A Musical History of Disneyland

Disney

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A Musical History of Disneyland 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.

Track Listing - Disc 1

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	Walt Disney's Dedication of Disneyland	Disney	00:41	Spotify Amazon
2	All Aboard - Main Street Station	Disney	00:30	Spotify Amazon
3	Minnie's Yoo Hoo! Walt Disney / Carl Stalling	Disney	00:41	Spotify Amazon
4	Meet Me Down on Main Street Tom Adair / Oliver Wallace	Disney feat: Mellomen	01:52	Spotify Amazon
5	Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln	Disney	11:54	Spotify Amazon
6	Disney Medley: March of the Toys/Whistle While You Work/Zip-A-Dee- ... George Bruns / Frank Churchill / Ray Gilbert / Leigh Harline / Larry Morey / Ned Washington / Allie Wrubel	Disney	04:06	Spotify Amazon
7	Alexander's Ragtime Band	Disney feat: Rodney Miller	02:36	Spotify Amazon
8	Let's Dance at Disneyland	Disney	02:12	Spotify Amazon
9	Tiki Room Barker Bird	Disney	00:46	Spotify Amazon
10	The Enchanted Tiki Room Garden Show	Disney	03:58	Spotify Amazon
11	Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room: The Tiki Tiki Tiki ... Tolchard Evans / Robert Hargreaves / Richard M. Sherman / Robert B. Sherman	Disney	17:36	Spotify Amazon
12	Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye	Disney	03:25	Spotify Amazon
13	Swisskapolka Buddy Baker	Disney	01:54	Spotify Amazon
14	Tarzan Medley Phil Collins	Disney	02:38	Spotify Amazon
15	The Mark Twain: Waiting for the Robert E. Lee/Crusin' Down the River	Disney	03:50	Spotify Amazon
16	Pirates of the Caribbean: Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me) Xavier Atencio / George Bruns	Disney	16:07	Spotify Amazon
17	Feed the Birds Richard M. Sherman / Robert B. Sherman	Disney	03:04	Spotify Amazon
18	Love Is a Song Frank Churchill / Larry Morey	Disney	01:10	Spotify Amazon
19	Sounds of the Frontierland Station	Disney	00:45	Spotify Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 2

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	Happy Rag George Bruns	Disney	03:51	Spotify Amazon
2	The Haunted Mansion: Grim Grinning Ghosts Xavier Atencio / Buddy Baker	Disney	13:52	Spotify Amazon
3	Rufus	Disney	00:18	Spotify Amazon
4	Bearless Love	Disney	02:03	Spotify Amazon
5	Country Bear Jamboree: Pianjo/Bear Band Serenade/Fractured Folk Song Xavier Atencio / George Bruns / Dale Davis / Paul Miller / Don Robertson / Frankie Starr	Disney	15:33	Spotify Amazon
6	All I Want Ken Darby	Disney	02:14	Spotify Amazon
7	Splash Mountain: How Do You Do/Ev'rybody Has a Laughing ... Ray Gilbert / Charles Wolcott / Allie Wrubel	Disney	12:11	Spotify Amazon
8	Country Bear Vacation Hoedown: The Great Outdoors/Life's No Picnic ... Nacio Herb Brown / Felice Bryant / Willie Nelson / George Wilkins / Brian Wilson	Disney	16:46	Spotify Amazon
9	The Rain, Rain, Rain Came Down, Down, Down Richard M. Sherman / Robert B. Sherman	Disney	01:45	Spotify Amazon
10	The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Winnie the Pooh/A Rather ... Richard M. Sherman / Robert B. Sherman	Disney	04:56	Spotify Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 3

