Rhino Factoids: 5 Albums Originally Released on Halloween

It’s Halloween, which would be the perfect time to play up some of the scariest songs of all time, but we thought we’d defy expectations and go in a different direction: we’re spotlighting five albums from our catalog which – incidental of the holiday occurring on the same day – happened to be released on Halloween.

1. Led Zeppelin, LED ZEPPELIN II (1969): Is there anyone who’s willing to admit that they feared that this album might turn out to be a sophomore slump? If so, we can only imagine that they’d concede it with a sheepish grin on their face, given that it includes some of the most iconic songs of Led Zeppelin’s career, including “Whole Lotta Love,” “Heartbreaker,” “Ramble On,” and “Moby Dick.”

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2. The Manhattan Transfer, EXTENSIONS (1979): A transitional album for The Manhattan Transfer, this featured the introduction of Cheryl Bentyne into the lineup, and it also provided the group with two chart hits with “Twilight Zone / Twilight Tone,” a #12 hit on the Billboard Disco chart, and “Trickle, Trickle,” which hit #73 on the Billboard Hot 100. The most recognizable song, however, is probably “Birdland,” which ultimately won a Grammy award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance.

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3. Grateful Dead, BUILT TO LAST (1989): Arguably the most thematically-appropriate album on this list – because, you know, they’re the Grateful Dead? – this album made some waves with its single, “Foolish Heart,” but it’s predominantly remembered for being the very last studio album recorded by the band.

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4. Deftones, SATURDAY NIGHT WRIST (2006): This was the Deftones’ third consecutive top-10 album, and they’d make it four for four with 2010’s DIAMOND EYES. The biggest hit from the LP was its opening track, “Hole in the Earth,” which was a top-20 US Modern Rock hit, but the band also found successful with “Mein,” which featured guest Serj Tankian.

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5. Lou Reed and Metallica, LULU (2011): One of the more unlikely musical collaborations in recent memory, the album came about as a result of Reed and Metallica playing together at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 25th Anniversary Concert. The end results left both Reed fans and Metallica fans a little unsteady on their feet, as it was ultimately rather different from anything that either had released in the past, but it definitely caught people’s attention, thanks additionally to the video for the song “The View,” which was directed by Darren Aronofsky.

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