Song of the Death Machine : Bruce Haack

A Halloween Special!  You lucky lucky people! This is a one off event, never to be repeated. Well it's unlikely to be repeated as these four robot songs are all I found with a (tenuous) Halloween theme.

Throughout the 1960s, Bruce Haack produced a number of records aimed at young children that included his Dance, Sing & Listen series, The Way Out Record for Children (from which the previously posted School for Robots was taken), and the Electronic Record for Children.

Then along comes the 70s and Bruce's next LP is titled The Electric Lucifer. Was this release aimed at children or a more mature audience? I've no idea... but what I do know is that this song would have scared the bejeezus out of me when I was a kidbot! It's not only the devilishly deviant arrangement or the demonic delivery of the lyrics that gives this song its edge, but the way the melody meanders around a dark and dissonant soundscape that makes it really sinister... and then there's the word KILL at the end of each passage. All in all... a beautiful lullaby.

School for Robots : Bruce Haack

Quite possibly my favourite robot song so far is School for Robots by one of the unsung pioneers of electronic music; Bruce Haack. Taken from his 1968 LP, The Way Out Record for Children, this is a dance along song, so listen carefully and move to the music.

This is only one of a number of songs about robots by Bruce Haack that I'll be posting. I could waffle on at length about the man himself and his pioneering work with electronic music, but for those who are interested, here's a wiki link. There's also a DVD documentary called HAACK: The King of Techno, which is well worth a look if you're interested in early electronic music.