Mouse Tracks: The Story of Walt Disney Records (Hardcover)

by Tim Hollis (Author), Greg Ehrbar (Author), Leonard Maltin (Foreword) "By the middle of the twentieth century, Walt Disney was, By his own admission, a reigning monarch..." (more)
Key Phrases: Walt Disney, Jimmy Johnson, Buena Vista (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Long before synergy became a corporate watchword, Walt Disney parlayed his animated films into successful comic strips, toys, and phonograph records. Initially, the studio licensed music from the films to other companies, but after the TV show Disneyland spawned a hit in 1955 with "The Ballad of Davy Crockett," the company launched an in-house record outfit headed by noted big-band arranger Tutti Camarata. Besides soundtracks, read-along "Storyteller" LPs, and other children's releases, Disney lured Mary Martin and other adult-oriented singers and scored hits with such early '60s teen stars as Annette Funicello and Hayley Mills. Disney's labels cashed in on '70s fads with the double platinum Mickey Mouse Disco LP and the Mousercise workout album, rode into the CD era successfully, and now offer songs for download on iTunes. Hollis and Ehrbar obviously know and love Disney's music; what's more important is their thorough research. Besides detailed accounts of the diverse Disney releases, they provide sidebar biographies of dozens of performers. Though it lacks a discography, this is a valuable, highly readable addition to Disneyana. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
An amazing, enjoyable read... brings back a terrific lot of memories... I congratulate Tim Hollis and Greg Ehrbar for it. -- Roy E. Disney

An outstandingly well researched, exceptionally well organized, and very capably written history...The best Disney related publication in recent memory. -- Rhett Wickham, laughingplace.com, June 19, 2006

Fills in a missing piece of the Disney legacy... and if you're a fan of Disneyana, this is a must-have. -- Jerry Beck, cartoonbrew.com, June 23, 2006

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 221 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Mississippi (May 9, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578068487
• ISBN-13: 978-1578068487
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #424,124 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Solid Gold Hit by Greg and Tim, June 28, 2006

By	T. Brooks - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

An Avid Disney LP Collector, I've Been Anxiously Awaiting "Mouse Tracks" since News Came These Two Exceptional People and Disney LP Fans, Ehrbar & Hollis, were Writing It. "Mouse Tracks" is Filled w/Fascinating Information Leaving You Begging for More (I'm Hoping Follow-up Letters will lead to a Sequel). "Mouse Tracks" is a Wonderful Tribute to Many Who Contributed To the Tracks We Enjoy So Much. I Highly Recommend you Buy and Read this Book. It Will Deeply Enhance Your Enjoyment of The Disney Legacy. Thank you Greg and Tim for writing it. Sincerely, Tom SLC, UT

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding and fun, August 21, 2006

By	J. Smith "JThree" (Williston, North Dakota United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mouse Tracks: The Story of Walt Disney Records (Paperback)

There is so much information in this book, I had to go through it three times to make sure I gleaned everything I could from it.

Well-researched and organized, Mouse Tracks is essential for Disney scholars and pop culture fans of the sixties if they want to find out more about the uncredited people who contributed so much not to just Disney, but to American film, tv and music of the past fourty years.

Reading this text, I learned a bit about the men's group who sang the theme song from Gilligans Island during its final two years, the beautiful Robie Lester (who just recently passed away), who with only a few minutes preparation came up with so many different voices as she did Disneyland's story reader series in the sixties, or the fact that she sang the title tune for Disney's "The Three Lives of Thomasina."

It was great to get some history on the late Jimmy Dodd, I never knew he was in the Lub and Abner films, or that Hal Smith (Otis from the Andy Griffith program) did the original "Whit" on Adventures in Odyssey. And even the fact that it was Ms. Jean Norman, who helped sing the themes for Star Trek and Flipper, or Gene Merlino who did likewise for Rawhide, The Road Runner Show, and Alien Nation, all added to this text.

Also, discovering who wrote some of my favorite Disney Christmas songs was a real treat: "The Sound of Laughter," and "Here He Comes," sung so marvellously by Pete Renaday, and released every so often on a seasonal Disney album made my day. You can really tell the emotion in his voice as he sang these carols.

The book tells a straightford history of Disney Music, broken up with profiles of the many people who contributed to the Music of the Mouse. So if you want to know who Dal McKennon, Lucille Bliss, or Dick Beals are? Or just who sang the theme from "Old Yeller"? Read this book. You'll be surprised at just who did what done.

Lastly, Hollis and Erbear need to continue their research talents into other Disney and non-Disney entertainment avenues. Their skills cannot be allowed to go to waste.

P.S. Tell Disney I still want Alan Youngs audio version of "A Christmas Carol" reissued on CD. My old 8 track is shot.

Sincerely,

Jthree
[e-mail]

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet Meat!, October 6, 2006

By	Richard J. Goldschmidt "Rick Goldschmidt" (Oak Lawn, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mouse Tracks: The Story of Walt Disney Records (Paperback)

GREG and TIM know what they are talking about and glad to add this book to my collection! WALT DISNEY RECORDS deserved a treatment like this and it would make a GREAT gift for the holidays! A++++++++++++++++++