| The Corpse Bride | 
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| Artist: Danny Elfman
Label: Warner Bros / Wea
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy New: $6.56
You Save: $12.42 (65%)
New (20) Used (10) from $5.25
Avg. Customer Rating:  37 reviews
Sales Rank: 10025
Format: Soundtrack
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.4 x 4.9 x 0.4
MPN: 49473
UPC: 093624947325
EAN: 0093624947325
ASIN: B000AMPZGC
Release Date: September 20, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: NEW & SEALED CD (Gift Quality) - FREE FAST 1ST CLASS UPGRADE! - SUPER FAST SHIPPING!! - GREAT LOW SALE PRICE!! - IT'S JUST LIKE HAVING YOUR FAVORITE UNCLE IN THE BUSINESS...
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| Tracks:
| • | Main Title | | • | According to Plan | | • | Victor's Piano Solo | | • | In the Forest | | • | Remains of the Day | | • | Casting a Spell | | • | Moon Dance | | • | Victor's Deception | | • | Tears to Shed | | • | Victoria's Escape | | • | The Piano Duet | | • | New Arrival | | • | Victoria's Wedding | | • | The Wedding Song | | • | The Party Arrives | | • | Victor's Wedding | | • | Barkis's Bummer | | • | The Finale | | • | End Credits Part 1 | | • | End Credits Part 2 |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Did composer Danny Elfman have enough juice for two movies by Tim Burton in a single year? His first 2005 outing, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, is one of his all-time best, and the songs he wrote for each of that film's children are marvels of satirical invention. A few months later, both Burton and Elfman are back with The Corpse Bride, a stop-motion animated film in the vein of The Nightmare Before Christmas. This time it feels as if Elfman may have overextended himself. The composer has fun with Gothic atmospherics, (when in doubt, you can't go wrong with either a harpsichord or an organ) but the instrumentals feel a bit perfunctory. The best part about the album is hearing Elfman's ditties performed by a gaggle of top British actors such as Albert Finney, Joanna Lumley and Tracey Ullman on "According to Plan," and Helena Bonham Carter (surprisingly touching) and Jane Horrocks on "Tears to Shed." Elfman himself sings "Remains of the Day," a tune that tries just a little too hard to be zany; zaniness is achieved more subtly on the fourth and last vocal track, "The Wedding Song," a clever pastiche of light operetta. But it's on the last four tracks, credited to Bonejangles and His Bone Boys, that Elfman finally sounds as if he's having fun, letting loose with casual New Orleans-style jazz. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
Album Description
Three-time Oscar-nominated Danny Elfman, one of Hollywood's most in-demand composers, continues his long-standing collaboration with innovative director Tim Burton for the soundtrack to the stop-motion animated feature Tim Burton's Corpse Bride.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 32 more reviews...
 Elfman's talent shines in Corpse Bride... September 23, 2005
34 out of 35 found this review helpful
Without a doubt, the Burton/Elfman/(Depp) pairing (or trio) has been a profitable and impressive one in the past. With outings such as THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, BEETLEJUICE, SLEEPY HOLLOW, and CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, I am amazed at what an outstanding director and composer/conductor can do together.
CORPSE BRIDE is certainly no exception. Elfman's talent pours from this impressive compilation of ditties and instrumental pieces set in the Gothic-like days of yore. Victor and Victoria, who have never met, are set to be wed, and their families react differently to this occasion in the track entitled "According to Plan." This delightfully funny and rich tune sets the stage for the rest of the album, which contains a mix of several more vocal tracks and many instrumental tunes.
The gothic feel prevails elsewhere on the album, with liberal use of the harpsichord and organ. Instrumentals such as "In the Forest," "Moon Dance," and "Finale" ooze with gothic mystique and a sense of times gone by. Each time, Elfman captures the essence of emotion and action from the film, translating it flawlessly into music, both with and without words.
In the moving "Tears to Shed," Helena Bonham Carter laments the Corpse Bride's dilemma with humor and a touch of sorrow. Elfman himself voices Bonejangles, who belts out "Remains of the Day" with jazzy style. The final vocal track, "The Wedding Song" is a melliflous mix of styles that sends the listener on a truly marvelous journey. Its exciting, allegro pace is full of transitions as those involved with the wedding take turns sharing their points-of-view -- all building to a truly magnificent and brilliant cadence.
