Cover from 1995 Dejadisc CD reissue of Live at Raul’s
While perusing the the CD collections in the Southern Folklife Collection today and thinking of Halloween, I came across CD-7401, Live at Raul’s. Recorded September 16, 1979, these recordings document the Austin punk scene that swirled around the Tex-Mex bar owned by Joseph Gonzales located just west of the University of Texas campus. Featuring some of Austin’s most celebrated punk and new wave bands like The Standing Waves, The Skunks, and The Next, Live at Raul’s was also slated to feature two tracks by the legendary Roky Erickson.
Unfortunately due to contractual confusion, Erickson’s tracks did not appear on the original LP release in 1979, however they were included in the 1995 CD reissue. Studio versions of Erickson’s two tracks, “Don’t Shake Me Lucifer” and “Red Temple Prayer [Two Headed Dog]” were released a year later on Erickson’s first solo record, The Evil One (CBS 1980), an excellent record that features such Halloween appropriate subjects as ghosts, demons, vampires, zombies, and bloody hammers.
So as tribute to Halloween, rather than turn to The Evil One, we wanted to feature these lesser known versions of Erickson’s nightmare rock and roll songs. As you can hear from the clip at the top, Erickson fully immersed himself in the horror mood for a truly spooky performance. Enjoy some “Don’t Shake Me Lucifer” and “Red Temple Prayer [Two Headed Dog]” below.
Any of you readers have any Halloween favorites? Please do share in the comments. Along with The Evil One, I usually give Sonic Youth’s Bad Moon Rising a spin, and I find a little Screamin Jay Hawkins or Darkthrone’s Transilvanian Hunger are always a treat while carving a jack-o-lantern. Happy Halloween.
Roky Erickson_Don’t Shake Me Lucifer “Don’t Shake Me Lucifer” by Roky Erickson from CD-7041, Live at Raul’s (Dejadisc 1995)
Two Headed Dog_Roky Erickson “Two Headed Dog” by Roky Erickson from CD-7041, Live at Raul’s (Dejadisc 1995)
