Sherman Brothers Songbook

Robert B. Sherman (Composer), Richard M. Sherman (Composer), Disney (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 13, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Disney
• ASIN: B002HWUTZA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #47,915 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

RICHARD M. SHERMAN and ROBERT B. SHERMAN - They were hired by Walt Disney himself as his first and only staff songwriters. Their music has been an important part of motion pictures, theme park attractions, television productions, records, compact discs and Broadway shows - entertaining millions of people all over the world. Presented here are 59 songs highlighting The Sherman Brothers' incredibly prolific Disney years - from Annette's 1959 hit "Tall Paul" to their work from The Tigger Movie in 2000. Newly restored with the latest digital technology, this collection features not only their landmark hits from Mary Poppins, Winnie the Pooh, The Jungle Book, and "it's a small world", but a number of their other classics - many available for the first time on CD. Their voluminous repertoire is only matched by their musical versatility - composing in styles from Rock 'n Roll and English Music Hall to Samba and March. These genres and more are represented as we travel through the Sherman Brothers' Disney career from the very beginning. The extensive Liner Notes reveal the stories behind the songs; illustrated with candid photos of the Shermans at work, and with the star-studded gallery of artists who performed their classic songs. Artists such as - Annette Funicello Fred MacMurray Tommy Sands Maureen O'Hara Hayley Mills Maurice Chevalier Burl Ives Rex Allen Julie Andrews Dick Van Dyke Annette and The Beach Boys Louis Prima Tommy Steele Lesley Ann Warren John Davidson Ann Shelton Louis Armstrong The Mike Sammes Singers Angela Lansbury Kenny Loggins Walt Disney

Also included are three Bonus Tracks from the 1969 Disneyland Records recordings of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", "Hushabye Mountain", and "Me Ol' Bamboo" performed by by The Mike Sammes Singers. The Sherman Brothers wrote the soundtrack to our lives - more than you may even know. It is certain, that as you listen, you will inevitably find yourself saying, "They wrote that too?" Yes, they did. * 2 CD set * 59 tracks total * 26 rare tracks * 6 tracks - first time on CD * 3 Bonus Tracks from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - first time on CD * Newly restored with the latest digital technology * Artists - Annette Funicello Fred MacMurray Tommy Sands Maureen O'Hara Hayley Mills Maurice Chevalier Burl Ives Rex Allen Julie Andrews Dick Van Dyke Annette and The Beach Boys Louis Prima Tommy Steele Lesley Ann Warren John Davidson Ann Shelton Louis Armstrong The Mike Sammes Singers Angela Lansbury Kenny Loggins Walt Disney * Extensive Liner Notes chronicling the Sherman Brothers' Disney Career * Behind-the-scenes photos * Songs from - Annette The Absent-minded Professor The Parent Trap The Wonderful World of Color The Horsemasters In Search of the Castaways Summer Magic Disneyland The 1954 World's Fair Mary Poppins The Monkey's Uncle That Darn Cat Winnie the Pooh The Jungle Book The Happiest Millionaire The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band Chitty Chtty Bang Bang The Aristocats Bedknobs and Broomsticks EPCOT Tokyo Disneyland The Tigger Movie * Over 2 and a half hours of total playing time

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Collection, October 16, 2009

By 

Wing Fat - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Sherman Brothers Songbook (Audio CD)

Being a fan of Disney music I had heard of the Sherman Brothers before and knew they had written a good deal of music for movies and Disney theme parks. This collection really illustrates just how prolific they were! Some of the songs I had heard many times before and some I had never heard, but every track was enjoyable and the collection as a whole is outstanding.

It's remarkable how diverse the Sherman Brothers' body of work is, and this collection is a fitting testament to that--everything from "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers" to Kenny Loggins' "Your Heart Will Lead You Home." There are some added surprises like a rehearsal recording of Annette Funicello and a recording of Walt Disney giving his stamp of approval to the Sherman Brothers performing "It's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow." The only disappointment for me was that the three tracks from the movie "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" were not from the original soundtrack.

The booklet included in the CD package contained a lot of great history about the Sherman Brothers and the recordings in this collection. If you're considering getting the digital download version, it's worth the extra money to get the CD.

I have listened to this recording several times now and have enjoyed it tremendously. While not every song will make it into my "every day" mix, every song at least made me smile and I'm delighted to have this collection in my music library.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Walt's Boys - A Disney Retrospective of the Sherman Brothers", August 10, 2011

By 

Classic film buff - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Sherman Brothers Songbook (Audio CD)

For anyone that doesn't know, the Sherman Brothers, Robert and Richard, were the quintessential songwriters for the Walt Disney Studio. They were handpicked by Walt Disney himself in the very late 1950's and were the only songwriters that were put under studio contract. This two-disc compilation is 59 songs that were recorded for Walt Disney Records; amazingly enough there is still a significant amount of the Sherman Brothers songs not included that were recorded outside of Disney. The brothers certainly were a prolific pair, weren't they? However, the good news is that the majority of what is considered to be the Sherman Brothers best work was done under the auspices of the Disney Studio. So if you are either a fan of the Disney films circa 1961 -1971, or of the Sherman Brothers work and both are so closely entwined, they should almost be synonymous, this is a collection you won't want to miss.

