planet Claire" - The B-52's [1979]

This song is indelibly etched in HERC's hard head as the song that played as the lights went out at a Frankie Goes To Hollywood concert as the band took the stage.  It seemingly lasted forever but at it's conclusion, Frankie roared into Springsteen's "Born To Run".  The creepy organ and quirky cool vocals make it a no-brainer for Halloween Hodowns.

“In the Shadows” - The Rasmus [2003]

A rousing, bass heavy anthem that rocks hard, this track from 2003 will kick your party up a notch or three. The lyrics (“I’ve been watching/I’ve been waiting”) paint a darker picture, abstract enough to hint at vampirism ("They say/That I must learn to kill before I can feel safe”). There are two other official videos for this song by the Finnish band so check them out the next time you're on the interwebtube thingy.

“Lil Red Riding Hood” - 

Sam The Sham & the Pharaohs [1966]

The band that brought us “Wooly Bully” was no one-hit wonder - they followed up that massive hit with this 1966 gem which also made it all the way to #2 on the charts. It’s been featured in more than a few TV shows and movies and has been covered by several artists including Amanda Seyfried and those crazy nut rockers from Texas, Bowling for Soup. (Yes, the video above features barely a minute of the song before they stop and then start their follow-up single "The Hair On My Chinny Chin Chin".)

“Heartbreak Hotel” - The Jacksons [1980]

Essentially a Michael Jackson solo effort, his brothers are credited with “percussion” while Tito lays down the tasty guitar solo. It predates the paranoid pathos that later blossomed full blown in songs like “Billie Jean” and “In The Closet” and features a creaky rhythm making it sound like a haunted house. Without explanation, the song’s official title was amended to “This Place Hotel” sometime in the late 1980s or early 1990s when the CD version of the 1980 album was released.

“Cat People (Puttin’ Out Fire)” - David Bowie [1982]

The original version of this song was written for and featured in 1982 movie Cat People. It is longer and more atmospheric, with a simmering slowness and features one of Bowie’s most haunted vocal performances. (It was used with surprising effect in 2009’s Inglourious Basterds as well.) Due to contractual conflicts, Bowie was unable to use the same recording for his 1983 album Let’s Dance so he re-recorded it with producer Nile Rodgers laying back on guitar, Tony Thompson pounding the drums and Carmine Rojas anchoring the bottom with his bass as a faster, sturdier rocker. The icing on this musical cake is then relatively unknown Stevie Ray Vaughan bringing the wicked solos - his debut solo album wouldn’t be released until a few months later.

"Fire On High" - Electric Light Orchestra [1975]

Besides being the opening track on the group's Face The Music album, the song was also the b-side on singles for "Livin' Thing" [UK 1976] and "Sweet Talkin' Woman" [in an edited version without the intro, US 1978].  The ominous  sounding backward masking at the beginning of the track turned out to be harmless but the track has enough stops, starts and sound effects to make it a hit at parties.  Despite being used as the theme song on Saturday afternoon's CBS Sports Spectacular way back in the Seventies, the song's title is still a mystery to most listeners.

“Strong As I Am” - The Prime Movers [1985]

Sounding eerily like a young U2 both lyrically and musically, The Prime Movers released this song on their self-titled EP. Director Michael Mann, hot off his hitch on Miami Vice, heard it, loved it and snagged it for the soundtrack of his 1986 film Manhunter. Mann personally financed the video for the song and had his trusted Director Of Photography oversee the production. Gregory Markel, the lead singer, left shortly after but the band regrouped without him as Dread Zeppelin and released several reggae infused Led Zeppelin hybrids with Elvis-sounding vocals. Just like U2.  Markel later formed another band, Altered State, and covered the song on their 1993 album, dos.

"The Boogie Man" - Jackson 5 [1973]

Built around a haunted laugh, creepy guitar riff and harmonized vocals on the chorus, "The Boogie Man" is arguably Michael Jackson's first Halloween inspired song.  The song's writer, Deke Richards, also co-wrote the Jackson 5 hits "I Want You Back", "ABC" and "The Love You Save".

