Thinking beyond "Monster Mash"

While you can't go wrong with certain excellent Halloween standbys, such as Vince Guaraldi's "The Great Pumpkin Waltz" or Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, there's a world of just-as-suitable Halloween music that isn't heard as often. Although none of the following songs were recorded or marketed specifically for Halloween, all of them are haunting and compelling enough to be played on October 31:

• Hypnotized-Fleetwood Mac (One of the most offhandedly eerie sets of lyrics about paranormal phenomena ever recorded and one of Bob Welch's strongest contributions to Fleetwood Mac.)
• Labyrinth-Kerri Anderson (One of the two most obscure tracks on this list, Anderson's low, smoky vocals carry the listener through the minefield of the heart.)
• Moon Over Bourbon Street-Sting (An appropriate match of haunting vocals with understated instrumentation.)
• Raven In The Storm-John Gorka (A foreboding set of lyrics, sung with convincing warning.  The double-tracked vocals on "I'm the baby's cry that isn't..." might well linger in your mind long after you've listened.)
• Spooky Room-9353 ("The room in question's located at the top of the stairs..." To hear the rest of the story, seek out this obscure song; it's one of the most fitting indie rock tracks for Halloween.)
• Stratosfear-Tangerine Dream (A fast-paced, spacey instrumental that brings to mind someone pedaling a bicycle as fast as possible to escape something undefined.)
• Watcher Of The Skies-Genesis (An instant dark, stormy night atmosphere, right from the opening Mellotron chords; a key Peter Gabriel-era Genesis track.  In keeping with the spirit of the song, Gabriel used to wear bat wings when the band performed it in concert.)