Whale Songs: The Expanded Dark Shadows Jukebox (1966-67)

The jukebox at The Blue Whale had an absurdly limited selection of music. It's become a source of amusement to many DARK SHADOWS fans, even though few people consider this to be a legitimate "problem" with the series. We might make jokes, but it's actually kind of comforting to hear the same faux-surf guitar chords at the start of any scene taking place at Collinsport's favorite (and apparently only) hangout.

Equal parts indifference/budgetary restrictions meant that few pieces of music not written by staff composer Robert Cobert ever found their way to the Blue Whale's jukebox ... but what if that jukebox was stocked with pop music of the time?

It's a question I've asked myself a few times over the years. But it's harder than you might think to compile an honest selection of music themed for a very idiosyncratic television show. Left to my own devices, I'd probably just whittle down the tracks of the first three Velvet Underground albums into a single 70-minute disc, but that's a concept that wouldn't work for everybody.

A DARK SHADOWS playlist needs to reflect not only the era, but also convey something of the atmosphere of the original television show. It's essentially a diagetic soundtrack for the first year of DARK SHADOWS that doubles as commentary. #Pretentious.

Below you'll see a jukebox directory of my final selections, complete with B-sides. Any of these tunes would make a good soundtrack for getting punched in the jaw by Burke Devlin and/or kicking Willie Loomis' ass.

Go hunt for these songs on Amazon!

(UPDATE #1: A few readers pitched song titles and bands to be included on The Blue Whale jukebox. Their ideas let me expand the list to include ten more artists. The new tracks are at the bottom of the page.)

(UPDATE #2: You can now listen to the playlist on Spotify! As with any good jukebox, you'll find a few discrepancies between the tracks listed and the tracks available. Spotify didn't have every song on the available list, so I've patched the holes with a few different tracks. You can listen to them below.)

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