More Disney Park Music on iTunes, Along With Remastered McDuck

Two recent digital releases on iTunes and Amazon MP3 give Disney music collectors a reason to rejoice--even if the timing on our first recommendation seems a bit...out of season.

It's A Small World Holiday

The bright, jingly soundtrack to Disneyland's popular It's a Small World Christmas overlay is available for the first time since its original appearance on the now out-of-print A Musical History of Disneyland. Including the Clock Parade intro, it runs about fifteen minutes, thus giving you a nice virtual ride-through and leaving the Small World/Jingle Bells medley forever stuck in your mind. Bwa-ha-ha! Reasonably Priced at $3.99

 

Ducktales Remastered - Official Game Soundtrack

First, a word about the game: If you're a fan of Scrooge McDuck, great games or both, Ducktales Remastered (available for download on just about every recent game console) is a wonderful, beautifully crafted adventure you shouldn't miss. Based on the popular 1989 Nintendo game (in turn based on the TV series), it's been reborn with stunning animation, the show's original voice cast and a fantastic reworking of its legendary score.

Now, on to the album: From the high-energy rendition of the opening theme to the haunting piano rendition of the game's Moon track, this album is a fantastic audio ride, and it includes the original 8-bit renditions of the score to boot! Forty-seven tracks for $9.99 -- Highly recommended.

Celebrate Christmas in May...in Duckberg! Happy listening!

Snow White on Ice on iTunes

For the Disney music completist, here's a fun little recording that recently resurfaced on iTunes and Amazon MP3. The title's quite a mouthful:

Tom Arnold Presents an Adaptation on Ice of of Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

No, it's not the American Tom Arnold, it's the British theatrical producer Tom Arnold. The four songs on this 1960 $3.99 souvenir record are pleasant covers--exactly what you might expect to hear at an ice show. Give it a sample listen: You might like what you hear.

I'd love to see more of these unusual "Disney By-Product" recordings appear on the digital marketplace. If only Disney would open up more of their own vault...

Disney Teams Up With iTunes for Early Frozen Release and Disney Movies Everywhere

Frozen is now available for purchase and download on iTunes, two weeks ahead of its release on DVD and Blu-ray. Disney chose this day to also announce the arrival of their new Disney App, Disney Movies Everywhere. The app allows movie fans to purchase Disney films on iTunes, plus register qualifying films for instant streaming across multiple devices.

The idea is for fans to be able to access their entire library of purchased Disney films at any time and stream them to the computer, iPhone or iPad of their choice -- Sort of like a personal Netflix service, but free and composed solely of purchased content. As an incentive, Disney is offering The Incredibles as a free gift for signing up.

One can only hope that this eventually leads to a true opening of the Disney vault. If those thousands of hours of classic Disney films and television episodes that haven't seen the light of day in decades can finally be purchased and accessed, this would be a fan's dream come true.

Classic Epcot Takes Center Stage in Park Piano Collection

Musician Tom Ameen is quietly becoming a bit of a hero to theme park fans. He has a knack for turning Disney attraction tunes into beautiful, relaxing piano performances. His album, Piano and Pixie Dust, is a must-own for any park music collector, and especially for Epcot fans.

Take a look at this track list:

Tapestry of Nations
One Little Spark
Main Street Electrical Parade
Magic Journeys
Epcot Medley: Beneath the Waterfall/The Land/Canada
Illuminations
It's a Small World
There's a Great, Big Beautiful Tomorrow
Universe of Energy
Horizons
Tomorrow's Child

Now, combine that with his three earlier tracks from the EP Solo Piano Moments...

Golden Dream
Fantasmic
The Wonderful World of Color

...and you've got an amazing collection of quality piano tunes to play while relaxing, reading, working, dreaming or dining. All tracks are available to purchase online from iTunes and Amazon MP3. Highly Recommended!

