Since September 2010, this blog has recorded the journey of this music junkie as I attempt to listen to all the music in my CD collection. CDs revisited in their entirety from start to finish - no skipping tracks, no shuffle. Compact Discs only - no vinyl, no tapes, no files.
Originally recorded for the 1973 CBS special of the same name, this soundtrack didn't receive an official release until 2023. The show itself is quite bizarre when viewed through an adult lens but I certainly enjoyed watching it every year as a child. Plus, the show won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children’s Programming. Sadly, it left broadcast television after its 2019 airing on ABC and is currently streaming exclusively on Apple TV+. Now on to the music presented in this "50th Anniversary Special Edition" package.
Don't come around looking for A Charlie Brown Christmas Part 2. This offering adds a horn section, Fender Rhodes electric piano, and a Clavinet to Guaraldi's traditional piano trio instrumentation. The difference is a 'modernizing' of the Peanuts sound. The music is definitely of its time and that's fine with me. The only downside is that, to fill out the album, the label chose to include all the alternate takes, brief cues, and other studio shenanigans. Nevertheless, the album is worth the price, especially the first half.
Billboard Tastemakers: #13 (since rebranded as "Indie Store Album Sales")
Billboard Soundtrack: #19
Billboard Top Album Sales:#34 (pure album sales)
Billboard Top Current Album Sales: #26 (same chart as Top Album Sales, with catalog titles removed)
Tracks:
I just love the Thanksgiving Theme, a fantastic jazz waltz plus the electric piano adds a nice touch. Track 4, Peppermint Patty, starts off nice enough, but it really takes off at about the 1:45 mark with a different groove and flute solo. It seems as if Guaraldi was asked to write a modern pop tune for as a theme for the Woodstock character and he listened to a few Blood, Sweat & Tears records before coming up with Little Birdie, another highlight of the album. Finally, the take on the Linus & Lucy theme is fantastic, updating the familiar tune with some syncopated rhythms, new harmonies, and adding horns (including a tasty trumpet solo) to the arrangement.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None with this particular CD, but I always liked watching a Charlie Brown TV special during the Guaraldi years (1965-1976) because that was one of the few times jazz music was heard on broadcast TV, especially in children's programming. Tragically, 47-year-old Guaraldi died suddenly of a heart attack on February 6, 1976, several hours after completing the soundtrack for the 15th Peanuts TV special, It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown.
Maybe I need to host my own Friendsgiving meal this week and soundtrack it with this CD. The menu? Popcorn, pretzels, jellybeans, and toast, of course. And now I'm craving Zingers for some reason.
Historical? Yes. But not up to Beatles standards and more than a little creepy. To quote Dr. Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park, the guys "were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should." It isn't terrible by any means, but in my opinion, not a fitting end to the group's recorded legacy. Out with a whimper, not a bang.
Regardless of what I think, the single won a Grammy award in the Best Rock Performance category. It was also nominated in the category of Record of the Year, eventually losing to Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar.
For 21 years, I lived in a small town on the Texas Gulf Coast. The city is home to a Tex-Mex place that has been around for decades and still going strong. Even though it is in a low-traffic location and does no advertising, that restaurant is the go-to place for many people in that town who rave about the food. I ate there several times over the years (a small town usually has few options for eating out) and never found the food or the service particularly good. My wife would mention the place and my usual response was that it was a B.Y.O.F. joint - bring your own flavor. It was bland, stale food and I just didn't understand others' attraction to the place other than family loyalty, tradition, and path dependence. And speaking of bland...
Overall, I'm a big fan of Trevor Horn's work (Buggles, Yes, ABC, Art of Noise, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Seal, etc.). Before this Echoes album was released, I somehow came across track 2 in which we have Seal covering Joe Jackson's Steppin' Out, a subtle, bossa-influenced take on one of my favorites songs from the '80s. I loved that particular cover tune, checked out the album's track list, saw several great '80s tunes on it, then immediately pre-ordered the CD. I gave the thing a chance, but the rest of the album doesn't even come close to Seal's contribution. When asked about it by fellow music lovers, my response was "One trick pony, unfortunately: take a song, make it slow and moody, add guest vocalist."
