Beetlejuice — The Soundtrack
Atlantic Records CD 9242022 (Released 1988)
If only for the impeccably re-mastered versions of two Harry Belafonte
hits, "The Banana Boat Song" and "Jump in Line (Shake Senora)," this album is a
great addition to anyone's collection. Composer/music director Danny Elfman
utilized the aforementioned songs to fill out his own superb handiwork from the popular
1988 movie Beetlejuice, directed by Tim Burton. Elfman's whimsical but
decidedly creepy cues join the Belafonte numbers on a brief (less than forty
minute) ride through the movie, musically.
In the late 1950s Belafonte and others were riding the rhythmic wave,
competing with the Mambo kings for record sales and airplay.
The Latin craze of the beginning of the 1950s had matured; opening doors for
Calypso music, just as danceable if not more so.
The two seminal tracks mentioned above have been covered widely by Calypso
and progressive groups alike. However, Elfman takes the originals and digitally
makes them sparkle for their movie debut.
The rest of the music provides delightful fodder for Halloween antics. The
orchestration doesn't overwhelm the message of each tune; this stuff is
image-evoking but not too scary to play for one's kids. This album will be a hit
at spooky parties for ghosts young and old.
So successful was this disc that David Geffen's organization
apparently purchased the rights and re-issued it on the Geffen label as late as
1995.