Halloween Hits

Leave it to Rhino Records to come up with the best party music for Halloween rave-ups. In contrast to New Wave Halloween, this set of 10 tunes is aimed squarely at the family listening environment. "Monster Mash," sung by Bobby Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers, is a hoot decades after its origin. And Screamin' Jay Hawkins's "I Put a Spell on You" is aptly eerie, if not a tad funny in this setting--considering that "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" comes after and the Addams Family theme comes before. And lest you think this set of tunes is mired in the depths of Halloween tunes from generations ago, it also has "Ghostbusters"--which reeks of datedness anywhere but here. --Andrew Bartlett