I collect and love Halloween-themed records. I have obsessed over them. I have spent ridiculous amounts of money on them. I've wondered about how sitting by yourself, drinking beer and listening to Halloween sound effects records might not be healthy. I suppose it is a way to go back in time, capture a bit of lost youth, because they DO NOT make Halloween records like they used to...
If I did not suffer from untreated Adult Attention Deficit Disorder, I would love to write a whimsical book about how the records of Wade Denning helped shape me as a person, helped make me the person I am today...maybe one day...
Anyway.
I came across this mysterious, Cleveland-based (that is, recorded here in the best location in the nation) record a few years:
The Bleeding Mirror and other original tales of the supernatural.
I have yet to find any information about it - other than what the liner notes tell us:
The theme of the album is horror - sheer occult horror to ice your spine and tingle your nerve ends. These are stories for a stormy night, when the fire is low and the hour is late.
The author of these tales are uniquely fitted for the task. Evelyn Martin and William Wray were both born with a caul - that birth membrane sometimes called "a veil over the face." Those people are blessed - or cursed as the case may be - with a caul over the face of birth, are supposed to have second sight and be granted the power to see things supernatural.
Martin and Wray certainly kept the legend alive, both separately, and since their writing partnership began. Many of these experiences are chronicled in their book, DAMNED THINGS. Since then they have authored several books, including DEVIL'S ARCHWAY, BITTERWEED, and THE DAY THE ANIMALS LEFT.
The Bleeding Mirror is a true story, as is The Rocking Chair. Both Martin and Wray have seen the light at Maco. The authors have been repeated guests on the Alan Douglas Show, (NBC) discussing their supernatural experiences.
Martin and Wray together with Ilene Latter who enacts the female voices on this album, are founders of the Physical Research Society of Northeastern Ohio.
Miss Latter is equally well known in the world of the theatre and the world of radio and television commercials. She is featured on the album together with William Wray and Carl Reese, actor and personality with Storer Broadcasting.
The album is produced by Evelyn Martin. Recording and production engineer is Bob Nowac. The album was recorded at Alcon Recording Studios, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Obviously, these folks are not out to snag the "monster kid" market of the 1970s - this is some serious stuff here. The fact they founded something called the Physical Research Society of Northeastern Ohio, which, I will assume, must have been some sort of organization that did paranormal research tells us that these folks are not out to just give sugared-up kids the creeps.
And the early 1970s is my guess as to when this record hit the shelves or was part of some weird mailorder catalog or was featured as an item for sale in one the illusive books written by Martin and Wray - who knows! It was released on the Macabre record label. The labels logo was just a black circle enclosed in a box - you can see it in the bottom right corner of my shoddy photo.
There was a record label associated with the studio in which the record was recorded. The releases on the label look like they fetch a pretty penny from the hardcore collectors of Northern Soul.
The Halloween records of the 60s/70s were fairly graphic. When I played the classic, Famous Monsters Speak, record for my children, I was taken aback a little by the grotesque descriptions of murder described by Frankenstien's Monster.
Of course, my kids loved it...
But...
Wow...the description of bones cracking in a monster's horrid hands is nothing compared to the much darker regions explored on The Bleeding Mirror and other original tales of the supernatural.
Leave it to a couple of mystics from Cleveland to present us with a tale about the end of the world and the death of...well...listen to "The Answer":
The Answer by Hallandgorcey
Admitedly, some of the performances on the record border on the hysterical. "Don't Bury Me!" for one is a doozy. And, yes, the word "original" in the title of the record might be stretching things more than a bit considering every one of these tales has a classic tale of terror that influenced it. "Don't Bury Me!" is an obvious ode to Edgar Allan Poe's tale, The Premature Burial. "Maco Light" was surely influenced by Charles Dicken's wondrous fright tale, The Signal-Man.
And so on.
But.
For homegrown, obscure "horror-themed" records, Evelyn Martin / William Wray / Ilene Latter / Carl Reese's presentation of The Bleeding Mirror and other original tales of the supernatural is quite fine for this and many other Halloween's to come. Especially the last track of the record...Sheesh!
side 1 - The Bleeding Mirror / Don't Bury Me! / Reincarnation / Maco Light / The Spider
side 2 - Baby Doll / The Rocking Chair / The Ivy Plant / The Answer
Get scared Here!
