Elissa & The Stiffs - Do The Dead

from Revenge of the Killer Sounds of Halloween by Sean Keller & Friends

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Played just once on KELP El Paso (570 AM) on October 12th,1979 as part of the Local Artist spotlight, THE DEAD (B-side – The Dead [Instrumental]) was banned from the air after three listeners committed suicide that night. Station manager, Herb Shepp, bought 47 of the 50 pressings simply to destroy them, calling the record “evil”. He switched KELP’s format to Gospel barely a week later in order to “cleanse the frequency”.

Lead Singer, Elissa Darke managed to hold onto three copies until a drug overdose claimed her life just eight months later. No one knows what became of her belongings.

A collector in Manhattan, Ks tracked down a copy in May of 1983. That night he set fire to his home, killing himself and his menagerie of cockatiels. The record was destroyed in the blaze. This is one of the two remaining copies of this lost classic.

lyrics

There’s a graveyard dance sweeping the land
I’ll show you how to do it, just take my hand
It’s simple and painless, you’ll learn it quick
It’s called “The Dead” and it goes like this
Just hold your breath till the world disappears
Leap into the darkness, forget your fears
Leave your body lying there on the floor
Now that you’re dead you don’t need it anymore!

It might sound scary, facing the void
Let the blackness be your blanket, embrace the joy
The world’s sharp edges will be worn down smooth
When you do “The Dead” and follow our groove
No more trouble, no more pain
Just a sweet release from everything
Come down to the boneyard, join us, please
We’ll be doing “The Dead” for eternity

A gun is messy, but it’ll do the trick
Pills are easy, A razor’s quick
Just pick your poison and do it right
And you’ll be doing “The Dead” with us every night
Hemingway’s here, Sylvia too
Superman & Marilyn will welcome you
All the cool kids are dancing on the edge of a knife
Come do “The Dead” it’ll only cost your life

credits

from Revenge of the Killer Sounds of Halloween, released September 22, 2020
Vocals by Elissa Wagner
written, performed and produced by Sean Keller
engineered, mixed, mastered & co-produced by Folsom Keller

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about

Sean Keller Los Angeles, California

Co-writer of Hulu & Blumhouse's ALL THAT WE DESTROY. Composer/creator of SLASHED! The Musical.
I've been a rocker, a slasher, a vampire, a zombie, a cop & a cowboy.

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