The DISNEYLAND RECORDS blog

Boxing Day Bonanza at Goodwill

2011-12-27T16:51:00.000-08:00

On Boxing Day (December 26th) we took a trip down to Marysville, Washington to partake of the Golden Coral "All You Care to Eat" buffet. It was amazing as always. If you have never been to a Golden Coral, and you have one within driving distance (our closest one is about 1 1/2 hour drive), you have to check it out. After lunch, we driving around checking out various malls and stores. Along the way we found two Goodwill stores where they are having a 50% everything sale, which meant that 99 cent records were now 50 cents, and 10 cent cassette tapes were now 5 cents... Yippee!

I came home with 29 LPs and 1 cassette tape, with the bulk of them being Disney albums. My favorites are:
1) Walt Disney Presents Ferede Grofe's Grand Canyon Suite
2) Walt Disney Presents Songs From All Around the World
3) Walt Disney Presents Best of Broadway
4) Walt Disney Presents The Story of Treasure Island
5) Bedknobs and Broomsticks
6) Walt Disney Presents Rudyard Kilpling's Just So Stories (Narrated by Sterling Holloway)
7) Walt Disney's Story and Songs from Pinocchio (Narrated by Jiminy Cricket)
8) Walt Disney Presents the Stories of Hans Christian Anderson
9) Walt Disney Presents Acting Out The ABCs.

Although a few of them are in rough condition, they all had the original LPs inside and once I put them into shinny new record sleeves, they all looked great, and are ready to be added to my collection. Total cost for these 9 LPs was $4.50.

If you would like to check out the other non Disney albums I picked up, check them out over at Ronn's Big Pile of Stuff.

TRON Translucence Ltd Edition 10″ Vinyl

2011-12-23T23:59:00.000-08:00

I just saw this tonght while surfing the net looking for Disney albums...

Daft Punk – Translucence is a limited edition 4-track vinyl 10" record released on Record Store Day, April 16th 2011. Translucence features 3 tracks from Daft Punk’s soundtrack for Tron: Legacy. The 4th track, Castor, was previously only available on the special edition bonus CD. The translucent vinyl features the design of the Tron: Legacy Identity Disk and will be available in 3 colours; orange, blue and yellow.

I have contacted a few online record shops in hopes of getting a 'blue' one for my record collection!

Pinnocchio... Final Sale

2011-07-28T16:46:00.000-07:00

Back in January, the Cloverdale Antique Mall closed for good. I used to stop by on a semi regular basis and always found lots of interesting stuff and came home with some of it. We made a point of visiting the store before they closed. We were there on the second to last day and there were all kinds of great deals on all remaining items. I found this very cool Walt Disney Pinocchio RCA Victor 3 record set and wondered what the price would be since it did not have a price on it. After looking around and finding most of the shelves were pretty bare at this point (they would close the next day), this was the only item I was interested in and so we headed to the cash to make my purchase. We waiting in a line of about 15 people until it was our turn. The lady took a look and said how about $1? I said, sounds good to me! I pulled some change from my pocket to make my purchase.

Once I got home I had a look though my Disney record price guide and could only find one listing that seemed to match. It was at the beginning of the book in a section titled "Disney records valued at over $150". The listing says: Victor P-18: "Pinocchio"; recorded January 19, 1940, released in February 1940; MST; three record set; 78 RPM; cover notes: "Recorded from the original sound track of the Walt Disney Production, Pinocchio; this was the first use of the term "original sound track"; individual records numbered 26477, 26478, and 26479
First issue: Light blue, die-cut front cover with eight color picture panels on ten inner jacket and sleeves; internal sleeve artwork is beautiful; initially sold for $2.00....... $150
My copy has slightly different record numbers, 45-5138, 45-5139, and 45-5140. There is also no artwork on the inside sleeves. And although the cover says "printed in the I.S.A.", the 3 records say "Made in Canada by RCA Victor Company Limited Montreal", so it would seem that my copy is pretty much the same thing, but a Canadian pressing from around the same time at the US one listed in the book.

My copy does have an interesting addition, as there is a gold and blue metalic sticker on the inside which says " Everything in Music, Fletcher's, Victoria, BC" which must have been the music store that this record was originally purchased in. I looked up Fletcher's on Google, but it doesn't seem they are still around.
I must say, that I am pretty happy with my $1 purchase.

Limited Edition The Haunted Mansion 40th Anniversary Album Set

2011-07-26T12:34:00.000-07:00

Not sure how I missed this one. While surfing the net today, I came across this Limited Edition The Haunted Mansion 40th Anniversary Vinyl Album & CD Set from the Disney Store Online. Unfortunelty it is already Sold Out on the official Disney Store site, so I'll have to see if I can get one from eBay or some other reseller.

What is it? In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the release of the album The Story and Song From the Haunted Mansion comes this deluxe limited edition set featuring a faithful reproduction of the original gatefold album and two CDs. Created especially for Disneyland Resort, Limited Edition of 1000.
Originally released in 1969, this Disneyland Records Storyteller was a promotional album to commemorate the opening of the Haunted Mansions attraction. Long since out of print, this recording has become a cherished childhood memory for many Disneyland guests.
Set Includes:

The Story and Song From the Haunted Mansion vinyl album featuring a gatefold sleeve and including an 11-page book of color illustrations by Collin Campbell
The Story and Song From the Haunted Mansion CD
The Haunted Mansion CD
The album cover and Hat Box Ghost painting are included as separate prints suitable for framing
Presentation box

Additional Information:
The CD version of The Story and Song From the Haunted Mansion includes a bonus track if the official Disneyland Park Grim Grinning Ghosts.
CD also contains a digital image gallery containing the high qualoty images of the original painiting which are viewable and printable from your computer
The Haunted Mansion CD includes:
An all new ride-through mix showcasing the various musical elements of the Haunted Mansion with never-before-released recordings.
A hauntingly elegant music box version of Grim Grinning Ghosts
The many variations of the organ score assembled from the original recording sessions
The unearthly scrore from the rollicking graveyard scene
The Graveyard Band version of Grim Grinning Ghosts
A special mix of Grim Grinning Ghosts spotlighting each of the graveyard's ghostly duets
The album concludes with the Phantom Manor Suite, a special mux of John Debney's orchestral interpretations of Buddy Baker and X. Atencio's classic score

New Disney Collectors CDs

2011-07-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

Here is some pretty cool news from Intrada. Our new CD of Michael Giacchino's Oscar-winning score for Walt Disney/Pixar's animation hit UP headlines a new series of soundtracks on CD, co-branded by Walt Disney Records & Intrada. This title was selected as the debut release with the hopes of reaching a wider audience than we have with our core group of soundtrack collectors. As with the Grammy Award-winning download program, we hope this CD will appeal not only to our soundtrack audience but to listeners who may not share a passion for Alex North, Jerry Fielding, Elmer Bernstein and Jerry Goldsmith... yet love good music just the same. And Mr. Giacchino's tuneful, soaring and exciting score is just the perfect score to offer such appeal.
For our smaller group of core collectors, we have more great news! Disney is already restoring elements and preparing fully-restored masters for titles we'll be releasing just for you! (Coming next: a digitally-restored, newly-expanded genuine fan favorite!)
And Intrada will continue licensing great scores from other Disney-owned properties such as John Scott's powerhouse score for the Touchstone Pictures outdoor action film SHOOT TO KILL, which also just now makes its debut release on CD.
I truly feel this Walt Disney/Intrada series is great news for all of us who love music from the movies!

Let's Fly with Mary Poppins

2011-07-06T15:10:00.000-07:00

After seeing the Disney's Archive Collection ad that I posted a while back, I went on the hunt for the 3 CDs listed in the ad. The first one I have acquired is Let's Fly with Mary Poppins (1965) which I was able to get from Amazon Market Place for $12.48. And after a few listens, I can say it was well worth the effort. It is a great listen from beginning to end filled with a great upbeat retro jazz / lounge sound that I am becoming a big fan of. I will certainly be on the lookout for this one on vinyl.

From the liner notes of the CD:
A WORD FROM LOUIS PRIMA
May I take this opportunity to pay a tribute to the Walt Disney Studio for giving us this great movie Mary Poppins, and may I pay tribute to Richard M. Sharman and Robert B. Sharman for giving us the most wonderful and delightful tunes ever to go into a movie. When I first heard these tunes, I flipped and immediately recorded "Stay Awake" and "Spoonful of Sugar."
We had the pleasure of introducing these two great tunes to our Las Vegas audiences. I then called in Gia Miaone (Mrs. Louis Prima) and together we went ahead and recorded the balance of these tunes to complete this album. We hope you will enjoy our treatments. In all my years of show business, I have never had so much fun. I do hope when you play this album over and over that you will enjoy the same kind of pleasure. Especially listen to Gia's interpretation of "Sister Suffragette"... WOW!

Apollo Music $1 Record Sale!

