A Musical History of Disneyland
2005
Review by Rob Theakston
While the Disney name is more commonly known for its animation, theme parks and countless other attributes, it has produced more than its fair share of popular culture anthems for the past century via its movies, animated shorts and TV specials. And though the marriage of music with the other projects is symbiotic, Disney's soundtracks have always been able to stand alone and remain instantly recognizable to anyone who has grown up with exposure to the Disney brand, a testament to the musicians, songwriters and arrangers that quietly stood in the background for decades while making timeless music. So with nearly a half century behind it, Disney's first theme park, Disneyland, was due for an anthology capturing the essence of visiting the park without actually being there. Collected over six discs, there are field recordings, rare radio excerpts, and soundtracks to the major attractions. To describe it as overwhelming would be a gross understatement, even for the most dyed-in-the-wool Disney fanatic. Divided up by Lands (for those who have yet to visit the park, it is divided into several themes, each with its own atmosphere, which are glued together by a section of the park known as Main Street USA), each disc features musical nuances so minute and in the background of the whole experience, it's easy to take their brilliance for granted. This box set not only rectifies that problem, it helps to bring a greater appreciation to the level of musical detail Disney invested into the theme park. It also unearths long-lost audio excerpts from such events as Walt Disney's dedication on opening day to the big band sounds of Disney's big band. During the '50s, Disney catered to adults during the evening by featuring a band that would play all sorts of music and provide the ideal atmosphere for a date, including carriage rides and fireworks (a precursor to the Pleasure Island aspect Disney would introduce decades later). Virtually every sound imaginable is crammed into this box set, and for this alone it's well worth the price for Disney collectors. As a bonus, there's also a lavish hard-bound book, The Sounds of Disneyland, featuring rare photos, conceptual drawings and in-depth essays. The price may seem steep for such a collection, especially for casual listeners. But for diehards, it's simply essential and one of the finest collections of Disney music ever assembled.
1 Walt Disney's Dedication of Disneyland :41
2 All Aboard - Main Street Station :30
3 Minnie's Yoo Hoo! Disney, Stalling :41
4 Meet Me Down on Main Street Adair, Wallace 1:52
5 Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln 11:54
6 Disney Medley: March of the Toys/Whistle While You Work/Zip-A-Dee- ... Bruns, Churchill, Gilbert ... 4:06
7 Alexander's Ragtime Band 2:36
8 Let's Dance at Disneyland Ludlum, MacDonald 2:12
9 Tiki Room Barker Bird :46
10 The Enchanted Tiki Room Garden Show 3:58
11 Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room: The Tiki Tiki Tiki ... Damerell, Evans, Free ... 17:36
12 Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye Williams 3:25
13 Swisskapolka Baker, Jackman 1:54
14 Tarzan Medley Collins 2:38
15 The Mark Twain: Waiting for the Robert E. Lee/Crusin' Down the River 3:50
16 Pirates of the Caribbean: Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me) Atencio, Bruns 16:07
17 Feed the Birds Sherman, Sherman 3:04
18 Love Is a Song Churchill, Morey 1:10
19 Sounds of the Frontierland Station :45
20 Happy Rag Bruns 3:51
21 The Haunted Mansion: Grim Grinning Ghosts Atencio, Baker 13:52
22 Rufus :18
23 Bearless Love 2:03
24 Country Bear Jamboree: Pianjo/Bear Band Serenade/Fractured Folk Song Atencio, Bruns, Burns, Davis ... 15:33
25 All I Want Darby 2:14
26 Splash Mountain: How Do You Do/Ev'rybody Has a Laughing ... Gilbert, MacGimsbey, Wolcott ... 12:11
27 Country Bear Vacation Hoedown: The Great Outdoors/Life's No Picnic ... Boudleaux, Brown, Bryant, Love ... 16:46
28 The Rain, Rain, Rain Came Down, Down, Down Sherman, Sherman 1:45
29 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Winnie the Pooh/A Rather ... Sherman, Sherman 4:56
30 Battle Cry of Freedom Root 1:18
31 A Cowboy Needs a Horse Howard, Mills 1:29
32 Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland and the Rainbow Caverns 8:18
33 All Aboard the Mine Train Sherman, Sherman 1:44
34 The Golden Horseshoe Revue: Hello Everybody/A Lady Has to Mind Her PS ... Adair, Caligan, Donohue ... 31:33
35 The Columbia Sailing Ship 3:19
36 When You Wish Upon a Star Harline, Washington 3:12
37 Once Upon a Dream Fain, Lawrence 2:19
38 Fantasyland Dark Ride Suite: Little Wooden Head/Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee ... Cahn, Churc, Fain, Harline ... 17:54
39 Matterhorn Yodelers 2:18
40 It's a Small World Sherman, Sherman 13:42
41 The Sound of Toons :35
42 Steamboat Willie Bertram 2:08
43 Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin 2:26
44 20, 000 Leagues Under the Sea Medley: Main Title/Whale of a Tale Gimbel, Hoffman, Smith 2:23
45 America the Beautiful Bates, Ward 17:51
46 The Monorail Song 1:53
47 Adventure Thru Inner Space Baker, Smith 7:31
48 Miracles from Molecules Sherman, Sherman 1:36
49 Star Tours Williams 4:06
50 The Carousel of Progress: There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow Sherman, Sherman 19:28
51 Progressland: There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow Sherman, Sherman 5:47
52 Nation on Wheels Bruns 1:56
53 Flight to the Moon 13:02
54 America Sings: Yankee Doodle/I Dream of Jeannie with the Light ... Bertino, Brooks, Brown, Davis ... 21:33
55 The Submarine Voyage Thru Liquid Space 9:10
56 Space Mountain Richard 3:48
57 Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters Newman 6:13
58 Space Mountain Giacchino 1:26
59 Remember Dreams Come True: Wishes Fanfare and Theme/When You Wish Upon Churchill, David, Harline ... 17:10
60 Closing: Mickey Mouse Alma Mater Dodd 1:14
61 The Country Bear Christmas Special: Rudolph the Red-Nosed ... Anderson, Feiten, Hayes ... 16:11
62 It's a Small World Holiday: Jingle Bells/It's a Small World/Deck ... Sherman, Sherman 15:07
63 Haunted Mansion Holiday /Graveyard Finale/Hitchh ... [Premiere Edition/Graveyard Finale/Hitchh] Atencio, Baker, Davison ... 16:40
64 The Main Street Electrical Parade: Electric Fanfare/Fanfare of ... David, Dorsey, Fain, Hilliard ... 9:13
65 Fantasmic!: Main Themes, Pts. 1-2/Kaa and the Monkeys ... Harline, Healey, Menke
Get CDs 1 thru 6
If you already d/l any of the old links try rb-16 as the password. Thanks A & B
Sorry for the mess.
T