Here's some random online reviews I've across:
Slant: "At best the results are bland, and at worst they exemplify Gen-X nostalgia at its most saccharine."
Louder (★★★½): "exquisitely crafted covers delivered with elan, painstakingly produced with plenty of heart."
The Arts Desk: "Downtempo cover versions run the gamut from the bland to the excruciating"
iNews (★★): "a covers album that never really justifies its existence."
Musically, my Gen X contemporaries living in the UK had a very different '80s than I. So when I saw a post regarding this 4 disc compilation over at superdeluxeedition, I pre-ordered the thing based on my unfamiliarity with many of the titles. Turns out it was a good pick-up: of the 80 tunes offered up, a full 41 (51.25%) tracks were new to me. Well, "new-to-me" to the best of my (increasingly faulty) recollection, at least. But if I had somehow been introduced to these tracks upon release, most would have been welcome additions to the soundtrack of my high school and college years.
Of the "new-to-me" bunch, my favorites are Red Guitar, European Female, No Memory, African And White, Tower Of Strength, Martha's Harbour, Hit The Ground, Sonic Boom Boy, and Def. Con. One; while my least favorites are Mad Eyed Screamer, Pop Song, and Ieya.
Everything has been packaged into a 7" square hardcover book which includes sleeves for each CD along with the 44 page book mentioned in the pictured hype sticker. For more information, check out this handy unpacking video:
The hype sticker also mentions a "limited edition signed print." I'm underwhelmed with that:
More like a "limited edition initialed card." Ah well, let's check out the book. Much better! We're treated to a well-edited oral history of the band from 1977-83, lots of great photos, and detailed credits. All offered up in the pinstriped artistic feel of the original album.
CD 3: Junction Box – The Unfinished Tracks (40 minutes)
I Believe In Sundays - 3:43
Maytime Moments (Instrumental) - 3:36
Cheek to Cheek (Instrumental) - 3:46
Hayley's Heart (Guide Vocal) - 2:09
A Blue Hat for a Blue Day (Instrumental) - 3:40
Coming Home (Instrumental) - 3:10
Brookfield Girl - 3:09
Sunny Boy, Sunny Girl - 4:04
Club Boy at Sea - 3:41
Steam Bus Junction (Instrumental) - 4:42
Whistle Down the Wind - 3:39
Bootleg files of these tracks have long circulated among fans (including myself) under the title of "Half-Baked: The Lost Album." It's nice to see them have an official release and to own a physical copy. (Note: there was once a physical CD-R copy of the bootleg for sale, but by the time I found out about it, that mess had rightfully been shut down by the powers that be.) Nevertheless, they are mostly incomplete demos and not very interesting beyond a few listens. The exception is track 7, Brookfield Girl, which is a fully-formed, fantastic piece of pop music. Several tracks (5, 9, 11, and parts of 6) would end up on Nick Heyward's 1983 Arista release, North Of A Miracle.
CD 4: Haircut 100% Live! Hammersmith Odeon Spring 1982 (Recorded March 31 & April 1, 1982. 61 minutes)
Low Rider - 5:56
Baked Beans - 4:00
Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) - 2:56
Calling Captain Autumn - 4:01
Milk Film - 2:40
Snow Girl - 3:15
Lemon Fire Brigade - 3:44
Fantastic Day - 4:04
Love's Got Me In Triangles - 3:14
Love Plus One - 4:47
Kingsize (You're My Little Steam Whistle) - 4:40
Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) (Long) - 6:58
Calling Captain Autumn - 3:38
Love Plus One (Encore) - 6:54
Yes, they open with a War cover and it ain't bad. And three songs are so good, they played 'em twice! Track 8, Fantastic Day, seems to be the same live recording as track 12 from the second disc. Other than that one track, I don't believe the other tracks have ever been released or bootlegged. If they have, I've not seen them.
Looking forward to the 50th Anniversary Edition in 2032!
