To be at all fair to this revised soundtrack is to break it into its very distinct and individual tracks. There is nothing to be said about the overall flow or continuity of this CD except for its singular unifying feature that –at one point- all of these tracks were cohesive. Not that this is the fault of Danny Elfman or any of the participating artists; it’s just that if I’d wanted to hear simple covers of any of these songs, I’m sure I could host my very own emo-karaoke night.

There is much of this visitation that I would have rather skipped. That said, there are glittering gems of thoughtful, provocative music in this otherwise unimpressive collection. They will, naturally, be enumerated below and the not-so-impressive tracks properly scolded for their mere existence (shame on you, David Agnew). The general rule of thumb for the following individual reviews is as follows: instrumentals = amazing, vocals = predictable. That said, let’s get on with it.

Track 1: “Overture” performed by DeVotchKa

This is one of my favorite tracks overall. DeVotchKa has done a wonderful job of maintaining the original spirit of The Nightmare Before Christmas as well as some elements of Danny Elfman’s distinctive style, but there is something terribly captivating about this interpretation. I am a little disappointed at some of the mixing around 1:50-2:00 minutes in when some superfluous vocals were added but, overall, a wonderful start to this album. This track alone might just be enough to sell a speculative consumer at one of Borders’ or Barnes and Noble’s listening stations. What follows, however, is sub-par.

Track 2: “Opening” performed by Danny Elfman

…well, I guess this is for all of you who ever wondered about Danny Elfman’s speaking voice. It makes sense in the context of the movie’s plot to have this track but I fail to see its importance on this revised soundtrack. Or am I just wrong in assuming that anyone who purchases this album will be at least partially familiar with the original? Danny Elfman, stick to what you know.

Track 3: “This is Halloween” performed by Marilyn Manson and Tim Skold

I wonder if I could think of a more stereotypical artist to cover this particular song. Oh wait—I can. And they appear later on this album. This song is what you’d expect from Marilyn Manson, replete with over-produced vocals. So much is lost in translation between the original soundtrack and this one especially because it seems that absolutely no attempts were made to differentiate or interpret this song. So much could have been done with it! Instead, all we hear is a rather monotone rendition of what should be a proper introduction to the diverse and peculiar landscape of Halloween Town. I am completely under whelmed by this track. The only thing I can applaud Marilyn Manson and his collaborator for is their very slight syncopation the end of the track around otherwise awkward speaking parts. Dull overall.

Track 4: “Jack’s Lament” performed by The All-American Rejects

For any of you masochists out there, this is the track for you. It literally pains me to listen to it—so nasal and poorly performed. Did the producer just throw money and synthesizers at these performers and just hope for the best? It’s like the original soundtrack’s deformed little brother, lacking in emotion thanks to some kind of coat hanger lobotomy. If that is the case, it accounts for the nasal, brassy vocals too, I guess. I have nothing positive to say about this track which, really, is unfortunate; it’s a rather important one plot-wise in setting up the mood and motivation of the story.

Track 5: “Doctor Finkelstein/In the Forest” performed by Amiina

It seems to me that the instrumentals are the best things to happen to this re-visitation—why not make all of the tracks instrumental in this case? I would have rather liked to see Amiina perform the entirety of the soundtrack: the ladies of this group have the eerie longing and unselfconscious curiosity down to a ‘t’. Nothing is out of place here and I just wish that this track were longer so I might have more to enjoy. Brava, ladies.

Track 6: “What’s This?” performed by Flyleaf

This is one of those tracks that I would like to listen to on repeat just to pick out the wonderful nuances and stylized efforts of this interpretation. This has all the soul of The Nightmare Before Christmas (as it seems all the successful tracks on this album possess) but it is it wholly listen-to-able on its own. The vocals are endearingly flawed—just like the characters of the story themselves. I would have liked to see the balance of the instrumental and vocal tracks a little more… uh, balanced. As it is, the melody overwhelms the appropriately frail and quiet sounds of the otherwise rich vocals. I was particularly impressed with the treatment of the end of the song that is oh-so very abrupt in the original soundtrack: “Christmas Town? Hmmm.”

Track 7: “Town Meeting Song” performed by The Polyphonic Spree

I will give this concession to The Polyphonic Spree: they did make an honest-to-goodness attempt to interpret the song they were asked to perform rather than just regurgitate it. The overarching beat and melody are still there and the instrumental bits are just this side of perfection… but the vocals remind me of a strange mix of Jesus Christ Superstar and The Allen Parsons Project. And, perhaps, my reservation in giving this track a more sterling review is that I simply do not care for the rather unique treatment. The strange breakdown in the middle of the song with the corresponding speaking parts taken directly from the movie is actually amusing (and I believe purposefully so) but it does awkwardly chop the song into bits. It makes a nice recovery back into the meaty bits of the ending but music is a lot like gymnastics: rebounds don’t count much for total score. Overall, I feel as though this track could have been dealt with more gracefully but it is moderately successful as it stands and is, by no means, unpleasant.

