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

We knew it was coming, but now it’s official. Album producer Randy Thornton posted today that the 5-disc compilation Walt Disney and the 1964 World’s Fair is officially targeted for release on March 24th. Previous release dates had been missed due to production errors, but the current batch checks out and will be in our hot little hands by the end of the month. Press release follows!

Walt Disney Records Releases
Walt Disney and the 1964 World’s Fair
5-Disc Box Set on March 24

Burbank, CA – On March 24, 2009, Walt Disney Records releases Walt Disney and the 1964 World’s Fair, a rare behind the scenes look at Walt Disney’s contribution to the 1964 New York 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 5-CD set includes more than three hours of recordings from the four Pavilions (Progressland, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, “it’s a small world,” and The Magic Skyway) Walt Disney and his team of artists created for the Fair, plus a 24-page full color booklet written by Stacia Martin. Each disc is outlined below:

(Disc 1) – Progressland

Behind-the-scenes recordings and original music from the Progressland Exhibit, featuring a never-before released original World’s Fair production of “Carousel of Progress.” The disc includes the many variations of Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman’s “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.”

(Disc 2) – Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln

Experience the sounds of the original “Illinois Pavilion” from the Illinois Story to an audience with President Lincoln. Also included are the original recording sessions of the man who gave Mr. Lincoln his voice (Royal Dano) and the lavish original score by Disney Legend Buddy Baker, also presented as individual tracks.

(Disc 3) – “it’s a small world” – A Salute to UNICEF and all the World’s Children

Includes the original demo recording of the legendary song written by the Sherman Brothers, as well as isolated vocals and a grand master mix of the varied international interpretations of the famous tune directly from the attraction soundtrack. Also included is a tour of this ‘little boat ride’ with Walt Disney as your guide.

(Disc 4) – The Magic Skyway

This recording takes the listener on a time-traveling ‘road trip’ with Walt Disney as he personally escorts you through the age of dinosaurs, the assent of man, and to the distant future. The disc also includes “Auto Parts Harmonic,” which features music from a 13-piece orchestra with instruments made entirely from car parts.

(Disc 5 – Bonus) – “Carousel of Progress”

As a special bonus, the set also includes “Carousel of Progress – Alternate Universe Version.” Fully recorded and scored, this complete production is an early ‘work-in-progress’ version of this timeless classic.

Walt Disney and the 1964 World’s Fair was digitally restored and mastered by Grammy-winning producer Randy Thornton and Jeff Sheridan. Thornton says, “This historical collection has been ‘in the works’ for over seven years. To finally have all these great recordings of Walt’s legendary contributions to the 1964 New York World’s Fair is beyond thrilling, and a wonderful tribute to Imagineer Bruce Gordon (1951 – 2007) who dreamed up this set so many years ago.”

Doh!

As 2009 finds new and fascinating ways to stick it to me, news has just emerged that the impending release of the 5-disc CD set, Walt Disney and the 1964 World’s Fair, has been delayed due to production issues. Print samples of the packaging proved unsatisfactory, and they’re having to scrap that work and start over. Producer Randy Thornton promises that the release is impending, but could be delayed as much as five weeks.

Buy hey, after nine years, what’s five weeks?

I’ve been occupied with a bit of research lately, trying to cobble together something interesting as well as trying to ascertain what the current economic situation is going to mean for the tenuous future of many long hoped-for park enhancements. So I’ll let other writers do the heavy lifting, as I empty out my bookmarks once more and share a few interesting stories from the last few months.

When we previously discussed the impending vintage Disney park music boxed set, Disneyland Goes to the World’s Fair, it was scheduled for a November release. Now that’s changed, but while park music fans might be frustrated with a delay in this long-hoped for boxed set, they’ll be pleased with the eventual outcome. Disney park music overlord Randy Thornton has stated that the set will now be released in February, a delay necessitated by the last-minute addition of new material to the collection. An entire extra disc of music has been added, making the final release a whopping five discs. Thornton has yet to announce what this new disc will consist of, but thankfully he was able to secure the funding and time to make this the best release possible.

