TIM BURTON'S THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Rating: 
Original Review:Everything an Elfman score should be: chirpy, quirky and loads of fun. This Grammy-award winning album starts well with an Overture of all the main themes of the film; Patrick Stewart's smoky-voiced narration the perfect opening to the wonderfully spooky 'This is Halloween' which leads into the sad 'Jack's Lament', sung surpsiringly well by Danny Elfman himself which has a magnificent, melancholy chorus. In fact, every song is an absolute macabre joy to listen to, especially the joyful, wide-eyed and innocent 'What's This?', a wonderful blues number, 'Oogie Boogie's Song', performed by Broadway star Ken Page, and the mischievous 'Kidnap the Sandy Claws', featuring the bickering tricksters Lock, Shock and Barrel. The score is unusual, as one would expect with Elfman, with lots of swirling strings, bouncing brass and usual la-la-la undercurrent. Brilliant, bewitching stuff.
Track Listing:
- Overture (orchestral) (1:47)
- Opening (narrated by Patrick Stewart) (0:57)
- This is Halloween (song) (3:15)
- Jack's Lament (song) (3:13)
- Dr Frankenstein/In the Forest (orchestral) (2:36)
- What's This? (song) (3:05)
- Town Meeting Song (song) (2:55)
- Jack and Sally Montage (orchestral) (5:17)
- Jack's Obsession (song) (2:45)
- Kidnap the Sandy Claws (song) (3:02)
- Making Christmas (song) (3:57)
- Nabbed (orchestral) (3:04)
- Oogie Boogie's Song (song) (3:16)
- Sally's Song (song) (1:47)
- Christmas Eve Montage (orchestral) (4:43)
- Poor Jack (song) (2:30)
- To the Rescue (orchestral) (3:38)
- Finale/Reprise (song) (2:44)
- Closing (narrated by Patrick Stewart) (1:25)
- End Titles (orchestral) (5:05)
Running Time: 61 minutes 16 seconds
Walt Disney/Pickwick DTSCD-478 (1993)
Voice Cast Danny Elfman, Catherine O'Hara, Paul Reubens, Ken Page and Ed Ivory.
Original score and song score composed by Danny Elfman. Lyrics by Danny Elfman. Conducted by Chris Boardman and J.A.C. Redford. Orchestrations by Steve Bartek and Mark McKenzie. Musical Director Steve Bartek. Recorded and mixed by Bill Jackson, Bobby Fernandez and Shawn Murphy. Edited by Bob Badami. Mastered by Dave Collins. Album produced by Danny Elfman, Bob Badami and Richard Kraft.
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These web pages were designed and maintained by Jonathan Broxton copyright 1997. All opinions and views expressed on these pages are my own and are in no way intended to reflect those of my employer, the Trent Institute for Health Services Research, or those of the University of Sheffield.