There are a number of distinct elements from It’s the great pumpkin, Charlie Brown, including her story and photos, but arguably the most famous element of the special is Vince Guaraldi’s music. While music from the 1966 PEANUTS special was available on a variety of platforms, in 2020, analog tapes filled with recordings of Guaraldi’s special were discovered, which are set to be included in a definitive edition of It’s the great pumpkinsoudntrack is available later this year from Craft Recordings. Listen to “Great Pumpkin Waltz (Alternate Take 2)” below and get the definitive version of It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (music from the soundtrack) From character recordings on August 26th.
Craft Recordings describes the release as “the definitive release from Guaraldi’s racy soundtrack to the 1966 animated television show, this album’s reissue containing the original analog session reels of It’s the great pumpkin, Charlie BrownPreviously, he thought it was a waste of time.
Click here to stream “The Great Pumpkin Waltz (Alternate Take 2).”
The album has been reimagined from newly discovered analog tapes and features seven previously unreleased alternate shots – all providing fascinating insight into Guaraldi’s creative process. The package also includes new written notes by PEANUTS historian Derrick Bang, with contributions from the family of Lee Mendelson, award-winning producer. Emmy and Peabody Award and Co-creator of the Animated TV Show for PEANUTS. In addition, there is a note from Mendelssohn about the release.”
Regarding the track, Pang shares, “You’ll find five versions of ‘Great Pumpkin Waltz’ on this album, each quite distinctive. Track 7 – ‘Great Pumpkin Waltz (Reprise)'” – is more than a minute longer than what we heard on the show, allowing us to Enjoy the bridge piano, flute and electric guitar like never before. Likewise, pay attention to how different Guaraldi keyboard noodles are, in the two shorter versions grouped together as track 9. However, the real treat is track 22 – ‘Great Pumpkin Waltz (Alternate Take 2) – who finds the flute and guitar take the melody respectively, against Guaraldi’s soft voice on the keyboard and (that’s surprise!) some high treble riffs on Celesta.”
Back in 2019, shortly before his death, Lee Mendelson (Executive Producer of the TV Special) had an important request for his children: to find any of the original recordings from Peanut Scores. When a global pandemic hits in 2020, the younger Mendelson (Jason, Glenn, Linda, and Sean) and the rest of Lee Mendelson Film Productions suddenly had a lot of time — and spent the better part of the year. To explore their vast archives. Among their discoveries was a trove of materials from Vince Guaraldi. However, one of the most exciting discoveries was the original analog reels from Great Pumpkin Sessions – which, up to this point, have been considered a waste of time. The tapes were discovered in boxes titled “Big Pumpkin Charlie Brown” accompanied by detailed notes of the session, and also included several alternate shots.
Get the ultimate version of It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (music from the soundtrack) From character recordings on August 26th.
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