I don’t know about you, but when I’m reading my comics, I like to listen to music. Since I haven’t been able to find very much information online of other people’s musical choices while they read (I know it’s just me), I’ve decided to detail mine here. Hence, Superhero Playlist.
While I have created several playlists to listen to, different ones for different comics, this installment is about my Old School Batman playlist. Now, this is not what I listen to when I’m reading my new Batman books I picked up this week at the comic shop. This is when I’m reading older Batman back issues or collections. Pretty much anything from the intro of Robin up to Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams’ run. Anything newer is a separate, dedicated “modern” Batman playlist which I might go into another time. If you‘re perusing a Dick Sprang Joker story, or a 50’s Batman outer space story, and need some musical accompaniment, I’ve got your back.
First up is the Batman 60’s Television soundtrack. I cannot stress enough that this is an OLD SCHOOL Batman mix. The backbone of this list is made up of music released around the classic television series. This is the actual themes from the show and the first time the Batman TV theme pops up on the playlist. Trust me when I say that it won’t be the last.
Up next naturally, is the soundtrack to the 60’s Batman movie made in conjunction with the TV series.
Then followed up by Batman and Robin by Sun Ra (the sensational guitars of Dan & Dale.) There are alot of nice instrumental surf guitar tracks on this that go great with more lighthearted silver-age stories without distracting from them.
Next is Batman and Other Super Men by The Revengers. This one features other themes besides
Batman, but I decided to include them because they all fit the tone of the list. Plus, how great is it that I can put a band called The Revengers on a Batman mix. Revenge is like what Batman is all about!
After that is The Batman Theme Played by The Marketts. This is another one that showcases some good instrumental tracks that are great for reading to. I’m pretty sure it is the only one, maybe in existence, that features a track named for Dr. Death. That’s an old-school Batman reference even for back then!
Following that is probably the crown jewel of this list. Batmania: Songs Inspired by the Batman TV Series. As far as I’ve been able to learn about this, is that it’s a compilation of songs released around the time of the show. It features Adam West, Burgess Meredith, and Frank Gorshin SINGING ON IT. Take a second, read that last sentence again. Now take a breath and realize how astounding this album is. Not just a soundtrack,this also acts as a time capsule of the popularity surrounding the 60’s show.
Now we get to what is easily the most contemporary entry on the list. Batman: The Brave and the Bold Mayhem of the Music Meister soundtrack. This is the music from the Music Meister episode of the amazing Batman: The Brave and the Bold cartoon series. Even though this is a modern album, the tone of the show in general harkened back to the silver-age Batman stories of the past. All of these tunes feel like they could have been produced for an old Batman story. It is also superior to the others here in that Batman actually sings on this! Oh yeah, Doogie Howser is on here too.
There’s just no way I’m compiling an old-school Batman playlist without throwing The Ventures interpretation of the Batman Theme on here. It’s just not done.
Ditto for Link Wray and The Raymen’s version. How are you not putting this on here?
So the tone of this list is fun, fast-paced Batman music. I’ve lucked out that there was a time when there was a demand for this music and a LOT was produced. I wasn’t intentionally limiting this list to only Batman music. It turned out I didn’t really have to go outside that though. When I was compiling this I contemplated adding some Man…Or Astroman? to this and some other more modern surf music. Eventually, I decided to just keep it in the Batcave and include the soundtracks listed here.
I usually listen to this and other playlists on random while I read. I feel it helps keep the music fresh. Plus, some of the albums feature narratives and that prevents it from interrupting the story I am reading. So, if you’ve been jonesing for something to Batusi to while reading your classic Batman comic books, you’re welcome.
-Dan
