The Misfits

'tis the season for horror (punk). If there's a soundtrack to back late-night Romero movie marathons, complete with tons of "whoa's" and go!'s", it's this. Whether it be the the iconic Crimson Ghost logo, the countless covers of their songs, or their undisputed place as being one of the greatest punk bands of all time, everyone should recognize them. Of course, it's none other than The Misfits. Originally conceived by Glenn Danzig in 1977, this band has garnered quite the legacy (of brutality), both through their music and through their history. Before delving into all that, I just wanted to say Happy (early) Halloween to you guys, and I hope you enjoy this massive collection I've compiled below, both now and throughout the year. 

Lodi, New Jersey. 1977. Glenn Danzig, along with bassist Jerry Only and drummer Manny Martinez, form the very first incarnation of The Misfits. They only released one single, Cough/Cool, which stands out in comparison to all their other work due to the use of an electric piano instead of guitar, which gives their debut single a very haunting, almost Doors-esque feel to it. With the addition of a guitarist after this single, they shifted their style to a more punk rock sound, in the vein of the Ramones. Their first album, Static Age, was recorded in 1978, but was never formally released until 1997 (more on that below the link). A chunk of these songs became the Bullet single, which was a great introduction to both the gritty intensity of the band, as well as their penchant for aggressive yet surprisingly catchy songwriting. Following this, the band would endure a few line-up changes (with Danzig and Only being the only two consistent members), a few more singles, and quite a bit of touring. They also begin to adopt the horror theme to both their music and image. They began wearing all black, and growing out their now-iconic devilock (just look at almost any picture of them and you'll know what it is immediately). In their lyrics, Danzig began to take influence from older horror films, which is why they're now famous for inventing "horror punk", and why they're played on repeat around Halloween.

In 1980 they recorded another album, which would once again not see the light of day. 12 Hits From Hell was nearly released in 2001, but was cancelled at the last minute. Songs from this session were included on a handful of singles, and the majority were re-recorded for their actual debut full-length. Around this time is when Jerry Only's younger brother, who's known as Doyle, joined the band as their guitarist. This line-up is probably their best known, and the one that recorded their classic full-length Walk Among Us in 1982. This album displays their transition from being a punk band to a hardcore band. The songs are faster and more aggressive, yet still retain that same incredible songwriting talent, which is what made The Misfits stand out. Just before the first era of this band came to an end, one more album was released. With Robo (formerly of Black Flag) now drumming, they released Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood in 1983. The hardcore influence has taken over their sound, with the band playing at such blisteringly heavy speeds that they became an influence on thrash metal. The band broke up shortly after it. Danzig formed Samhain, a project which was more experimental and metal oriented than The Misfits, and that would later form into his main project (known simply as Danzig) that solidified his transition into the metal genre. Only and Doyle laid low some years after The Misfits, though they did play in a Christian metal band for a while.

A few compilations came out post-humously, most notably Legacy Of Brutality and Collection I & II. These documented most of the band's recorded material, though some songs were slightly different versions of the originals due to overdubs done by Danzig. The music they put out in their initial time together is nothing short of incredible. As much as I want to rant about the sheer greatness and timelessness of the music they put out in their first era as a band, I think it speaks for itself. A lot of music has accumulated on this blog over the years, but I firmly believe that The Misfits are one of the best, and one I would be ecstatic to recommend.

Now, like I said, the band that existed between 1977 and 1983, the brainchild of Glenn Danzig, turned out to only be what you can call the "first" era of three in this band's history. After years of legal disputes between Danzig and Only, the name and logo were finally allowed to be used by Only. In 1995, he reformed The Misfits with Doyle on guitar again, and eventually was joined by drummer Dr. Chud and new vocalist Michale Graves. Besides the name and image, this new incarnation shared almost nothing with the original Misfits. They would include some of the old songs in their live sets, but immediately sought to put out their own music. This new sound was much more polished and heavy metal influenced, though nicely complimented by Graves' melodic voice. They recorded two full-lengths in the late 90's. A lot of comparisons are drawn between the "Danzig" era and the "Graves" era, though the two are really apples and oranges. They're completely different sounds, and essentially two different bands, aside from some common members and a shared band name. Just throwing in my 2 cents here, but the "Graves" era definitely had some highlight songs; the "horror" aspect just became a little too campy. It's not always a bad thing, but that's just my very, very brief opinion on this era of the band. It's still worth trying though, I mean a song like "Helena" is just too good to pass up. 

