An enjoyable trip down Halloweens past...
theatrefool78 | indiana | 04/20/2004
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Dead Man's Ball was my first experience with John Zacherle (Roland/Zacherle/Zacherley) as a recording artist. I've been familiar with him for a while now, being a big fan of him as the host of the old Shock Theatre show (in archives only, I'm not old enough to remember him when he was new), as the host of the compilation "Horrible Horror," and as an actor in such fine films and "Brian Damage" and "Frankenhooker."Let me start right off the bat (pun intended). If you are not a fan of campy horror hosts, such as Elvira, then you need to look elsewhere. This CD is full of songs like "Dinner With Drac," "Happy Halloween," and "Grave Robbing Tonight," silly songs filled with (mostly) innocent musings on horror and the like. No, this is not the Misfits or Type O Negative or Slayer. This is campy horror fun - more on par with the Rankin/Bass Halloween outing "Mad Monster Party." It's innocent, warm-hearted, and filled with light rockabilly/surf fun.The disc also has clips from his classic television shows - pressumably as his days as "Zacherle" - he was at first known as Roland and then Zacherle... the "y" in Zacherley was added to help pronunciation. The clips are of varying sound quality - probably the best they could be guessing at the age and quality of the materials.I, for one, thoroughly enjoy this disc. I also have two of his other discs, one being the enjoyable "Spook Along with Zach." While this CD isn't for everyones tastes to be sure, if you're a fan of cheesy hokey shclock, this may be worth your while."
The COOL GHOUL RULES!!!
gasport | 05/28/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A terrific compilation of newly recorded versions of some of Zach's best known classics along with brand new original compositions. Enhancing the continuity of the CD are rare audio bites from Zach's original horror movie hosting stint on the one and only SHOCK THEATER! Unfortunately, very little evidence of Zach's most memorable work was preserved, so i'm always thrilled to hear whatever comes my way from those long,lost days of the early monster boom.
Zach has a classic quality to his voice that could only be compared to the likes of say, Vincent Price or Boris Karloff. I could listen to him read aloud from the phone book and be entertained. Although he was in his 70's when he recorded Dead Man's Ball he sounds every bit as vital as i remember him on TV back in the 60's. His voice and sense of humor are timeless.
So, if you're a die hard audio-phile that just wants to hear the same original recording of the same old songs re-released over and over again, this CD is not for you. Zach is an original in the truest sense of the word. I for one am very appreciative that at this later stage of his life he is still willing to share his talent with us all. THANK YOU ZACH!!!!!!!"
B.A.D.!
G. Mariner | 03/28/2004
(1 out of 5 stars)
"This is not AT ALL what I expected on a CD by John Zacherle! First of all, I hate the fact that a lot of this disc actually consists of audio portions of Zach on his TV show, and the recording of "Dinner With Drac" isn't even the 1958 one that made #6 on the pop charts. By the way, I like Zach's backing group on "Dinner With Drac" (Dave Appell and the Applejacks) much better than this TV host-turned-really-bad-so-called-singer. And, you CAN find "Mexican Hat Rock," "Rocka Conga," and "Bunny Hop" on CD, on something called "The Rock and Roll Story: 1954-63." So, "Dinner With Drac" was the only song on here that was even slightly entertaining, and I hate that annoying cover. So, basically, don't really try to buy this, even if you are a fan of horror movies or whatever, and actually I'm not, or if you're trying to find the great, old '58 "Dinner With Drac" song. If you or someone you love have purchased this CD, BEWARE!"
Track Listings (18) - Disc #1