The Moontrekkers - Night of the Vampire

[dansette60s]

Thanks for uploading this. I always did like instrumentals and this appealed to my liking for the unusual as well. I was banned from playing this when my younger sister was in the house as it frightened the doo-dah out of her!

From comments below - Yellow pages weren't around in the UK in 1961! Telephone Directories maybe?

'Walking Sounds'? I always thought that sound was (vampire) wings flapping (on the water?). Or were you referring to something else?

[bloodnokian]

Not so sure Dr Who would have the kickass theme tune it has without the influence of Joe Meek on this track and Telstar.

[thejaqattack]

hey, you know what else is funny, it's my spelling

[TbirdsOf1965]

Gary Leport on guitar, and Peter Knight on clavioline...

[moraxdraug]

fangtastic!



[keefster001]

Rod Stewart was originally in the band, Joe Meek didn't think he could sing, so asked him to leave (he was only 16 years old). Some great guitar playing from Gary Leport.. K

[jkoslicki]

@keefster001 rod stewart still cant sing

[macekmacek]

clavioline!

[MonkeySeeism]

Great stuff.

[BorderRebels]

One of the best guitar instrumentals ever! I've still got that red-label Parlophone 45, with 'Melodie D'amour' on the B-Side. Great band & fantastic production by Joe Meek.

[motownmaniax]

Classic sound.

[petelucas51]

Good early fuzz guitar. Joe Meek was a genius!

[nunestunes]

@petelucas51 just dont bug him on the rent though!

[petelucas51]

@nunestunes I wouldnt have dared, Joe was my wifes first cousin three times removed through her dad`s line, She even gets upset if I borrow a lighter and keep it! Joes music genius can still be heard in modern Electro House -Certainly had huge influence,

[nunestunes]

@petelucas51 oh for sure he does he was a mastermind i want to see the movie about i still havent caught it yet

[FP51DPO]

@nunestunes The film is great; had to watch it twice... I have a theory at the end but I won't spoil

[newmoon51]

I have to thank my good friend and spiritual advisor, Dr. Nod, for tugging on my coat about the Moontrekkers.

[johnbarry1965]

Also highly recommended "Jack the Ripper" by Screaming Lord Sutch and The Savages also produced by the legendary Joe Meek.

[musicman02]

if it wasn't for the howling wind the opening licks would make a fantastic sample for a wu-tang like track...

:/

[realinterrobang]

It sounds like the theme song to "The Hilarious House of Frightenstein"

[thejaqattack]

@realinterrobang

& the lady shrieks when shelized she starred in a comedy, not .. horror. laugh my tots off, i'm totally kidding; but that was funny.

[rockola63]

Sounds like bridging music from a number of Munsters episodes!

[BorderRebels]

Bought this single when it came out & loved it - still my joint favourite guitar instrumental, along with The Shadows' 'Man of Mystery'. A1 on my jukebox!

[colindaleradiosutch]

THEY CREPT INTO THE CRYPT, ( DAVID SUTCH AND THE SAVAGES ) CRAPED, AND CREPT OUT AGAIN, NAUGHTY BOYS !!!

[blackfoot2000]

killin time in the graveyard!

[MrJeppelin]

The first notes are strange. Inspiration for Roky?

[ghosttrain123]

This is Creepy Reverb !!!! Love it !!! Can't for HallooooWeeen !!!!

[pippigladstone]

joe meek hated rod stewarts voice. rumor has it, he screamed pressing his ears tightly untill rod stewart stopped singing.

[johnbarry1965]

I seem to think this was banned by the BBC! The Moontrekkers were Rod Stewarts first band.

[ghostfaced1]

@johnbarry1965 Trust the beeb to ban something so good!

[bigfootisreal100]

This is insanely AMAZING Garage stuff right here!!

[Zzyyxxyyxx]

Joe Meek rejected auditions by a young David Bowie and Rod Stewert and dismissed the Beatles as "another noisy group covering other peoples songs".

[michaelchain]

Gotta love the guy. He gave us great tunes and great ideas and great studio gear.

big fan - Michael Chain band michaelchain com

[MonkeySeeism]

With Halloween coming up maybe I can get a local radio station to play this. Maybe not. Well it's awesome anyway.

[54markl]

John Lennon did NOT invent feedback in songs, this guy did. It matters not a whit if it comes at the beginning, middle, or end.

[54markl]

I love this! I wish the Beatles had recorded with this guy, like they almost did. Big thumbs up.