“Wicked Game” - Stone Sour [2006]

A live, acoustic cover of Chris Isaak’s impossibly high-voiced 1989 love lament by the lead singer of the bands Slipknot (and Stone Sour), Corey Taylor. His reading adds a little more muscle and testosterone to the song while retaining the sadness and heartbreak.

"Buenos Noches From A Lonely Room 

(She Wore Red Dresses)" - Dwight Yoakam [1988]

Hillbilly music, both country and western, is littered with the bodies of unfaithful lovers.  The title track from Señor Yoakm's third album, this is one of those tragic love songs (with a bit of a Mexican musical motif from Flaco Jiménez and his accordian), a haunting tale of a beautiful black-haired woman who wore red dresses and told such sweet lies.

"Bo Meets The Monster" - Bo Diddley [1958]

A typically self-referential song by Mr. Diddley, this one about Bo and "a purple people eater".  It also features his house, his mama, his baby and his plane.  And his guitar.  And yes, that is Bo doing the slobbering monster sounds, too.  

"Elegia" - New Order [1985]

Written as an elegy ("elegia" is Latin for elegy) to their former lead singer, Ian Curtis, by the surviving members of Joy Division, who had regrouped after his passing as New Order, the track as it was originally recorded was almost eighteen minutes long.  An edited, five minute portion was released on the their album Low Life while the full length version didn't officially appear until 2002 on the career spanning box set Retro.  It also appeared on the 2008 Collector's Edition double disc of Low Life.  The song is similar in sound and vibe to Michael Oldfield's "Tubular Bells" (aka "Theme from The Exorcist").

“Used To Love Her” - Guns N Roses [1988]

Axl and his original Guns snuck this darkly funny acoustic yet metallic ballad out on the stop-gap EP, GNR Lies. It catches you off-guard lyrically and makes a delightful addition to any spooky set. Who knew those bad, bad boys had such a good, good sense of humor?

Wow! That's What I Call Music!: Halloween Edition

oldiesbutghoulies.blogspot.com

Totally Country and Ultimate Country Party [HERC's Mix]

Before Now That's What I Call Country, there was another multi-label hit-packed compilation series called Totally Country that ran for six volumes from 2002-2007.  Totally Country was a spin-off of the Totally Hits series which was launched by Song BMG and Warner Brother Records in direct response to Virgin/Universal/EMI's Now That's What I Call Music series.  The Totally Hits series included other collections such as Totally Dance, Totally R&B and Totally Hip-Hop and ran from 1999 until 2007 when it was absorbed by Now That's What I Call Music.

URBAN COWBOY [1980]

Little Big Town: The Reason Why and beyond (2010-2012)

Deep In The Hart Of Dixie [HERC's Mix]

guardian.co.uk

HERC can count on one hand (way to go, HERC!) the number of people he knows who will like the music in the playlist below and that is precisely the point in making playlists: you focus on your intended audience or just one listener, usually yourself.  Making playlists for others is a deeply personal and intimate experience when properly executed and should not be mistaken for making playlists to be played at parties or other social gatherings, which is an entirely different dynamic. It took upwards of 106 mixtapes like the one above, which were the grandfathers of modern playlists, for HERC to ensnare the woman who would become Mrs. HERC and she remains the intended listener for a lot of his playlistic efforts.  

The music in the featured playlist is the soundtrack of the CW fish-out-of-water series Hart Of Dixie which stars Rachel Bilson as a city doctor who moves back to the country, down South in ol' Alabama.  One of the show's executive producers is Josh Schwartz, who also created The O.C. (which also starred Bilson) and co-created both the recently ended Chuck and the on-it's-last-season Gossip Girl.   All three of those shows featured lots of music playing, either in the background as atmosphere or at the forefront, accentuating plot points - the music was almost another character.  

wikipedia

On it's own, The O.C. released six Mixes filled with the music heard on the show.  The single thread that binds all of the music on these shows together appears to be musical supervisor Alexandra Patsavas. It was she who picked all the songs heard on The O.C. (specifically catering to Schwartz's indie rock preferences) and the accompanying Mixes.   After witnessing the success of the music featured on that show, Schwartz hired Patsavas to musically supervise both Chuck and Gossip Girl and now, Hart Of Dixie.