Track 8: “Jack and Sally Montage” performed by The Vitamin String Quartet

I had much reservation about this track—but only before I actually listened to it. I was genuinely dreading having to review instrumentals when I saw the track list on the back of the CD case; there aren’t an overwhelming number of them but enough to make one desperately want to push the ‘skip’ button. But I urge anyone whose urges are similar to mine to please refrain: you would be missing one of this soundtrack’s gems. Yes, it is a cover, but everything about it is flawless. This Quartet knew exactly what they were doing and they managed to give this under-appreciated song the sheer emotive expression that even the original soundtrack lacks. Representative of the Quartet’s abilities are the playful and curious sounds mixed into the end of the track that, I think, perfectly express the blossoming relationship of Jack and Sally. Bravissimo, ladies.

Track 9: “Jack’s Obsession” performed by Sparklehorse.

Don’t. Just don’t. This has all the sad, pathetic qualities of a post-puberty Vienna Choir Boy trying desperately to reclaim the fame of his youth. Grow a pair, Sparklehorse, and then get back to us.

Track 10: “Kidnap The Sandy Claws” performed by Korn

Remember when I said that there were even more predictable track-performer selections later on in the album? Well, this is one of them. This isn’t to say that I don’t like this song, I do. It’s a little grating, but listening to Korn sing “lalalalalalaaaa” in a childish singsong way does put a little smirk on my face. As with Manson’s earlier cover, this is a bare-bones performance. There’s virtually no attempt at creativity here. It’s just Korn. Singing a Danny Elfman song. And that’s it. So if you like either Korn or Danny Elfman, you’ll be able to at least tolerate this track.

Track 11: “Making Christmas” performed by Rise Against

See above. Replace Korn with Rise Against.

Track 12: “Nabbed” performed by Yoshida Brothers

There is so much potential in this track but the poor production value just makes it painful. This is not to say that it’s bad. No, there is vision here. But why, why did real instruments have to be replaced with bad, bad synthesizers—especially beside such interesting, high quality, real, unusual instruments? I would love to give this a glowing review but the fake saxophone, clarinet, piano, etc (and they are oh-so fake) just make it impossible.

Track 13: “Oogie Boogie’s Song” performed by Rodrigo y Garbriela

I cannot, as a mere human, be expected to adequately impart the reader with this track’s virtues as well as its complete and total lack of flaws. It’s as though this beautifully handled song were the Virgin Mary’s second child, one that had been conceived just as immaculately as her first. A joy to listen to, I find no fault in this track except for its length. But, then again, that’s what they make the ‘repeat’ function for.

Track 14: “Sally’s Song” performed by Amy Lee

Okay, okay. We get it. You’re moody and lonely. Amy Lee, I can see why you were chosen for this track but I question the final decision. You add absolutely nothing to this soundtrack that we haven’t all ready heard (over and over) in your own tracks. You’ve subtracted the delicate despair of the original and replaced it with you. With Amy Lee. Listeners, utilize your ‘skip’ function on this one—it’s not worth marring the memory of the original with this cover.

Track 15: “Christmas Eve Montage” performed by Rjd2

This sounds like a track from somewhere else entirely, mistakenly added onto this soundtrack until more than a minute in. This isn’t a problem, it means that Rjd2 actually re-envisioned the song and interpreted it. And, in my opinion, they did a wonderful job with a song that is wholly forgettable and secondary to watching little kids being chased by the monstrous creations of Jack’s ill-conceived vision. This is a track onto itself, however, and could easily stand alone and out of context from the Nightmare Revisited CD.

Track 16: “Poor Jack” performed by Plain White T’s

So I understand why this group was asked to perform this song: the lead singer has the necessary range and he sounds an awful lot like the original singer. That said, it’s but a pale shadow to the original and it feels utterly insincere, lacking in all the melancholy and realization that the original deals with so wonderfully. In my estimation, this song is not worth the two minutes and thirty-four seconds it would take to listen to; skip it or, better yet, listen to the original.

Track 17: “To The Rescue” performed by Datarock

Much like the earlier performance by Rjd2 in that it could easily stand on its own and for many of the same reasons. They are stylistically much different, this one with a much stronger techno-influence to Rjd2’s electronica-vibe. That said, it is a little boring, despite best efforts. This is not the fault of Datarock, however, but lies, rather, with Danny Elfman for writing a filler-piece that was, later, added onto the soundtrack to supplement the vocal tracks. Still, a very good effort overall.

Track 18: “Finale/Reprise” Shiny Toy Guns

I had high hopes for this song just based on the introduction. The rest of the track, however, didn’t fulfill them. This could be that I just don’t care for Shiny Toy Guns but as is true with the majority of the other tracks that made some attempt at originality, this one is at least marginally listen-to-able. The ending (after the paltry attempt at making the speaking parts interesting) is almost enough to rescue this track from being critiqued too harshly: it is sweet and genuine and I wish the rest of the track (as well as track 14) have been a little bit more like this.

Track 19: “Closing” performed by Danny Elfman

See review of track 2.

Track 20: “End Title” performed by The Album Leaf

Don’t turn off this CD prematurely! This instrumental is a wonderful closing, like some kind of beautiful, mellow bookend to DeVotchKa’s lively beginning and shouldn’t be missed. It brings everything to a close better than the original and, further, with just a touch more style.