As their history suggests, no line-up can last too long. Around 2000, Graves and Chud both quit the band, and Doyle followed soon after. This left Only as the sole remaining member of the band. Instead of The Misfits dissolving again, he decided to carry on, and took over vocals himself. He was joined by guitarist Dez Cadena (formerly of Black Flag) and drummer Marky Ramone (formerly of The Ramones). Their most notable release was Project 1950, which was a covers album of songs from the 1950's, and also the only album Only's vocals sounded good on. Marky was later replaced by Robo, former drummer of both Black Flag and The Misfits. Throughout the 2000's, the band mostly just toured and played songs from both the Danzig and Graves eras. Robo left in 2010, though of course this don't stop Only's Misfits. A year later, a new album under The Misfits name was released. Personally, it's "meh" at best, and hardly a Misfits album, but to each their own I suppose. Cadena eventually left too, being replaced by Only's son. Now in 2016, Danzig, Doyle, and Only finally put their numerous lawsuits and issues aside to reunite as The Misfits and play two headlining shows at Riot Fest. That's where we are now, and the future of the ever-changing Misfits is still unknown. 

That should do it for a quick history lesson on The Misfits. There's so much to this band throughout the years, really looking into them is both very interesting and very enlightening on how this band has functioned. There is a lot of material here, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask, or look around the internet; they're quite well-documented. To help condense down the essentials, if you grav Static Age, Walk Among Us, Legacy Of Brutality, Collection I & Collection II, you've pretty the majority of their music with Danzig on vocals. Also check out Evilive if you want to hear to some incredible live material from them. If you're going to check out an album with Graves at the helm, it'd have to be Famous Monsters, though American Psycho is also fantastic. As for Jerry on vocals, Project 1950 is surprisingly decent, but sadly that's about it. Again, I hope you enjoy, and Happy Halloween! I want your skulls.

Cough/Cool (1977)

1. Cough/Cool

2. She

Bullet (1978)

1. Bullet

2. We Are 138

3. Attitude

4. Hollywood Babylon

Horror Business (1979)

1. Horror Business

2. Teenagers From Mars

3. Children In Heat

Night Of The Living Dead (1979)

1. Night Of The Living Dead

2. Where Eagles Dare

3. Rat Fink

Beware (1980)

1. We Are 138

2. Bullet

3. Hollywood Babylon

4. Attitude

5. Horror Business

6. Teenagers From Mars

7. Last Caress

12 Hits From Hell (1980)

1. Halloween

2. Vampira

3. I Turned Into A Martian

4. Skulls

5. London Dungeon

6. Night Of The Living Dead

7. Horror Hotel

8. Ghouls Night Out

9. Astro Zombies

10. Where Eagles Dare

11. Violent World

12. Halloween II

13. London Dungeon (Alternate Take)

Note: This album was originally recorded in 1980, and was meant to be released as a full-length. This never happened, and most of the songs ended up either appearing on 3 Hits From Hell, Halloween, or were re-recorded for Walk Among Us. In 2001, this album was supposed to be released in full, but was scrapped just before distribution by Danzig and Only, so it still has no official release, besides bootlegs and a few promotional copies that still exist

3 Hits From Hell (1981)

1. London Dungeon

2. Horror Hotel

3. Ghouls Night Out

Halloween (1981)

1. Halloween

2. Halloween II

Walk Among Us (1982)

1. 20 Eyes

2. I Turned Into A Martian

3. All Hell Breaks Loose

4. Vampira

5. Nike-A-Go-Go

6. Hatebreeders

7. Mommy, Can I Go Out And Kill Tonight? (Live)

8. Night Of The Living Dead

9. Skulls

10. Violent World

11. Devil's Whorehouse

12. Astro Zombies

13. Braineaters

Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood (1983)