  

Alexandra Patsavas is also the go-to music supervisor for show-runner Shondra Rhimes, who hired Alexandra to populate the shows Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice and Scandal with music.  Ms. Patsavas has also served as the music supervisor for the shows Supernatural, Roswell, Rescue Me, Fastlane, Tru Calling, Life On Mars, Suburgatory and Mad Men.  Her company, Chop Shop Music, has also been the music supervisor for all 5 Twilight film soundtracks as well as the  recently released The Perks Of Being A Wallflower.

[FULL DISCLOSURE: While HERC cannot attest to the quality of the music selected for the Twilight movies, the Shondra Rhimes shows or The O.C. or Gossip Girl because he has never watched any of them, he will swear under oath that all of the other shows mentioned above have featured good music at one time or another.  Furthermore, HERC did indeed watch the entire first season of Hart Of Dixie as he thinks Rachel Bilson is a talented actress but has chosen not to view the second because Mrs. HERC knows that is not all HERC thinks about Ms. Bilson - he gets the song titles form the show's CW site.]

Labeling music is not what HERC is about but he'll take a shot here and call the songs played on Hart Of Dixie a hybrid of country-pop, with a dash of blues and singer-songwriter adult contemporary added for flavor that reflect the show's modern Southern locale.  Imagine the polished roots music of Sheryl Crow played by younger artists or the music of Taylor Swift played by slightly older, unsigned indie artists.  There are a few certified country hits sprinkled throughout (including a couple by Ms. Swift and The Band Perry) as well as some of that swell new Americana stuff by the likes of The Lumineers.

The playlist above is not all inclusive of the music featured on Hart Of Dixie - certain songs have been left off at HERC's discretion to maintain the overall ambiance of the playlist while other songs are simply unavailable on Spotify at this time.  Songs that appeared more than once in an episode or songs that appeared in more than one episode are only represented once in the playlist.  As the great hillbilly poet Dwight David Yoakam once said: "Maybe you like it/ maybe you don't."

Little Big Town: The First Decade 1999-2009

Now That's What I Call Music! The One With All The Country Music

The Now! series of compilation albums has branched out from contemporary pop music hits in recent years offering many specialty titles such as Now That's What I Call British, Now That's What I Call Christmas, Now That's What I Call Disney, Now That's What I Call Crunk and Now That's What I Call Classic Rock as well as many, many others.  Maybe another day HERC will feature some of those but today y'all better get your boots on and cowboy up cause this here is a very special Music Monday as HERC takes a tour through the Now That's What I Call Country albums.

FORREST GUMP [1994]

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TREASURE: The new Beatles Vinyl Box Set and Everyday Chemistry

K-Tel: Wow! That's What I Call Music! Double Deuce Edition

GREASE [1978]

What HERC likes: New TV Shows

Back at the end of August, HERC told you what shows he planned on watching as the new television season unfolded.  He's back today with a quick look at 6 new shows that have his attention thus far into the young season.  Let him know your new favorites in the comments.

The New Normal is the fifth series from the pen of Ryan Murphy who shares creative credit on this one with Ali Adler.  Murphy's other shows are Popular, nip/tuck, Glee and American Horror Story, all of which HERC enjoyed for at least one season - only Popular got HERC's time past it's inaugural season though.  Murphy has an agenda besides entertaining viewers, he wants them to see and hear things other shows aren't showing and telling and often times it's all too much for HERC's sensibilities.   To their credit, Murphy and his writers present well-rounded arguments for and against societal hot topics: gay marriage, single motherhood as well as bigotry of all flavors.  Frankly, HERC has been somewhat surprised by some of the things that have come out of Ellen Barkin's bigoted Tea Party character's mouth - it's not what she says but the fact that she's saying it on one of the three (sorry, Fox and CW) major networks without a bleep.  It's not the anything goes land of cable but it's damn close.  If Modern Family (another one of HERC's favorites) is too Disney for you, you just might love the wonderfully outspoken The New Normal.  Heck, you might like this dysfunctional family comedy, which was just picked up for the entire season, even if you've never heard of Modern Family.  (Currently airing on NBC on Tuesday nights - check your local listings.)