Create Your Own Ultimate Disney Christmas Playlist

Disney didn't release a new character Christmas album this year, but 2012's Jingle Bell Fun was so entertaining, it deserves another winter in the spotlight. Plus, this is a great year to revisit Disney Christmas albums from the past and add some gems to your music player.

Looking over what's available to purchase digitally from iTunes and Amazon MP3, it's easy to create a fantastic Disney Christmas playlist. Here are Mouse Troop's picks for the best of the best, but we encourage you to sample all the available tracks and make your own personal Disney Musical Winter Holiday Extravaganza!

New Disney Collection Arrives With Great Park Tracks

That enormous 4-album Disney Music set we previewed earlier is now available for purchase and download on iTunes. The best news for park fans is the happy confirmation that all but one of Disneyland/Walt Disney World Tracks on disc 4 are available for individual purchase (Disneyland's Splash Mountain is the only album-only park track). Collectors can now pick out any tracks they need without having to pay $39.99 for a massive set of tunes they probably already own.

I'm very happy to finally have a great recording of "The Best Time of Your Life." Happy music browsing!

Huge Disney Music Collection on the Horizon

Disney Classics, a four-disc overview of the company's vast, eclectic musical landscape arrives on iTunes and CD November 12th.

Each disc features a different theme:

Disney Timeless Classics
Disney Modern Classics
Disney Television Classics
Disney Theme Park Classics

The set boasts an interesting lineup of tracks, ranging from "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf" to the theme from "Wizards of Waverly Place". Some picks are obvious standards while some are surprisingly (in a good way) out of left field. In many ways, this set seems to be the spiritual successor to the Randy Thornton-produced collection, The Music of Disney: A Legacy In Song from 1992, as it aims at covering the entire spectrum of Disney's music catalog while picking no more than one song from any particular film or show...with a couple of exceptions this time around.

For die-hard Disney fans, quite a few tracks will evoke smiles. Whether never-before-released or haven't-been-available-in-ages, here are a few of the tracks for the Disneymaniacs:

The Triple R Song
Darkwing Duck Theme
Scarecrow
Minnie's Yoo Hoo (The Mouse Factory version)
Aloha, E Komo Mai (the only good thing about the Lilo and Stitch TV series)

For readers of this site, here's what you're really interested in: The theme park tracks on Disc 4

The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room
Swisskapolka
Yo Ho
Splash Mountain Medley (Disneyland version)
Bear Band Serenade
Grim Grinning Ghosts
It's a Small World
There's a Great, Big Beautiful Tomorrow (Rex Allen)
The Great Outdoors
Space Mountain (Dick Dale)
Soarin'
It's Tough To Be a Bug
California Screamin'
The Best Time of Your Life
Space Mountain (Michael Giacchino)
Universe of Energy
Kitchen Kabaret Medley
One Little Spark (the original)
Canada
Golden Dream
Finale (Fantasmic exit music)

I'm mainly pleased to see Dick Dale's 1996 surfer-guitar "Space Mountain" score and "The Best Time of Your Life" landing on iTunes for the first time.

Check out this link for the complete track list. Overall, it looks like a solid collection. There are too many current-era Disney Channel tunes for my tastes, but many younger fans will feel as nostalgic for those tracks as I am for "Scarecrow" and The Mouse Factory. It truly does seem to be a set aimed at the entire fan base.

There's one fly in the ointment: In preview mode, the set is listed as being an album-only collection, meaning single track purchases (except for a single new pop medley) are not offered. I certainly hope that changes by November 12th, as--like many fans--I've already bought 95% of these.

Haunted Mansion Holiday Materializes on iTunes

What's this? What's this? There's good news for all fans!

The park music digital download scene continues to flourish; The soundtrack to Disneyland's Haunted Mansion Holiday has creeped delightfully onto iTunes and Amazon MP3. For $7.99, you can add the world's most astonishing once-a-year ride metamorphosis to your playlist.

