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.
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. 