1. Earth A.D.

2. Queen Wasp

3. Devilock

4. Death Comes Ripping

5. Green Hell

6. Wolfs Blood

7. Demonomania

8. Bloodfeast

9. Hellhound

Die, Die My Darling (1984)

1. Die, Die My Darling

2. We Bite

3. Mommy, Can I Go Out And Kill Tonight?

Legacy Of Brutality (1985)

1. Static Age

2. TV Casualty

3. Hybrid Moments

4. Spinal Remains

5. Come Back

6. Some Kinda Hate

7. Theme For A Jackal

8. Angelfuck

9. Who Killed Marilyn?

10. Where Eagles Dare

11. She

12. Halloween

13. American Nightmare

Misfits (1986)

1. She

2. Hollywood Babylon

3. Bullet

4. Horror Business

5. Teenagers From Mars

6. Night Of The Living Dead

7. Where Eagles Dare

8. Vampira

9. I Turned Into A Martian

10. Skulls

11. London Dungeon

12. Ghouls Night Out

13. Astro Zombies

14. Mommy, Can I Go Out And Kill Tonight?

15. Die, Die My Darling

16. Earth A.D.

17. Devilock

18. Death Comes Ripping

19. Green Hell

20. Wolfs Blood

Note: Also known as Collection I

Evilive (1987)

1. 20 Eyes

2. Night Of The Living Dead

3. Astro Zombies

4. Horror Business

5. London Dungeon

6. Nike-A-Go-Go

7. Hatebreeders

8. Devil's Whorehouse

9. All Hell Breaks Loose

10. Horror Hotel

11. Ghouls Night Out

12. We Are 138

Note: Live album recorded in 1981, originally released as an EP in 1982, but then re-released in 1987 as a full album, which is what I have here

Evil Is As Evil Does (1987)

1. London Dungeon

2. Attitude

3. Teenagers From Mars

4. Night Of The Living Dead

5. All Hell Breaks Loose

6. Hatebreeders

Beware: The Complete Singles 77-82 (1994)

1. Cough/Cool

2. She

3. Bullet

4. We Are 138

5. Attitude

6. Hollywood Babylon

7. Horror Business

8. Teenagers From Mars/Children In Heat

9. Night Of The Living Dead

10. Where Eagles Dare

11. Rat Fink

12. London Dungeon

13. Horror Hotel

14. Ghouls Night Out

15. Halloween

16. Halloween II

17. 20 Eyes (Live)

18. Night Of The Living Dead (Live)

19. Astro Zombies (Live)

20. Horror Business (Live)

21. London Dungeon (Live)

22. All Hell Breaks Loose (Live)

23. We Are 138 (Live)

24. Return Of The Fly

25. Last Caress

Collection II (1995)

1. We Are 138

2. Attitude

3. Cough/Cool

4. Last Caress

5. Return Of The Fly

6. Children In Heat

7. Rat Fink

8. Horror Hotel

9. Halloween

10. Halloween II

11. Hatebreeders

12. Braineaters

13. Nike-A-Go-Go

14. Devil's Whorehouse

15. Mephisto Waltz

16. We Bite

17. Queen Wasp

18. Demonomania

19. Hellhound

20. Bloodfeast

Box Set (1996)

Disc 1: Collection I & II

1. She

2. Hollywood Babylon

3. Horror Business

4. Teenagers From Mars

5. Night Of The Living Dead

6. Where Eagles Dare

7. Vampira

8. I Turned Into A Martian

9. Skulls

10. London Dungeon

11. Ghoul's Night Out

12. Astro Zombies

13. Mommy, Can I Go Out And Kill Tonight?

14. Die, Die My Darling

15. Cough/Cool

16. Children In Heat

17. Horror Hotel

18. Halloween

19. Halloween II

20. Hate Breeders

21. Braineaters

22. Nike-a-Go-Go

23. Devil's Whorehouse

24. Mephisto Waltz

25. Rat Fink

26. We Bite

Disc 2: Legacy Of Brutality, Evilive, & Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood

