Customer Reviews

Musical History of Disneyland (W/Book)

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Here's a track listing with times:

DISC ONE (1:19:51)
MAIN STREET
1. Walt Disney's Dedication of Disneyland (July 17th, 1955) 0:41
2. All Aboard - Main Street Station 0:30
3. Minnie's Yoo Hoo! (Saxophone Quartet) - Main Street 0:41
4. Meet Me Down on Main Street (The Melomen) - Main Street 1:52
* The Sounds of the Main Street Fire Truck
5. Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln - Main Street Opera House 11:54
6. Disney Medley (Disneyland Band) - Main Street 4:06
* The Sounds of Main Street's Horse-drawn Carriage
7. Alexander's Ragtime Band (Rod Miller) - Coke Corner 2:36
8. Let's Dance at Disneyland (The Elliott Brothers) - Plaza Gardens 2:12
ADVENTURELAND
* The Sounds of Adventureland
9. Tiki Room Barker Bird - Adventureland Entrance 0:46
10. The Enchanted Tiki Room Garden Show - The Enchanted Tiki Room 3:59
11. Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room 17:36
* The Sounds of the Jungle Cruise
12. Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye 3:25
* The Sounds of the Jungle
13. Swisskapolka - Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse 1:54
14. Tarzan's Treehouse - Tarzan's Treehouse 2:38
NEW OLREANS SQUARE
* The Sounds of the Mark Twain River Boat
15. The Mark Twain Riverboat 3:50
16. Pirates of the Caribbean 16:07
17. Feed the Birds - Club 33 3:04
18. Love Is a Song - The Disney Gallery 1:10
19. Frontierland Station 0:45

DISC TWO (1:13:33)
NEW ORLEANS SQUARE
1. Happy Rag - New Orleans Square 3:51
2. The Haunted Mansion 13:52
CRITTER COUNTRY
3. Rufus - Bear Country 0:18
4. Bearless Love - Bear Country 2:03
5. Country Bear Jamboree 15:33
6. All I Want - Critter Country 2:14
* The Sounds of Splash Mountain
7. Splash Mountain 12:11
8. Country Bear Vacation Hoedown 16:46
9. The Rain, Rain, Rain Came Down, Down, Down - Critter Country 1:45
10. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh 4:56

DISC THREE (1:13:28)
FRONTIERLAND
1. Battle Cry of Freedom - The Blockade House 1:19
2. A Cowboy Needs a Horse - Frontierland 1:29
3. Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland and the Rainbow Caverns 8:18
4. All Aboard the Mine Train - Frontierland 1:44
5. The Golden Horseshoe Revue 31:33
6. The Columbia Sailing Ship 3:19
FANTASYLAND
7. When You Wish Upon a Star - Sleeping Beauty Castle 3:12
8. Once Upon a Dream - King Arthur's Carousel 2:19
9. Fantasyland Darkride Suite - Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Mr. Toad, Alice in Wonderland 17:54
10. Matterhorn Yodelers - The Matterhorn Bobsleds 2:19
* The Sounds of the Matterhorn

DISC FOUR (1:19:32)
FANTASYLAND
1. It's a Small World 13:42
MICKEY'S TOONTOWN
2. The Sound of Toons - Toontown 0:35
3. Steamboat Willie - Toontown 2:08
4. Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin 2:26
TOMORROWLAND
5. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Medley - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Exhibit 2:24
6. Amercia the Beautiful - CircleVision 17:51
* Sounds of the Monorail
7. The Monorail Song - Disneyland Monorail 1:53
8. Adventure Thru Inner-Space 7:31
9. Miracles from Molecules - Adventure Thru Inner-Space 1:36
10. Star Tours 4:06
11. The Carousel of Progress 19:28
12. Progress City 5:47

DISC FIVE (1:15:35)
TOMORROWLAND
1. Nation on Wheels - The Peoplemover 1:56
2. Flight to the Moon 13:02
3. America Sings 21:33
* The Sounds of the Autopia
4. Submarine Voyage Thru Liquid Space 9:10
* The Sounds of Space Mountain
5. Space Mountain 3:48
* The Sounds of the Astro-Blasters
6. Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters 6:13
7. Space Mountain (New Daytime Track) 1:26
8. Remember Dreams Come True - Fireworks Spectacular 17:10
9. Closing 1:14

DISC SIX (1:19:51)
SEASONAL ATTRACTONS
1. Country Bear Holiday Show 16:11
2. It's a Small World Holiday 15:07
3. Haunted Mansion Holiday (Premiere Edition) 16:40
4. The Main Street Electrical Parade 9:13
5. Fantasmic! 22:39

All the tracks have been cleaned up and remastered and have never sounded clearer. The "sounds from..." notes refer to brief (often merely a few seconds) sound effects, such as the monorail horn or the Autopia car engines. Most of these have never been available before to my knowledge and are a nice treat.