2011-06-19T00:22:00.000-07:00

I finally got to Apollo Music today. I heard about them a few months back, but their hours are pretty much the same as the hours I work and they are not usually open on weekends. But I got an email from them this past week saying that they would be open today (Saturday) and that they had over 2500 new $1 albums, so I planned to make the trip to visit the store. I was not disappointed! I came home with 58 new albums, mostly Disney or Disney related.
Among my favorites, are:

A mint copy of Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean which still has its $5.98 Disneyland price sticker on it.
An RCA Camden album of Roy Rogers tells and sings about Pecos Bill from 1949.
Disneyland Records [DQ1296] Mary Martin Sings the Sound of Music from 1966.
Disneyland Records [3815] Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Club Song Hits with a personal Mousketeer Cast Photo Album from 1975.
Buena Vista Records "Let's Get Together with Haley Mills" from 1962.
Somerset Records presents Favorite Songs from Walt Disney's Mary Poppins.
Columbia Records, The Dave Brubeck Quartet "Dave Digs Disney"
Official Mickey Mouse Club 78 R.P.M. Extra Play record of Walt Disney's The Littlest Outlaw from 1955.
Walt Disney "Little Gem" Record of The Aristocats.
A Pinocchio audio cassette that came with an LP sized booklet. Unfortunately the tape is missing, but I actually think I have an extra Pinocchio cassette somewhere that I can slip into this case.

I also got some more record sleeves to put my new records in. It is amazing how slipping an old beat up record into a glossy record sleeve can make it look so much more impressive!
As well as all the Disney records, I also picked up some other interesting albums incluidng an Art Linkletter album, a Reveen "Stop Smoking" album and a very cool Walter Lantz Woody Woodpecker album.

Disney's Archive Collection

2011-04-12T01:42:00.000-07:00

I used to be subscribed to the Disney Magazine for years before Disney stopped publishing it back in 2005. Recently while hunting though some local thrift shops, I came across a copy of the Spring 1998 issue of the Disney Magazine. I paid my 25 cent and took it home to have some fun rereading this 13 year old issue. What caught my eye was a full page story on the first 3 Disney Archive Collection CD's, as well as a half page ad for the albums.
Back in 1998, I didn't have much interest in these albums or the Disney Archive Collection, but today, I would love to add these to my collection. I am especially interested in finding a copy of the Lets Fly With Mary Poppins CD, as I downloaded a copy from iTunes and absolutely love it!

When Randy Thornton talks about the long- lost treasures in the Walt Disney Records archives, he
sounds more like a kid in a candy shop than a digital restoration producer. He takes master tapes of out-of- print albums and brings the sound quality up to today's standards. He uses words like "de-noise," "de-crackle," and "re-mix," but the mission is to present the music as it sounded in the studio.

He's done it with Disney's Classic Soundtrack Series, and he's doing it for the Archive Collection, due for its maiden release in March. "As long as I've been here, we've been getting letters from people asking about albums they had while growing up," says the 11 -year Disney veteran. Three albums will
launch the series. Originally released as Hayley Mills basked in the success of The Parent Trap, 1962's Let's Get Together With Hayley Mills contains her first commercial recording, "Jimmie Bean Song"
from Pollyanna. With British accent and spunky innocence, she sings of brave Jimmie, who "ain't afraid of nothing ... except a ghost, maybe."

Equally charming and also originally targeted for kids, 1964's Chim Chim Cheree and Other Children's Choices finds Burl Ives embracing old favorites and selections from Mary Poppins with a grandfatherly warmth that could soothe the wildest hellion. jazz trumpeter- singer-composer Louis Prima's Let's Fly With Mary Poppins from 1965 contains feisty renditions of the film's material. "Chim Cbim Cheree" won him the voice role of King Louie in The Jungle Book. These and subsequent releases will contain original cover art and liner notes.

Partly inspired by the resurgence of lounge music, the Archive Collection is an enthusiastic undertaking at Walt Disney Records. With a schedule calling for 10 releases this year and keepsakes from Fess Parker, Cliff “Ukulele Ike” Edwards, and even Goofy's Dance Party on the docket, there will be new life for this lost art. "There's tons of stuff," says Thornton, "and it hasn't been available for 30 years. The time is right." (each CD, $16.98) -D. S.

Fench Canadian Disneyland Record & Cassette

2011-04-09T20:07:00.000-07:00

I picked up this 1974 French "Winnie the Pooh" read along book recently at a local thrift shop. It didn't have a record or tape with it, but being that it was in French, it seemed like an interesting item to add to my collection. I had noticed the cassette tape icon on the cover when I purchased it and had assumed it originally came with a tape, not a record. When I tossed it on the scanner tonight, I noticed that along with the cassette logo, it also has the record logo which had a slash though it. After scanning it, I looked closer at the slash though the record logo and thought that perhaps someone had made the slash with a felt pen when they passed it along to the thrift. I tried to erase it with a pencil eraser and to my surprise I was able to remove it completely. Now I am a little confused as to weather this came with a cassette tape, a record, or both? The inside back cover does have a fold where a record could be stored, but it is not like the usual ones that hold records which are more like a pocket.
I had a quick look though my collection and did not find another one with both the cassette AND record logo, I also did a quick look on Google and also did not see any like this, so now I am confused as to what this was. Perhaps it did come with both a cassette and a record to go along with the booklet shown here. I'll never know, as sadly my copy came with neither.

The Story of Rapunzel

2011-02-14T23:45:00.000-08:00

I picked up this 1970, 33 1/3 Long Playing Record with 24 page book of the Story of Rapunzel. Ironically, I found it the same week I purchased the Little Golden Book of Tangled.

If you don't know, the new Disney film Tangled is based on the story of Rapunzel, and was even supposed to be called Rapunzel, before a last minute panic set in, and Disney decided it needed to change the title to something a little more appealing to boys.
As well as the story on Side A, we also get "Lonely For My Love" Rapunzel's Song, by Katie Briggs (Camarata) on Side B.

If you want to check out more Little Golden Books, be sure to stop by my other blog Ronn's Big Pile of Stuff.

My Disneyland Records Thrift Shop Finds

2011-01-29T21:29:00.000-08:00

I decided today to check out some of my local thrift shops... something I don't usually do. I am always checking out thrift shops in other cities, but very rarely do I actually check out the ones right in my own back yard. So, today I made an effort to visit three of them. The first one turned out to be the best, as records were just 25 cents each and there were tons to go though. I ended up coming home with 32 albums from that store alone.
While I was looking though the records at the store, I knew they were just 25 cents each, so I was pulling out anything that looked interesting - even stuff I knew I had multiple copies of already. One of the last albums I found was the 1972 Vista album Walt Disney World Band, a record I have been hoping to find for some time now. I was really excited until I found that the album inside the cover was not the correct one. Once I knew I had the cover but no album, I started looking at all the loose albums without covers, hoping to find the album that went with this cover, but had no luck finding it. It didn't really matter, though, as I was still pretty happy with finding just the cover.

Fast forward a few hours when I got home and started going though my new pile of albums. As I went though the pile, I pulled out each album to see if it actually matched the cover. All was well until I got to the album Most Beloved Songs, which didn't seem to have the right album inside. But to my excitement, it was the Walt Disney World Band album that I was missing, and as it turned out, the Most Beloved Songs album was inside the Walt Disney World Band cover. I'm so glad that records were just 25 cents, as I probably would not have bought the Most Beloved Songs record as I knew I had a number of copies at home already. But as it turns out, I am extremely happy that I picked up this one as well!

Another strange thing was the All About Dragons record, Inside the cover were two albums, but unlike usual, when I find an extra odd ball album stuffed inside a cover, this time, both albums were All About Dragons. The only difference being that one is labeled 1301 and the other is DQ-1301.

Then there was Pete's Dragon which again, I knew I had, but I was surprised to see that this one has a sleeve inside with artwork on it which I do not remember ever seeing in any of my previous copies.

There was also a very cool 101 Dalmatiens album from Un Disque Disneyland. It is a 1965 release by Walt Disney Music of Canada Limited, and is in French. This is the first Disney album in French that I have ever come across. Now I am hoping to find other albums in French, as this one has different artwork from any I had previously, which makes me wonder if they were always different, of I just haven't found the English version of this one yet?
As well as records, I came home with some cool Disney pins, lots of old magazines filled with old Disney ads and a few other odds and ends. All in all I would say I had a pretty good day!

Christmas With Chimes And Chorus

2010-12-23T21:13:00.000-08:00

While putting away some records that were in my office I found this Christmas album that I purchased a few months ago at a thrift shop, and thought I would post it here tonight, with Christmas being just 2 days away!
Its a Disneyland Record (DQ-1239) from 1963 and is called, 30 Favorite Songs of Christmas with Chimes and Chorus. It includes 30 traditional Christmas favorites filled with tons of bells and chimes... a little to many bells and chimes for my liking! Luckily the great looking artwork on the album cover makes up for the music on the vinyl, which looks like it had never been played before.

Mickey's Chrismas Carol

2010-12-04T20:54:00.000-08:00

Now that it is December, I thought I would share this Disneyland Records version of Mickey's Christmas Carol that I picked up a few months back. This album is from 1982 and as all other Disney records with read along story books, this one is a 7 inch 33 1/3 RPM long playing record.
While working in my office tonight I have turned on my Ion TTUSB10 USB Turntable to listen to a bunch of my Christmas vinyl. There is something so comforting in all those clicks and pops while listening to your old favorites. And who could forget hearing"This is the story of Mickey's Christmas Carol. You can read along with me in your book. You will know it is time to turn the page when you hear the chimes ring like this..."

