Friday , March 29 2024
This eclectic collection has something for every Halloween occasion.

Music Review: Various Artists – ‘Now That’s What I Call Halloween’

It’s time to celebrate the spooky side of things, and Now That’s What I Call Halloween, a new addition to the popular “Now That’s What I Call…” series is the perfect soundtrack for Halloween parties or greeting trick or treaters at your door. Certain numbers would also be perfect for haunted house attractions. It’s a very eclectic mix, from classics to old favorites, novelties, movie themes and pop, from the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus to Rob Zombie.  The mood ranges from intensely spooky to seasonally kooky.

NowthatshalloweenClassics are represented by the St. Louis Symphony’s rendition of “O Fortuna,” an unquestionably creepy yet classy choice. Movies and TV provide John Carpenter’s “Halloween Theme,” “This Is Halloween” from The Nightmare Before Christmas, Danny Elfman’s “Beetlejuice: Main Title/End Title” and one of the most evil-sounding television theme songs of all time, Jace Everett’s “Bad Things” from True Blood.

More intense and serious songs on the album include “Dragula” by Rob Zombie, the inevitable “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult, INXS’s “Devil Inside,” and Donovan’s “Season of the Witch.”

Things lighten up considerably with the novelties, which of course include the perennial favorite “Monster Mash,” loved by children and adults alike. This is the original version by Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers. The collection also includes Warren Zevon’s homage to the deadly yet oh so cool “Werewolves of London,” The Specials’ “Ghost Town,” and Oingo Boingo’s “Dead Man’s Party.” And Halloween is not complete without Run DMC’s excellent version of “Ghostbusters” and DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince doing “Nightmare On My Street,” instant nostalgia for a lot of parents.

Additional songs are a short version of Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells,” Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me,” and Nina Simone’s mesmerizing “I Put A Spell On You.”

With such variety, it will be easy to pick and choose among the numbers to provide thrills and chills for adult parties and haunted houses, lighter songs for the kids, or a really interesting listening experience while riding in the car if you let it play from start to finish. Add it to your collection now and you will return to it year after year to enhance your Halloween season.

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About Rhetta Akamatsu

I am an author of non-fiction books and an online journalist. My books include Haunted Marietta, The Irish Slaves, T'ain't Nobody's Business If I Do: Blues Women Past and Present, Southern Crossroads: Georgia Bluesand Sex Sells: Women in Photography and Film.

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