So can you throw out all your existing Disneyland souvenir CDs, including the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean CDs sold at Disneyland, or the now unavailable burn-on-demand Disneyland Forver CDs? Unfortunately, no. You'll even want to hang onto that just released double-disc 50th Anniversary set.

Because while there is some crossover in content, most of the tracks here are alternate versions or re-edits of the previously available material.

For example, the ride-through tracks for Haunted Mansion and Pirates include the music, dialog and sound effects, but are considerably shorter than the versions found on their respective individual CDs.

The Rainbow Caverns track found here is a complete ride through of the lost attraction, while the version on the 2-disc set is the isolated music score. Also, the Small World and Splash Mountain tracks are each much longer than the versions on the 2-disc set.

The Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln track is supposedly the 1964 World's Fair version but seems to incorporate some elements from the later Disneyland version, while still differing almost entirely from the version on the Great Moments CD available at the park.

So completists, don't expect to render your existing collection redundant with this purchase.

This set comes packed with a very nice hardcover book with plenty of color photos and concept art I've never seen anywhere else. The CDs are held in place with single peices of foam, rather than those fragile plastic spindles that become useless if one tooth breaks.

My only quibble (and its a minor one) is there is no convenient track listing like the one I posted above. To see the track directory you need to drag out and flip through the hardback book.

For fans of Disneyland, Disney music or both, let me say that this is hands down the most extensive, best put together, longest set of park music ever put out. At a whopping 7 1/2+ hour running time, this collection can certainly sate even the most ardent Disney maniac, and if you listen to the whole thing in a row, you might just start hallucinating and believe you are actually physically in the park. That said, the collection doesn't include absolutely everything one might want in a 'complete' set, so this review warrants a little detail about what is and isn't included.

The 65 track collection covers pretty much every major attraction in Disneyland, and some minor ones, and the remastered recordings truly sound great. Comparing the track 'Fantasyland Darkride Suite', which has appeared on almost every park music cd put out over the past 20 years, with previous versions, the clarity of the remastered tracks is indeed noticeable.

I should also mention that there is a great hardcover book included with the collection that speaks specifically about the park and its music. This has obviously never been available with previous sets, and is in itself a fascinating Disneyland collectible. The coffee table-style book is in beautiful full-color, and details the development of music in the park on a land-by-land format.

There are quite a few selections in this collection that are either 'rare' or 'previously unreleased', and one of the great features of this set is that Disney decided to include quite a few tracks that would not have made the cut on a single or double disc collection. Main Street usually gets shorted on park cds, but in this case they included a selection by the Main Street Sax Quartet, The Melomen, Alexander's Ragtime Band and others. This is an excellent beginning to the set, since almost any visit to the park begins with the familiar sounds of these groups. There are some oddballs on the set, which in most cases are also nice to have. For example, a violin quartet version of 'Feed the Birds' is featured as music that one might hear when dining in the exclusive Club 33. 'Love is a Song' as played in the Disney Gallery is also included. I'm not sure that these stand out as very relatable to Disneyland, but they are nice recordings and flow well on the collection.

As far as the soundtracks for the rides, one of the great things about this set is that in most cases Disney splurges with time and puts the full soundtrack on here. Pretty much any ride with a well-defined pre-recorded musical track is included. Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye is on here, as well as Star Tours, Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin, and many others. Some previous collections have short shrifted two of the most important rides - The Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. Happily, this set includes a full 14 minute Mansion track and a 16 minute Pirates track. There are longer versions available on previous sets (specifically the ride soundtracks for either attraction, which are rare but obtainable), but the tracks for this set tend to be a little more accessible and enjoyable to listen to. The versions here include the full show, but blend the track and music together better so as not to be quite as disjointed as they are when floating through the ride. There are also quite a few gems from closed attractions. Most notably, the original Submarine Voyage narration is on here, as well as Voyage Thru Inner Space.

The shows make a decent appearance on here. You get the full Tiki Room show, which is nice, as well as the original Golden Horseshoe Revue, the 50th Anniversary fireworks show (which is great) and the full Fantasmic! show. A 9 minute version of the Main Street Electrical Parade is included, which is considerably shorter than the 15 minute version on the Main Street Electrical Parade and Fantasmic! soundtrack cds. I am also happy they included Small World Holiday and Haunted Mansion Holiday, which previously were only rarely available.

So, given the laudable inclusions on this set, what's missing? There do seem to be a few glaring omissions, which is probably understandable since there's no way Disney could include everything from the past 50 years. Still, it would have been nice to have 'Fantasy in the Sky' (the fireworks show that ran for several decades) and 'Light Magic' (a short run replacement for the electrical parade, which failed but had an excellent soundtrack). These have not appeared since the 1992 Official Album, which is quite impossible to find.

