Horror Business
Encyclopedia
"Horror Business" is the third single released by the horror punk
band the Misfits. It was released on June 26, 1979 on singer
Glenn Danzig
's label Plan 9 Records.
The single's cover features a skeletal figure inspired by a poster for the 1946 film serial
The Crimson Ghost
. The figure became a mascot
for the band, and its skull image would serve as the Misfits' logo
for the rest of their career.
. They were originally going to be released as a five-track EP
, but only one acetate
copy was made. The band could not afford to release the EP, so they released three of the tracks as a single instead. The remaining two tracks, "Who Killed Marilyn?
" and "Where Eagles Dare", were released on the compilation album
Legacy of Brutality
in 1985 with overdubbed
guitar and bass tracks by Danzig. The original versions of "Where Eagles Dare" and "Teenagers from Mars" were included on the compilation album Misfits in 1986, and the original versions of all five tracks were released in 1996 in The Misfits box set.
in 1995. All three tracks, along with "Who Killed Marilyn?" and "Where Eagles Dare" from the same sessions, were reissued in The Misfits box set in 1996.
under the title "Horror Biz". This version appeared on Initium
(1984) and Live 85-86 (2001). "Horror Business" was covered
by Deadguy
on the 1997 tribute album
Violent World: A Tribute to the Misfits
, though their version is based on the live recording of the song from Evilive
. "Teenagers from Mars" was covered by Buck-O-Nine
on their album Barfly
(1995), by the Backyard Babies
on Hell on Earth: A Tribute to the Misfits (2000), and by The Network
on Money Money 2020
(2003). "Children in Heat" was covered by Alkaline Trio
on their "Halloween" single in 2002.
Horror punk
Horror punk is a music genre that mixes Gothic and punk rock sounds with morbid imagery and lyrics, which are often influenced by horror films...
band the Misfits. It was released on June 26, 1979 on singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
Glenn Danzig
Glenn Danzig
Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig (born Glenn Allen Anzalone; June 23, 1955 is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, entrepreneur, and a progenitor of the horror punk subgenre of music. He is a founder of bands the Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig...
's label Plan 9 Records.
The single's cover features a skeletal figure inspired by a poster for the 1946 film serial
Serial (film)
Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials, Film serials or Chapter plays, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction...
The Crimson Ghost
The Crimson Ghost
The Crimson Ghost is a Republic film serial directed by Fred C. Brannon and William Witney with Charles Quigley and Linda Stirling playing the leads. This was Witney's last serial, after a career that left him one of the most praised of all serial directors...
. The figure became a mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
for the band, and its skull image would serve as the Misfits' logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
for the rest of their career.
Background
The tracks for "Horror Business" were recorded in January and February 1979 at C.I. Recordings in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. They were originally going to be released as a five-track EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, but only one acetate
Acetate disc
An acetate disc, also known as a test acetate, dubplate , lacquer , transcription disc or instantaneous disc...
copy was made. The band could not afford to release the EP, so they released three of the tracks as a single instead. The remaining two tracks, "Who Killed Marilyn?
Who Killed Marilyn?
"Who Killed Marilyn?" is a song by Glenn Danzig, about questions surrounding the death of actress Marilyn Monroe, with the titular question suggesting she was murdered...
" and "Where Eagles Dare", were released on the compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
Legacy of Brutality
Legacy of Brutality
-Credits:* Glenn Danzig - vocals, guitar and bass on tracks 9, 10, and 13, overdubbed guitar and bass on tracks 1-8, and 11, clapping on track 13* Franché Coma - original guitar for tracks 1-8, and 11* Bobby Steele - original guitar for tracks 9, 10 and 12...
in 1985 with overdubbed
Overdubbing
Overdubbing is a technique used by recording studios to add a supplementary recorded sound to a previously recorded performance....
guitar and bass tracks by Danzig. The original versions of "Where Eagles Dare" and "Teenagers from Mars" were included on the compilation album Misfits in 1986, and the original versions of all five tracks were released in 1996 in The Misfits box set.
Pressing information
The first pressing of "Horror Business" consisted of 25 promotional copies on black 7" vinyl and 2,000 copies on yellow vinyl for sale. Some of these copies contained an insert with a story claiming that the band had recorded the single in a haunted house, resulting in strange unexplainable noises and voices in the background. However, this story was false. Due to a pressing error, an unknown number of copies had "Horror Business" on both sides rather than the b-side songs "Teenagers from Mars" and "Children in Heat", and some also had a different back cover.Re-releases and other versions
The songs "Horror Business" and "Teenagers from Mars" were reissued on the Beware EP in 1980 and again on the compilation album Misfits in 1986, while "Children in Heat" was reissued on Collection IICollection II
Collection II is the companion album to The Misfits' Collection I. Both compilations collect all the early singles and the entire Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood album, and are meant to complement Walk Among Us and Legacy of Brutality with little overlap...
in 1995. All three tracks, along with "Who Killed Marilyn?" and "Where Eagles Dare" from the same sessions, were reissued in The Misfits box set in 1996.