Happiest Songs Presented by Your Gulf Dealer

2010-11-28T13:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I visited one of my favorite thrift shops for records. To my surprise, they had actually expanded across the street as well, so the store is now actually twice the size. And they didn't disappoint. I came home with a pile of 25 cent records! One of the records I especially liked is this promotional record from Gulf. On the back of this 1967 album it says, "Your Gulf Dealer is happy to make this collector's album available to you."
The quality of the cover and record are pretty trashed, but I really like the cover artwork, and I love promotional items, so this is pretty cool. A quick check in my Disney vinyl collectors price guide lists this album at $15 is near mint condition, so I am guessing this copy is worth about $1.. so, I made out like a bandit, as I only paid 25 cents. woohoo!

Disneyland's Mainstreet Music Shop

2010-08-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

While surfing the net the other day, I happened upon this awesome photo from the Wonderland Music Store on Disneyland's Mainstreet. My eyes glazed over as I clicked on the photo to make it full size and I saw racks full of Disney vinyl just waiting to be purchased by happy Disneyland shoppers. I am not sure of the date of the photo but from the albums I can see on display I would guess this photo is from the mid 70's.
Going along with my last post talking about Disney releasing vinyl records again, I have to say that I would LOVE to walk into a shop on Mainstreet today and be greeted with a display like this! And if I had a time machine, I'm sure I'd have to take a trip back to 1979 to visit this shop, with a pocket full of cash!
Thanks to the great blog by amazing Disney designer Kevin Kidney for posting this photo.

Princess and the Frog Soundtrack Vinyl Record

2010-08-09T22:26:00.000-07:00

While I was surfing the net tonight I was listening to my iTunes library and on came the soundtrack to the recent Disney animated film Princess and the Frog. As the songs were playing, I happened upon a web site that had some gorgeous images of picture discs of various old Disney films. That got me to thinking. I wonder if Disney has released any of their recent film soundtracks as vinyl records? It is kind of popular for bands to do it these days - release a limited edition vinyl version of their album as a collectible for fans. A lot of record stores now even have a small section devoted to these new vinyl releases. But, alas, after doing a few minutes of Google searching, it would seem that Disney has not jumped on the retro vinyl band wagon. That's too bad, as I am sure they would find that they would have a decent market among Disney collectors. I know I would be buying them!
I put together a quick Photoshop version of the Princess and the Fog LP which may just get you as excited for new Disney vinyl as I am! C'mon Disney, you have never been known to miss a marketing opportunity.

Smokey the Bear

2010-05-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

My visit to the local thrift shop this past Monday yielded a large pile of cool records, books and a very cool Fisher-Price Music Box Movie Camera from the late 60's, early 70's.
One of the cooler records I picked up was this Disneyland Record / a Little Golden Book & Record of Smoke the Bear from 1955.
From the first page of the book... Everyone knows that Smokey The Bear is the symbol of forest fire prevention. But, not many people know how Smokey got his name. And how many of you know why he wears a forest ranger's hat and a pair of dungarees? Let's turn the page and find out the whole story about this famous, real-life bear... [skipping to the last page]... And always remember Smokey's motto: "Only you can prevent forest fires."
As for the rest of the story? You will just have to find a copy of this little gem for yourself!

Big Disney Records Score!

2010-03-01T23:11:00.000-08:00

On Saturday evening my wife called me at 8:35 to let me know that she was at Talize (a local mega thrift store) and somebody had donated an entire collection of Disney records. I threw Kaden in the car and we headed off to the store before they closed at 9 pm. The store was across town, and we happened to come across a major traffic accident which had closed down one of the major streets we needed to get there. We arrived in the Talize parking lot at 8:55 pm. We ran into the store and headed to the back where the records are and found my wife standing there with a buggy full to capacity of Disney LPs and 45s. Before I even started looking though them, they were announcing over the PA that the store was now closed and for any shoppers left in the store to bring their items up to the cashier. I didn't have much time, so I quickly flipped though all the albums and picked out any I was sure I didn't already have. I came home with 34 LPs and 6 45's. I would have enjoyed having a little more time to look though them all, and I didn't even get to look through the racks to see if she had missed anything.
On my way out of the store, there was an older gentleman and I overheard him talking about seeing some cylinder records in the store - as soon as I heard that, I had to dash back into the home entertainment section to see what he was talking about. I ended up coming home with another very cool item which I will post about on my Big Pile of Stuff blog soon.

Jingle Bells

2009-12-24T13:38:00.000-08:00

Here is another Christmas theemed Little Golden Book & Record I found in my collection. It is Jingle Bells from 1976. I love the artwork in this one, and the first page starts with "On the day before Christmas, the Bear family decided to go for a sleigh ride. Little did they know how exciting their ride would be!". With today being December 24th, this seemed like a perfect post. Merry Christmas to all!

The Twelve Days of Christmas

2009-12-23T19:23:00.000-08:00

Here is a Little Golden Book & Record from 1963. It is The Twelve Days of Christmas, A Christmas Carol. Pictures by Tony DeLuna and Story and song by Betsy Chapman.

The Whale Who Wanted To Sing at the Met

2009-12-21T15:42:00.000-08:00

Here is a neat item I found recently. It is a 45 sized record and book from Disney Education Productions, 1988. This was apparently made for use in the listening center of school classrooms. I don't recall having these records in my classroom, but I do remember having access to various Educational Disney film strips which I loved to play with anytime I got the chance.
Here I present the front and back cover as well as a few of my favorite pages from inside the book.

LET'S BEGIN NOW...

Susie, The Little Blue Coupe & The Little House

2009-11-06T19:28:00.000-08:00

Today I am featuring two great Disneyland Record and Books, one that features anthropomorphied cars, and another that features an anthropomorphised house.
The first is Susie, The Little Blue Coupe from 1970. Susie the Little Blue Coupe is an animated short film released theatrically by Walt Disney Studios on 6 June 1952. The eight-minute film was directed by Clyde Geronimi and based on an original short-story by Bill Peet, the story was adapted for the screen by Peet and Don DaGradi. The DVD release of The Love Bug featured this short as a special feature.
The second record is Walt Disney's The Story of The Little House also from 1970. This one was based on a short film released on 8 August 1952, in which a small house has to try to compete with progress and the encroaching press of the big city. You can find this short on the Walt Disney Treasures DVD Disney Rarities - Celebrated Shorts, 1920s - 1960s.

The Best Stories of AESOP

2009-09-07T12:14:00.000-07:00

Here is a cool album I found this weekend at a local thrift shop. It is Wald Disney Presents The Best Stories of AESOP from 1961. Sterling Holloway narrates, with music by Camarata. This copy was manufactured by Sparton of Canada Ltd., London, Ontario.
On the back of the album is a list of the "Complete library of favorite Walt Disney stories as told by Sterling Holloway" which includes; Peter and the Wolf/Sorcerer's Apprentice, Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes, Three Little Pigs, Aesop's fables, Goliath, Country Cousin, Grasshopper and the Ants, and The Absent Minded Professor.
I love the albums like this one that have listings of other albums on the back. Its like a great checklist of other albums I need. In this case, I have 6 of the 8 listed. I still need to find Goliath and The Absent Minded Professor.

A Mickey Mystery Kit

2009-08-23T21:24:00.000-07:00

In all of my thrift store shopping I have come across these Mickey Mystery books, but I had never seen the complete kit until recently. I picked up this Mickey Mystery Kit: Robbery on the Overland Express unopened package recently for just $4. It contains a hard cover book, a 32-page hardcover picture book, a crime-stopping audio cassette and a secret clue decoder.
Listen to the cassette, inspect the pictures, decode the secret clues.
Mysterious travelers on the Overland Express are after Goofy's valuable set of comic books. Can Goofy get the books to the comic book show - or will a Master Thief steal them first? Only you can help Mickey solve the crime.

So get out the Secret Clue Decoder, look for the hidden secrets in the 32-page, hardcover Mystery Picture Book listen to the Audio Cassette, and follow the trail of clues to unlock the answer to the exciting mystery.
The package comes from Walt Disney Records and the back cover lists one other whodunnit titled Portrait of a Crime.

So, like last post, this is not a record, but it is an official Walt Disney Records product. And if I ever decide to bust this open, I am sure Kaden and I would have a lot of fun listening to the tape, collecting the clues and solving the mystery!

Mickey's Tattered Tale

2009-08-17T23:05:00.000-07:00

Today I have a Disneyland Records and Tapes product that is not actually a record, but instead is a 24 Page Read-Along Book and Tape. It is Disney's Mickey Mouse - Mickey's Tattered Tale from 1988. My copy did not have the tape, but the front cover says that along with the story, it also contained the song "Here's to the Ears of Love".
I do not usually pick up these 'book and tape' combos, as they almost never have the tape to go along with the book. Even though this one didn't have the tape, I really liked the cover art work with my favorite Disney character Pluto, and Mickey Mouse looking like like Charlie Chaplin's The Tramp.
Along with the front cover I have also scanned the inside cover where we are instructed to "turn the page when you hear the chimes ring."
I also scanned the inside back cover which lists the full line of 1988 Walt Disney Storyteller book and cassettes.