There are also no tracks from Disney's California Adventure on this collection, which is most likely because they wanted to keep this a Disneyland collection. This is fine, except that DCA is now part of the Disneyland experience and it would have been nice to have some of these tracks, particularly Jerry Goldsmith's rousing soundtrack to Soarin' Over California. There are DCA tracks available on the 2-disc 'Happiest Celebration on Earth' set, but this doubles up on almost every Disneyland track.

It might also have been nice to have more selections from former attractions. Perhaps there aren't a lot of closed rides with good soundtracks, but as someone who never visited the park before 1980 (due to not having been born), I'd like to hear some of the classic attractions that no longer exist.

In the category of 'unnecessarily included', I would point out there are three full shows from the Country Bear Jamboree - the original show, the vacation hoedown, and the holiday show. I'm not sure 45 minutes of Country Bear Jamboree was warranted, and these tend to stick out as some of the only 'unlistenable' tracks.

So, overall this is a great offering by Disney with relatively few problems. For the casual park fan, this is probably all you'll ever need to sufficiently satisfy your Disneyland craving. For the truly devoted, this is also a must-have, but you will probably want to supplement it with the 2-disc 50th anniversary set, both the 1991 and 1997 versions of the 'Official Album of Disneyland', and perhaps the Disneyworld 2 disc 'Happiest Celebration on Earth' set (if you like Disneyworld music, which tends to be a little lame). Hardcore fans will also want to get the ride soundtracks to Pirates and Haunted Mansion, which are rare and usually only available in the park or by online auction.

As an avid fan of the Disneyland park, you can imagine my excitement when I received this as a gift. While listening to these songs, you can close your eyes and imagine you're on the ride. The tracks are extremely clear and feature nearly every little detail on the rides. The boxed set, along with the 6 cds, comes with a book which is equally interesting. The book features early sketches of Disneyland rides (most, if not all, are from the 50's-70's), and many facts. I highly recommend this to any fan of Disneyland who wishes to feel as if they're in the park even when they cant be in it.

No set could include every piece of music ever to be featured at Disneyland, but this set is the closet we are bound to get to that goal. Want the original version of the Haunted Mansion holiday? You'll find it here. Classic Golden Horseshoe Review performances? This set gives you 30 minutes of horseshoe hyjinks. Longing for the Submarine Voyage? Cue up track 4 on disc 5 and hear the full ride through. And the treasures continue. Ambient sound effects, new attraction soundtracks, holiday versions and soundtracks from long gone attractions. This is a Disneyland fans dream come true.

The included hardcover book is an amazing look into the music of the park and sure to be read through many times. And all of it is presented in a very classy and sturdy box. This is a set that will be treasured for many years and be able to stand up to the punishment of time.

I can't recommend this set highly enough.

I wasn't able to visit Disneyland until I was older. But I was always looking for shows and articles about Disney. Reading about the attractions and events happening in California.

This set of the sounds of those days are as entertaining as the first trip to Disneyland.

Even though we just got back from Disney World instead of Disneyland, I eagerly used Christmas Gift Cards to order this and haven't stopped listening.
I find the tracks from older retired attractions fascinating, and hope I don't have to wait 14 years for a Walt Disney World version (with World of Motion, Mr. Toad, etc.)

I gave this boxed CD set to my 11 1/2 year old grandson for Christmas (something that was on his wish list; he is a huge Disney fan). He absolutely loves it. I enjoy listening to it as well. The book that comes with it is also nice.

I went to Disneyland's opening day back when I was 3 years old, and I have many childhood memories of the park...running out of "E" tickets, quick. Not being able to afford any food or drink. Lines around the Matterhorn that seemed to stretch into infinity. Nightmares from those three rides on the first day of "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride", because I thought I was dead. But also many pleasant ones as well. Mainstreet. Mr. Disney, in person, giving the opening day speech. Those Sunday night television shows. The fireworks, the parades, the quartets, music groups popping up out of the ground. But Disneyland was mostly about the rides, and the music here certainly triggers those memories. At 54, I have a year-round pass, and go at least once a month, with my wife. When I'm not there, many days, I listen to this music. I close my eyes, and I'm back on mainstreet, where I belong.

I received this as a Christmas gift last year, and it has been a staple addition to my Disney music - and just Disneyana collection in general. All Disney fans out there would definitely appreciate this addition to their collection. There are so many tracks, and especially some that you cannot find anywhere else. This comes in a very nice displayable case, with a book as an added bonus. They did a great job of putting this together and it really shines in my Disney music collection.

It's like actually being on the rides themselves. Some old, all the new. Even ones I didn't think I would remember. Love It.