Danny Elfman - The Nightmare Before Christmas

Danny Elfman, who has scored many of Tim Burton's imaginative films (Edward Scissorhands, his two Batman films, etc.), is a perfect musical partner for the somewhat macabre director, and never more so than here, where, in fact, Elfman gets not only to write the music but to play the part of the main character. The Nightmare Before Christmas is an animated movie musical about the abduction of Christmas by the denizens of Halloween land, and Elfman sings the part of Jack, the Pumpkin King. The score is in his usual lush but threatening style (Kurt Weill is his biggest influence), but the highlight is Elfman's singing. Even in his rock band Oingo Boingo (now merely Boingo), Elfman doesn't get to sing like this. Granted, the soundtrack album inevitably lacks the film's outlandish visuals, but it tells the story on its own, and one is better able to appreciate Elfman's outstanding performance. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Name Credits Andy Bass Mixing Assistant Bill Easystone Mixing Assistant Bill Jackson Engineer Bob Badami Associate Producer, Editing Bobbi Page Vocal Contractor Bobby Fernandez Engineer Carmen Twillie ? Catherine O'Hara Vocals Chris Boardman Conductor Danny Elfman Vocals, Lyre, Producer, Composer Dave Collins Digital Editing, Digital Mastering Ed Ivory Vocals Gary Adler Art Direction Glenn Shadix Vocals Glenn Walters ? Greg Proops ? J.A.C. Redford Conductor Joel Franklin Copyist Ken Page Vocals Kerry Katz ? Letitia Rogers Assistant Music Editor Marc Mann Supervisor, Orchestra, Orchestration, Music Preparation Mark McKenzie Orchestra Mike Piersante Mixing Assistant Paul Reubens Vocals Randy Crenshaw ? Richard Kraft Associate Producer Sharon Rice Mixing Assistant Shawn Murphy Engineer, Mixing Sherwood Ball ? Steve Bartek Director, Orchestra Susan McBride ?