I must say that I disagree with the Amazon reviewer's opinion that this album shows Elfman overextending himself. While the soundtrack to CHARLIE... was most excellent, CORPSE BRIDE runs in a different musical vein. Its style, while often satirical and humorous, is distinctly old-worldly; perhaps even other-worldly. The notion that Elfman has overextended himself simply isn't the case -- the orchestrations here are rich and full, the lyrics clever and appropriate for all ages, and the overall ambience created by the album is one of slightly spooky, very kooky fun.
Elfman's delicate touch and distinctive style should not be missed here. You won't regret the chuckles you'll get from the vocal performances, nor will you the humming you'll do as you continue to sing the tunes to yourself long after you're done listening. Very highly recommended.
Victorian Meets Jazz In A Wonderful CD September 23, 2005
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
This soundtrack is wonderful! It lives up to Danny Elfman's astouding career easily. Let's go through the songs:
1)Main Titles- A great opening piece. The mysterious elements blend seamlessly with the Victorian sound Elfman plays with throughout the movie.
2)According to Plan- You know a song is good when it entertains and informs at the same time! It's tons of fun to hear these wonderful British actors singing together.
3)Victor's Piano Solo- Pretty self-explanatory. Beautiful tune.
4)Into The Forest- A soft beginning turns into a tune of wonderment, soon followed by ringing notes of terror. Classic Elfman heard here--very cool.
5)Remains of the Day- The song where Elfman's voice shines, it is also the introduction of jazz into the story. A highly morbid song, sang with happy sounding music, is always awesome and welcome in Burton/Elfman collaborations. (My personal favorite!)
6)Casting A Spell- Another song that blends mystery with some Victorian. Eerie, yet... catching.
7) Moon dance- This song is beautiful, and has a very creative tune. It brings curiousity to my mind, for some reason.
8)Victor's Deception- The music portrays many emotions in this song--from horror vibes at the beginning to sweet and sad in the end.
9)Tears To Shed- I love this song as well! 8 provides a perfect introduction. Helena Bonham Carter's voice is full of emotion, and Jane Horrocks and Enn Reitel have wonderful character voices that make the song what it is.
10)Victoria's Escape- Full of Victorian Horror music, with some pretty melodies played in the middle.
11)The Piano Duet- Excellent. Just excellent. This piece is just so cool; especially near the end. The voices at the end are very cool too.
12)New Arrival- A very short, very jazzy piece. Catchy.
13)Victoria's Wedding- An interesting piece, with rapidly changing emotions. A happy ending is there.
14)The Wedding Song- The fourth and last lyrical piece. This one is absolutely wonderful! At times slow, at others fast, it's always a happy excitable smash.
15)The Party Arrives- This song seems to have a different tune every couple seconds-it seems to describe everyone arriving, one by one. Very cool.
16)Victor's Wedding-At times, it is quiet and almost morose, but eventually, the happiness can be heard coming back. It's filled with hope and joy, with only a touch of sadness.
17)Barkis's Bummer- Very low note song. Mysterious with a touch of fear. Intriguing chords.
18)The Finale- This is the lightest song on the soundtrack. You can feel the happy ending in each individual note.
19) and 20) End Credits parts 1&2- A very fun way to watch the credits. Jazzy, cool, and a good summary of the songs heard throughout the movie.
Bonus Tracks- Excellent interpretations of songs from the movie-it could pass for a jazz act!
This is an excellent soundtrack! Trust me, you won't regret buying it.
Danny Elfman is My Hero January 5, 2006
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Let's face it, he's the master of opening titles. The opening to this score will not disappoint! I love how it starts like a fairy tale then changes into a monotonous, gray tune that at the same time is still really pretty.
The harpsichord rules this album for the most part, the majority of the music being awesome Baroque/Victorian/Gothic scores...they're simply astounding. Bits of 20's style jazz is sprinkled throughout. It's cool and relaxed and so much fun!
A few highlights (besides the Main Titles):
Victor's Piano Solo- a calming, Beethoven-esque piano piece with a, erm, rather abrupt ending.
Moon Dance- comparable to Ice Dance from Edward Scissorhands, but has more of an ethereal beauty to it.
Piano Duet- Just listen to it.
New Arrival- I think it's about 30 or 40 seconds long, but it's this amazing blast of jazz!
Finale- beautiful...Danny Elfman rocks the finales all the time, too.
End Credits Part 1- Lovely. Amazing cello and piano stuff here.
