Progress City, U.S.A.

It’s hard to argue that any individual or individuals, aside from Walt himself, has had a greater effect on the musical history of the Walt Disney Company than Richard and Robert Sherman. Of course there have been many prominent and highly talented songwriters at the studio both before and after the brothers’ tenure there, and several iconic composers and orchestrators such as George Bruns and Buddy Baker, but few if any can claim to match the sheer size of the Shermans’ catalogue. In fact, the scope of their creations is so vast and their presence so ubiquitous that one can tend to overlook it – their songs are so ingrained in the Disney experience that it’s hard to conceive that they weren’t always there.

For those of us who might need a reminder of just what the Shermans managed to achieve, or those who know these songs well but had never bothered to think about their origin, Walt Disney Records has recently released a 2-disc set of the songwriting duo’s work that brings together 59 tracks from their four decades writing for the company. Newbies will be shocked that all these songs were written by the same individuals, and even long-time fans will be taken aback by the sheer amount of iconic music. One hopes they’ll also actually stop and think about the songs themselves; removed from the context of their individual films or attractions, the songs are allowed to stand on their own merits and the result is fascinating.

The Shermans occupied a niche in musical history that has in many ways disappeared; they were the only staff songwriters Disney ever had, in one of the last studio music departments in Hollywood. From their father, Al Sherman, they inherited a firm rooting in the Tin Pan Alley tradition; this seems to have melded in their style with more modern pop influences, Broadway, and music hall traditions. Listening to so many of their songs together, their style reminds me more than anything else of Cole Porter; their lyrics are witty and verbose, and almost always narrative or conversational in tone. There’s wordplay, alliteration and lots of rhyming, as well as a predilection for invented words. While the production on some of these tracks might be dated at times, the songs themselves remain sharp as a tack.

The Sherman Brothers Songbook is yet another superlative release by Walt Disney Records to be produced Randy Thornton, who is almost singlehandedly responsible for reviving the company’s moribund park album and classic film soundtrack efforts. Here Thornton follows up his 1992 audio retrospective, The Sherman Brothers: Disney’s Supercalifragilistic Songwriting Team, by expanding the number of tracks and presenting the pieces in chronological order – from the 1958 Annette single Tall Paul to their work on The Tigger Movie in 2000. Thornton also wrote the liner notes for the discs, which do not discuss each individual track but rather provide an anecdote from the Shermans’ experiences on each film, television or theme park project.

What’s startling about The Sherman Brothers Songbook is not only the amount of songs present, but the number of things that were left off. This is not to fault the release; think of it merely as a very thorough “greatest hits” compilation and not a replacement for the many soundtracks and collections this release was pulled from. Fans who have bought every Disney music collection over the last twenty years won’t find too many unexpected shockers here, but that’s not the point. This, in many ways, is the Disney version of the Beatles’ One – the essential tracks, masterfully presented.

I cannot tell you how much this picture amuses me. Clockwise from top left: Brian Wilson, Tutti Camarata, Annette Funicello, Robert Sherman, Richard Sherman, Al Jardine, Mike Love, Carl Wilson, and Dennis Wilson. (Disney)

That’s not to say there’s no room for obscurities on this album. The two discs, combined with the Shermans’ snappy and concise Tin Pan Alley songwriting, allow for a whopping 59 tracks. Wisely, from a collector’s standpoint, Thornton substitutes in less-known versions of certain songs for their more often heard soundtrack counterparts. Thus, instead of the cuts from the film we get Louis Armstrong performing Ten Feet Off the Ground from The One and Only Genuine Original Family Band, and Anne Shelton singing It Won’t Be Long ’til Christmas from The Happiest Millionaire. This wealth of material is made possible by Disney’s publishing strategy at the time, which involved two record labels – Buena Vista Records and Disneyland Records. Buena Vista was the “flagship” label, offering premium titles, cast soundtrack albums, and albums by prominent artists. Disneyland Records was in charge of budget titles, releasing albums targeted mostly at children. They also released a second tier of soundtrack albums, featuring covers of a film’s songs by a variety of studio musicians and vocal groups. This arrangement allowed for the labels to release a wide variety of music in its heyday, not all of it derived directly from Disney films. Three songs from one of these albums, all covers from the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, appear on The Sherman Brothers Songbook as bonus tracks. An astounding number of “civilians” believe this MGM film to be a Disney production, and it’s not surprising when you hear the songs. Thankfully, Disneyland Records recorded a cover album at the time, and so these three non-Disney songs by the Shermans can take their rightful place in this collection.

