Customer Reviews

Mouse Tracks: The Story of Walt Disney Records

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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
carolyn@dia.net

This somewhat disappointing history of Disney's record company presents lots of facts but not as many stories as claimed in the title. It rushes through record after record and fails to take much time to discern which records or stars had the most impact. Intended to be a type of encyclopedia of Disney records, it doesn't provide a discography, has a confusing layout and devotes only a brief chapter at the end to the CDs that have been released the past 15 years. It's baffling that they would choose to skip over most of the releases since about 1991.

The book starts with a very brief history of how the company got its music on records. It goes by so quickly that it is often confusing because the writers treat everything with the same short synopsis. They fail to help the reader understand what were the important moments in the history of the company's recorded music and instead overpraise pretty much everything.

The layout of the book is a mess and the writing style is pretty dry. Records are given short sections of four to eight paragraphs, then abruptly stop. These sections are often interrupted by sidebars devoted to performers. But often the sidebars are out of order or come long before or after the performer is even mentioned in the record section.

Certainly Disney fans will enjoy the photos and some of the details behind who did the voices on certain recordings. And the authors did apparently directly interview some involved like Fess Parker. But when Annette's sidebar gets the same amount of space (two pages) as does those for Gloria Wood and Roberta Shore, you know the authors had trouble pulling together a cohesive narration that focuses on the most important aspects of the record company. Many of the "stories" are taken from other dated published sources and the writers fail to follow up on the people today.

In the end it's purely for Disney music fanatics who want a very basic reference book on the subject. But the detailed "story" of Disney's music company still needs to be written. The high-selling years since 1991 have been too important to receive so little attention as they do in this 2006 publication. It's like the book was put together in the 1980s and then the authors tacked on the CD chapter without doing the work necessary to provide a comprehensive look at the company.

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

Book Review-MOUSE TRACKS-The Story of Walt Disney Records by Tim Holllis and Greg Ehrbar

When I first started reading this book, it was very difficult putting it down for a second and in two days I read the whole book. I was very hungry for information and stories behind those wonderful Disneyland/Vista Records I grew up on and have in my collection. Tim and Greg went all out and did a great job to salute all of the artists, composers and people who have made Walt Disney Records the most successful music label for family entertainment. Now, after reading this book, my appreciation for my Disney LPs has grown stronger than ever.

I won't give away any details because you have to read this book yourself but I will say that many of my favorite Disneyland albums are mentioned including the multi-platinum classic, MICKEY MOUSE DISCO, the supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Best selling soundtrack of MARY POPPINS, those magnificent Storytellers and many more. Also, read about the superstars of Disneyland Records: the narrators and singers such as Robie Lester, Lois Lane, Annette, Fess Parker, and so many other talented people and creative staff.

I strongly recommend this book to fans and collectors of Disney LPs such as myself and Disney fans worldwide. It's an ultimate E-Ticket Ride for Disney Music!

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++++++++++++++++++

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. One of my hobbies is collecting Disney records, so this was perfect.

This book definetly brings back childhood memories for me.
I used to have a collection of Disneyland book and records.Plus I always wondered what Robie Lester and Lois Lane actually looked like.(And why they each had their own version of Tinker Bell's little bells.)

A must for any nostalgia buff!

What an amazing read! I was glued to the pages of this book like a mystery reader. Growing up in the late 60's and early 70's Disneyland Records was a pivotal part of almost any person's childhood. This book is one of the most thorough comprehensive journeys in the creation, growth, and current children's/adult contemporary recording company. The reader is plummeted into the world of; Disney, Camarata,Annette Funicello, Louis Prima, Haley Mills, Phil Harris; and well loved voice talents such as Thurl Ravenscroft, Paul Frees, Pete Renaday, Cliff Edwards (a.k.a. Jiminy Cricket, Sterling Halloway (Winnie-the-Pooh) and more. In this day and age of DVD, Compact Disc and High Definition there's still a charm and warmth about plopping the needle down on a 40 year old vinyl album and being treated to some now heard rarities. I've been recently transferring many vinyls to my IPOD and this book has been a great reference. Readers also may want to look into The Golden Age of Walt Disney Records 1933 - 1988 by Murray, R. Michael.

This book tells the story of Walt Disney Records, formerly known as Disneyland Records and Buena Vista Records. The record company is one aspect of the Disney empire that hasn't been extensively covered before, so there is a lot of information here that you probably haven't read before. The book does a very good job of telling the record company's story, giving credit to some talented people who deserve to be remembered. Disney fans should read this book.

The recording end of Walt Disney Productions hasn't really been given the short shrift--in 1997, R. Michael Murray put together a wonderful pricing guide for Disneyland and Buena Vista's musical output that fills in a lot of gaps left behind here. Still, authors Tim Hollis and Greg Ehrbar do a fine job at bringing forth the personalities and histories of many Disney singers who weren't usually credited on record labels, and these talents are worth re-discovering. Some of the basic information regarding certain albums is treated too blithely (and often, a description or detail seems wrong, as when they say Annette's first solo album was on the Disneyland label...it was if you count "Songs from Annette & The Walt Disney Serials", which wasn't an Annette album per se). And too often the authors write off an album's success by saying "million of copies were sold". How many millions? Did the record chart in Billboard? Did it spawn any singles? Apparently, 45rpm singles were the bane of the early recording industry, and the authors pretty much dismiss their importance; however, that doesn't excuse the omittance of chart information, even on some of the more popular titles. Did any of Annette's albums chart, and, if not, what kept the Disney brass interested in her as an albums artist? There is wonderful background information on unsung heroes such as Bob Grabeau, Teri York, Robie Lester and Ginny Tyler, but the writers couldn't come up with ANYthing substantial on the Sylte Sisters or the Vonnair Sisters? The early Disney recordings via the Hansen label, 78rpm artists like William Lava, the 'Zorro' records and 'The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh', are almost completely forgotten, which makes this NOT the definitive book on the subject. It's a nice beginning, how about a second volume?