Then there are four additional jazz songs by "Bonejangles and His Bone Boys". You won't regret buying this!
Dark, Beautiful, Humorous, and Touching November 10, 2005
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I got this soundtrack on October 15, since I was totally dying to see the movie and I read a bunch of reviews fot the album on this website, reading that it was really good. So I went to Tower Records and bought this soundtrack along with a $20.00 gift card as a birthday present for my BFF. I listened to this soundtrack right when I got home, and I LOVED IT!! Right when I put the CD into my CD player, put on my earphones, and turned on the CD player, I heard the main titles for the first time. It was a gorgeous melody, and I listened to the whole CD. I enjoyed every single track, even though a few weren't that impressive, such as track #12)New Arrival, and the Bonus Tracks From Bonejangles and His Bone Boys. But some of the songs were very special to me, and I'm thrilled to hear that Corpse Bride is an animated musical, since I love those kind of movies as a toddler, and still do as a 12-year-old. However, it's disappointing that there's only 4 songs with lyrics when I bet Danny Elfman could've composed even more awesome songs with lyrics for this movie. But if he did do that, then it would take longer to animate this movie, considering how the producers took about a decade to film this movie. Anyway, here's what I say about my favorite songs, which I listen to almost every night before I sleep.
1)Main Titles: This was a great beginning to the album, with a lot of sweet instrument playing this piece and a great, touching melody.
2)According To Plan: I was really, really impressed with this song. I loved how Victor's and Victoria's parents were fussing over the arranged wedding in this catchy, amusing song. I just LOVE that clever line that goes, "and that's why everything, every last little thing, every single, tiny, microscopic, little thing must gooooooooo according to plan!"
3)Victor's Piano Solo: Wow. I was so moved by this piece. It's so beautiful, it took my breath away. Since I didn't see the movie yet, I visualized Victor playing his solo in private in a Victorian parlor with warm sunshine streaming from a window upon him and his piano.
5)Remains of the Day: I love the jazzy, upbeat melody and singing that Bonejangles sings to Victor about the tragic story of Emily the Corpse Bride. Two thumbs up for the creative lyrics!
9)Tears To Shed: The parts when the Black Widow and the Maggot sing are amusing and a little cheesy, but Emily, who is voiced by the beautiful actress Helena Bonham Carter, sings so beautifully and I can hear the sadness reflected in her voice. I love the flute that plays in the background when she sings.
11)The Piano Duet: It's SO beautiful, especially when it switches from the melody of Tears To Shed to this beautiful, moving melody with a quick beat. I can see why people wished the piano pieces were longer.
14)The Wedding Song: I can see why people say this is their least favorite song on the soundtrack. I used to think it was lame and weird, but I like it now. My favorite part is when the female singers sing about how Emily the Corpse Bride has arrived and that her dream of marriage has come true.
18)The Finale: Gorgeous piece. It's touching and perfect for the ending of a great story.
19)End Credits Part 1: I liked this piece a little better than the Main Titles. It's very beautiful, how it started out with a solemn solo by the piano with a instrument that sounds like the windchimes, and then long, sad notes from the cello. The violins and violas were beautiful, and I loved it when the flute played, since I'm a flute player myself.
I LOVE THIS SOUNDTRACK!!!! I haven't seen the movie yet, and people say it's weird, but this is totally the kind of movies I love to watch!Customers, if you're a freak for Corpse Bride, or if you haven't seen the movie and you're dying to see it, I recommend this item to you. I hope you'll enjoy this soundtrack as much as I do!
 I am so sad that this was such a let down. October 3, 2005
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
The soundtrack to The Corpse Bride, left me melancholy, because i had high hopes for the film, and the music. I am not going to get into the film at this juncture. The music was formulaic for Elfman, and i dont understand how you could go from Nightmare before christmas...a great jumping off point and 12 years later not go one up on this film? The songs were boring, the lyrics were water thin, and the melodies were nothing new. I understand that Elfman has his own sound, I have loved him since Oingo Boingo, I adore his movie scores, but this one didnt make the grade with me. The only song i can say was "okay" was the one where elfman actually sings and tells the story of the corpse bride to Victor, and even that left me wanting more.When I left the theater after seeing Nightmare before christmas, I couldnt get the songs out of my head I think i hummed "making christmas" for about 4 years, After getting into my car 5 minutes after this movie ended, i couldnt hum you a single melody.....
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