Another rarity from the collection indicates an enticing potential direction for future releases; instead of including Annette’s version of Strummin’ Song from The Horsemasters, Thornton includes a fun demo version of the tune with Annette in the studio with Richard Sherman. While a lot of outtakes would have seemed out of place in a mass-market title like this, one can only imagine the hours upon hours of demos, alternate versions, and scads of unreleased songs by the Shermans that sit in Disney’s vaults. This is a great two-disc collection that serves, in the end, to whets fans’ appetites for a huge box set or series of releases.

Of the music itself, there’s not much one could say that hasn’t been said. The songs sounds great, though; producer Thornton is a stickler for quality and the pieces sound as unblemished and clear as the day they were recorded. Everyone will have their own favorites, and a track or two that they skip over more often than not. Listening with fresh ears will lead you to rediscover the songs or find new favorites; I still can’t get over how truly excellent On the Front Porch from Summer Magic is, despite having heard it many times previously. The disc also features the stateside debut of a track intended for EPCOT Center and eventually used in Tokyo Disneyland; Meet the World is, I believe, the Shermans’ “stickiest” song ever – more addictive, even, than it’s a small world. It’s true.

Rather than try and rate things here with a star or numerical system, I’m going to simply recommend if you should buy, borrow, or bury them. The Sherman Brothers Songbook is a definite buy for any fan of Disney films, animation, or theme park music. Even if you have most of these tracks in your library, having them remastered and collected in one place, along with the rarer tracks, is worth the price of admission. One can only hope that Walt Disney Records continues the trend we’ve seen this year, with the World’s Fair set and now this collection. There is a lot of music waiting to be heard, and this disc represents some of the best.

The Sherman Brothers Songbook is available here.

The Sherman Brothers Songbook
Disc One

1. Tall Paul from the album Annette
2. Pineapple Princess from the album Hawaiiannette
3. The Flubber Song – The Absent-Minded Professor
4. The Parent Trap – The Parent Trap
5. For Now For Always – The Parent Trap
6. Let’s Get Together – The Parent Trap
7. The Wonderful World of Color (Main Title) – The Wonderful World of Color
8. The Spectrum Song – An Adventure In Color
9. The Green with Envy Blues – An Adventure In Color
10. Strummin’ Song (Rehearsal Version) – The Horsemasters
11. Although I Dropped $100,000 in the Market – Symposium on Popular Songs
12. I’m Blue For You (Boo Boo Boo Boo Boo) – Symposium on Popular Songs
13. Castaway – In Search of the Castaways
14. Enjoy It! – In Search of the Castaways
15. On the Front Porch – Summer Magic
16. Femininity – Summer Magic
17. The Ugly Bug Ball – Summer Magic
18. The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room – The Enchanted Tiki Room, Disneyland® Park
19. It’s a Small World – The New York World’s Fair
20. There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow – The New York World’s Fair
21. A Spoonful of Sugar – Mary Poppins
22. Chim Chim Cher-ee – Mary Poppins
23. Feed the Birds (Tuppence a Bag) – Mary Poppins
24. Supercalifragilisticexpialidiocious – Mary Poppins
25. The Monkey’s Uncle – The Monkey’s Uncle
26. That Darn Cat – That Darn Cat
27. Winnie the Pooh – Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree
28. Up, Down and Touch the Ground – Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree
29. Little Black Rain Cloud – Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree
30. I Wan’na Be Like You (The Monkey Song) – The Jungle Book
31. Trust In Me – The Jungle Book
32. My Own Home – The Jungle Book

