Burning The Ground Exclusive
In 1984, the man behind one of the most famous novelty records of all time — Bobby “Boris” Pickett, of “Monster Mash” fame — decided to bring his graveyard smash into the MTV era. Teaming up with songwriter and producer Bobby Paine, Pickett returned with “Monster Rap,” a ghoulishly fun update that fused his original horror humor with the then-new sound of hip-hop.
Released on Easy Street Records, “Monster Rap” finds Pickett reprising his mad scientist narrator, once again trying to teach his monster a few new tricks — this time, how to rap. Instead of the classic surf-rock beat, the track features a funky electro rhythm, complete with drum machines, synth bass, and a vocoder. It’s an oddball mix of Vincent Price meets Sugarhill Gang, and it totally works in that campy, early-’80s way.
Lyrically, the song keeps the tongue-in-cheek charm of the original, with Pickett delivering lines in his signature “Boris Karloff” voice, while the monster grunts and stumbles through his attempts at rhyming. Bobby Paine adds a contemporary touch to the production, layering in those unmistakable 808s and synth flourishes that make it sound right at home among other novelty rap records of the mid-’80s.
Though it didn’t achieve the same massive success as “Monster Mash”, “Monster Rap” became a cult favorite and remains a seasonal curiosity among collectors and Halloween DJs. Over the years, it’s been rediscovered by fans of early hip-hop, horror kitsch, and everything delightfully weird about the 1980s.
Nearly two decades after his graveyard hit first topped the charts, Bobby “Boris” Pickett proved he could still raise the dead — this time on the dance floor.
SIDE A:
Monster Rap (Club Mix) 5:11
Mixed By [Special Mix] – Hammer Head, Nicky “Pork Dicky” King*
SIDE B:
Monster Rap (Dub Instrumental) 5:35
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Easy Street Records – EZS-7513
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic, Hip Hop
Style: Electro, Pop Rap, Novelty, Horror Rock
CREDITS:
- Co-producer – Bobby Paine, Roger Keay
- Engineer – Roger Keay
- Executive-Producer – Michael Gusick*
- Featuring – Bobby Paine
- Mastered By – Herb Powers*
- Producer – Richie Vetter
- Written-By – B. Paine*, B. Pickett*, F. Heller*
NOTES:
Special 12 Inch Horror Mix
Recorded & mixed at Blank Tapes, Inc.
Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS
VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for BURNING THE GROUND
THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon Concorde Music Black
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
DAC: Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 25 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!
Password: burningtheground
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