| Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Walt Disney Studios |
| Cover: | Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House.jpeg |
| Released: | 1964, 1973 |
| Genre: | Novelty |
| Language: | English |
| Label: | Walt Disney Records |
Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House is an LP album intended for "older children, teenagers, and adults",[1] released by Disneyland Records (now known as Walt Disney Records). The album was mainly composed of sound effects that had been collected by the sound effects department of Walt Disney Studios. The album was released in several different forms. The album was first released in 1964 in a white sleeve, with a second release in 1973 with an orange sleeve. In both versions, the first side contained 10 stories narrated by Laura Olsher,[2] complete with sound effects. The second side contained 10 sound effects meant for others to create their own stories.
Despite the title, not all the cuts were related to haunted houses or witches or ghostly spirits. Featured were such situations as an ocean liner hitting rocks, an idiotic lumberjack, a man crossing an unsafe bridge, someone lighting a stick of dynamite and a spaceship landing on Mars. Also, there are tracks with several examples of cats, dogs and birds (similar to The Birds) becoming enraged for some reason, as well as a skit about Chinese water torture.
The 1964 album became a certified gold record by the RIAA on December 7, 1972.[3]
A 1974 British release appeared with a completely redesigned cover.
Disney released the New Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House in 1979, an updated album with 33 tracks. While lacking specific Haunted Mansion content, the new release contained many completely different effects (including sources also used for Looney Tunes productions). The updated 1979 album was certified gold by the RIAA on April 11, 1988. Excerpts from the 1979 album were included on the CD Halloween Songs & Sounds.
The covers of the American albums featured an image painted with acrylics by Paul Wenzel, which he created as concept art for the attraction The Haunted Mansion. The original was 37" x 39" and was purchased at auction in 2001 for US$3,000. The cover of the British release featured an actual photo of the ride, while the 1979 album simply displayed a colored image of a haunted house, ravens and a skeleton in a coffin.
Some of the stories on the album are notable for being sampled in rap songs such as N.W.A's "Quiet on Tha Set," Ice Cube's "Look Who's Burnin'" and "Jackin' for Beats", and Jedi Mind Tricks' "Chinese Water Torture". Xero, precursor to the rock band Linkin Park, sampled "The Very Long Fuse" on their 1997 demo tape.
American rock band Phish performed side one of Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House, with original instrumental music to accompany the album, on October 31, 2014, as their "musical costume" for the second set of their Halloween show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.[4] [5] Following that performance, the band has made their interpretation of "Martian Monster" a regular part of their concert repertoire and have performed it at over 40 subsequent concerts.[6]