With the exception I believe of "The Sword in the Stone", all the other Disney films, television shows, and theme park music are all represented, and in most cases in the original interpretations. So for example Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke perform the four-song suite from "Mary Poppins" from the film's soundtrack. "Chitty Chitty, Bang Bang", which is a non Disney film is included here, but only because Disney Records did record some of the songs, and those are what are presented here not the original Dick Van Dyke/Sally Anne Howes versions. Another omission is the best-known song from "The Jungle Book", "Bare Necessities", simply because the Shermans didn't compose it, which is odd since the rest of the score was theirs. Also I'm not sure if Sterling Holloway and Paul Winchell who so indelibly voiced Winnie the Pooh and Tigger respectively in "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" are used in the songs from that film. The vocals sound close but not quite the same.

Enough quibbling, if you're a Disney baby boomer and you have kids as I, there is much to savor in the old familiar favorites and the flood of warm memories they evoke. Besides the "Mary Poppins" "Jungle Book" and "Winnie the Pooh" films, there is the original "Parent Trap" ("Let's Get Together"), "Summer Magic" ("The Ugly Bug Ball"), "The Monkey's Uncle"(Annette Funicello backed by The Beach Boys), "That Darn Cat!", "The Happiest Millionaire" ("Fortuosity"), "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" and "The Aristocats". Then there are the theme songs for the Disney attractions, "It's a Small World" instantly recreating the 1964-65 World's Fair, where this was introduced to me, and Walt Disney World where I fondly got to revisit it years later with my wife and son. "The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room" recalls a delightful memory of that same trip to Disney World in 1999 with our feathered hosts Zazu from "The Lion King" and Iago from "Aladdin". And of course hearing "The Wonderful World of Color" I'm transported back in time to all those long ago Sunday nights watching on television first in black and white then in glorious color what everyone I knew called "Walt Disney", but was formally known as "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color". This was the theme song that played as the show began.

Newly discovered pleasures that I've enjoyed start with the romantic ballad "For Now, For Always," written for the original "Parent Trap". In the movie it's sung very briefly by Maureen O'Hara, but is used as her character's theme music. Here is the fully recorded version by Ms. O'Hara, who reveals a lovely, melodic voice. There is a blithe, buoyant duet for Maurice Chevalier and Hayley Mills from "In Search of the Castaways", called "Enjoy It!" and both certainly do! From "The Happiest Millionaire", a very ingénue Lesley Ann Warren does very nicely indeed with a wistful ballad "Valentine Candy", which is reminiscent in it's style and feeling to Rodgers and Hammerstein more famous "It Might As Well Be Spring." Angela Lansbury brings a tender yearning to "The Age of Not Believing" from "Bedknobs and Broomsticks". An irrepressible Louis Armstrong puts his own unique stamp on "Ten Feet Off the Ground", and finally there is the gently sweet lullaby like "Your Heart Will Lead You Home" from "The Tigger Movie" which is sung and co-written by Kenny Loggins.

The songbook begins with the first song the brothers did for Disney the gimmicky teenage "Tall Paul" sung by Annette Funicello. It's brought to a fitting conclusion in the last selection Walt Disney joining his "Boys" as they all chant "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" an optimistic ditty written for the General Electric Pavilion at the NY World's Fair. The illustrated booklet that accompanies the CD is very well put together, good black and white photographs and very interesting little vignettes about most of the songs. Thanks for the memories, Boys!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "I want some more", December 31, 2010

By 

Jams Joplin - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sherman Brothers Songbook (Audio CD)

Excellent collection. All of the songs are stuck in my head now. The Sherman Brothers are my favorite songwriters. I am now constantly singing "The Flubber Song", "The Parent Trap", "Fortuosity" and "'Bout Time". They are probably my favorites due to the rarity of those songs. My one complaint is that this deserved a four-disc as opposed to a two-disc. There were films that didn't get mentioned in this release, such as "The Sword in the Stone". I would have enjoyed "Hockety Pockety" or "A Most Befuddling Thing". I would also have enjoyed more songs from "The Happiest Millionaire". I would have enjoyed "Let's Have a Drink On It" or "I'll Always Be Irish". Perhaps something from "Charlotte's Web" even though it's not Disney. Neither was "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and it was still included. That was a good appetizer, but when do we get the main course? The Sherman Brothers genius cannot be covered by merely two CDs. I'd like to see a second volume added. In the words of Oliver Twist, "Please sir, I want some more." Other than that, a fantastic release!