Disc Two

1. Fortuosity – The Happiest Millionaire
2. Valentine Candy – The Happiest Millionaire
3. Are We Dancing – The Happiest Millionaire
4. It Won’t Be Long ‘til Christmas – The Happiest Millionaire
5. The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers – Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day
6. Heffalumps and Woozles – Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day
7. The Rain Rain Rain Came Down Down Down – Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day
8. Ten Feet Off the Ground – The One and Only Genuine Original Family Band
9. The Happiest Girl Alive – The One and Only Genuine Original Family Band
10. ’Bout Time – The One and Only Genuine Original Family Band
11. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (BONUS TRACK)
12. Hushabye Mountain – Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (BONUS TRACK)
13. Me Ol’ Bam-Boo – Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (BONUS TRACK)
14. The Aristocats – The Aristocats
15. Scales and Arpeggios – The Aristocats
16. She Never Felt Alone – The Aristocats
17. The Age of Not Believing – Bedknobs and Broomsticks
18. Portebello Road – Bedknobs and Broomsticks
19. The Beautiful Briny – Bedknobs and Broomsticks
20. One Little Spark – Journey Into Imagination, EPCOT ®
21. Makin’ Memories – Journey Into Imagination, EPCOT ®
22. Magic Journeys – Magic Journeys, EPCOT ®
23. Meet the World – Meet the World, Tokyo Disneyland®
24. Pooh’s Lullabee – The Tigger Movie
25. Whoop-De-Dooper-Bounce – The Tigger Movie
26. Your Heart Will Lead You Home – The Tigger Movie
27. Walt Disney and The Sherman Brothers Sing – Progressland Promotional Film

There’s been a big surprise for Disney music fans this week – without notice or warning there appeared on Amazon and other online retailers a listing for a 4-CD box set entitled Disneyland Goes to the World’s Fair. The collection is set for release on November 11th, 2008. Far from being unknown to Disney music aficionados, this set has been known to many for years – we just never thought we’d see it!

A musical retrospective based on the Disney pavilions of the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair – the Carousel of Progress, Magic Skyway, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and it’s a small world – was originally planned in 2001 by former Imagineer and prolific Disney author, Bruce Gordon. When that release ran into rights issues – rumor has it that there were legal hurdles concerning the tracks from Ford’s Magic Skyway attraction – the project was scrapped. The project was revived in 2004 when Gordon and Walt Disney Records park music guru Randy Thornton worked together on the Disneyland 50th anniversary retrospective set, “A Musical History of Disneyland.” But when Gordon left the company and subsequently passed away in 2007, all seemed lost for the World’s Fair compilation.

But this long process, as described in a posting by Thornton himself, has a happy ending for music fans. Thornton has continued the project, restoring and remastering the source elements to provide a set of tracks far clearer than the original temp elements that were leaked onto the web years ago. The set will be accompanied by liner notes based on Gordon’s original work, and all legal hurdles have been cleared which precludes the need for this to be a “limited edition.” The artwork above (which erroneously states “limited edition”) is from Gordon’s original work on the project; Thornton is currently working to clear it for use on the current release.

From the Amazon listing:

DISNEYLAND GOES TO THE WORLD’S FAIR is a rare “behind the scenes” look at Walt Disney’s contribution to the 1964 World’s Fair. It was here where Walt unveiled several unique attractions and exhibits that would forever change not only DISNEYLAND, but greatly influence the future of Disney Theme Parks yet to be imagined.

THIS 4 CD BOX SET includes a 24-page full color booklet and more than 3 HOURS OF RECORDINGS from the classic attractions and exhibits Walt Disney and his team of artists created for the 1964 New York World’s Fair.