For more info on Halloween records the ONLY place to go is here. When I discovered Jason Willis and his amazing site six years ago I felt, well, less alone in the dark. HAhahahhahahHAahahaha!
Hi! My name is Kelly and my grandmother was Evelyn Martin. I came upon your site quite by accident when I was searching for information regarding my grandmother's old theater, The Muse. I was shocked to see that someone, other than my family, had The Bleeding Mirror record and was curious about you had come about getting it? I was very young when it was produced and have a copy of it myself, but wasn't sure how many copies were actually in circulation. The story about the Bleeding Mirror is actually true. The girl in the story that the actress is portraying was my mother and the mother was my grandmother, Evelyn Martin. There were many stories that I grew up with having to deal with the supernatural that literally scared the daylights out of me. My grandmother and her children were/are able to feel the presence of a ghost and could pinpoint the room the ghost was in. The book, Damned Things, told of a lot of these stories regarding my grandmother's childhood and the experiences she had with the supernatural, the experiences that Bill Wray had as he was growing up, and then the experiences that both my grandmother and Bill Wray had together after they had met. If I am not mistaken, Damned Things was never published, but the manuscript is with my family. Unfortunately, my grandmother, Bill Wray, and my mother have gone into the supernatural themselves and I am sure keeping a watch over all of us. It was cool just to see that their legacy is living on outside of the immediate family. If you have seen The Bleeding Mirror record being sold somewhere, please let me know. I only have the one copy and would love to get more. Thanks again for great memories!! Kelly
ReplyDeleteHi Kelly!! I'm tickled that you found the post!! I love the record!! It's been a mystery in my life for about ten years now. How I got it was a pure fluke. I love movie soundtracks and old Halloween-themed records. About ten years ago, I was perusing a seller's auctions on Ebay who was selling loads of soundtracks for affordable prices and The Bleeding Mirror was an oddball item among all of his records. The cover looked cool and I will take a chance on anything with a spooky theme, so I bought the record. I'm was intrigued even more when it arrived and I found that it was made by some folks in my neck of the woods. The Ebay seller was in Ohio - Cuyahoga Falls, I believe. This really is the beauty of the internet. I was truly hoping that someone who knew more about the record would pop out of the shadows. I'm so glad you did. I'm also glad to know that DAMNED THINGS was never published - I search for it every now and again - along with the other books listed in the notes. Were any of the other books published? Was your grandmother's theatre based in Cleveland? When was the record recorded? How was the record sold? I would love to know how the person who sold it to me got it. Maybe in some weird way I was meant to end up with it and post it. (: I made a recording of it for a pal here in town who used to have a radio show here on Cleveland State University's radio station (WCSB) - I'm not positive, but I believe he played selections from it on the air. That would have been a few years ago. I will ask him. Your grandma's stories might have been floating about the airwaves. Again, thanks so much for the comments - sorry it took so long to get back to you - holidays and all. If your grandmother ever stops by from the great beyond, please let her know she has a fan here in Cleveland!!
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Stephen. I live in Wilmington, North Carolina. I am assembling a collection of materials relating to Joe Baldwin & The Maco Light for sentimental value and for historical preservation.
Wilmington is about 15 miles from the site of the original railroad accident. I grew up hearing about Joe through legend and through oral tradition.
A lot of the original source materials for Baldwin's story have gone the way of the dinosaur, and I'd like to preserve his story for future generations.
I was wondering if you might be interested in selling the Bleeding Mirror record for a good price. I could pay decently for it. If that is an option, please let me know at stephenworrell@hotmail.com
Thank you.
Hi Mark, my name is Elena Wroblewski. I was also thrilled to come across your blog about The Bleeding Mirror! I've been scouring the internet in hopes of locating some audio files for a very good friend of mine who is one of Carl Reese's sons. After his father's passing, all recordings of his radio & voice work unfortunately seem to have been taken or lost, so we have been trying to find any audio that's out there. Would there be any way that you could share a copy of the recordings? Perhaps you already have them as digital audio files after sharing with your friend at CSU? I know my friend said that his father narrated 2 of the tracks, Maco Light and one other. It would mean so much to him to be able to hear his father's voice again, and I really want to make that happen for him.
ReplyDeleteWe are in Cleveland as well, and would be happy to talk more with you via email, phone or however you'd like. Thanks very much!