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	Battle Cry of Freedom George Frederick Root	Disney	01:18	Spotify Amazon
2	A Cowboy Needs a Horse Paul Mason Howard / Billy Mills	Disney	01:29	Spotify Amazon
3	Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland and the Rainbow Caverns	Disney	08:18	Spotify Amazon
4	All Aboard the Mine Train Richard M. Sherman / Robert B. Sherman	Disney	01:44	Spotify Amazon
5	The Golden Horseshoe Revue: Hello Everybody/A Lady Has to Mind Her PS ... Tom Adair / Nick LaRocca / Charlie LaVere / Larry Shields / Carl Sigman	Disney	31:33	Spotify Amazon
6	The Columbia Sailing Ship	Disney	03:19	Spotify Amazon
7	When You Wish Upon a Star Leigh Harline / Ned Washington	Disney	03:12	Spotify Amazon
8	Once Upon a Dream Sammy Fain	Disney	02:19	Spotify Amazon
9	Fantasyland Dark Ride Suite: Little Wooden Head/Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee ... Sammy Cahn / Sammy Fain / Leigh Harline / Ed Penner / Oliver Wallace / Ned Washington	Disney	17:54	Spotify Amazon
10	Matterhorn Yodelers	Disney	02:18	Spotify Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 4

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	It's a Small World Richard M. Sherman / Robert B. Sherman	Disney	13:42	Spotify Amazon
2	The Sound of Toons	Disney	00:35	Spotify Amazon
3	Steamboat Willie	Disney	02:08	Spotify Amazon
4	Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin	Disney	02:26	Spotify Amazon
5	20, 000 Leagues Under the Sea Medley: Main Title/Whale of a Tale Norman Gimbel / Al Hoffman	Disney	02:23	Spotify Amazon
6	America the Beautiful Katharine Lee Bates / Samuel A. Ward	Disney	17:51	Spotify Amazon
7	The Monorail Song	Disney	01:53	Spotify Amazon
8	Adventure Thru Inner Space Buddy Baker	Disney	07:31	Spotify Amazon
9	Miracles from Molecules Richard M. Sherman / Robert B. Sherman	Disney	01:36	Spotify Amazon
10	Star Tours	Disney	04:06	Spotify Amazon
11	The Carousel of Progress: There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow Richard M. Sherman / Robert B. Sherman	Disney	19:28	Spotify Amazon
12	Progressland: There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow Richard M. Sherman / Robert B. Sherman	Disney	05:47	Spotify Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 5

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	Nation on Wheels George Bruns	Disney	01:56	Spotify Amazon
2	Flight to the Moon	Disney	13:02	Spotify Amazon
3	America Sings: Yankee Doodle/I Dream of Jeannie with the Light ... Shelton Brooks / Nacio Herb Brown / Marcus S. Davis / Arthur Freed / Milton Leeds	Disney	21:33	Spotify Amazon
4	The Submarine Voyage Thru Liquid Space	Disney	09:10	Spotify Amazon
5	Space Mountain Aarin Richard	Disney	03:48	Spotify Amazon
6	Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters Randy Newman	Disney	06:13	Spotify Amazon
7	Space Mountain Michael Giacchino	Disney	01:26	Spotify Amazon
8	Remember Dreams Come True: Wishes Fanfare and Theme/When You Wish Upon Mack David / Leigh Harline / Al Hoffman / Jerry Livingston / Larry Morey / Ned Washington	Disney	17:10	Spotify Amazon
9	Closing: Mickey Mouse Alma Mater Jimmie Dodd	Disney	01:14	Spotify Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 6

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	The Country Bear Christmas Special: Rudolph the Red-Nosed ... Johnny Marks / George Wilkins / Meredith Willson	Disney	16:11	Spotify Amazon
2	It's a Small World Holiday: Jingle Bells/It's a Small World/Deck ... Richard M. Sherman / Robert B. Sherman	Disney	15:07	Spotify Amazon
3	Haunted Mansion Holiday /Graveyard Finale/Hitchh ... Xavier Atencio / Buddy Baker / Gordon Goodwin	Disney	16:40	Spotify Amazon
4	The Main Street Electrical Parade: Electric Fanfare/Fanfare of ... Mack David / Don Dorsey / Sammy Fain / Bob Hilliard / Al Hoffman / Gershon Kingsley / Jerry Livingston	Disney	09:13	Spotify Amazon
5	Fantasmic!: Main Themes, Pts. 1-2/Kaa and the Monkeys ... Leigh Harline / Bruce Healey / Alan Menken / Jack Wallace / Oliver Wallace / Ned Washington / Victor Young	Disney	22:39	Spotify Amazon

blue highlight denotes track pick