For more about Thornton, his work at Disney and the philosophy behind his groundbreaking park music releases, check out this interview recently published at LaughingPlace.

One of my patented latter-day Disney diatribes involves the galling lack of any Disney-related content on the Disney channel. Ever since we lost Vault Disney lo those many years ago, fans have had to look elsewhere for their fix of Walt-approved entertainment. Thankfully, my beloved Turner Classic Movies has stepped up to the challenge and a posting on MiceAge has revealed that December will be a good month for television-viewing fans of classic Disney live-action film. What’s more, TCM will debut a new 90-minute documentary, The Age of Believing: The Disney Live Action Classics. Gotta love TCM. The schedule:

December 7th, beginning at 12:00 PM:

Treasure Island (1950)
Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
Old Yeller (1957)
The Parent Trap! (1961)
Pollyanna (1960)
The Barefoot Executive (1971)

December 14th, beginning at 12:00 PM:

The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969)
The Strongest Man in the World (1975)
The Absent Minded Professor (1961)
Son of Flubber (1963)
The Age of Believing: The Disney Live Action Classics (2008)
The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975)
The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979)

December 21st, beginning at 12:00 PM:

The Black Hole (1979)
Escape to Witch Mountain (1975)
Return From Witch Mountain (1978)
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
Candleshoe (1977)
Freaky Friday (1976)

December 28th, beginning at 10:30 AM:

The Age of Believing: The Disney Live Action Classics (2008)
The Shaggy Dog (1959)
The Shaggy D.A. (1976)
The Love Bug (1969)
Herbie Rides Again (1974)
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977)
Herbie Goes Bananas (1980)
The World’s Greatest Athlete (1975)

TRON 2 (or TR2N) is on the way. After managing to announce the film without actually committing to it at this year’s ComicCon, Disney executives confirmed the project at a lavish Hollywood shindig in September. Jeff Bridges spoke to The Guardian about the project, mentioning that some degree of motion capture technology will be used in the project. Director Joseph Kosinski spoke to Ain’t It Cool News, revealing that the film will be shot in stereoscopic 3-D and is aiming for a release sometime in 2010. Original TRON director Steven Lisberger is indeed consulting on the project, and Watchmen costume designer Michael Wilkinson is also on board.

Also announced at September’s Disney press event was that Johnny Depp would indeed be returning to the high seas in a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film (surprise!) as well as saddling up as Tonto in the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced Lone Ranger revival (surprise! in a non-ironic way!) John Lasseter showed up to trumpet that Cars 2 has been bumped up a year to 2011, which no doubt led to a ticker-tape parade at Disney Consumer Products. No word on what happens to the two Pixar films already announced for 2011, but whatever happens to newt and The Bear and the Bow, it looks like Uncle John’s attempt to top pigs with pigs is on its way. The Brad Lewis-directed film will be preceded by several new shorts, known collectively as “Cars Toons”, which will play on the Disney Channel and possibly in theaters. The first of these shorts debuts later this month.

Jeff Kurtti’s long-awaited book about prominent Walt-era Imagineers finally shipped recently after years of delay. Thankfully, it’s a good read and includes information about a number of individuals who not only made critical contributions to the development of theme parks but might also not be well-known to the general public. Disney historian Didier Ghez has posted an interview he conducted with Kurtti.

Quick Hits:

- Discussing the legacy of the 1941 Disney Studios strike

- Collecting Fastpasses

- The Joel Chandler Harris museum’s take on Song of the South. Bob Iger, free this movie!

- A great new resource: The Walt Disney World map library

- Vote President GARCO in 2008!

- Proof that the Disney Studios was a friendlier place to work than Don Draper’s office

FREAKOUT!

From the “writers I wish I were” department: EPCOT Central is back with as concise distillation as I’ve found discussing what’s wrong with Team Disney’s mindset these days. Meanwhile, Passport to Dreams Old & New takes a look at walkthough attractions from the parks’ past and present. Germane considering the impeding re-opening of Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough, I’ll bet you’ll never have realized how much you missed CommuniCore.

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.