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Jack the Ripper
Screaming Lord Sutch belts out his bloodthirsty, Joe Meek-produced single in this splendidly tasteless full-colour promo film
Overview
Waving his plastic knife at a sultry assortment of pseudo-Victorian 1960s dollybirds, theatrically-inclined pop singer Screaming Lord Sutch gives it his all here, hammily prowling about the studio in full horror make-up, top hat and cape, unleashing an unforgettable performance of his macabre Joe-Meek-produced shock-rock single for the cameras of Cinebox, a rival film jukebox to the Scopitone.
Banned by the BBC upon its release on the Decca label in 1963, this distinctive, diggable and thoroughly disreputable record missed the charts entirely. Perhaps the world wasn't yet ready for pop songs about serial killers. But flamboyantly festooned with creepy sound effects and haunting echo-drenched production by noted eccentric independent music producer Joe Meek, it still sounds fresh, exciting and downright weird today.
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