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| Grace Slick and Jefferson Airplane |
From out of the gates of Hell, Grace Slick's powerful contralto voice cleaved a terrifying gash in America's consciousness with her chilling cautionary tale, "White Rabbit," by Jefferson Airplane. Equal parts Lewis Carroll, Ravel's Bolero and 1960s San Francisco counter-culture, White Rabbit peaked at #8 on the Billboard charts, but its influence has extended over the decades to a variety of artists (including sampled bits by Del the Funkee Homosapien, Nice and Smooth, and Girl Talk.) White Rabbit (mp3) - Jefferson Airplane
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| Siouxsie Sioux |
Some ten years later, Susan Janet Ballion experienced a gothic transformation from a mild-mannered artistic loner in south London into the glam-punk heroine known as Siouxsie Sioux. Initially a punk act in the mode of the Sex Pistols, Siouxsie and the Banshees went onto to chart an ambitious course between New Wave, opera and goth rock. "Monitor," from the brooding 1981 release Juju, comes across like the Second Coming of Slick's "White Rabbit" (Slick herself by this time had moved on to cheesy top-40 radio hits with the Jefferson Airplane, nee Jefferson Starship). Monitor (mp3) - Siouxsie and the Banshees
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| Esben and the Witch |
Fast forward to now, and the Brighton band Esben and the Witch's chilling "Marching Song" from the forthcoming album Violet Cries. Barely contained contralto fury? Check. Martial beat? Yes. Obscure, psychedelic mythos? Umm-hmmn. Marching Song (mp3) - Esben and the Witch
Oh yeah ... Happy Halloween.
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