Walt Disney's Perri

2009-07-28T13:32:00.001-07:00

Here is the other item I picked up last time I was out thrift store shopping. It's Walt Disney's Perri (released Feb. 22, 1961). Narrated by Jimmie Dodd and with songs by: George Burns, Paul Smith, Gil George, Ralph Wright and Winston Hibler.
This would have been my favorite item I picked up that day except for the fact that there is no vinyl record inside the record sleeve. The lady at the thrift shop was ready to toss it out when I told her it didn't have a record inside. When I told it it was OK, that I just wanted the cover, she looked at me strange and tossed it into the bag for free. As a Disney record collector, I would have loved it if the vinyl was inside and in mint condition, but the cover is still a great addition to my collection. Heck I could just toss an old Village People record inside this cover and slide it back into its protective collectors sleeve (which I put all my records in - amazing how good an old scuffed up record looks when you put it into a protective sleeve!) and no one would ever know!
PS: If you are looking for collectors record sleeves, or just about any other item to protect your collectibles, check out Bags Unlimited. I especially like their resealable LP and 45 sleeves.

Songs from Doctor Dolittle

2009-07-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

I found a few really cool new Disney records while out thrift shopping last weekend. Here is "Songs from Doctor Dolittle" with the songs; My Friend the Doctor, Talk to the Animals, Beautiful Things, Doctor Dolittle, At the Crossroads, I've Never Seen Anything Like It. I almost didn't notice this album amongst all the old classical records etc, as it didn't look like most of the usual colorful Disney covers - thank goodness for that Disneyland Records logo in the top righthand corner!
This album is from 1967 and the front cover states that it is MONAURAL.
From the back cover: The "Dr. Dolittle" stories were born in the trenches of France during World War I.
Hugh Lofting, the author, was a British soldier. His great interest in all animals inspired illustrated letters from the front lines to his children at home. He invented the lovable, eccentric country physician, Dr. Dolittle. The letters so delighted his own and other children, that the author had them put in a book form.
The dozens of "Dr. Dolittle" stories have become literacy classics - of interest to adults as well as young people - probably because Hugh Lofting never wrote down to children. He never considered them as a separate species. He respected their intelligence and wrote accordingly.
The story of the Doctor, dedicated to animals, who could speak to them in their own languages, was, of course, a 'natural' for the motion picture screen.
Now Dr. Dolittle" has become a motion picture. An outstanding picture with a great cast of top stars and performers. It will very likely become one of the all time great pictures.
Leslie Bricusse, a British born composer-lyricist, is responsible for the musical score, the songs and lyrics. An exceptionally talented man of music, Leslie Bricusse has captured in words and music the fun, the excitement and the fantasy of "Dr. Dolittle."
The musical numbers included in this album were conducted by Camarata and Feature the Mike Sammes Singers.
Camarata has recently done several highly regarded and extremely successful albums with the Sammes choral group. Among them are such top albums as MAN OF LA MANCHA and THE HAPPIEST MILLIONAIRE. These two albums are on the Vista Fanta-Sound label, a distinguished series of quality recordings each packaged with multi-paged illustrated books. Also in the series are Saint Saens "The Carnival of the Animals" and "Carousel."
This LP was manufactured in Canada by Walt Disney Music of Canada Limited.

Disney's Gummi Bears: Gummies to the Rescue!

2009-07-21T18:57:00.000-07:00

While out this past weekend, I found this 45 sized Disney's Gummi Bears record and story book. I have never been a fan of the Gummi Bears - I don't think I have every watched it - but I know that a lot of the people 10 or so years younger than I seem to be big fans! True to point, the cashier at the thrift shop got pretty excited when they saw the Gummi Bears record in my pile of items for purchase.
I see on the back of this record they advertise another Gummi Bears record called "Zummi's Magic Spell". Being as I love anything related to magic, I hope I find this one in my thrift shop travels in the future.
As I said, I am not a big fan of the Gummi Bears, but am I the only one that has a hard time telling the difference between the Gummi Bears and the Care Bears.

Alice In Wonderland records

2009-06-26T20:59:00.000-07:00

Today I wanted to post two Alice in Wonderland LPs I picked up at the thrift shop a few weekends ago. As I was setting up to take photo of the two covers, I got to thinking about all the stuff I have been seeing on line about the upcoming Tim Burton Alice In Wonderland movie. I then decided to expand my post to include all the Alice vinyl I have in my collection.
The first on is A Disneyland Records LP (DQ 1208) from 1959. I have two different versions. The first has a small white boarder about the edge of the front cover and the back cover is black and white with ads for 9 other Walt Disney long playing records... All for only $1.98 each! The other version has the red going right out to the edges of the cover (the LP pictured here). The back cover of this one is also black and white and features scenes from the movie along with the song title listings for the album.
NSecond is a nice LP from 1960 which contains the complete story, all the songs and the music, plus a full color illustrated book especially prepared for children by the Walt Disney Studio. This one opens up to reveal a book inside with great artwork and the story.
Third is the blue colored cover "Alice in Wonderland" from 1968. This one has the same back cover as the 1959 album with the scenes on the back, but this one is in color. Strangely, the front of the album is listed as copyright 1968 Walt Disney Productions, but the back says copyright 1963 Walt Disney Productions.Then I have 3 different 45 sized records (all are actually 33 1/3). Two of them are the 33 1/3 long playing records with 24 page books, the cover with the yellow border is from 1965 and the other is from 1979. The third record is a picture sleeve album from 1972.

Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby

2009-04-06T20:37:00.000-07:00

Let's begin now... I love the movie Song of the South (I have the Japanese laser disc) and the fact that Disney has never officially released the movie on video or DVD and therefore has never really cashed in on SotS merchandise makes finding anything related to the movie all the more fun. The Splash Mountain at Disneyland is a must ride for me on every Disneyland trip. And the song "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah" is one of my all time favorite Disney songs. What we have here is a great Song of the South related Disneyland Record and Book. It is Walt Disney Presents the story of Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby from 1971. You can sing along with the song Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, as well as read along with the story of Brer Fox, Brer Bear and Brer Rabbit, as read by Lois Lane! This version is 363 and has a sticker on the back that says "Walt Disney Music of Canada Limited, 2323 Yonge Street, Toronto Canada".

Walt Disney Presents The Story of Big Red

2009-04-05T12:11:00.001-07:00

Yesterday while waiting for our food at a local steak & pizza place we decided to go for a walk. We ended up at the Salvation Army were I headed straight for the record bins. I came home with 5 cool records, including this Disneyland Records release from 1962. It is Walt Disney Presents The Story of Big Red (ST-1916), and manufactured in Canada by RCA Victor Company, LTD. From the looks of things, this is a pretty short album, as side one has two tracks; "Big Red Theme" (R. M. & R. B. Sherman), and "Emile's Reel" (R. M. & R. B. Sherman). Side 2 has just one track; "Mon Amour Perdu" (R. M. & R. B. Sherman).

Walt Disney's Three Little Pigs

2009-03-21T02:30:00.000-07:00

I recently picked up this cool looking 33 1/3 Long Playing Record of Walt Disney's story of the Three Little Pigs with the song: "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf" complete with record and 24 page book. This edition is copyright 1965 Walt Disney Productions and printed in the USA. Side one of the record is the audio story to go along with the book and side two of the record has the Disney classic "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf". The song was probably the most famous song to come out of a short cartoon. The original song composed by Frank Churchill was a best-selling single, mirroring the people's resolve against the "big bad wolf" of The Great Depression; the song actually became something of an anthem of the Great Depression. When the Nazis began expanding the boundaries of Germany in the years preceding World War II, the song was used to represent the complacency of the Western world in allowing Hitler to make considerable acquisitions of territory without going to war, and was notably used in Disney animations for the Canadian war effort. The song was further used as the inspiration for the title of the 1963 play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

