Ghosts In The Machine: A Haunted Mix

October 31, 2009 — 8:03 AM

For a holiday rooted in outsize theatrics, Halloween doesn't often translate into great music. A holiday designed to alleviate our fears through mockery, Halloween tends to inspire songs that, to put it lightly, aren't terribly nuanced. Great Halloween-specific music turns up here and there, sure, but there's not much of a cottage industry surrounding it.

Which brings us to Ghosts in the Machine, in which NPR Music staffers and station partners observe the holiday by assembling a chilling collection of songs about ghosts, hauntings and otherwise disembodied and discombobulated spirits. More unsettling than pumpkins and more ethereal than zombies, these ghosts are sure to alternately soothe and rattle your nerves as the big day approaches.

What's the most haunting song you've ever heard? Tell us in the comments below.

"Bach: Toccata in D minor," Helmut Walcha (DeutscheGrammophon 419 047)

"Bela Lugosi's Dead," Bauhaus, 1979-83 Vol. One [The Current]

"The Devil Had a Hold of Me," Gillian Welch, Hell Among the Yearlings (Acony) [Folk Alley]

ID BREAK: Elena See from Folk Alley

"Marie Laveau," Dr. John, N'walinz — Dis Dat or D'udda (Blue Note) [Jazz 24]

"The Wizard," Bat for Lashes, Essence [The Current]

"Ralph Vaughan Williams: Job ("Satan's Dance")," English Northern Sinfonia (Naxos 8578085)

"Scared," John Lennon, Walls and Bridges [WFUV]

ID BREAK: Darren DeVivo from WFUV

"John Williams: Devil's Dance From The Witches of Eastwick," Gil Shaham, Devil's Dance: Gil Shaham [WGUC]

"The Vampire," Buffy Sainte-Marie, The Best of Buffy Sainte-Marie [Folk Alley]

"Little Ghost," The White Stripes, Get Behind Me Satan [WXPN]

"The Skeleton in the Closet," Louis Armstrong, Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra, Vol. 2. (Fantasy/Prestige) [Jazz 24]

"Haunted House (Blue Ghost Blues)," Lonnie Johnson with Elmer Snowden, Blues and Ballads (Fantasy/Prestige) [Jazz 24]

ID BREAK: Nick Morrison from Jazz 24

"Wasteland," The Black Heart Procession, Six, [WXPN]

"Crumb: Black Angels (excerpt)," Kronos Quartet

"Rama Lama," Sons & Daughters, The Repulsion Box [The Current]

ID BREAK: Mark Wheat from The Current

"Black Dahlia," Bob Belden, Black Dahlia, [WDUQ]

"In This World," Moby, 18 [WFUV]

"I Put a Spell on You," Screamin' Jay Hawkins, I Put A Spell On You: The Best of Screamin' Jay Hawkins

"Camille Saint-Saens: Danse Macabre," Philharmonia Orchestra, Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals [WGUC]

ID BREAK: Mark Purzell from WGUC

"(Ghost) Riders in the Sky," Johnny Cash, The Essential Johnny Cash

"The Long Black Veil," Lefty Frizell, The Best of Lefty Frizzell

"See That My Grave Is Kept Clean," Lightnin' Hopkins, Lightnin' Hopkins

"The Unquiet Grave," Jean Ritchie, Jean Ritchie: Ballads From Her Appalachian Family Tradition

"Liszt: At the Grave of Richard Wagner," Kronos Quartet (Nonesuch 79318)

ID BREAK: Tom Huizenga from NPR Music

"Weber: Der Freischutz (Wolf's Glen Scene, excerpt)," Eugen Jochum, Conductor (DeutscheGrammophon 4593)

"Hoo Doo Lovin'" Steve Ferguson, Mama Usepa [Jazz 24]

"Dance With La Diablesse," Etienne Charles, Folklore (Etienne Charles) [WDUQ]

ID BREAK: Bob Studebaker from WDUQ

"Walking With a Ghost," The White Stripes, Walking With a Ghost EP [WFUV]

"The Witch," The Sonics, Nuggets Vol. 4 [The Current]

"Stravinsky: Histoire du Soldat ("Devil's Dance")," Orchestra of St. Luke's (Naxos 8578085)

"The House Is Haunted by the Echo of Your Last Goodbye," Holly Cole, Holly Cole [Jazz 24]

"Haunt You Down," Pavement, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain [WXPN]

ID BREAK: Dan Reed from WXPN

"Gloomy Sunday,"Branford Marsalis Quartet, Eternal, (Marsalis Music) [WDUQ]

"Hellhound on My Trail," Robert Johnson, Complete Recordings

"Sixteen," The Heavy, The Heavy [The Current]

ID BREAK: Mark Wheat from The Current

"Ghost Town (12" Mix)," The Specials, Ghost Town EP [WXPN]

"Philip Glass: Dracula (Horrible Tragedy)," Kronos Quartet (Nonesuch 79542)

"Berlioz: Chorus of Damned," Nat'l Orch of Lille, Slovak Philharmonic Choir (Naxos 8578085)

"Manuel DeFalla: Dance of Terror," Rachel Barton Pine, Instrument of the Devil: Rachel Barton, Violin [WGUC]

ID BREAK: Mark Purzell from WGUC

"Angel in the House," The Story, Angel in the House

"Ghost," Indigo Girls, 1200 Curfews [WFUV]

"You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory," Johnny Thunders, So Alone [WXPN]

"Raven in the Storm," John Gorka, Land of the Bottom Line [Folk Alley]

ID BREAK: Elena See from Folk Alley

"Be My Frankenstein," Otis Taylor, Truth Is Not Fiction

"Evil Is Alive and Well," Jakob Dylan, Seeing Things [Folk Alley]

"Death Letter," Son House, Father of the Delta Blues: The Complete 1965 Sessions

"St. James Infirmary," Louis Armstrong, The Essential Louis Armstrong [WDUQ]

ID BREAK: Bob Studebaker from WDUQ

"(I Don't Stand a) Ghost of a Chance," Billy Eckstine, Imagination

"Philip Glass: Dracula (Dracula Enters)," Kronos Quartet (Nonesuch 79542)

"Kothbiro," Kenny Werner, Lawn Chair Society [WDUQ]

"Bad Moon Rising," Rasputina, The Lost and Found, 2nd Edition [WFUV]

ID BREAK: Darren DeVivo from WFUV

"Purcell: When I'm Laid in Earth," Jessye Norman, The Essential Jessye Norman

"Philip Glass: Dracula (Lucy's Bitten)," Kronos Quartet (Nonesuch 79542)

"Giacomo Puccini: Witches Sabbath," Philharmonic of La Scala/Riccardo Muti, Puccini Catalani, Ponchielli Per Orchestra [WGUC]

"Carolina Drama," The Raconteurs, Consolers of the Lonely

"The Devil Got My Woman," Skip James, Hard Time Killing Floor Blues

"The Ghost of Smokey Joe," Cab Calloway, New York, 1938-1939, Volume 2 [Jazz 24]

ID BREAK: Nick Morrison from Jazz 24

Source: NPR