HOWLING WITH FRANKIE STEIN

c. 2006 Rod Ice
All rights reserved
(8-06)



Note to Readers: I began collecting records at the age of seven. Like many kids, my buying habits were skewed by innocence, and meager funds. But this ground-floor approach paid dividends in the years to come. I was able to build a diverse library of musical artifacts, while gaining knowledge in the field. After taking up the profession of a wordsmith, this background in folk artistry became indispensable. Howling to the beat of tunes by Frankie Stein made everything possible…


In days of yore, even baby-boom kids from Ohio were overwhelmed by the unstoppable power of BEATLEMANIA. During that period, the ‘Fab Four’ were everywhere. Record companies went dizzy with the success of this mop-topped, British group. So anything even remotely similar was rushed onto vinyl. Popular instrumental bands of the day were waylaid by John, Paul, George, and Ringo’s incredible rise to fame. Combos like The Ventures maintained their creative integrity while affecting various guises of modern ‘hipness.’ Others, like Davie Allan and the Arrows, found strength by supplying distinctive work for the soundtracks of legendary cult films. Yet for many, it was a period of career-oblivion.
Some chose curious methods to move musical product in that heady era. Yielded were new variations on the basic rock ‘n’ roll formula. Seeking a new revenue stream, these unknown troubadours adopted a variety of pseudonyms. Their faux-selves were crafted to match pervasive market trends. Album categories soon developed that were easily recognized by young collectors:

1. Hot Rod/Drag Racing
2. Surfing
3. Monster Sounds
4. Motorcycle/Chopper
5. Pop Hits/Dance Craze (Sound-alike imitations)

Such vinyl treasures were produced quickly, and marketed as budget recordings.
Their production was meant to capitalize on the quirky nature of youthful tastes. Many were worn out on Hi-Fi sets of that age, while teen parties commenced.
My own introduction to the weird instrumental genre came through a childhood gift. When our favorite local retailer offered 99-cent albums as a special buy, I inherited a copy of “Monster Melodies” by Frankie Stein and His Ghouls. My parents were intrigued by the cover illustration. Depicted were three horrifying images - a rabid gorilla, a mummy dangling his pet spider in yo-yo fashion, and a gilled sea-creature. Because I had only reached the tender age of nine, it seemed to be THE COOLEST RECORD EVER MADE! I was spellbound by this goofy, low-buck platter. Watching its black and silver label rotate was particularly hypnotic. (The design boasted an eerie pair of eyes, surrounded by clawlike hands.) From my youthful viewpoint, Stein sounded no less important than The Beatles, James Brown, Johnny Cash, B. B. King, or The Rolling Stones. Howls, crashes, piercing screams, and ghost mumbling were combined with twangy, 60’s reverb-guitar. It created a potent mix of tonalities and rhythms. Fortunately, I was too immature to know that the prize was a simply cheap, semi-artistic knock-off. My pleasure made the 99-cent cost a worthy investment.
In later years, I would mention the LP among fellow vinyl junkies. But few had any knowledge of the Frankie Stein series. Then, the magic of eBay struck on a winter evening. I happened to recall my beloved, audio Frisbee while hunting search results from the virtual marketplace. And a surprising entry appeared:

CDED02 (Groovy Grinds Corporation) - "GHOUL MUSIC" and "SHOCK! TERROR! FEAR!" (Albums originally released on POWER Records.)

“Finally Frankie Stein and his Ghouls PRESSED and PRINTED and DIGITALLY remastered! ‘Ghoul Music’ and ‘Shock! Terror! Fear!’ both LPs on one CD… Not only are both in STEREO, the CD is individually numbered and limited to 1313… The sound is beautiful and crystal clear… Has 4 page booklet with photos and a fun review of the tracks, which is actually cool to read and listen to at the same time. It says put out by Groovy Grinds (with a bloody logo) CDED02. I truly love these jazzy blues numbers and even more with them being so clear. 25 tracks in all and a hour long. I had been waiting a long time for these LPs to come out on a professional CD and now I have another one to sell!”

The online discovery awakened my ‘inner child’ from an eternal slumber. Continued looking yielded original, vinyl issues of “Introducing Frankie Stein & His Ghouls” and “Monster Sounds and Dance Music.” But most impressive was the sight of an unopened copy of my erstwhile relic, “Monster Melodies.” The record carried an unbelievable ‘buy it now’ price of $150.00!!
An eBay seller from Nieuwkerken-Waas, Belgium included liner notes with his ad that were hauntingly familiar:

"A record like this is enough to scare a body into dancing anything from the 'Twist' 'Watusi' 'Hully Gully' 'Swim' 'Frug' 'Surf' 'Monkey' 'Dog' 'Lindy' and even the lowly 'Fox Trot'. And without losing a DEAD beat. The monster maestro (Frankie Stein) is a graduate of the mausoleum of music at the University of Paris Green. He plays guitar with three hands and conducts with the other two. He is DEAD serious about his music. Many critics have hailed him as hideous ghastly horrormonius etc. etc. etc. This album was recorded with the fabulously eerie sound of Power Records new D.D.T-method. The die-namic sound with Dead beat that has everything to make your dancing-and-Popcorn Party a HOWLING success"

Spurred by the eBay listings, I began a web search for information about the elusive Mr. Stein. Available on a blog with the unlikely name of ‘SCAR STUFF’ (http://scarstuff.blogspot.com/2006/02/frankie-stein-and-his-ghouls-complete.html) I found entire Ghoul LPs posted for easy downloading. The tracks were chillingly authentic, complete with static and crackling delivered from the original platters! Also unearthed was Frankie's own page (http://www.myspace.com/frankiesteinandhisghouls) which offered tunes and images from the legendary Monster Maestro.
Who actually played on these sessions? We may never really know. One Internet rumor is that guitar hero Duane Eddy was part of the group. On the fan-site www.rogersbasement.com other possibilities are addressed. Were Joel Herron, Fred Hertz, Joe Thomas, Dewey Bergman, or Al Kooper members of The Ghouls? None of the information provided truly clarifies this subject. But personal messages from other Frankie Fanatics are thrilling to read. It seems that all across America, young listeners were having similar encounters with these spooky sounds.
For myself, finding others who bought the recorded works of Mr. Stein was enough. It gave validation to my secret passion for such rocking instrumentals, laced with echoing screams, ghost whistles, and kettledrum thuds. I celebrated, by burning a CD of monster classics including “Weerdo the Wolf” for drive-time enjoyment. It made the roadgoing hours something to anticipate… a genuine trick-or-treat experience, every day of the year!

FROM THE GEAUGA COUNTY MAPLE LEAF