1. Static Age

2. TV Casualty

3. Hybrid Moments

4. Spinal Remains

5. Come Back

6. Some Kinda Hate

7. Theme For A Jackal

8. Angelfuck

9. Who Killed Marilyn?

10. Where Eagles Dare

11. She

12. Halloween

13. American Nightmare

14. 20 Eyes (Live)

15. Night Of The Living Dead (Live)

16. Astro Zombies (Live)

17. Horror Business (Live)

18. London Dungeon (Live)

19. Nike-a-Go-Go (Live)

20. Hate Breeders (Live)

21. Devil's Whorehouse (Live)

22. All Hell Breaks Loose (Live)

23. Horror Hotel (Live)

24. Ghoul's Night Out (Live)

25. We Are 138 (Live)

26. Earth A.D.

27. Queen Wasp

28. Devilock

29. Death Comes Ripping

30. Green Hell

31. Wolfsblood

32. Demonomania

33. Bloodfeast

34. Hellhound

Disc 3: Studio Sessions

1. Cough/Cool -- 1977 - Session A

2. She -- 1977 -- Session A

3. Who Killed Marilyn? -- Session B

4. Where Eagles Dare -- Session B

5. Horror Business -- Session B

6. Teenagers From Mars -- Session B

7. Children In Heat -- Session B

8. Night Of The Living Dead -- Songshop Studio -- Session C

9. Where Eagles Dare -- Song Shop Studio -- Session C

10. Vampira -- Song Shop Studio -- Session C

11. Violent World  -- Song Shop Studio -- Session C

12. Who Killed Marilyn -- Song Shop Studio -- Session C

13. Spook City USA -- Song Shop Studio --Session C

14. Horror Business -- Song Shop Studio -- Session C

15. I Turned Into A Martian -- 9/5/80 Master Sound Prod. -- Session D

16. Skulls -- 9/5/80 Master Sound Prod. -- Session D

17. Night Of The Living Dead -- 9/5/80 Master Sound Prod. -- Session D

18. Astro Zombies -- 9/5/80 Master Sound Prod. -- Session D

19. Where Eagles Dare -- 9/5/80 Master Sound Prod. -- Session D

20. Violent World -- 9/5/80 Master Sound Prod. -- Session D

21. Halloween II -- 9/5/80 Master Sound Prod. -- Session D

22. 20 Eyes -- 8/81 Reel Platinum -- Session E

23. I Turned Into A Martian -- 8/81 Reel Platinum -- Session E

24. Astro Zombies -- 8/81 Reel Platinum -- Session E

25. Vampira -- 8/81 Reel Platinum - Session E

26. Devil's Whorehouse -- 8/81 Reel Platinum -- Session E

27. Nike-A-Go-Go -- Mix-o-Lydian or Newsoundland -- Session F

28. Hate Breeders -- Unknown Studio -- Session G

29. 20 Eyes -- Unknown Studio -- Session H

30. Violent World -- Unknown Studio -- Session H

Disc 4: Static Age

1. Static Intro

2. Static Age

3. TV Casualty

4. Some Kinda Hate

5. Last Caress

6. Return of The Fly

7. Hybrid Moments

8. We Are 138

9. Teenagers From Mars

10. Come Back

11. Angelfuck

12. Hollywood Babylon

13. Attitude

14. Bullet

15. Theme For A Jackal

16. Static Outro

American Psycho (1997)

1. Abominable Dr. Phibes

2. American Psycho

3. Speak Of The Devil

4. Walk Among Us

5. The Hunger

6. From Hell They Came

7. Dig Up Her Bones

8. Blacklight

9. Resurrection

10. This Island Earth

11. Crimson Ghost

12. Day of The Dead

13. The Haunting

14. Mars Attacks

15. Hate The Living, Love The Dead

16. Shining

17. Don't Open 'til Doomsday

Dig Up Her Bones (1997)

1. Dig Up Her Bones

2. Hate The Living, Love The Dead

Static Age (1997)

1. Static Age

2. TV Casualty

3. Some Kinda Hate

4. Last Caress

5. Return of The Fly

6. Hybrid Moments

7. We Are 138

8. Teenagers From Mars

9. Come Back

10. Angelfuck

11. Hollywood Babylon

12. Attitude

13. Bullet

14. Theme For A Jackal

15. She

16. Spinal Remains

17. In The Doorway

Note: This album was recorded in 1978, and meant to be their first full-length. However, they couldn't find a label to put it out, so instead Danzig released some of the tracks on the Bullet single through his new label, Plan 9. As the band's line-up and sound changed, a release of these sessions never came to fruition. They were first available nearly in full on the box set released in 1996, and then Static Age was finally given a proper release in 1997, even though "only" one member in the band at the time had actually appeared on these sessions.