The original 2001 release, which has been traded online amongst Disney fans for years, is fantastic, which only makes it more exciting to finally be able to purchase a high-quality version with liner notes. Even if you might already have a version of this sitting on your hard drive, it’s time to step up and buy a real copy to show Walt Disney Record executives that there’s a healthy market for park-related releases. Hopefully this trip to the World’s Fair will only prove that there’s “a great big beautiful tomorrow” for Disney music fans.

The tsunami of Disney media excitement continues unabated. In a post on the Disney Music Discussion forum – an essential read for any Disney park music fan – producer Randy Thornton has announced the new track additions for the 2008 Disneyland and Walt Disney World Official Albums. The albums, which remain 2 disc sets this year, are scheduled for release on April 8th. The new tracks, and the eliminated tracks they replace:

The Official Album of Disneyland

Eliminated Tracks:

“Beautiful Beulah”
“All Aboard the Mine Train”
“Welcome To Tomorrowland”
“The Droid Room”
“Beauty and the Bees (Beauty and the Beast)”

New Tracks:

“The Happiest Place On Earth” (2:38) – Grand Marshall Pre-Parade
“Submarine Voyage” (15:12) – Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage

The Official Album of Walt Disney World

Eliminated Tracks:

“Old Betsy”
“Welcome To Tomorrowland”
“The Tree of Life Theme”

New Tracks:

“Spaceship Earth” (10:52) – Spaceship Earth
“The Seas with Nemo and Friends” (4:42) – The Seas with Nemo and Friends
“Canada: You’re a Lifetime Journey” (5:50) – O Canada!
“Reflections of China Suite” (4:04) – Reflections of China
“Three Caballeros” (2:45) – Grand Fiesta Tour

Thornton also notes:

I don’t count these as ‘new’, but the “CTX Theme” has been expanded from (3:08) to (6:14). Also, “All Aboard the Mine Train” has left Disneyland, and is now on WDW – to represent Thunder Mountain for the time being.

Thornton points out that the Spaceship Earth track contains the entire score by Bruce Broughton. The CTX Theme is also a more complete excerpt of the 25-minute interior background music loop, and the theme from O Canada! begins with excerpts of the attraction’s load music.

For those that don’t know Thornton’s name, you should make a note of it. Whether you know it or not, if you’re a Disney fan you owe him a great deal. After coming to Disney in the late 1980s as a clerk in the music department, Thornton witnessed the production of some of the first albums Disney put out on CD. The first of these was the soundtrack album of Irwin Kostal’s 1982 re-scoring of Fantasia, which was the first film soundtrack to ever be recorded digitally. While that release pre-dated Thornton’s arrival, he contributed to the restoration of Disney’s next releases – two compilations of popular songs from classic Disney films.

The next project from Disney indicated the insistence on excellence that would mark Thornton’s career; upon discovering that Disney was reluctant to release the Mary Poppins soundtrack on the new CD format so soon after a recent vinyl re-release, Thornton found some long-lost Sherman Brothers demos for the film that spurred management to change their minds. Then, faced with management’s insistence on pressing the CD from the vinyl masters rather than remastering it from the original elements, Thornton resorted to a bit of industrial sabotage to ensure that the final disc was in fact the first digitally remastered soundtrack release.

Thornton spent the 1990s remastering Disney’s classic film soundtracks for a series of reference-quality releases; these were known for featuring complete cuts from songs and scores as well as unreleased tracks and demos. Then, mercifully, he began to produce the Official Albums of Disneyland and Walt Disney World. These albums, which had languished for years with stagnant track lists, poor-quality masters, and a general lack of panache were completely rejuvenated by Thornton’s efforts. Every year the park albums feature a refreshed list of cuts, as moldy oldies are replaced with remixed sound collages of popular attractions. Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Haunted Mansion, all of which were formerly represented by short, creaky and poorly edited song excerpts, now take their place on the albums with full suites of music and sound direct from the rides themselves.

