Released:  July 1st, 1986

Recorded:  January 1978, January 1979, August 1980, 1981, July 1983, 1985

Genre:  Punk, Horror Punk

Record Label:  Caroline

Duration:  40:19

Producers:  Misfits, SPOT

Personnel

Single

Why Collection I is One of My Favorites

Aside from the soundtracks that comprised Volume 2, I’ve tried to stay away from compilations.  Not every album represents a singular, artistic statement, but compilations degrade any notion of consistency and can really misrepresent the abilities and range of certain bands with huge catalogs.  But since I’m going out of the lines a little already with this “almost 90’s” set of albums, and since much of the Misfits’ early work was released with limited distribution, Collection I (or simply Misfits as it’s officially known) turns out to be an amalgam of the group’s early work rather than a cherry-picked selection of “the best.”  The first half of the album roughly approximates to the band’s output between 1978 and 1980, while the latter half features a “harder” sound that the band began developing around ’81 through Danzig’s departure in 1983.

Misfits (not to be confused with Only’s resurrection of the band sans Danzig which would be known as The Misfits) were one of those bands that everyone seemed to be fans of back in highschool, though looking back on it I find it strange that no one ever brought up the muddy production values.  Ever.  It was like the Misfits were just another band, nevermind their demo-quality recordings.  I’m convinced that much of what drove this was the band’s skull logo being plastered everywhere.  During the mid and late 90s, over a decade since any output from the band, the skull was all over t-shirts, posters, wallets, hats, and any other novelty item ever endowed with a band name.

As to what drove the proliferation of the logo, I do not know.  Misfits gained some recognition with a younger crowd after Metallica’s cover of “Die Die My Darling” on Garage Inc., though I just can’t imagine it spurring the entire phenomenon.  Cradle of Filth also covered “Death Comes Ripping” on their From the Cradle to Enslave EP, which was a huge commercial success (relatively) for the boys, but again, I can’t imagine this having a serious impact, plus the trend was already in full swing by ’99 anyway.  At any rate, apparently everyone knew who the Misfits were, or at least had the vague notion that they were a punk rock outfit, but I seriously question how man “fans” had ever dug into their music.

Figuring out where to get into the Misfits isn’t easy, especially since most of their Danzig-era material didn’t see a wide release until years after the guys broke up.  Collection I and Collection II are your best bets, and all that you really need unless you find yourself becoming a die-hard fan, and I slightly prefer Collection I.  

To get the obvious out the way, the production on these songs varies from terrible to not-quite-as-terrible.  It takes some getting used to, and it’s a real shame that we don’t get to hear at least some minimally polished versions of these songs.  Then again, the lo-fi aspect has become part of the “Misfits sound” and, for many people, makes the music what it is.  Some songs sound better than others, especially as the album progresses, due to the chronological layout of the tracks and the band’s ability to presumably afford higher production values and/or their own increasing experience with recording equipment.  For the most part, the drums are flat, the bass is barely audible, the guitar is a sort of sweeping fuzz that engulfs the song, and yet strangely, Danzig’s powerful vocals sore over most of the muddy noise.  The good news is that the music is simple enough when it comes to rhythms and chord progressions that it’s pretty easy to hear what’s actually going on.

It’s easy to see what the Misfits were going on about just from the song titles (“Vampira,” “Skulls,” “Mommy, Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight?” and more): horror!  But this isn’t “horror” like goregrind or death metal, it’s fun, campy horror.  The entire record is like a B-movie (C-movie?) in musical form.  In that regard, the lo-fi sound helps to establish a parallel between low budget film and low budget punk rock.

Before “punk” became synonymous with “hardcore punk,” there was an era where the style borrowed heavily from the early rock ‘n’ roll of the 1950s.  (“Borrowed” may not be the right word; many of them sought a return to the sound of acts like Chucky Berry and Buddy Holly.)  A lot of original punk musicians were interested in resurrecting a simpler form of music that moved away from the psychedelica and break from tradition of the 60’s.  Punk rockers wanted to do away with solos, long songs, “jam” songs, and “weird” instrumentation (goodbye Beatles, Beach Boys, Hendrix…) – they wanted a return to short verse-chorus structure, simple chords, simple playing, and catchy tunes.  Yes, early punk musicians were interested in reintroducing conventional melodies into songs after the aimless meandering of rock in during the 60’s.  Now there were also social and political implications that came with the punk movement (especially in the UK), but when we’re talking CBGB New York stuff like The Ramones, The Dead Boys, The Cramps, Blondie, Joan Jett, and yes, the Misfits, they more or less shared these stylistic ideals.

The Misfits used creepy imagery and overtly focused on horror-themed elements, yet the similarities to 50’s rock ‘n’ rollers is quite evident.  Danzig uses his voice to actually sing, something that’s been lost in today’s world of hardcore.  In fact, it’s these melodies that really stick out amid the murky production values of Collection I.  There’s lots of “oooh’s” brought straight from the 50’s in songs like “Astro Zombies,” “I Turned Into a Martian,” and several more.  The pleasant tunes are the main thing that keep Collection I so listenable.

The music may sound like it’s coming through a pillow from underwater, but at least it’s simple enough to be heard.  Chord progressions are nothing fancy, though they get the job done and set the stage for Danzig’s vocals.  Musically, the first half of the record is fairly light and upbeat.  It’s fast and catchy, with very few frills, but it works.  Even old folks will start tapping their feet to songs like “Where Eagles Dare,” despite the chorus being, “I ain’t no goddamn son of a bitch / you better think about it baby!”  So many of the first 13 or so tracks beg to be sung along to – “I Turned Into a Martian,” “Skulls,” “Vampira,” “Horror Business,” and “Astro Zombies” just to name a few.

The second half of the album (maybe a little less, the last 7 tracks or so) represent a band coming into its own as well as changing with the times.  Besides the slightly better production, the Misfits get a little faster, a little heavier, and a little darker, evident in songs like “Mommy, Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight?”, “Die, Die My Darling,” and “Death Comes Ripping.”  “Green Hell” is especially fast, reflecting the growing trend in the 80’s of punk’s new mantra: “faster, faster, FASTER!”  Melody hasn’t completely gone out the window yet, but it is starting to give way to quicker, shouted vocals as in tracks like “Wolfsblood” and “Devilock.”

Overall, Collection I is an excellent primer for the Misfits, and really, could be considered an integral part of hearing just what they have to offer.  With so many of their tracks scattered on rare singles and EPs and many more altered, remixed, and reworked years after the band’s breakup, amassing a neat little stack of Misfits albums and following their career chronologically isn’t the easiest thing to do.  Even the songs on Collection I are sometimes alternate mixes/takes of those originally available,controversy surrounds a handful of songs on Collection II that may or may not be true Misfits songs (though altered by Danzig to appear as such, without any other proper band members), and Static Age, which saw a widespread release in 1997, was originally slated to be the group’s debut album back in 1978.

Luckily, Collection I is not only the easiest way out of this dilemma, but also a fair snapshot of the band’s career from their early punk sounds, to the addition of campy and horror elements, and finally leading up to their tendencies towards hardcore.  The middle chunk tends to be my favorite, but at a mere 40 minutes it’s easy to give the entire record a listen.  It’s a great crossroads between the lighter and darker sides of earlier punk rock, and if I’m going to listen to something this lo-fi, Collection I at least makes the adjustment worth. Ultimately it’s just a fun sound that hits the spot every now and then when nothing else will.

Written by The Cubist

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