Evilive II (1998)

1. Intro/Abominable Dr. Phibes

2. American Psycho

3. Walk Among Us

4. The Hunger

5. From Hell They Came

6. Speak Of The Devil

7. Last Caress

8. Dig Up Her Bones

9. American Nightmare

10. Day Of The Dead

11. Hate The Living, Love The Dead

12. Shining

13. Don't Open 'til Doomsday

14. This Island Earth

15. Where Eagles Dare

16. Bullet

17. Vampira

18. The Haunting

19. Die, Die My Darling

I Wanna Be A NY Ranger (1998)

1. I Wanna Be A NY Ranger (feat. John Cafiero)

Famous Monsters (1999)

1. Kong At The Gates

2. The Forbidden Zone

3. Lost In Space

4. Dust To Dust

5. Crawling Eye

6. Witch Hunt

7. Scream!

8. Saturday Night

9. Pumpkin Head

10. Scarecrow Man

11. Die Monster Die

12. Living Hell

13. Descending Angel

14. Them

15. Fiend Club

16. Hunting Humans

17. Helena

18. Kong Unleashed

Monster Mash (1999)

1. Monster Mash

2. Monster Mash (Live)

Cuts From The Crypt (2001)

1. Dead Kings Rise

2. Blacklight

3. The Haunting

4. The Hunger

5. Mars Attacks

6. Dr. Phibes Rises Again

7. I Got A Right (The Stooges cover)

8. Monster Mash

9. I Wanna Be A NY Ranger

10. Scream (Demo)

11. 1,000,000 Years B.C.

12. Helena 2

13. Devil Doll

14. Fiend Without A Face

15. Bruiser

16. No More Moments

17. Rise Above (Black Flag cover) 

Day The Earth Caught Fire (2002)

1. Misfits - Day The Earth Caught Fire

2. Balzac - The Haunting/Don't Open 'til Doomsday

Project 1950 (2003)

1. This Magic Moment

2. Dream Lover

3. Diana

4. Donna

5. Great Balls Of Fire

6. Latest Flame

7. Monster Mash

8. Only Make Believe

9. Runaway

10. You Belong To Me

Psycho In The Wax Museum (2006)

1. Angel Baby

2. Death Of A Fallen Angel

Land Of The Dead (2009)

1. Land Of The Dead

2. Twilight Of The Dead

The Devil's Rain (2011)

1. The Devil's Rain

2. Vivid Red

3. Land Of The Dead

4. The Black Hole

5. Twilight Of The Dead

6. Curse Of The Mummy's Hand

7. Cold In Hell

8. Unexplained

9. Dark Shadows

10. Father

11. Jack The Ripper

12. Monkey's Paw

13. Where Do They Go?

14. Sleepwalkin'

15. Ghost Of Frankenstein

16. Death Ray

Dea.d. Alive! (2013)

1. The Devil's Rain

2. Vivid Red

3. Land Of The Dead

4. Curse Of The Mummy's Hand

5. Cold In Hell

6. Dark Shadows

7. Death Ray

8. Shining

9. American Psycho

10. Dig Up Her Bones

11. Scream!

12. Helena

13. Science Fiction/Double Feature

14. Saturday Night

Descending Angel (2013)

1. Descending Angel

2. Science Fiction / Double Feature

Horror Xmas (2013)

1. You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch

2. Island Of Misfit Toys

3. Blue Christmas

Vampire Girl / Zombie Girl (2015)

1. Vampire Girl

2. Zombie Girl

Friday The 13th (2016)

1. Friday The 13th

2. Nightmare On Elm Street

3. Laser Eye

4. Mad Monster Party