Search - Mannheim Steamroller :: Halloween 2: Creatures Collection (W/Dvd)

"Halloween 2 is Pure Fun for the Season...Mannheim Steamroll

J. Lovins | Missouri-USA | 09/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Each year my offspring's love for Halloween grows ~ so Chip Davis had to satisfy my entire family with this latest release "HALLOWEEN VOL.2~CREATURES COLLECTION", featuring the deranged arrangements by Chip and performed by the world famous Mannheim Steamroller gang...Chip brought along Josie Aiello (Background Vocals), Johnny Rutledge (Vocals),Barry Scott (Vocals, Actor, Track Performer),Roberta Thomas (Background Vocals), Simbryt Whititngton (Background Vocals)....with another spooky collection of originals and arrangements this continuing Halloween series spotlights scary film and television themes...we are a witness to sound effects, dance remixes "CREATURES OF THE NIGHT" and oh yes, bloodcurdling goose pimple tracks that will leave you horrified (sounds like a lot of fun, doesn't it)...watch the bonus dance video that makes this triangle complete as our costumed friends travel to our front door seeking sweet treats to satisfy their overpowering quest to scare the pants off of us....so what is all the hullabaloo about?...you're about to find out ~ and Chip knows just what button to push.



DISC 1:

MUSIC:

1. Creatures Of The Night

2. Addams Family Theme Song, The

3. Psycho Theme Song

4. Dark Shadows Theme Song

5. Superstition

6. Outer Limits Theme Song, The

7. Monster Mash

8. Trick Or Treat

9. Dr. Who Theme Song

10. X-Files Theme Song, The

11. Black Magic Woman

12. Munsters Theme Song, The

13. Mummy Walk (Psilvu Sahara)



DISC 2:

EFX:

1. Devil's Oath

2. Midnight Carnival

3. Go To The Light

4. Purgatory's Pond

5. Cosmic Flatliner

6. Demon's Dance

7. Alien Space Battle

CREATURES OF THE NIGHT DANCE REMIXES

8. Space-Men (Lift Off)

9. Bear-One - (Baltimore mix)

10. Trafik - (Techno Mix UK)

11. Mannheim Steamroller - (Creatures original mix)



DISC 3:

DVD VIDEO:

1. Creatures of the Night

2. Psycho

3. Monster Mash

4. Creatures of the Night

5. Dance Instructions Video



Great job by American Gramaphone, Mannheim Steamroller and Chip Davis for digging into their bag of tricks and coming up with this delectable treat ..looking forward to more of the same as the Halloween celebration continues to grow...order your copy now from Amazon or American Gramaphone, stay tuned once again for more Holiday delectables that only Chip Davis can deliver...just the way we like 'em!



Total: (2 CD & 1 DVD Set) ~ American Gramaphone 1033 ~ (9/12/2006)"

Steamroller Flattens Halloween Yet Again!

Michael R Gates | Nampa, ID United States | 09/08/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Considering the wonderfully fresh and innovative interpretations of traditional Christmas music that the Techno-Classical New Age ensemble Mannheim Steamroller has put out in the past couple of decades, one would think that the band's interpretation of macabre Halloween ditties would be diabolically delicious, a fresh on which lovers of Halloween could happily feast. Sadly, even with a second helping of Halloween tunes from this celebrated band, the children of the night still hunger.



Either composer/arranger/band leader Chip Davis has lost his touch, or he simply is not in contact with the true "spirit" of Halloween. As every "body" knows, the music for celebrating All Hallows' Eve should be macabre, creepy, or dreary. Certain passages should even make your skin crawl or your spine tingle. However, in spite of the inclusion of spooky standards like the theme from TV's DARK SHADOWS and Bernard Herrmann's eerie theme music from PSYCHO, most of Mr. Davis' arrangements just aren't creepy enough to evoke an ambiance worthy of October 31!



Curiously, the most egregious aspects of this CD are the tracks that include singing and lyrics. Mannheim Steamroller developed their reputation as a primarily instrumental group whose music included little, if any, vocalizations (and virtually no actual singing). The singing on this CD seems way out of step with the band's instrumental back-up music, almost as if each were conceived separately and each recorded totally without regard for the other. (For this reviewer, the singing for the cover of Santana's classic hit BLACK MAGIC WOMAN was especially difficult to listen to.)



As with the first Steamroller Halloween CD, this set includes some sound FX tracks, but also as with the first release, there is really nothing of note (excuse the pun) in this group of computer-created night noises. Mr. Davis just doesn't seem to understand that his synthesizer-generated FX simply are NOT scary, nor are they particularly convincing.



In short, the reputation of Mannheim Steamroller and the cool-looking jack-o'-lanterns on the jacket of this CD promise much more than is actually delivered. If you want hip, scary tunes for your Halloween celebrations, you'll have to look elsewhere, as this offering from Mannheim Steamroller is definitely flat."

Problems outweigh advantages

Kent Clarkson | west of Metropolis | 01/18/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"There are three cds in this package, but they are not identified as 1, 2 and 3, so it is easy to mix them up. Each has some good music and some hokey or kinky tracks. It would have been much better to deliver the good classical stuff on one cd, so it wouldn't be interrupted by the less attractive music. I like about one third of it, but it is mixed throughout, so, I probably won't listen to it often."