The World is a Circle

2009-03-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

Here is an LP I picked up recently at a local thrift shop. I immediately assumed this was a record from Disney's "It's A Small World", as it had the Disneyland Records label in the top right hand corner and the artwork on the front was very similar to that of the artwork on the albums I had from IASW. As per usual I pulled all the albums I liked and took them up to the counter to purchase them without spending too much time looking them over. It wasn't until I got home that I realized that this one had nothing to do with IASW. The album is from 1973 and is distributed by Buena Vista Distribution Co. Inc. The music it turns out is is music based on Lost Horizon.
Here is what it says on the back of the album: The Lost Horizon Story. James Hilton's best selling novel "Lost Horizon" was first released as a motion picture by Columbia on February 27, 1937. The film was produced and directed by Frank Capra and the cast included Ronald Coleman, Name Wyatt, John Howard, Edward Everett Horton, H. B. Warner, Isabel Jewell, Thomas Mitchell, Sam Jaffe and Margo. The film was an enormous success and the idea of Shangri-La became all the world's dream.
Now Ross Hunter has produced a musical version of "Lost Horizon" with music by Burt Bacharach and lyrics by Hal David. This version is also released by Columbia Pictures and contains another great cast; Peter Finch, Liv Ullmann, Sally Kellerman, George Kennedy, Michael York, Olivia Hussey, Bobby Van, James Shigeta and Charles Boyer as the High Lama and John Gielgud as Chang.
Several months ago the president of Disneyland Records and the national sales manager each driving their separate ways to work on the Los Angeles Freeway heard on their car radios two songs from "Lost Horizon." The president heard "The World Is A Circle" and came excitedly into the office exclaiming, "The World Is A Circle" from "Lost Horizon" has got to be a hit and it's a children's song. The national sales manager had heard "Question Me An Answer" and has the same comment. SO it was immediately decided to record three songs from "Lost Horizon," the third being "Living Together, Growing Together" which in the meantime has become a big hit with the 5th Dimensions. We decided to combine these three songs with four other wonderful songs for children out of big shows. "Dites Moi" from the wonderful Broadway show and motion picture "South Pacific," the fabulous "Inch Worm" from "Hans Christian Andersen" probably one of the most beautiful children's songs ever written, and two songs from the Broadway show and motion picture "Fanny." "Be Kind To Your Parents" and "I Like You."
Sadly I have no idea what the music sounds like, as instead of the correct album, there was a copy of a RCA Victor Red Seal Record with song titles such as "Serenade 3 - Golden Days", "Summertime in Heidelberg" and "Drink, Drink, Drink".

Disney Sing Along Songbook

2009-03-01T11:00:00.000-08:00

Here is a neat item I found among the books at a local thrift shop. Its a 1987 Disney Sing Along Songbook. I am not a big fan of songs books, but I love the cover on this one, and the fact that it has a Disneyland Records logo on the back made it an instant sale for me. And the fact that it was 25 cents didn't hurt either.
This particular song book is a "Holiday Favorites" version, covering all the Christmas favorites; Frosty the Snow Man, Good King Wenceslas, The first Noel, Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, Silver Bells, Deck the Halls, Winter Wonderland, Silent Night, Here We Come A-Caroling, I Wish It Could Be Christmas All Year Long, and From All Of Us To All Of You.
Apparently this song book came with a cassette tape of the songs, but unfortunately I didn't find the cassette with the book.
Here are a bunch of the pages from the book.

Snow White and The 7 Dwarfs

2009-02-19T20:32:00.000-08:00

Here is a cool old 78 I picked up last weekend for 10 cents. When I originally bought it, I was just interested in it because it has a really cool retro label on the center of the record. It wasn't until I got home that I realized it had a recording of Snow White and The 7 Dwarfs with Full Cast & orchestra. It is a Cricket Record from 1953. The reverse side has Tunes For Little People; Little Jack Horner, Little Bo Peep, Little Boy Blue, all with full cast and orchestra.
I am not able to listen to it yet, as my current record player does not play 78's. I know it came with some software to allow me adjust records recoded at regular 33 speed into 78, but I have not used it yet and am not sure how it works without breaking out the manual.

Western Songs for Children

2009-02-15T14:24:00.000-08:00

This weekend I made the trip to some of my favorite thrift shops, and they didn't disappoint! I came home with 4 big bags of stuff, including about 40 records, many of which were Disney or Disney related. Here is one of my favorite I found, "Western Songs for Children" from 1963. I absolulty love the front cover artwork of the two kids dressed as cowboys, about to have a gun fight while a little dog looks on.
Songs on the album are;
Side 1:
1) A Cowboy Needs a Horse - Fess Parker
2) Pony Express - Chorus
3) Streets of Laredo - Rex Allen
4) Wringle Wrangle - Fess Parker
5) Pioneer's Prayer - Chorus
Side 2:
1) Westward Ho the Wagons - Chorus
2) Ballad of John Colter - Fess Parker
3) Who Shot the Hole in My Sombrero - Rex Allen
4) Kit Carson - Stan Jones
5) Goodnight Little Wrangler - Fess Parker
The song titles are not actually listed on the album cover, but the back cover does feature an ad for other "Walt Disney Musical Highlights for the Entire Family, including Many original Sound Tracks", all for just $1.98 each! Of the 15 albums pictured, I currently have 12, so that leaves 3 more I still need to find. Of course there are also 32 albums listed but not pictured that I may or may not still need. So the hunt continues!

Twas the Night Before Christmas and I decided to blog...

2008-12-24T22:08:00.000-08:00

Tonight is Christmas Eve and I have decided to blog. Not a creature was stirring, well, OK, my Apple Mighty Mouse was. Here is a great little record I found at a thrift shop and brought home to my house... It is the Disneyland Record and Book: The Story of The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore, 1970.
Enjoy and have a Merry Christmas all!

Walt Disney's "The Happiest Millionaire"

2008-11-02T15:15:00.000-08:00

I picked up some great albums the other day including a few Hawaiian lounge style LPs which I have already added to my iTunes collection, and two Disney related albums.
Favorite Songs from Walt Disney's Mary Poppins - The sound stage chorus - recorded in London, England and this one, Songs from Walt Disney's "The Happiest Millionaire" from 1967.
I don't think I have even seen the movie "The Happiest Millionaire" and while listening to this album (as I type this), I have only heard the first track "Fortuosity" which has appeared on many Disney best of albums. Here we have 8 typical style Disney film scores, with "Detroit" standing out as my favorite.
From the back of the LP: "The song writing Sherman brothers, Richard and Robert, this year celebrate their 9th anniversary writing Walt Disney music. Since 1958 they have done the music and lyrics for more than 23 Walt Disney motion pictures.
Oscar awards for the score of "Mary Poppins" and one of its hit songs, "Chim Chim Cheree," was a high point in their careers and earned them a place among the world's most renowned contemporary song writers.
This recording of eight of their numbers from "The Happiest Millionaire" also features Richard Sherman as vocalist for three songs.
Since "The Happiest Millionaire," the brothers have completed songs for "The Jungle Book" and the new Disney musical feature "The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band."
World acclaim and honors have not dimmed their enthusiastic approach to musical challenges in new and future Walt Disney productions. They are modest about their success and excited about the future. As one of the top music writing teams in recent years, the future looks exceedingly bright - for them - for us - and for you."
Disneyland long-playing microgroove records can be played only on 33 1/3 RPM instruments. Disneyland stereophonic long-playing microgroove versions should only be played on stereo playback equipment.
This album is copyright 1967 Walt Disney Productions and manufactured in Canada by Walt Disney Music for Canada Limited.

1966 Pinocchio Record with Mail-In Card

2008-08-09T22:07:00.000-07:00

I picked up some cool Disneyland "Record and book" records at the thrift shop today. One of them was the 1966 story of Pinocchio with songs from the original soundtrack of the motion picture. As well as being in near mint condition, I was excited to see that hidden behind the record inside, was a mail-in card from Disneyland Records in Great Neck, NY. It's always amazing to find this sort of stuff, even more amazing to find it in great condition, considering that this record was probably in some kids collection for years and usually these things are pretty beaten up.
As well as asking if you would like to receive more info on Disney merchandise (I'd love to see the merchandise info Disney was mailing out back in 1966), they also asked for the Child's birth date? Did they used to send something out to kids on their birthdays if they replied with this card? If so, I would love to know what the kids received! If by chance anyone reading this, ever did fill one of these cards out and received something in the mail from Disney, let me me know so I can share it with everyone else here at the Disneyland Records blog.

Walt Disney's Song Parade

2008-07-21T17:17:00.000-07:00

Here is a record I picked up the other day with some nice graphics on the cover. It's Walt Disney's Song Parade with 25 Best Loved Songs from the Walt Disney Motion Pictures. The album is from 1957 and is on Golden Records, produced in Canada by Arc Sound Ltd, under licence from A. A. Records Inc.
It features the Golden Orchestra under the direction of Mitch Miller, with the voices of: Anne Lloyd, Mike Stewart, Dick Byron, The Sandpipers, Bobby Nick, Art Carney, Gil Mack, Susan Douglas, and the original voices of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and featuring Cliff Edwards as Jiminy Cricket.

Side 1:
1. 2nd Star to the Right (Introduction) Frontierland
2. Johnny Appleseed
3. Pecos Bill
4. Wringle Wrangle
5. Ballad of John Colter
6. Johnny Tremain
7. Libery Tree
8. Adventureland
9. Thumper's SOng
10. Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
11. Laughing Place
12. Perri-Title Song

Side 2:
13. Fantasyland
14. Cinderella Work Song
15. A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes
16. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo
17. Alice in Wonderland
18. I'm Late
19. A Very Merry Unbirthday
20. How D'Ye Do and Shake hands
21. Peter pan
22. You Can Fly
23. 2nd Star to the Right
24. March of the Lost Boys
25. Tomorrowland (Part 1 and 2)

RCA Victor Little Nipper "Peter and the Wolf"

2008-07-19T19:48:00.000-07:00

Here is a great looking old 78 RPM Little Nipper Story Book Album featuring Prokofieff's Peter and the Wolf from Walt Disney's "Make Mine Music", narrated by Sterling Holloway. The set it from 1949, and features 20 pages of illustrated story pages as well as 2 "non-breakable" records.
I picked it up at a local thrift shop for $4. I also recently purchased an Ion TTUSB10 Turntable which hooks up directly to my Mac via USB. And using the included Audacity software, you can record old 78 RPM LPs at 33 RPM and then use the software to correct the sound. Once I get the time, I am looking forward to adding a bunch of my old 78's to my iTunes collection.

