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CD reviews

Vince Guaraldi and the lost cues from the "Charlie Brown" television Specials vol. 1

Vince Guaraldi - Vince Guaraldi and the lost cues from the "Charlie Brown" television Specials vol. 1 Audio CD

A fair review of the Vince Guaraldi "Vince Guaraldi and the lost cues from the "Charlie Brown" television Specials vol. 1" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Vince Guaraldi reviews here, or go back to the Vince Guaraldi tabs.

Band: Vince Guaraldi
Title: Vince Guaraldi and the lost cues from the "Charlie Brown" television Specials vol. 1
Rating:

Release Date: 2007-01-01
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: little birdie 2: play it again charlie brown 3: centercourt 4: motocross 5: peppermint patty 6: incumbent waltz 7: african sleigh ride 8: theres no time for luv charlie brown 9: thanksgiving theme 10: joe cool (vocal) 11: pitkin county blues 12: joe cool (instumental)

Vince Guaraldi - songs from Charlie Brown specials
I just love my Merry Christmas Charlie Brown CD. I was somewhat disappointed. I have had it for years and play it over and over again during the holidays. I wanted to try more of Vince Guaraldi's music in hopes that they would have the same soft jazz flavor. I guess they do maybe. . . . but it really wasn't quite what I expected. There are a couple of songs I like, but it wasn't worth the price for only two songs.

For committed Vince Gauraldi fans
Otherwise, you might think you've wasted your money. This CD is perfect for people who are committed to collecting Vince Gauraldi's works. But if you love his music, it's fairly enjoyable.

Half Full, Half Empty?
The horn chart always makes me grin. "Little Birdie" is, of course, worth the price of admission. Great vocal, perfect music for the Thanksgiving sequence it runs over, Snoopy's epic battle against the evil wooden lawn chair. Tracks 5-10 don't disappoint either, if you like Vince in the Rhodes/Wurly/Clavinet era. Four tracks are truly "filler" (these are contracted cues after all), dull "blew-zy" gunk mostly, two marred further by the dreaded ARP synth sound. Overall, the sound is okay, but it seems pretty "dark" in places (meaning minimal High EQ). If you can get a good deal, pick it up. Mostly this is a very entertaining disc. Knowing there're better Guaraldi cues than some of this stuff out there, limits my enjoyment, however. .

A Good Start
This isn't one either, but it's a good start. There has yet to be a definitive collection of Guaraldi's "Peanuts" cues. Perhaps one day everything Peanuts/Guaraldi that exists will be culled into one package; the fact that so much of this music has been hidden away all these years is odd and borderline cruel to those of us who live for it and have been waiting for it to be available since the specials first aired.

The best cuts on this collection are probably the ones that are most familiar and have been the most elusive to fans: Guaraldi's vocal renditions of "Joe Cool" and the smoky "Little Birdie," (his voice sounds a little like the singer of the old "Conjunction Junction" Schoolhouse Rock song, and this is a very good thing), a short and re-arranged Peppermint Patty theme without that annoying clavinet that ruins the "Oh Good Grief" collection, the version of the "Thanksgiving" theme that is exactly as it appears in the special instead of the alternate version that appears in "Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits. " If those, and "There's No Time For Love" were the only cuts I'd have paid full price for the CD based on their inclusion alone.

I have several quibbles with this collection, but forgive it simply because of what it DOES include. Even half-full Guaraldi gets at least an A- (with the exception of the "A Boy Named Charlie Brown" CD which I personally never got into. . . and where is a proper soundtrack to the feature film of the same name?). Some of the cuts really sound like filler, especially the first few. They have the feel of what they undoubtedly are; jam/improv sessions. They also include Guarldi's use of the then-popular ARP synthesizer which he didn't use until towards the end of his run with the Peanuts, and sounds a bit jarring nowadays--especially since the ARP went on to be the instrument of choice for several New Wave gloom n' doom rockers of the 80's like Joy Division and The Cure. These selections would be great as bonus tracks in a box set, but considering there are only 12 brief songs, and there is supposedly a second volume on the way, it leaves one a bit frustrated. The soundtrack to "You're In Love Charlie Brown" would warrant a whole CD of its own. There are so many cues that have never been represented before, including the John Scott Trotter arrangements of Guaraldi's music which have NEVER been collected as far as I know.

The cover is a little silly and misleading as there are none of the "Christmas special" cues (unless you count "African Sleigh Ride" which I personally do not). I don't have a problem with that--those songs are represented elsewhere and have generally been over-exposed. I'm glad "Linus And Lucy" and "Christmastime Is Here" aren't included for once, although I'm still awaiting a release of the gorgeous orchestral version of the "Skating" medley featured in the "A Boy Named Charlie Brown" feature (and since it was recorded on the soundtrack LP someone SOMEWHERE must have it, no?).

Again these are minor quibbles; if you like Guaraldi's "Peanuts" scores you simply can't live without this album and you won't be sorry you purchased it; it delivers. It's Guaraldi in the mid-70's at his most cool and confident, and no doubt "trip-hop-jazz-ambient" musicians will be stealing samples from this disc for years to come. However, we fans are going to have to continue to wait a bit longer to get a truly satisfying collection, it seems. Here's hoping it isn't another 35-40 years!
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hidden gem
Most of us remember the music from the Charlie Brown Halloween and Christmas specials. Vince Guaraldi is America's truest hidden musical gem. But he also did the music for 8 other tv specials before a heart attack took him, all too soon, from us. A true musical genius and this is a true treasure, as is all the other releases on cd. Thankfully they can be played time and time again.

You can see a complete list of all Vince Guaraldi discography, or go back to the Vince Guaraldi tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.