Cover versions
After the breakup of the Misfits, Danzig re-recorded "Horror Business" with his new band SamhainSamhain (band)
Samhain was an American rock band formed by singer Glenn Danzig in 1983, immediately following his departure from the Misfits. Samhain played in more of a deathrock and heavy metal-infused style of horror punk than Danzig's previous band. By 1987 Samhain's membership evolved into a new band,...
under the title "Horror Biz". This version appeared on Initium
Initium
Initium is the 1984 debut album of Samhain, released on lead singer Glenn Danzig's independent record label, Plan 9. In various interviews Danzig states that the album's title, which translates from Latin to English as "beginning", represents his new start after disbanding his prior band, The...
(1984) and Live 85-86 (2001). "Horror Business" was covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by Deadguy
Deadguy
Deadguy was a metalcore band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.-History:Formed in 1994, Deadguy took inspiration from bands like Unsane and Today is the Day. The band took their name from a line in the John Candy movie, Only the Lonely,...
on the 1997 tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
Violent World: A Tribute to the Misfits
Violent World: A Tribute to the Misfits
Violent World: A Tribute to the Misfits is a tribute album to the horror punk band the Misfits released in 1997 by Caroline Records. It features primarily punk rock bands performing cover versions of Misfits songs from the band's early era, 1977 to 1983....
, though their version is based on the live recording of the song from Evilive
Evilive
Evilive is a live album by The Misfits. It was initially released as a 7-song EP in December 1982 and later added 5 more songs and released as an album in October 1987. It was released on frontman Glenn Danzig's Plan 9 Records. The album title is a palindrome. The album is included in The Misfits'...
. "Teenagers from Mars" was covered by Buck-O-Nine
Buck-O-Nine
Buck-O-Nine is an American ska punk band which was formed in San Diego in 1991. The band has toured internationally and released several albums and e.p.'s, as well as appearing on compilations and film soundtracks. During the mid-to-late 1990s, they experienced mainstream success with the release...
on their album Barfly
Barfly (album)
Barfly is the second album from Buck-O-Nine, originally released in 1995 on Taang! Records. The album contains several cover songs that influenced the band's individual members. The cover songs were narrowed down from a list of seven possible cover songs the band had rehearsed and performed live,...
(1995), by the Backyard Babies
Backyard Babies
Backyard Babies are a rock band, from Nässjö, Sweden. The band was formed in 1987 and over the years they have released five studio albums and won a Swedish Grammy. The band is now located in Stockholm, Sweden....
on Hell on Earth: A Tribute to the Misfits (2000), and by The Network
The Network
The Network is a six-piece New Wave band. They released their debut album Money Money 2020 on Adeline Records on September 30, 2003. A re-release of the album, with two bonus tracks, followed in 2004. The band has not played a live performance since about late 2004 and is believed to have disbanded...
on Money Money 2020
Money Money 2020
Money Money 2020 is the debut album by the new wave band The Network. It was released on September 30, 2003 through Adeline Records.The album came with a DVD that featured six music videos for songs on the CD directed and produced by Roy Miles of AntiDivision. It was re-released by Reprise Records...
(2003). "Children in Heat" was covered by Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band that formed in McHenry, Illinois, in 1996. The band's line-up consists of Matt Skiba , Dan Andriano , and Derek Grant...
on their "Halloween" single in 2002.
Track listing
Band
- Glenn DanzigGlenn DanzigGlenn Danzig Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig (born Glenn Allen Anzalone; June 23, 1955 is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, entrepreneur, and a progenitor of the horror punk subgenre of music. He is a founder of bands the Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Bobby SteeleBobby SteeleBobby Steele is an American punk rock musician. He is the current guitar player, songwriter, and sole original member of punk band The Undead. He has been a member of multiple other bands, most notably, as the second guitarist of The Misfits...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocals - Jerry OnlyJerry OnlyJerry Only is an American bassist. He is the current bassist and vocalist for the Misfits. He is credited with creating the infamous hair style known as the devilock.-Life and career:...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals - Joey ImageJoey ImageJoey Image is an American punk rock drummer. He joined the Misfits in November 1978 just before Bobby Steele did. He was the drummer for both the Horror Business and Night of the Living Dead sessions of 1979....
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Production
- Dave Achelis – engineering
- Rich Flores - masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...