Mickey Mouse Record Player

2008-07-06T17:35:00.000-07:00

A while back I mentioned that I really wanted a Mickey Mouse record player. Well, the other day while checking out my favorite used record shop (Crazy Bob's), I found a Mickey Mouse record player in his front display window. I had to have it!
It's in great shape and works perfectly, which is amazing considering it's over 30 years old.
Here a few photos I took, as my son Kaden had fun checking it out.

Songs from Disneyland / Cliff Edwards

2008-04-06T23:35:00.000-07:00

I attended the Neptoon Records Swap Meet today and picked up some really fun stuff. One of my favorites is this great Decca Records Extended Play '45 from the "Children's Hall of Fame Series" called "Songs from Disneyland" with 4 classic songs, sung by Cliff Edward, with orchestra directed by Sonny Burke. I don't see a year anywhere on the records, but since it says Disneyland and looks old, I am going to guess its from the mid to late 1950's.
Selections include:
"When You Wish Upon a Star" from Walt Disney's "Pinocchio", with chorus, Leigh Harline-Ned Washington.
"Give A Little Whistle" from Walt Disney's "Pinocchio", Leigh Harline-Ned Washington.
"Jiminy Cricket" from Walt Disney's "Pinocchio", Leigh Harline-Ned Washington.
"The Bird and the Cricket and the Willow Tree" from Walt Disney's "Melody", with the Rhythmaires, Sonny Burke-Paul Francis Webster.
Here is some info taken from the back of the record:
About Cliff Edwards... The voice of Cliff Edwards is a wonderfully sensitive instrument, with its own very special appeal for children (of all ages). Literally millions have heard Mr. Edwards' versatile voice in various Walt Disney film rolls; but if we had to select his most beloved and happiest characterization, most of us would pick his vocal impersonation of Jiminy Cricket in "Pinocchio."
Here to enjoy again and again, are the songs Cliff Edwards sang in "Pinocchio" plus another great favorite, "The Bird, the Cricket and the Willow Tree."
As any regular viewer (and just who isn't?) of Walt Disney's superb TV show, "Disneyland" will attest, the voice of Cliff Edwards is something of a fixture in the hearts and minds of us all.
About the Decca "Children's Hall of Fame Series." We have long felt children the world over deserve a Hall of Fame of their very own. When a children's favorite song or performance passes with flying colors, the trial of the years and successive generations of children, that song is a likely candidate for the "Children's Hall of Fame." Such songs, and the artists with whom they are identified, will be as enchanting to Tomorrow's children as they were to Yesterday's children. In this series, (and on this records for example) you will find songs of varying moods but with several universal qualities: here are songs that children the world over love to hear, love to sing - songs that make children happy!
This DECCA Unbreakable Record can be played only on 45 RPM instruments. For maximum protection, it should be kept in this package, away from heat.

Fisher Price Record Players

2008-03-03T23:08:00.000-08:00

Tonight's post is not directly related to Disneyland Records, but I decided I would share it here anyway.
I recently purchased this Fisher Price record player off of my works buy & sell web site for $15.
I was looking for a record player to put into my bedroom where all my records are. I spend a lot of time looking though my record collection, but was never able to listen to any of them in that room.
This little Fisher Price record player is great. Its very compact and takes up very little space, and sounds amazingly good for something with the Fisher Price logo on it. And... its a fun addition to my record collection.
I also have the younger kids version of the Fisher Price record player as well. And just the other day, my mother was doing some renovations in her home, and found one of the plastic records for the Fisher Price record player under the cabinets in her kitchen. To the average person, that would have been nothing. To me, it was like finding buried treasure in the back yard!
Now, if I can just find a Mickey Mouse record player, my life will be complete.

Fisher-Price Talk-To-Me Book #2

2008-02-05T17:30:00.000-08:00

I picked up some cool Fisher-Price Talk-To-Me Books a few months ago at the local thrift shop. I found 4 of them; Walt Disney's Ghost Chasers (Book No. 2), Walt Disney's Dumbo's Day At The Circus (Book No. 3), Walt Disney's The Clock Cleaners (Book N. 5), and Big Bird's Look and Listen Book (Book No. 8).
From the back of the book: "Fisher-Price has created the Talk-To-Me Player and Talk-To-Me Books. We've brought the incredible dimension of sound to bocks to make them more 'real' than ever before possible.
All that children have to do it place the Talk-To-Me Player over the sound discs on the pages of this talk-To-Me Book. Press the button and out pour the voices of well-loved friends."
Pictured here is the Ghost Chasers from 1977. As you can see from the photo, there are small 2 inch yellow discs on each page which contain the sound to go along with the text on that page. There are a total of 16 of these sound discs in this book. I don't remember these from my childhood, but I am sure that if I had any of these, I would have spend countless hours sitting and listening to them, just as I did with my favorite Disney LPs.
I don't have the Talk-To-Me Player yet, but I will be sure to keep my eyes peeled for one, as I would love to sit and listen to these books.

New Disney Music on iTunes: Jan 29, 2008

2008-01-28T19:31:00.000-08:00

NEW DISNEY RELEASES added to iTunes on January 29th, 2008:
1) Italiannette (BV 3304) – Remastered from the original 3 track Master
2) Annette Sings Anka (BV 3302) – Remastered from the original full track Master
3) Westward Ho the Wagons (WDL 3041) – Remastered from the original full track Master
4) Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House (DQ 1257) – This is the original “White-Cover” release, narrated by Laura Olsher, and was remastered from the original full track master.
5) Walt Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. The first classic Disney soundtrack premier on iTunes. Along with the album, you get a Digital Booklet with behind-the-scenes photos, and illustrations, “Producer’s Note” outlining the background of the project, and there is liner notes from composer John Debney.

PREVIOUSLY RELEASED ON WONDERLAND, Also to be released on iTunes:
1) Meet Me Down On Main Street
2) A Musical Tour of France with Maurice Chevalier
3) Songs from Lady and the Tramp
4) The Disney Afternoon
5) Country Bear Jamboree (the show element has been replaced with the restoration from the Musical History of Disneyland Box Set).

On the subject of iTunes, it seems that some albums are deleted from the iTunes store after a while. I have noticed a few Nightwish tracks that I purchased are no longer listed for sale. And I noticed while looking for these new Disney tracks, that the two Firehouse 5 Plus 2 albums that used to be listed (I hadn't bought them yet - darn!) are no longer listed either. So, it would seem that if you are interested in any of this stuff, you might want to purchase them sooner than later.

The Golden Age of Walt Disney Records 1933-88

2008-01-27T01:28:00.000-08:00

If you enjoy Disney collectibles you can listen to, then you need this book! The book is called The Golden Age of Walt Disney Records 1933-1988, and is a price guide for Disney fans and record collector by R. Michael Murray. The book is a comprehensive colorful guide to over 3,200 recorded Disney releases, complete with photos and collector values. The book was released in 1997 and can easily be found on Amazon, or eBay, which is where I picked up my copy years ago for under $10.
The book stats with a short history of recorded Disney music, which is a very interesting and informative 7 page read. There is also a section on condition and pricing of records, which I pretty much skipped right over. I always find prices in books like this are somewhat of a puzzle. Something that you have been desperately looking for is listed as being next to nothing, but something else you seem to see at every thrift shop is listed as being extremely high priced. Obviously prices can swing from very low to very high on just about any item - just check out eBay and see the prices that a single item are being offered for, and better yet, the price that that item is selling for. One can sell for $50, while another that is listed as being in the same condition etc, can sell for $5.
This is the book where I first found a listing for the album "Walt Disney Takes You To Disneyland". I had come into possession of 3 copies of this record in a span of about 5 months. The first copy I bought off of someone on the usenet (this is before the internet really took off and way before eBay). I paid $50 for this album, which is way more than I ever pay for my records - but this one just sounded so cool, I had to have it, I just could not believe how much I was spending for a Disney record, when I was used to picking them up for a few bucks each. Then a few months later I found 2 copies of the same album in a local used record shop for $3.99 and $4.99 respectively. I started to think I really got hosed on the first one, paying so much. In this book, I learned that this was the first record on the Disneyland record label created entirely by Disneyland Records. I was also relieved to read in this book that the album "Walt Disney Takes You To Disneyland" was valued at $75... So, the price listings in these books are good for something.
My collection of Disney records is still considerably small, so, I guess the listings are really just a way for me to see what kind of material is out there. Currently I am concentrating of collecting as many as possible of the record / book 45's that Disney released, so the complete listing of these records in the book is a great way to see what I am still missing.
I spend most of my time just flipping though the book looking at all the great full color album covers. Seeing all the amazing Disney vinyl I still don't have, really gets me excited whenever I am flipping though albums at a thrift shop etc, hoping to find some of these missing gems!