The album's stretched out with nine cute/creepy Halloween-themed parodies of Christmas carols, but--of course--the reason anyone would buy this is saved for the final track: a terrific and energetic 16 minute ride-through mix of the entire Nightmare Before Christmas-themed attraction. Even if you've never actually visited Haunted Mansion Holiday, this soundtrack completely captures the spirit of the experience. The wonderful music and voice work make it an audio celebration you'll want to listen to again and again.

This has been a great year for park music fans! Please Click here for a complete list of all the Disney park albums currently available on iTunes and Amazon MP3.

At Long Last, The Muppet Movie Soundtrack Hits iTunes

It's been a long, long wait for Muppet fans, but the wonderful, original 1979 soundtrack album that introduced "The Rainbow Connection" to the world has finally been released on iTunes and Amazon MP3.

Listening to this little masterpiece is like welcoming an old friend back home. The sound quality is terrific, the performances are incredible, and the Paul Williams tunes have gotten even better with time.

Of course, this album's been released to coincide with the film's debut on Blu-ray, Be sure to read Estelle's review of the movie at This Happy Place Blog and Melissa Sue's spotlight on the disc's bonus features at Mouse on the Mind.

The Muppet Movie is a charmer, and the music has always been one of its greatest strengths. The album stands on its own as a smoothly-flowing musical romp through Jim Henson's timeless world of optimism and wonder. If you've never heard this album, don't miss it--if for no other reason than to hear Miss Piggy try for that high note and fail so spectacularly--so jaw dropping-ly, mind-blowing-ly, glass-shattering-ly spectacularly. "Never Before" has a soundtrack been so funny and so touching at the same time.

Rolly Crump Returns, Making iPod Playlists a Lot Cuter

Odds are good that some of your favorite Disneyland or Walt Disney World details--whether in the form of a talking tiki, the Tomorrowland bandstand rising from the ground, the little animated figures in the popcorn carts or the Haunted Mansion's wallpaper--were designed by Rolly Crump. His autobiographical It's Kind of a Cute Story, published last year, quickly became a must-read for Imagineering fans.

Fortunately for all, Mr. Crump has many more backstage secrets to reveal, and the just-released More Cute Stories serves as a colorful, wonderfully entertaining audio sequel to his book. Whether or not you've read It's Kind of a Cute Story (and you really shouldn't miss it--It's on Kindle), More Cute Stories is a blast; It's like having Rolly Crump sitting across the table from you at the world's most awesome dinner party as he genially recalls forty-five minutes worth of fun and eye-opening Disneyland moments the company never talks about, all in good humor with a great sense of perspective.

Park Soundtracks in the Digital Age

As many of you already know, Disney recently announced an August 20th release date for new park soundtrack CDs. Disneyland and Walt Disney World will each have their own updated 2-disc collection, with several new tracks. Of course, this is terrific news, but--for me--the best thing about this announcement is....wait...okay, before we continue...

Let's pause here a second to look at the covers. Raise your hand if you think the cost-cutting "One Disney" merchandising concept needs to stop.

Okay, moving forward to the best part of this news: These titles will be available on iTunes, Amazon MP3, and Disney's own online digital music shop!

Two Park Classics Parade Onto iTunes

In another big marching step for fans seeking digital park music, Disney's Electrical Parade and SpectroMagic have become available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon MP3.

The price points are reasonable, considering the track lengths ($2.99 for the 9:57 Electrical Parade and $3.99 for the 14:16 SpectroMagic). The sound quality is excellent on both releases.

SpectroMagic's release is a bit bittersweet, considering this week's news about the uncheerful fate of the retired parade floats, but the high quality of this recording should rekindle happy memories in fans and introduce newcomers to the timeless fun of this Walt Disney World exclusive.

