Manfred Hübler & Siegfried Schwab - Vampyros Lesbos. Sexadelic Dance Party (1971) [OST]

It's hard to know how to critique an album like this one. Do you judge it on its musical merits (of which there are none) or on its usefulness as a piece of period kitsch (which is considerable)? To be generous, if you're throwing a 1960s-themed Halloween party and need mood music, then this album has no peer. Consisting of rock-orchestral music composed by the German duo of Manfred Hübler and Siegfried Schwab, this album is the soundtrack to an obscure softcore horror/porn movie from 1969, and the music would probably give even Austin Powers nightmares. Tasteless fuzz guitar, big echoey horn parts, terribly played sitar, a strange, cheesy organ -- this is every '60s-era musical cliché come to life (or undeath). One track is built on a shameless ripoff of the "Satisfaction" guitar riff; another features yowling, yelping, wordless vocals to unintentionally hilarious effect. Basically, this entire album is excruciating. But again, that doesn't mean it doesn't have its uses. Apart from the party mentioned above, it might also be just the thing for driving cockroaches out of your building. --- Rick Anderson