Sing Along With Jimmy Dodd

2008-01-21T19:46:00.000-08:00

Here is a neat album I picked up today in a record shop discount bin for $1. It is called Sing Along with Jimmy Dodd [DQ 1235] and is dated 1963, and printed and manufactured in Canada by RCA Victor Company, Ltd.
Side 1:
1) Rag Mop
2) Harrigan
3) M-O-T-H-E-R
4) Do-Re-Mi
5) Mickey Mouse Cha-Cha-Cha
Side 2:
1) Massachusetts
2) Alphabet Song
3) "A" You're Adorable
4) Encyclopedia
5) I've Got A Gal in Kalamazoo
What's a little strange to me is that the album does not list the album tracks on the back. The only songs listed are the 2 on the front; "Alphabet Song" and "Kalamazoo". The back of the record jacket is a generic back cover showing "Walt Disney's Musical Highlights for the Entire Family, including Many Original Sound Tracks - all for only $1.98. These sort of generic back covers are helpful for those of us interested in seeing what albums we are missing from our collections, but not so good for those buying the album who would actually like to know what is on the album they were about to purchase.
There is also a waring on the back cover letting us know, "This is a Disneyland Long Playing Microgroove unbreakable Record can be played only on 33 1/2 RMP instruments."

A Musical History of Disneyland

2008-01-08T17:44:00.000-08:00

It finally arrived today! I received my copy of the 50th Anniversary "A Musical History of Disneyland" collection, which includes 6 audio CDs containing over 7 hours of Disneyland music, as well as an exclusive 72 page hardcover book.
I have been wanted this ever since I first heard about it back in 2005. The original sets also included a reproduction of the very first Disneyland Records LP "Walt Disney Takes You To Disneyland" on gold vinyl. The original sets were only available at Disneyland, or though the Disneyland mail order, and the cost was over $100, and shipping though Disneyland mail order is incredibly high to Canada, so as much as I wanted it, I never did buy it. It showed up on Amazon.com about a year later, without the vinyl reproduction, and with a price tag of about $100. At the time the US/Canadian conversion was still pretty high and the cost of shipping to Canada, and the almost assured costs of duty when crossing the boarder were still enough to keep me from buying it. When it finally showed up on Amazon.ca with a slightly lower cost, I was excited, but still never shelled out the cash to buy it.
Finally this Christmas when I was asked by my mother what I would like for Christmas, I though about it for a while and came up with the two items that I really, really wanted; the Disneyland Records display unit, and the Musical History of Disneyland set. Since I knew that I would have many changes to pick up the CD set, but would probably never see another Display unit like this one, I decided to ask for some cash to help out with the purchase of the display unit. But I still wanted the CD set. Upon visiting the Amazon.ca web site over the Christmas holiday and seeing that they were showing 'just 1 copy left' of the "A Musical History of Disneyland", I decided to take the plunge and order my copy before it was too late. A day or two later when I received the conformation email letting me know my copy had been mailed, I was thrilled! Today it arrived. It's been added to my iTunes collection, and I am listening to it while I type this. I am currently listening to "Country Bear Vacation Hoedown".
I always love those photos I see on the internet of people unpacking new computers etc as if they were some sort of incredible treasures. So I decided to take some pictures of my own. I now present the 'unboxing' of my "Musical History of Disneyland" CD set. Enjoy!

If you are looking for a review and complete listing of what is on the set, check out the review on Mouse Planet.

What I Got For Christmas

2007-12-30T23:01:00.000-08:00

My Christmas present arrived yesterday. It's a Disneyland Records display unit. I am not 100% sure what it was used for, but it looks like it would have held Disney albums, Disney 45's and tapes. I'm also not sure of the exact year this is from, but I would guess its from the late 70's or early 80's.
This item was destined to belong to me. I saw it first over a year ago at a local antique mall. The price tag was $150 and at the time I just didn't have the cash. I thought about it a lot over the next few months, so I decided to go back and have another look. To my disappointment, the booth that the Disney display unit had been in, was now empty. My chance to purchase it was gone. Fast forward about a year and on a day out thrift shop hunting, I came upon a new antique mall about an hour away from home. After wandering around the mall for a while, I found a both cluttered with junk, and in the back was the Disney Display unit. I don't know for certain, but it must be the same one, as its not the sort of item you find very often. Again this time, I was a little short on cash, so once again, I left without purchasing it. But this time, I just kept thinking about it. I had to own it and add it to my collection to display my favorite Disneyland albums. When my mother asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I thought for a second, and then told her I wanted this Disney display unit I had seen and that if she would go in on the purchase cost with me, that would be the perfect gift. She agreed, so I quickly did some hunting on the internet for the mall's phone number and called to see if it was still there. And luckily for me it was, so I had them put a hold on it for me. We went in the next day and the plan was to dismantle it and put the pieces into my wife's car (a large LeSabre). The problem is, after 20 or 30 minutes to trying to take it apart, we came to realize it wasn't going to be dismantled without destroying it. Undaunted, I asked if there was any way to have it delivered. I was told that her usual delivery guys charged about $40 for local deliveries and more depending of the distance - so this was going to be way to much cash! She said see had a tenant in the mall who lived out my way and that may be able to deliver the item for me. So with that I paid for it and headed home with a bug smile on my face. A few days went by and I didn't hear anything, so I called the shop to see what was up. The lady told me that she had not been able to contact the person she had told me about, but that one of her business associates was coming out to my area on the weekend and that for $20 they would bring it out for me! Hurray! So, at noon on Saturday, my Disney Display until showed up and after spending a day in the front entrance of the house, I finally got around to cleaning it up tonight. It looked like it had about 20 years of dust and dirt on it, so it took a while, but it looks great. I can't wait to clear a spot in my room and bring it up and then fill it with Disney records. I'll be sure to post another picture once its in its out of the hallway and it its new home.

Merry Christmas from the DLR Blog

2007-12-25T15:59:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all who visit this happy place!

Thanks for visiting the Disneyland Records Blog!

A Disneyland Records Christmas

2007-12-22T17:41:00.000-08:00

Here are four great Disneyland Records Christmas records I picked up recently in my thrift shop travels.
The first is Disney Christmas Favorites - The Mouse Concert plus other Yuletide Favorites. Check out this great album cover. I just love the artwork of the mice on the front and back covers of this album. I didn't photograph it, but the back cover has drawings of the various mice playing their different instruments. This copy is made in Canada, 1973, and distributed in Canada by Walt Disney Music of Canada Limited. Songs on the album are your typical Christmas fare. There are two tracks by Cliff Edwards, and one by Ludwig Mousensky and the All Mouse Symphony Orchestra & Chorus.
Second is Walt Disney's Christmas Favorites. This one is from 1958, and is a product of Pickwick International Inc (GB) Ltd, and distributed under licence from Walt Disney Productions Ltd.
The back of the album jacket has some info on Ludwig Mousensky: "This is a record that embodies all the spirits of St. Nicholas, Santa Claus and Father Christmas. In song and story, some old, some new, Mickey Mouse Record artists bring you many delightful moments on this long playing record.
Discovered under a stairway at the Disneyland Studio, the unique all-mouse symphony orchestra under the able baton of Ludwig Mousensky is undoubtedly the first and finest rodent ensemble in the world. And, we here at Disneyland records are proud to present their first recording, The Christmas Concert. Here are Christmas hymns, Hark The Herald Angels Sing, O Little Town of Bethlehem, O Come All Ye Faithful, Jingle Bells, and the popular Winter Wonderland. The Mousensky group's rendition of these songs is truly a delightful experience for all. Under the maestro, the orchestra, consisting of Skueeky, Zeke, Horace, Henrietta, Tubby, Tootie, Clarence, Pinky, Stuffy, Zooty, Hans, Fritz, Otto (these three were formerly with the Vienna's famed eutschMICEster Band), Pee Wee and Frenchy give a new dimension to these Christmas favourites. All proving that Christmas is a time for both mice and men.
Next up is Rankin/Bass presents Frosty's Winter Wonderland, Complete Story and Original Soundtrack from 1976. The complete story from the second (and not nearly as good) Frosty Christmas animated special, told and sung by Andy Griffith. Other guest voices are Shelley Winters as Mrs. Frosty, Dennis Day as the Parson, Jackie Vernon as Frosty, and Paul Frees as jack Frost. This one is also made and distributed in Canada by Walt Disney Music of Canada Limited.
Finally, we have Disney's Merry Christmas Carols, starting Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy & Chop 'n' Dale, with Larry Groce and the Disneyland Children's Sing-Along Chorus. This one also has the usual Christmas songs, including The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't be Late), I Wish it Could be Christmas All Year Yong, Here We Come A-Caroling, Sleigh Ride etc. The nice thing about the album is that the back cover has the lyrics for all eleven songs on the album so that everyone can sing along. The date on this one is 1980.

