Won’t you be my (good) neighbor?

My last post on “El Rio Del Tiempo” at EPCOT changing over to a “Three Caballeros” theme reminded me to let those who were unaware know that Disney has been releasing many great old “Disneyland Records” titles exclusively on iTunes.

While I admit it would have been much nicer to have these in uncompressed CD quality, several of these titles have never been re-released since they were originally issued on LP, so, I’m just content that they are easily available in any form. Plus, they’ve done and outstanding restoration job (to my ears, especially when you consider the age of some of the material.) Here is a list of what has been released thus far:

Released November 7, 2006

1. Annette - NOT PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE
2. Songs from the Mickey Mouse Club Serials
3. Hawaiiannette
4. Mary Martin Hi-Ho
5. Ukulele Ike Sings Again
6. Burl Ives: Chim Chim Cher-ee & Other Children’s Choices
7. Rex Allen Sings 16 Golden Hits
8. Let’s Get Together with Hayley Mills
9. Woody’s Round Up
10. Musical Highlights from the Mickey Mouse Club TV Show
11. Fairy Tale Weddings (Instrumental Impressions)
12. A Child’s Garden of Verses - NOT PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE
13. Walt Disney Takes You To Disneyland *
14. Professor Ludwig Von Drake *
15. Annette’s Beach Party – NOT PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE
16. Summer Magic Soundtrack
17. Alice In Wonderland (Camarata) *
18. Sebastian
19. Rhythm of the Pridelands
20. Walt Disney Records Archive Collection Volume 1 – NOT PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE
21. Walt Disney Records Archive Collection Volume 2 – NOT PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE

Released January 16, 2007

1. The Black Hole Soundtrack - NOT PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE
2. Fess Parker: Cowboy and Indian Songs
3. Louis Prima: Let’s Fly with Mary Poppins *
4. Danceannette – NOT PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE *
5. Mickey Mouse Disco *
6. Echoes of Disneyland – NOT PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE
7. Saludos Amigos – NOT PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE *
8. Babes In Toyland
9. Stan Jones: Ghost Riders In the Sky – NOT PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE
10. Tinpanorama

Apparently, there will be another wave coming sometime in June. The asterisks indicate my favorites; the ones I have downloaded or plan to download. This of course includes the “Saludos Amigos” album.


This album is not the original soundtrack, but rather, a studio album from 1958. But it’s a fantastic album nonetheless and one I highly recommend. The album actually contains music from both “Saludos Amigos” and “The Three Caballeros” sung by an anonymous Disney chorus. As I said in the “Rio” post, these two films are among my favorites. You also can’t beat an album that features a cover with Mary Blair sketches!

There were 3 studio albums produced containing music from “Saludos Amigos” and “The Three Caballeros” (the original scores actually used in the films have never been released in any form). The last was the aforementioned 1958 Disneyland album now on iTunes. Previous to that, the there were two 78 RPM albums (literally, a set of three records each, in an album) for both “Amigos” and “Caballeros”. These were both released on the Decca label in 1944, the year “Three Caballeros” was released (Disney didn’t form their own label until about a decade later).



These albums were never re-released in LP form, which of course, makes them a rarity. But I recently came across this fantastic website, where they have lovingly transferred both albums into MP3 form (Amongst many other children’s records from the forties and fifties, including more Disney!). Check it out:

http://www.kiddierecords.com/
Saludos Amigos - Charles Wolcott and his Orchestra
The Three Caballeros - Charles Wolcott and his Orchestra

Time to bust out your cuíca!