Thornton has also devoted a lot of time to restoring little-known albums from Disney’s past, many of which have been made available on demand in the theme parks and on iTunes. But for park fans, it’s his efforts such as the massive and justly praised A Musical History of Disneyland that have earned him so much audiophile love. His push for double-disc releases as well as greater accessibility to catalogue material only add to his legend. Keep up the great work, Randy!

Recently, Bob Iger and Co. unveiled plans for an extensive overhaul of Disney’s California Adventure. Nestled among the plans including blockbuster attractions in Carsland and a complete redo of the opening plaza was a long-shelved attraction based on The Little Mermaid. Disney followers will know that this was originally planned for EuroDisney, and can even virtually ride through the planned attraction on the Special Edition Little Mermaid DVD.

This excites me, not only because it is clear that the new regime at WDI is dusting off plans for fifteen year old rides, but because the scene shown in all press releases is the “Kiss The Girl” scene. In addition, there’s a wonderful “Under the Sea” scene on the version of the ride shown on the DVD. One way or another, you know that with a Little Mermaid attraction you are going to get good songs. These Alan Menken and Howard Ashman ditties have stood the test of time, even surviving 80’s musical production values.

Expect DCA visitors to be spotted later in the day in queue for Grizzly Soak’n Wet Wild Ride or lounging in the new Beergarten to still be humming along or outright singing these songs hours later. It is an art that until recently I thought lost to Disney theme parks. In the age of Test Tracks, Mission Spaces, and even the wonderful Tower of Terror, you do not get many songs for your buck anymore.

True, the Mermaid attraction is in a way cheating, because these songs are already well known and were paid for years ago. It’s a step in the right direction. All the heavy hitting attractions of Walt’s later years have wonderful songs written just for them: “Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life For Me)” for Pirates, “Grim Grinning Ghosts” for Haunted Mansion, and the most polarizing and infectious, “It’s A Small World,” on which the entire attraction hinges.

Even less blockbuster attractions recieved their due in musical attention. “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” and later “Now Is The Time” for Carousel of Progress, all the wonderful music involved in the Enchanted Tiki Room and the Country Bear Jamboree. “Miracles in Molecules” for Disneyland’s Tomorrowland, and “Meet Me Down On Main Street.” I challenge a man to walk out of Carousel of Progress or It’s a Small World not at least humming, even if it makes them feel foolish.

There’s merit in this. After all, part of the “Disney Difference” in corporatespeak is to “Preserve the Magical Guest Experience.” Listening to these songs on record at home had a very transportative property that would put me back at WDW, just as much as a strange sulfurlike smell would make me think that Rome was burning.

Speaking of which, this song argument is one that I would throw to the wolves to argue the greatness of EPCOT in its early years pre-Epcot 95 identity crisis. Every attraction had great music to back it up, and I weep for the younger generation growing up without these songs. “Fun to Be Free,” “Listen To The Land,” “Tomorrow’s Child,” “New Horizons,” both Energy songs (not to mention the infectious song from El Rio de Tiempo) – these are all lost to us now, except from downloadable devices. At least “One Little Spark,” one of the Sherman Brothers classics survives in revised and weakened form. Consider it a lesson learned, WDI.

I believe they have considered it of late, actually. Two examples in recent EPCOT work leads me to believe all is not lost. Though at the expense of the previously mentioned song, the new El Rio De Tiempo, The Gran Fiesta Tour, showcases an even older theme from The Three Cabalieros.

Even more exciting news is over at The Seas with Nemo and Friends, as well as Finding Nemo The Musical. There Avenue Q composer Robert Lopez and his wife, Kristen Anderson-Lopez were commissioned to write all new numbers AFTER the movie came out, including the wonderful “(In The) Big Blue World.” Immediately, the humming and post ride singing returns to EPCOT – and, for a moment, all appears to be on track.

Until next time, this is Beacon Joe signing off.