Disneyland Records on iTunes

2007-12-03T23:36:00.000-08:00

Being a big Macintosh fan, I have been using iTunes for what seems like forever. And ever since they first introduced Disney music on iTunes back in 2004, I have been hunting around iTunes looking for any new tracks that they add. Unfortunately it can be tricky to find all the new additions, as just typing in Disney in the search box does not find all the wonderful Disney music there is to be had.
The first Disney related album I found on iTunes (and subsequently purchased) was the 1956 album "Walt Disney Takes You To Disneyland", which just happens to be the first album on the Disneyland Records label. I actually own an actual copy of the vinyl album, but it was great to be able to purchase a mint sounding MP3 version to actually listen to. You may also notice from the picture above, that I was also the first one to do a review of the album on iTunes.
As I said above, it can be a bit of a chore to find the Disney albums on iTunes, but they are there is you look. After searching the web for info on Disney music on iTunes, I did find these two listings which list 31 of the great albums you can find on iTunes. Hopefully with time, even more great old Disney albums will show up. For now, here is a list of some of what you can find on iTunes:

Available on iTunes as of January 16, 2007
1. The Black Hole Soundtrack - NOT PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE
2. Fess Parker: Cowboy and Indian Songs
3. Louis Prima: Let’s Fly with Mary Poppins
4. Danceannette – NOT PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE
5. Mickey Mouse Disco
6. Echoes of Disneyland – NOT PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE
7. Saludos Amigos – NOT PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE
8. Babes In Toyland
9. Stan Jones: Ghost Riders In the Sky – NOT PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE
10. Tinpanorama

Added to iTuens on November 7, 2006
1. Annette - NOT PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE
2. Songs from the Mickey Mouse Club Serials
3. Hawaiiannette
4. Mary Martin Hi-Ho
5. Ukulele Ike Sings Again
6. Burl Ives: Chim Chim Cher-ee & Other Children’s Choices
7. Rex Allen Sings 16 Golden Hits
8. Let’s Get Together with Hayley Mills
9. Woody’s Round Up
10. Musical Highlights from the Mickey Mouse Club TV Show
11. Fairy Tale Weddings (Instrumental Impressions)
12. A Child’s Garden of Verses - NOT PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE
13. Walt Disney Takes You To Disneyland
14. Professor Ludwig Von Drake
15. Annette’s Beach Party – NOT PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE
16. Summer Magic Soundtrack
17. Alice In Wonderland (Camarata)
18. Sebastian
19. Rhythm of the Pridelands
20. Walt Disney Records Archive Collection Volume 1 – NOT PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE
21. Walt Disney Records Archive Collection Volume 2 – NOT PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE

Buena Vista Records: It's A Small World

2007-11-29T19:19:00.000-08:00

While searching though piles of records at the thrift shops on the weekend, I found this album which I had never seen before. Its "the Mike Curb congregation, It's A Small World, Walt Disney's Greatest Hits." The album is on the Buena Vista Records label and copyright 1973 Walt Disney Productions.
The record is called It's A Small World, but other than the cover and track number 1 which is "It's A Small World", the rest of the album is the usual Disney fare. The track listing is as follows:
Side One:
It's A Small World
When You Wish Upon A Star
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo
The Bare Necessities
Snow White Medley; Whistle While You Worl, I'm Wishing, Heigh-Ho, With a Smile and a Song, Someday My Prince Will Come
Side Two:
Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes
Winnie the Pooh
Lavender Blue (Dilly Dilly)
Once Upon a Dream
Mary Poppins Medley; Feed the Birds, Chim Chim Cher-ee, A Spoonful of Sugar, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
In case you weren't sure where the front and back cover photos were taken, the back cover states "Photography taken by Charlie Nichols at "It's A Small World" attraction at Fantasyland in Disneyland, the happiest place on earth."

1958 Sleeping Beauty LP with Mail-In Card

2007-11-27T17:35:00.000-08:00

I picked up this great looking Sleeping Beauty LP the other day at a local thrift shop for $1. Being that Sleeping Beauty is my favorite Disney movie, I am always thrilled to add a new Sleeping Beauty item to my collection. And this LP is in great shape considering its age and the fact that most kids records you find are pretty beaten up and in pretty bad shape. This one is a gatefold and has the complete 11 page book inside.
I was surprised to see that the LP was inside a paper sleeve, as I have encountered very few kids records that still had their inner sleeves. But what was even better was that there was also a Disneyland Records mail-in postcard inside. The first of its type that I have encountered in the past 20 years of collecting Disney records. The postcard was a questionnaire asking where you bought this album, do you own a Super 8mm movie projector, and do you have a cassette tape player? It also asked if you would like to know more about other Disney merchandise? I would love to know what they would have sent out if you replied "Yes" to that question?

A Day At Disneyland LP

2007-11-14T22:49:00.001-08:00

While out with the family today we stopped at an antique mall which mostly has furniture etc. But, I found a booth that had some neat old games, records etc. And to my delight I found, buried in a pile of dusty old records, an album which put a huge smile on my face!
It was "A Day at Disneyland with Walt Disney and Jiminy Cricket [ST-3901]" from 1957. It comes in a large cardboard record sleeve with a 4 page insert. I'm not sure why, but the middle page (which is two pieces of thick cardboard) also has a couple of extra pieces of cardboard glued inside to make it even stronger (and thicker).
Side One has 1) Horse car ride down Main Street U.S.A. and 2) A boat ride thru Adventureland. Side Two has 1) Exploring Frontierland, 2) Space Ship Visit to Tomorrowland and 3) Fun in Fantasyland.
Check out the great album cover and artwork from the pages inside.

I am always looking for Disney records and this is the first time I have ever seen this particular album. Well worth the $10 I spent on it!

Donald Duck the Milkman 45 RPM

2007-11-14T22:41:00.000-08:00

The other day while out thrift shop shopping, I came upon a large collection of picture sleeve 45's... all priced at 49 cents each! One of my absolute favorite things to collect is Disneyland Records, and any time I find a new addition to my Disneyland Records collection, I am very excited! Among the great picture sleeve 45's I found that day, I picked up this great Walt Disney "Little Gem" Record with 2 Fun Stories, "Donald Duck The Milkman" and Donald Duck The Peanut Vendor". The record is copyright 1961 Walt Disney Productions. There is a large white sticker on the front of the record with the price of 39 cents, which I am sure was put on the record back when it was originally on the store shelve back in the 60's. I absolutely love the artwork on the front!
On the back of the record sleeve is a listing of other Little Gem records. If you and your children enjoy this Walt Disney Little Gem record we know that you'll be happy to learn that the Disney Studio has prepared a wonderful library of 12-inch LPs for children.
This Little Gem record, while complete in itself, is only a small portion of the high quality and good musicianship found on the Disney 12-inch LP line. We invite your attention to the following LP titles which are available at your favorite record store:
DQ-1201 SNOW WHITE - Sound Track
DQ-1202 PINOCCHIO - Sound Track
DQ-1203M BAMBI - Sound Track
DQ-1204 DUMBO - Sound Track
DQ-1205 UNCLE REMUS - Sound Track
DQ-1206M PETER PAN - Sound Track
DQ-1207 CINDERELLA - Sound Track
DQ-1208 ALICE IN WONDERLAND
DQ-1209 Walt Disney's FUN WITH MUSIC
DQ-1210 GOOFY'S DANCE PARTY
DQ-1211 MOTHER GOOSE NURSERY RHYMES
DQ-1212 DONALD DUCK AND HIS FRIENDS
DQ-1213M BEST LOVED DISNEY SONGS
DQ-1214M HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND HOLIDAY SONGS
DQ-1215M MUSICAL MONKEY SHINES
DQ-1216 ZOO SONGS
DQ-1217 SONGS OF OUR AMERICAN HERITAGE
DQ-1218 STORIES OF AESOP
DQ-1219 BABES IN TOYLAND
DQ-1220 Walt Disney's DOG SONGS
DQ-1221 ANIMAL SONGS FROM AESOP
DQ-1222 PROFESSOR LUDWIG VON DRAKE
ST-1901 STORY OF DARBY O'GILL
ST-1902 STORY OF GOLIATH
ST-1903 STORY OF THE COUNTRY COUSIN
ST-1904 STORY TO TOBY TYLER
ST-1905 STORY OF GRASSHOPPER AND THE ANTS
ST-1906 STORY OF POLLYANNA
ST-1907 STORY OF SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON
ST-1908 STORY OF 101 DALMATIANS
ST-1909 STORY OF PERRI
ST-1910 STORY OF THREE LITTLE PIGS
ST-1911 STORY OF THE ABSENT MINDED PROFESSOR
ST-1912 STORY OF THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER
ST-1913 STORY OF NIKKI
WDL-1008M A CHILD'S GARDEN OF VERSES
WDL-1016 PETER AND THE WOLF
WDL-1030 LITTLE GEMS FROM BIG SHOWS
WDL-1039 SALUDOS AMIGOS
WDL-4101A RITE OF SPRING / TOCCATA AND FUGUE
WDL-4101B NUTCRACKER SUITE / DANCE OF THE HOURS
WDL-4101C PASTORAL SYMPHONY / NIGHT ON BALD MOUNTAIN

the DISNEYLAND RECORDS blog

2007-08-23T01:34:00.000-07:00

Coming Soon! A blog all about the Disneyland Records label.