Robert Cobert's "Ode to Angelique"

The DARK SHADOWS phenomenon was beginning to wind down in 1970. Fans have been speculating for decades about the causes of the show's decline, but I think it's simply a matter of fatigue. Nothing lasts forever, and DARK SHADOWS managed to outlast contemporary series like STAR TREK, BATMAN and WILD WILD WEST — none of which made it out of the 1960s.

Billboard: July 4, 1070.

That fatigue was evident with the release of Robert Cobert's final(?) single from DARK SHADOWS, "Ode to Angelique." Released in in August, 1970, I can't find any evidence that the song even charted. Which is a shame, because it's a pretty good melody, and as distinctive as any of the previous selections of DARK SHADOWS music released.

As with the previous singles, "Ode to Angelique" also functioned as a plot element of the television series: The melody was written by composer Bruno Hess, an obsessed (and psychotic) former lover of Angelique Collins during the "Parallel Time" storyline. The 45 was backed with a track by Cobert titled "Missy" which appears to have nothing to do with DARK SHADOWS. The track was later included in the DARK SHADOWS 30th ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION album released in 1996.

Below is a collection of memorabilia related to the song, including a playlist from a New Jersey radio station that hilariously sandwiched the melody between tracks by Sugarloaf and Jackie DeShannon.

Note: The DARK SHADOWS fansite Darkness Falls recently returned from the dead and has the piano sheet music for "Ode to Angelique" available for download. Nevermind. It appears to be down again.