Track Listing

1. She
2. Hollywood Babylon
3. Bullet
4. Horror Business
5. Teenager's 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. Ghoul's Night Out
13. Astro Zombies
14. Mommy Can I Go Out And Kill Tonight
15. Die Die My Darling
16. Earth Ad
17. Devilock
18. Death Comes Ripping
19. Green Hell
20. Wolfs Blood

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14393 in Music
• Released on: 1999-10-18
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

CD Description
In the late 1970s, while the Ramones were making heads turnin New York City, Glenn Danzig was brewing something evil just across the Hudson River in Lodi, New Jersey. As singer and horror-obsessed leader of the Misfits, Danzig took the Ramones' sound and image and mutated it into a nightmarish punk/metal hybrid that every angst-ridden kid in Middle Americacould understand. Affectionately christened "ghoul rock", the band warned of zombie resurrection and alien invasion. Punk belonged to fashion hotbeds like London and New York; ghoul rock belonged to the suburbs where nothing happens.
Issued after the band's demise, MISFITS features the group's finest output, including some previously unreleased versions of classic songs. Opening with the Patty Hearst-inspired "She", the collection traces the band's evolution from amped-up, 1950s-inspired punk rock ("Astro Zombies") to scream-alonganthems ("Night of the Living Dead"), ending with their definitive model of thrash/punk ("Earth A.D".). Danzig's robustbaritone croons and wails atop fuzzed-out mid-range guitarsand bass, instilling the band with a sense of urgency that has never been replicated. The Misfits legacy lives on in this outstanding compilation, an important document for longtime fans and the perfect starting point for the uninitiated.

Customer Reviews

"Mommy...can I go out and kill tonight?"
The Misfits were hugely influential in introducing the goth aesthetic to the punk genre. This compilation, and its companion 'Collection II', includes the majority of their studio material from 1977 to the break-up of the original band in 1983. Glenn Danzig, who fronted the group, epitomised the DIY punk ethic: he single-handedly wrote all the songs, founded the fan club (the now legendary "Fiend Club"), made record covers by hand, printed t-shirts and mailed out letters and merchandise info. Between '77 and '83, many Misfits players came and went. The only other permanent member was bassist Jerry Only, who invented The Misfits' famous "devilock" hairstyle. Jerry's brother, the self-titled Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein, played guitar from '80-'83. The Misfits were named after the title of Marilyn Monroe's last movie, and adopted as a logo the image of a ghastly skull (nick-named "The Fiend") from 1946 horror movie 'The Crimson Ghost'.

Danzig had the lyrics to match their ghoulish appearance - on this album, 'London Dungeon', 'Night Of The Living Dead' and 'Death Comes Ripping' need no explanation. In the same pop trash vein, 'I Turned Into A Martian' and 'Teenagers From Mars' explore his love of kitsch sci-fi. Musically, Danzig referenced 50's rock 'n roll with instantly memorable guitar hooks, and the dynamism of his singing (which earned him the nick-name "Evil Elvis"). The Misfits played at a frantic pace - any track that made it past 3 minutes was an epic - and their production values showed total disregard for sharp, clear audio. The combination of Danzig's melodic songwriting with the band's vicious, chaotic performance style creates a unique tension that many have tried to imitate since.

Between this album and 'Collection II', it's a toss-up which one features more classic material. Quite frankly, it doesn't matter, because they both belong in every punk fan's stereo.

As for "What happened next?", post-1983 Danzig went on to front Samhain, and then the self-named 'Danzig' (still officially active today), both of which followed the cult success of the original Misfits with exciting alternative music. Jerry Only spent 12 years in obscurity before resurrecting The Misfits in 1995, without Danzig, after a bitter legal battle over the rights to the band name. Michale Graves, Danzig's replacement, proved to be an excellent frontman, forging a vocal style that was as much a respectful homage to Glenn as a fresh and distinctive new sound for the band. However, he only lasted for 2 albums before leaving to start a solo career. Since then, despite his obvious lack of singing ability, Only has attempted to front the band himself, and unsurprisingly The Misfits have floundered, with only one album (the disappointing 'Project 1950') released in the last decade. Sadly, due to continuing acrimony on both sides, a classic 'Fits reunion continues to look unlikely.

The Perfect Introduction ToThe Madness Of The Fiends....
If there was a way to buy instant punk rock credibility - youd buy it, wouldnt you??

If the answer to the above is yes, then MIsfits collection Vol.1 is for you. A collection of the essential Misfits tracks from the early part of their career, no one could hope for a better introduction to the band - unarguably one of the most important outfits of the scene to date - or perhaps even the whole punk scene.

Nestling nicely between obscurity and cult, The Misfits "cant play, but hold a killer melody" B movie inspired madness will perhaps never be quite as well exemplified as it here (despite the excellence of their newer material) on tracks such as Hollywood Babylon, Skulls, Teenagers From Mars and the ripping Bullet.

Some of the best songs by one of the best bands around.

Misfits newcomer? Get this.
We all know what a state the Misfits have become in recent years, and 'The New Misfits' is hopefully a signal that they will finally be laid to rest. But listening to this collection of songs from throughout the original horror-punkers discography, you would have imagined they would never be defeated.

Many of the highlights of the original albums are present here; songs like She, Skulls, Where Eagles Dare, London Dungeon and Die,Die My Darling are reminders as to what the Misfits used to be.

We all hate Glenn Danzig now, and laugh at him whenever we can, but on this collection we can see why he was such an influential and iconic frontman back in the day. He actually has a great singing voice. Musically, the Misfits were not spectacular. It's pretty much run-of-the-mill punk, but that's all it needs to be. That isn't to say that they didn't have their share of cool riffs (I love the opening riff to Vampira). Of course, the production on this CD isn't crystal clear, given that the songs were recorded in the 70s, but it's not overly terrible.

This CD will serve as a perfect introduction to anyone wanting to give the Misfits a try, although it's a pointless purchase if you already own a few of their albums. There isn't anything new - no new songs, and nothing at all in the liner booklet. But again, this is a perfect selection of songs for newcomers.