The Electrical Parade's release might strike a pang of nostalgia in many Disneyland regulars who are coming to grips with the increasingly unlikely prospect of ever getting that show back to California (Elliott, we miss you!). This is the terrific Randy Thornton mix created for The Musical History of Disneyland (complete with Alice and Pete dialogue with the crowd) but with the DCA-era alternate opening and closing announcements hailing it awkwardly as "Disney's Electrical Parade." It just sounds odd not hearing "Main Street" in that fanfare.

Still, any Electrical Parade on iTunes is better than none!

I encourage all Disney park fans to purchase both of these releases: If we want more park music released digitally, we need to vote with our wallets!

As always, I'm hoping there's more to come!

For a complete list of currently available digital Disney park music, please click here.

Classic Disney Channel Memories: The Wind in the Willows

Britain's other Fab Four

In its early years, The Disney Channel was the classiest thing on cable, and it sported a lineup of amazing shows the entire family could enjoy together. There was Five Mile Creek, the sprawling tale of Australia's first stagecoach line. The much-loved Avonlea continued the Anne of Green Gables saga. And then there was The Wind in the Willows, the most elaborate, literate and wonderfully acted stop-motion animated series ever to grace the tube.

Toad disrupts dinner and annoys Badger...again.

Produced by Cosgrove Hall (of Danger Mouse fame), this funny, gentle and sometimes heartbreaking show followed the lives of Toad, Mole, Rat and Badger after the events of the famous novel (and the Disney film. And Mr. Toad's Wild Ride).

Strange Things 10: Welcome Irish Bedknob Birds Edition

Great off-beat Disney tunes keep cropping up on iTunes and Amazon, so here we go with another round of Strange Things--Disney tunes that are rarely heard, obscure or performed in unexpected ways.

Our first pick is a Walt Disney World tribute! One problem: This particular non-Disney album cover is so ugly, we're not going to post it. Instead, here are some lovely Main Street flowers...

Track: WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME
Album: Cool & Classy Take on TV

This is such an odd find: Hidden among this album's ho-hum offering of TV themes you'll find an instrumental rendition of the "Welcome, Welcome, Welcome" show at Magic Kingdom. Whaaa...?!? The medley includes the "Welcome" song, "Walking Right Down the Middle of Main Street U.S.A" and "The Trolley Song." It seems arranged as a Karaoke backing track, but it still sound's upbeat as all heck. This one seems to be iTunes-only just now.

Next: A performance that's almost guaranteed to lift the sulkiest of spirits...

Two DCA Soundtracks Surf onto iTunes

Another blast of Disney park music recently hit iTunes and Amazon MP3 -- this time in the form of a DCA time capsule duo! First up: Music From (the original) Disney's California Adventure!

 

Wanna relive the early days when DCA kind of sucked eggs -- yet still had some genuine gems to offer? This long out-of-print park CD has been digitally resurrected! Here, preserved for the ages, you'll find the fun score to the infamously awful Superstar Limo ride (the music deserved better), and a pair of DCA "welcome" songs that -- in a nutshell -- sum up everything icky about the park's original attempts at being "edgy." As if in penance, this album's priced to move at $7.99!

Despite the few flops, there are several fantastic tracks here, many of which made the jump to later park albums, such as the scores for Soarin', California Screamin' and Seasons of the Vine. Great extinct show pieces include the finales from Steps In Time and Lights, Camera, Chaos plus nine minutes of music from the unusual Eureka! parade.

Golden Horseshoe Lives On Through iTunes

The recent "Limited-Time Magic" Tribute to the Golden Horseshoe Revue stage show is heading into its final days at Disneyland. While it's a shame the tribute isn't a permanent fixture at the park, the magic of the original long-running Disneyland classic can still be enjoyed, for Slue-Foot Sue's Golden Horseshoe Review is on iTunes (and Amazon MP3)!

Recorded Live at Disneyland in 1957, the album (misspelled title and all) captures the light-hearted joy and energy of the original show. The original amazing cast is in great form and this special presentation includes a guest appearance by the Disney's favorite barbershop quartet, the Mellomen.

