Danny Elfman: The Nightmare Before Christmas (2LP, soundtrack) [WALT DISNEY]

Why you'll love it

This 2LP set holds the full soundtrack, songs and score together, on 140g vinyl. Elfman wrote every song and sang Jack Skellington's part himself, and the film now sits in the US National Film Registry.

This edition

• 2LP set
• 140g vinyl
• Complete songs and score
• Stereo mix

About the album

The Nightmare Before Christmas began as a poem Tim Burton wrote in 1982 while he was an animator at Disney, and it took him the best part of a decade to get it made. Henry Selick directed the stop-motion film, and Danny Elfman, then leading Oingo Boingo, wrote the songs and the score.

"This Is Halloween" introduces the town in a gleeful parade of ghouls, "Jack's Lament" and "What's This?" follow Elfman's Jack as he falls for Christmas, Catherine O'Hara sings the wistful "Sally's Song," and Ken Page's "Oogie Boogie's Song" is a swinging villain number. "Kidnap the Sandy Claws" and "Making Christmas" add the mischief, and the score sides carry it all to the snowy finale.

It was the first animated film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. We file it under Christmas, half the staff would file it under Halloween, and the debate resumes every October.

Also at Kops: more The Nightmare Before Christmas on vinyl · browse Soundtracks

Tracklist

Listen

On Walt Disney Records (cat# D002427401), a reissue of the 1993 soundtrack.