Let me start by explaining the layout of this album. There are twenty-five tracks with only ten being music. Some of the songs are a bit of an introduction to the next track, others are just great little soundbites from the movie.
The ten songs that make up the album are a great little mix of tracks. Everything from the title track, that had been previously available on Sinister Urge, along with 3 filler tracks that are still pretty damn good, an original that I love, and a cover, performed by the movie's writer and director, Rob Zombie, to Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue from the Ramones, to I Wanna Be Loved By You performed by Helen Kane. Sure the album is mainly Rob Zombie music, but when the budget is tight, and trying to get the movie out in theaters is already complex enough, you have to make life easy for yourself somewhere.
The album opens with Howdy Folks, which is a commercial, and the perfect way to open this album. It sets up everything perfectly, including the album and movie's title track House of 1000 Corpses. I love this song. It's one of my all time favourite Rob Zombie songs, and is in my personal top 100 can't live without list. This song is everything I love about Shock Rock, and because it's Zombie you know it's big, thick, heavy and you can totally groove to it.
Saddle Up the Mule is just a small humourous clip that leads into Everybody Scream (Theme from Dr. Wolfenstein's Creature Double Feature Show), which is a good and fun track, but really feels like a left over from a recording session. It's the type of song you expect Rob to release as a soundtrack filler. A fun and enjoyable track, but filler all the same.
Stuck in the Mud is a really long soundscape from the movie. It's all vibe and ambience, and runs direct into the next talking track Holy Miss Moley, which is the lamest so far.
The next song Who's Gonna Mow Your Grass? performed by Buck Owens. It's a nice little ditty, with a nice overall double entendre, but other than in a mix I have no need for this song. But once again if you've seen the movie, you know why this song works.
The next song comes right away, but still opens with a little talking, as you expect from a Zombie tune. Run, Rabbit, Run, is another Rob Zombie filler track. However, let me be very clear, I will take a Zombie filler over pretty much any other filler for one major reason. It's still got so much groove and sexiness to it that you can't help but to wiggle your tush, and bop your head. Rob is the entire reason why Metalheads should know how to move their body.
Into the Pit is yet another excerpt soundscape, and it does the same thing the last soundscape did, and puts you in horror mode. You could call it the movies score all most.
Something for You Men is a talking clip that sets up the next song perfectly. I Wanna Be Loved by You performed by Helen Kane, which is one of those songs that would most likely be lost on most of today's generation, and a good chunk of my own. However, I am glad it's on this soundtrack. It's cute, fun, and let's face it, a total reminder of Betty Boop, which I'm more than fine with.
It's interesting hearing Pussy Liquor open with a talking bit that's part of the song and not on the album. The other version I have of this song, doesn't have that. Now while the lyrical content of the song may be offensive to around half the English speaking population, I think Rob Zombie did a stellar job with this song. This is yet another song that I just would hate having to live without. It's just so much fun and so damn enjoyable. I love every part of this song's soundbites, the deep groove of the music, the way the piano drives the entire overall sound and feel of the song, eventhough it barely does anything, and to be honest the lyrics are fucking great as far as I'm concerned "Give me a 'B', Give me a 'A', /Give me a 'B', Give me a 'Y', / Whats that spell, Whats that spell, / Whats that spell, baby / Earl had a baby, Baby was her name / He knew she was crazy, Tiny was the same. / Down behind the shed slaughterin' the hog / Slice along the belly, feed her to the dog. / 1,2,3 Who should I kill? / Every motherfucker running up the hill. / 1,2,3 What should I do? / Get fucked up and fuck up a'you / Pussy Liquor / Make me sicker / Pussy Liquor / Do it quicker / Yeah we liked to get fucked up, (fucked up) / Yeah i like to get fucked up too / Yeah I bet you do / Yeah we liked to get fucked up, (fucked up) / Yeah i like to get fucked up too / Yeah I bet you do / Dane had a baby Otis was his name / white as a ghost, totally insane. / Otis loves the girls young and clean / drowning in a bucket of gasoline. / 1,2,3 Who should I kill / every motherfucker runnin' up the hill. / 1,2,3 What should I do, / get fucked up and fuck up a'you / Pussy Liquor / Make me sicker / Pussy Liquor / Do it quicker / Yeah we liked to get fucked up, (fucked up) / Yeah I like to get fucked up too / Yeah I bet you do / Yeah we liked to get fucked up, (fucked up) / Yeah I like to get fucked up too / Yeah I bet you do / Don't you know something / He won't tell / Gone all night / Send them to a hell / Burnin' in the house / Spirits are alive / A tongue lashing mama / Help 'em to survive / 1,2,3 Who should I kill? / Every motherfucker running up the hill / 1,2,3 What should I do? / Get fucked up and fuck up a'you / Pussy Liquor / Make me sicker / Pussy Liquor / Do it quicker".
Scarecrow Attack is movie scoring for sure this time. There are really no movie noises in this one at all, and could be moved around between any movie in it's genre, because it just works that well.
My Baby Boy is the lead in more or less for the next song, which I've covered before. Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue review can originally be found in my review of the Ramones self titled debut album. "I like bits and pieces of Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue. I don't care for the song over all, and I don't understand why so many people like it so much. It's just a really odd song to me." That still pretty much covers it. However, I do get why Rob included it in the movie. It's the right kind of song for this kind of movie. It's raw, abraisive, and in your face.
Investigation and the Smokehouse is another piece of scoring, that sounds like it could be an in between track on a Rob Zombie album. That leads into Bigger the Cushion which is a nice bit of crude humour. Which then leads into I Remember You performed by Slim Whitman. While all these old time songs make sense on this soundtrack, especially if you've seen the movie, it makes me think that Zombie actually is a fan of all this old country sounding stuff.
Then we get Drive Out the Rabbit, which is Rob's wife Sheri Moon Zombie, a voice all fans of Rob should know well, terrifying a woman with a quick story, to set the mood the next movie score piece, Mary's Escape. Then you'd think that the next movie excerpt you hear is connected to this track, because of the way it all flows, but in fact it's the opening to Little Piggy, which is the next Rob Zombie song on the album. This is Rob Zombie doing what Alice Cooper used to do back in the early seventies. Which would be taking that deep, creepy, slinky, and a little slimey style and sound that comes from Jazz, and applying it to Rock. I could easily picture this song on the School's out album.
Ain't the Only Thing Tasty and Dr. Satan are nothing more than time killers leading into one hell of a killer cover. Brick House 2003 performed by Rob Zombie, featuring Lionel Richie and Trina. It's not hard picturing Rob doing this song, and it's not hard to say that Zombie does it up right. Seriously it's a funky, groovy track to start with, and then you give it to Rob so he can make it heavy, and of course it's going to work. I can even enjoy the rap section peformed by Trina because it works that well with the song, and really makes it that much sexier, and this song is all about being sexy. Also from what I gather Mr. Richie never sang on the original Commodores version.
To the House finishes off the album album with another movie score/soundscape track. It works as a closer.
By the time everything is said and done I'm very happy with this album. I never would have picked it up at full price when it first came out, but the second hand copy I picked up for low, low price, in a discount bin, was more than worth it. Actually I would have been willing to pick this album up for anywhere up to fifteen bucks new. It's a great conbination of songs, scores and talking bites, for the average fan, and perfect for Rob Zombie fans, that can handle some other stuff that they normally wouldn't listen to. It's also really good in a mix.
7/10 - content
7/10 - production
9/10 - personal bias
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