Another wonderfully dysfunctional family comedy is Ben And Kate.  Honestly, HERC did not want to like this show - neither of the leads brings any previous role cache with them but  Dakota Johnson, who plays "Kate", does bring some star-power genes - her folks are Don (Sonny Crockett, Nash Bridges) Johnson and Melanie (married to Antonio Banderas) Griffith.  The titular characters are siblings who, as revealed through flashbacks, relied on each other to get through their own less than idyllic childhood.  Years later, "Ben" still hasn't put all the pieces of his life together so he moves in with his little sister, single mother "Kate", herself a few clues shy of solving the mysteries of life as a responsible adult.  As a team, the two are formidable, each one's strengths complimenting the other's weaknesses.  The supporting cast of characters is also strong: the little girl from We Bought A Zoo play's Kate's daughter, "Maddie"; Judy Punch as the wink-wink named "BJ", the wonderfully crass co-worker of "Kate" and "Tommy", a family friend who is madly in love with "Kate" is played by newcomer and wonderfully named Echo Kellum.  Like Raising Hope, which precedes it, the show is a silly sitcom with a surprisingly sweet heart beating beneath the yuk yuks. (Currently airing on FOX on Tuesday nights - check your local listings.)

Fresh from the recently ended Weeds, Andy Kirk plays the lead veterinarian on Animal Practice.  The first episode aired after the Olympics one night, so many people missed it.  HERC recorded it and has watched it at least 5 times since.  It is Scrubs without the moralising, cutaways and narration, set in the largest ummm animal practice in New York City.  JoAnna Garcia-Swisher plays Kirk's character's new boss and former lover; Tyler Labine and Bobby Lee play fellow vets on staff but it is Crystal the Monkey who steals the show as "Dr. Rizzo" after her role in the Night At The Museum movies.  It is not a show for people who value animals as much as people and fortunately HERC is not one of those, he's Team People all the way.  FUN FACTS: Garcia-Swisher replaced the originally cast actress in the role after the unaired pilot episode was filmed and Crystal's character was initially named "Dr. Zaius". (Currently airing on NBC on Wednesday nights - check your local listings.)

Matthew Perry is a likable enough fellow and he has played basically the same character in every project he's done since Friends went off the air more than eight years ago.  As adorable and self-deprecating as his humor is, he hasn't had much luck in sustaining two follow-up series (Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip and Mr. Sunshine) beyond a single season. His latest effort, Go On, which also aired after the Olympics one night, just might change that record for the better.  He plays a recently widowed sports radio talk show host who attends a support group.  The other people in the group are made up of familiar faces to anyone who has watched even a modicum of movies or TV shows the past few years - HERC's favorites are Julie White, "Nadine" from Grace Under Fire and Tyler James Williams who was "Chris" in Everybody Hates Chris.  It is no stretch of the imagination to call Go On a less zany and hip but no less funny Community and you'll have ample opportunity to make up your own mind as it was just picked up for a full season.  (Currently airing on Tuesday nights - check your local listings.)

Not to be confused with 1981's darkly bizarre satire Neighbors starring John Belushi, The Neighbors stars Jami Gertz (who HERC has kept an eye on since her 80s quad-fecta of Square Pegs, Sixteen Candles, Less Than Zero and Lost Boys) and Lenny Venito (from HERC's mush-loved Knights Of Prosperity) as city folks who move their family to a gated community in the suburbs which is entirely populated by aliens from another planet who have taken human form.  HERC's classifying this one as a guilty pleasure as he thinks it just might be one of the fall season's first casualties.  (Currently airing on Wednesday nights - check your local listings earthling.)

Elementary was the most eagerly anticipated show on HERC's list.  After just one viewing, he has a few tiny reservations but HERC remains confident the series starring Jonny Lee (Eli Stone and Angelina Jolie's first victim husband) Miller as "Sherlock Homes" and Lucy Liu as "Dr. Joan Watson" will continue to grow on him.  The show won a million bajillion bonus points by featuring this song at the end of the episode:

K-Tel: Wow! That's What I Call Music! XXI

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