INDUCTEE NUMBER TWO

NOW IT'S TIME TO INDUCT THE SECOND SONG INTO THE BATTY AWARDS HALLOWEEN HALL OF FAME.  Today it's a song I first heard on the Dr. Demento Show; it was the annual Halloween episode of 1978 and this next stunned me because it was a previously unknown-by-me song by an artist I was very familiar with.  And it perfectly captured the Halloween vibe.  The second inductee into my Halloween Hall of Fame is. . .

PLEASE MR. GRAVEDIGGER by DAVID BOWIE

From David Bowie's self-titled 1967 album, this song derives from the earliest of early Bowie eras.  This was before he found his style and was doing singles which frankly sounded like Anthony Newley records.  This album contains novelty and bubblegum pop songs like "The Laughing Gnome" and "Love You Til Tuesday".  However, lurking somewhere amongst all this rather forgettable fluff is the magnificence that is "PLEASE MR. GRAVEDIGGER".  No instruments.  Just Bowie singing a cappella while he digs a grave in a thunderstorm.  Part Halloween hoot and part murder ballad, the song is both funny and a little disturbing.  Give it a listen over in the box to the right.