Another classic park album joins our growing list of iTunes Disney Park albums. The digital scene keeps getting better and better!

A List of iTunes Disney Park Albums

 

Main Street's 20th Century Music Company is one of my top-priority shop visits on every trip to Disneyland. No visit's complete without a look at its selection of Park CDs.

The recent release of several Disney Park albums onto iTunes and Amazon MP3 brings a little bit of that shop's magic to the online music market. Unlike Main Street's music store, however, iTunes doesn't make it particularly easy to find all their park-related selections.

To help Disney music fans zero in on the digital albums, I've put together a page dedicated to keeping track of what's available. I certainly look forward to adding more titles as they're released!

Happy listening!

Photo by Lana Whitham

Park Music on iTunes! A Review of The Circle Sessions

Happy New Year! If you're looking for some mellow music to unwind with after all last night's festivities, you're in luck; Disney has actually released an album of park music for digital download on iTunes and Amazon.

The Circle Sessions: The Music of Carthay Circle has been available at Disney California Adventure since early November, but just hit iTunes and Amazon a week before Christmas.

Comprised of twelve tracks from Buena Vista Street's Carthay Circle Restaurant, this album glides through smooth jazz interpretations of classic Disney tunes old and new, including "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes", "Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat", "Alice in Wonderland" "Be Our Guest" and "Married Life" from Up.

Pete's Dragon: A Classic LP Returns...Almost Complete

After a long, long stay in the vault, the 1977 Pete's Dragon LP recently arrived on iTunes and Amazon MP3. Fans can rejoice, and then puzzle over the deletion of one of the album's tracks.

Pete's Dragon is no Marry Poppins, but the songs are still a lot of fun, and if you've never heard this album before, you might be surprised to find that several of the tracks differ quite a bit from the movie versions, particularly Mickey Rooney's "I Saw a Dragon." The songs are also in the wrong order (the album's always been like that), so you'll probably want to fix that on your playlist.

Strange Things: Great Offbeat Disney Music

In case yesterday's Big Lucasfilm Purchase News made you wanna dance, we're featuring some of the more oddball, unusual, but ultimately engaging tracks of Disney Music to be found on iTunes and Amazon. 

Seriously, no one needs another straightforward elevator music version of Whole New World...no, we're having more fun than that...

Track:  BEAUTY & THE BEAST
Album: Disney Themes: Flamenco Style

Imagine Beast circling Belle with a rose stem between his teeth. I don't think I need to say another word.

Track:  HUMPHREY HOP (In the Bag)
Album: House of Mouse

Some official Disney releases are off-the-rails enough to make this list, like Ranger Woodlore's litter-picking song that tricks Humphrey Bear & co. into performing unpaid labor. It's impossible not to dance while listening. Actually, every Disney Music fan should have this entire soundtrack in their library, even though it's a wee bit overpriced on iTunes.
 

Track:   DISNEY DELIGHTS
Album: The Box and Banjo Band at the Movies

An accordion/banjo combo swings their way through I Wanna Be Like You, Hi-Ho and  Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah. Pure happiness. Careful: this band's addictive. Also check out their amazing Hans Christian Andersen medley.

Track:  WHEN I SEE AN ELEPHANT FLY
Album: Let's Dance the Jive

Graham Dalby is an English Bandleader focusing on keeping Jazz Age Swing Music alive, and for that reason alone, he should be made King of Planet Earth.

That'll do it for this dose of great Disney music...OH, WAIT...in light of the recent news, I can't resist one more track that's not really very obscure....

Track:  STAR WARS/CANTINA BAND (12" DISCO MIX)
Album: The Best of Meco

HAPPY STAR WARS, EVERYONE!!! If you want to party to the full 16 minute long version of this 70's smash, you'll have to buy the whole album, but -- hey -- Disco Close Encounters and Disco Oz are included...