[vamtim]

@54markl Yeah me too! Can you imagine that?

[54markl]

@vamtim It's Hard to Believe It!

[hul0t]

wow..fab!!

[glamaFez]

John Lennon said that the Beatles' "I Feel Fine" was the first feedback on a record.

Wrong.

[robotssuckass]

@glamaFez

Meh, there's a difference between using it at the beginning an otherwise normal pop song, and using it at the end of a song full of random creepy noises.

[glamaFez]

@robotssuckass

Excellent point!

[muscleco]

Now we know where Lord Sutch's "Dracula's Daughter" and ""Jack the Ripper" came from :-)

[diddywahdaddy]

@muscleco Without a doubt! But then again, it's all Meek!

[Nyckname]

According to Wikipedia, this was banned by the BBC. Uh...why?!

[loveshair]

@Nyckname Sometimes instros got banned. Rumble by Link Wray was banned in a few markets in the US. But this is why we love this stuff !

[VashDraven]

@Nyckname Apparantly due to the SFX of the coffin opening and the scream at the end. Bit too "scary" for us Brits back in the 60's methink. xD

[theinkmonitor]

@VashDraven

VashDraven:

Bit too "scary" for us Brits back in the 60's methink

Not really………….I still have the 45 I bought in the v.early 60s, and it WAS great (!!!) for getting the girl to jump on your lap and hold you VERY tight, if you played it full volume……in the dark. Heh, heh, heh……NOW, my dear JUST how grateful are you for letting me comfort you?

[Keijz74]

@Nyckname Because they shat their pants hearing this? LOL

[crestfall08]

love this tune, must try and get hold of it sumwhere

[joeytronix]

Can somebody please tab this for me? I'll love you forever

[deadmike2]

@joeytronix

you can replay it but you will not get the sound

this guy produced the songs in his bathroom...to get the hall or reverb or what ever

[jackamo23]

Joe Meek at the controls! Avant-pop with a magickal flourish, who could ask for more! I always get annoyed that he is invariably excluded whenever the history of electronic music and record production is recounted (or he gets a brief passing mention)...In my opinion he was up there with Stockhausen, Pierre Schaeffer, Pierre Boulez , Phil Spector, BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Bob Moog et al & the fact he worked in the "pop" medium is irrelevant...the guy was a sonic alchemist!

[ivebeenthere1]

I bit off more than I could chew & wiped out!!!

bloody great track....Fangst!!!

[001assassins]

great skateboarding music

[frangiul13]

Update: Just received my long-awaited single direct from the U.K. The best part is that my 45rpm single was part of the famous Mike Read collection! What a piece of history.  LOVE IT!! :)

[frangiul13]

Oh, would I love to get my claws on this 45

Very hard to find, especially here in the U.S. :(

[NcicHit]

Great record to own!

[zetsushoren]

sounds like spooky kitaro lol

[angelofbebop]

Fantastic song with the Meek signature!  Thank you for posting it!!!!

[vespa202]

Quality from Meek :))

[angelofbebop]

@vespa202

You are right, this is quality from Meek! Thank you for the share!

[aquarius26al]

WOOOOOOOW

thank you man! this is great and rare stuff, thank you again :)

peace & love :)

[str8edgevegan]

great stuff!!!

[charliebubblesoar]

cooool

[drumheadJ]

killer,killer,killer!!!

[PhillipThunderGrunge]

nice try troll...

[PhillipThunderGrunge]

imagine hearing a doom/sludge metal cover of this...that would be awesome.....

[Oni64]

it would be

[MarinaVonMonster]

So spooktacular!

[falkoche]

Love it. Thanks:)

[MBRAGGS]

Thank You JFBridge Very Much for introducing me to  The Moontrekkers. is their material available on cd or to download?

[9graff9]

They should have a bar or lounge with nothing but surf/Halloween music in Hollywood...that would be just surftastic!

[snarnok]

Joe Meek does the screaming as well as the walking sounds which was done by flapping the Yelow Pages! Apparently this single was prevented from going further up the charts by a strike at the record factory. Maybe had that not happened it could have been as big as Telstar.

[joeoli1]

its very shadows, you can tell the telstar linkage though. The rift sounds like the one they use in the russin melody for the techno remix of tetris

[johnpatrickbear]

Great  thanks

[Keijz74]

This would be a great Link Wray gig song!

[gorillamummy]

Fantastic! Thanks for posting.

[DOKJAMPEE]

What year was this released .. anyone know fantastic toon.

