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Well my copy of the CD arrived today. Not much inside the booklet except extensive credits. Of note, Chris Bacon is credited with “additional music arrangements”, and is not indicated as co-composer on any of the tracks.
Funny, this came up. I’ve been a bit cool on DRACULA. Not entirely sure why, but I find it’s missing some clarity, perhaps in the orchestration. It sounds very streamlined, missing many of the burrs that Elfman’s style and voice bring to things. Consider DARK SHADOWS, for instance, versus DRACULA. Perhaps it’s in the recording, but to me DRACULA doesn’t have that overtly decorated feel I expect from Danny.
That’s good to hear. I was a bit concerned skimming the S2 V1 album on Spotify and not really hearing Elfman’s theme jump out at me, I figured maybe they excised him entirely (but why?)
I ordered the CD from Waxwork today. Sorry to see it’s the same content as the streaming album. I was hoping for a few alternates from the FYC version to round things out.
I ordered the CD from Waxwork today. Sorry to see it’s the same content as the streaming album. I was hoping for a few alternates from the FYC version to round things out.
I was going to post a screencap, but that seemed like an old-fashioned way to share the post when Instagram lets you do that already…
Lots of unreleased and alternate (film-version main titles) music here—
https://www.wbawards.com/film/?film=beetlejuicebeetlejuice
You can assemble an extended score album with a little patience and a lot of tape.
I’m going with a wild theory here that Danny only wrote the main and end titles — perhaps the Dolores flashback, but that’s it — despite that interview from earlier.
I don’t mind the mix—it starts off like a bit in the Dark Shadows sonic world. The plinkety ethnic percussion is pure Boingo before those two big notes (electric guitar?) The brass on the left does sound a like a sample.
I’m really bummed about this no score album news. My hope was we’d get new material even if it wasn’t in the film. I guess we’ll have to wait until it slowly filters out to the collector community.
I’m mellowing after my initial reactions to the film. It’s not the films fault it wasn’t the movie I’d built up in my head. Fingers crossed if the score gets released there are some used bonus tracks.
Not sure if it’s a bad sign but the score was recorded in London and LA. Those LA sessions could have been last minute rescoring and replacements making this entire thing so frustrating.
I saw a late afternoon showing… still processing this absolute nothing burger of a film score. A follow up to one of Danny’s most memorable scores and he’s given no room to play. You hear maybe three cues (not including the Bava riff) and anything else is absolutely buried. Just a crushing disappointment.
Elfman hasn’t posted about BJBJ on Twitter or Instagram. His last BJ-related tweet was from October 2023 to promote the re-release of the OST on glow-in-the-dark vinyl.
Interesting—this isn’t the first time someone has felt the music lacked room to operate.
Considering Elfman was absent entirely from the promotion of the pic, is it possible a rift formed over this film and his scoring opportunities? Like, did he not align with Burton on the score’s scope? Are we looking at Burton’s next film being scored by someone else?
I hate to speculate like this because, in my sad mind, I have a fantasy that Elfman reads this forum and gets royally pissed when people gossip like this.
“What are you most looking forward to audiences seeing with this film?
WALTZ: Not only do I not know, I haven’t thought about it either. I can tell you what I am most looking forward to apart from the cut and how it all fits together: I want to hear Danny Elfman’s music!”
https://collider.com/christoph-waltz-dracula-a-love-tale-luc-besson/
It’s been two years since White Noise, and no new projects announced. His name has been in almost every review I’ve read of the film, but no score album announcement. Hollywood has a way of pushing problematic creatives out, only to welcome them back later. So I don’t think it’s the end of the line for Danny—I just think there’s not a lot of heat on him right now. That might be symptomatic of the entire industry, as there are so few notable scores so far this year, I’d be hard pressed to name five of them!
I have no complaints here—it’s all just presented flawlessly, and the additional material enhances the experience. I love that they included the Shirley Walker cue in there—it’s really in that early 90s sound, a la THE FLASH,
