Somewhere between the corporate fuck glam of Kiss and the shock rock of Alice Cooper lies Misfits. A gritty combo of monster makeup and hardcore punk, Misfits brought Horror Punk from the depths of hell and unleashed it upon this mortal coil. Led by Glenn Danzig, a stocky figure so imposing he was once considered by Twentieth Century Fox to play Wolverine, despite no acting experience, Misfits were rock mutants in a league of the own. Beginning their rampage in 1977, 1982’s Walk Among Us was the band’s first full-length release. Stitched together from previous recordings Walk Among Us is a punchy 25 minutes of monster mayhem.

Songs tell tales of Martians, vampires, and Astro-zombies, all while embodying a monster mash party vibe, fueled by the sheer attitude of 60s garage rock. “Woah-Ohs!” and “Yeah! Yeah! Yeahs!” boom behind the brooding croon of Glenn Danzig. Arthur Googy pounds away on drums as brothers, guitarist Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein and bassist Jerry Only (originator of the Devil Lock haircut) forge Satan’s favorite soundtrack. It’s hard to think of another band that has so encapsulated horror movies into their music. There’s no political confrontation here, just freaky fun and high voltage power.

Walk Among Us feels surprisingly upbeat considering its grisly wrappings. It just goes to show that you can embody a love for horror without guttural howls about burning through witches. You don’t have to be on 24/7 suicide watch to write horror songs. From its Sci-Fi inspired album cover to it’s kitschy lyrics, Walk Among Us is spooky good fun.

Favorite Tracks: “Astro Zombies,” “Skulls,” “Vampira”

It’s a good time to be a Badfinger fan. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past few days, you’ve probably heard that Breaking Bad has ended. I won’t spoil the final moments, but I can say that Vince Gilligan chose “Baby Blue” from Badfinger’s 1971 album Straight Up as the show’s swan song. Since airing, “Baby Blue” and Badfinger has seen an incredible resurgence online. As of today, “Baby Blue” has sold over 5,000 downloads and has seen a 9000% stream increase on Spotify. I haven’t fact checked that last statistic but who cares, 9000%! “Baby Blue” is a great song but it’s also on a great album. Let’s talk about Straight Up.

Relased in 1971, Straight Up is the third release from Liverpool’s Badfinger. Produced by Todd Rundgren and George “Fucking” Harrison, Straight Up is a polished display of power pop rockers and Beatle-esque love ballads. Known for having Badfinger’s biggest single “Day After Day”, featuring Dual slide guitars from guitarist/vocalist Pete Ham and George “Fucking” Harrison, Straight Up is heartfelt and optimistic. The album presents an interesting parallel to the often tumultuous career of this troubled band. Often weighed down by poor management and severe financial issues, a great deal of Badfinger’s work went unnoticed. A real shame when you see the unique talent of each member.

The songwriting and singing is primarily split between guitarists Pete Ham and Joey Molland, with bassist Tom Evans occasionally chiming in with his high Liverpudlian swoon. While Molland handles the 2:50 minute rockers like “I’d Die Babe” and “Suitcase”, Pete Ham (the band’s unofficial leader) crafts the hits. Though every member pulled their own weight, Ham is what made Badfinger, Badfinger. “Day After Day” and “Baby Blue” were not only some of the band’s best songs, but some of the best pop/rock songs of the early 70s.

I’m excited to see where this will all go. While Badfinger’s legacy is guaranteed to live on, I’m curious to see how many Breaking Bad fans will delve deeper into Badfinger’s discography. And hopefully this doesn’t lead to Badfinger forever being associated with smoking crystal meth.

Favorite Tracks: “Baby Blue,” “I’d Die Babe,” “Perfection”