[numpty1972]

1961

[hihat101]

its amazing that Joe meek recorded this including his OWN sound effects above a leather goods shop in Holloway road north london, phil specter had nothing on meek, its just a crying shame that he departed this world so early, imagine hearing this while waiting for the last tube train home!

[numpty1972]

I have often wondered what if Joe Meek had produced famous acts from 1967 onwards! What would a Joe Meek/David Bowie album sound like for example.

[Keijz74]

Crazily beautiful or Beautifully Crazy?

[zenonko]

My older siblings used to play this when I was 5. I still have trauma!

[RosyB9]

Wonderfully spooky! Sounds like our local famous garage band The Slickee Boys or The Cramps. :-D

[SeanLaw]

Excellent track. I once stood in the room where this was recorded.

[didiwiz]

These guys had Rod Stewart as their singer. Joe didn't want him in the band as he was looking for an instrumental band. They were called The Raiders then

[Keijz74]

He hated Rod Stewarts singing. He's known for sticking his fingers into his ears and screaming in response of Rods voice.

[Keijz74]

Nice and dirty. PEOPLE ARE STRANGE.

[hihat101]

it is a bit , alittle lost boys ish ?..

[Keijz74]

I think so. I saw The Lost Boys about thirteen years ago, so I don't remember it very well. Nice movie though.

[Keijz74]

I'd like to hear this played by the Ventures!

[Keijz74]

Or Link Wray!

[Keijz74]

I bet Alice Cooper and Dick Dale love this. I do anyway. And I first heard it 5 minutes ago :op#

[JoyGrenade]

Joe is my fucking idol. No one today sounds this good.

[gurndog]

Great Tune

and Hola Ghost's version is well worth a listen.

[drunkass77]

i love the guitar tone, its got so much reverb and vibrato. it sounds like halloween music, i wish i could find tabs for it

[Keijz74]

If I could play the guitar I'd want to learn this on a Telecaster, because the twang combined with reverb and vibrato would sound scare the heck out of anyone.

[drunkass77]

yeah that would definitely be cool. teles are my favorite guitars. he mighta used one to record this song i'm not sure

[Keijz74]

They have a crispy tinniness which I like. And I'm not a musician.

[Keijz74]

Did you manage to find the tabs?

[drunkass77]

No, I've looked all over. Theres no tabs out there for this song. I should sit down some time and try to figure it out.

[gshizzle15]

did u know................... the bird is the word bird bird bird the bird is the word

[Viznel137]

I wonder if Bobby boris got his idea partly from this?WEIRD!!!!!more like a good theme for the Addam's family LOL

[EnchantiglyPsychotic]

Excellent.Genuinely, fantastic.

Joe Meek is a LEGEND.

[Keijz74]

Yes he is :oD

[doglips1958]

How high did this go in the UK???

[twangalot2]

Number 50

The BBC banned it. I think it's the only instrumental to have been banned in this country. Although The Cougars 'Saturday Nite At The Duck Pond' might have fallen to the same fate??

[Keijz74]

I can imagine a sticker. PARENTAL ADVISORY. EXPLICIT REVERB

[allnightjohnson]

@Keijz74 maybe my favorite comment I ever read on YouTube

[Keijz74]

@allnightjohnson That's good to know! Thanks :o)

[john111257]

@Keijz74 yep ..and now theres effing n blinding in the charts

[andrewburbidge]

#50

[sabata60]

it was banned of the radio back in the 60s when i was at school i was told how good it was i ot it from my local record shop never looked back coooooooooooooool backing and i still have it.

[lapsworld]

60's instrugoth rock

[Rickycatpa]

Never listened to it, but it's fantastic!!

[RasputinaMan]

Love it <3 this is very unheard of.

People who always look to new bands coming from little clubs with names like "Forever My heart Melts With Death" can shut up and listen to Moontrekkers. This is legit awesome. I think all good music started in the 60s and it just hasn't been the same since.

[Keijz74]

Forever My Heart Melts With Death :o) Just the name makes me curious.......

[Keijz74]

Nice name for a spicy sandwich out of the oven. With Tabasco sauce.

[Koricho]

I think it sounds funny.

[thule1245]

uiui nice song

[terminaltoy]

we like it. worthy of a bad acid trip on a wet afternoon.

[LIZARDxKINGZ]

cool tune

[numpty1972]

Many thanks for this. This is excellent.

[xwsftassell]

Oh excellent.