50th Anniversary LP & CD release of Vince Guaraldi's A Boy Named Charlie Brown album

Vince Guaraldi's first album of Peanuts music, titled Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown, was initially released nearly 50 years ago, in December 1964. (The album's title was later shortened to just A Boy Named Charlie Brown.)

The music on the record was the soundtrack for a documentary by producer Lee Mendelson about Charles Schulz and Peanuts. But Mendelson was unable to sell the documentary, also titled A Boy Named Charlie Brown, to a network and it was never seen on television... although it did lead to Mendelson getting the job to produce the holiday classic A Charlie Brown Christmas and many more Peanuts specials. (The original, unbroadcast documentary can be ordered on DVD from the Charles Schulz Museum's online store.)

Even though the documentary never aired, Fantasy Records and Vince Guaraldi went ahead and released the album, introducing the world to "Linus and Lucy," now instantly recognized as "the Peanuts theme." Several other themes on the LP, such as "Charlie Brown Theme" and "Baseball Theme," also appear regularly in the early Peanuts animated specials.

This May, Concord Music - the modern owners of the Fantasy label - is releasing two different 50th anniversary editions of the A Boy Named Charlie Brown album, one on vinyl and one on CD.  Both feature newly remastered tracks of the original album music.

(Note: the information about the contents of the releases was updated and corrected the day after this entry was original posted, based on new information received.)

The original LP cover

The "limited edition, collectible" vinyl may be of the most interest - it will be a faithful reproduction of the 1964 LP release, featuring the album's original cover (the artwork was completely replaced for later LP and and CD releases), the original liner notes in a gatefold jacket, and reproductions of the dozen 8" x 10" lithographs that came with the album. On top of that, it will be pressed on orange vinyl (which may not be authentic to the original, although Fantasy did have a tradition of releasing albums on colored vinyl in the 1960's).  However, the LP will only feature the nine tracks that were originally released in 1964.

The CD release will sport the modernized cover (same as the current CD) and a less elaborate booklet, but it will include new liner notes by Guaraldi historian (and FiveCentsPlease.org co-author) Derrick Bang, and 11 tracks - the original nine from the LP; "Fly Me to the Moon," a bonus track that has been part of all CD releases of the album; and a new bonus track, an alternate take of "Baseball Theme."  Derrick's new liner notes will only appear with the CD, and the bonus tracks will also only be on the CD.

It sounds like dedicated Vince Guaraldi fans will want (need?) to buy both releases, which are due out on May 13, 2014.  The vinyl edition should be available from Amazon, CDUniverse, or any other music store willing to order and stock it.

For more information, see the Concord press release and Derrick's posts about the release at his Impressions of Vince blog - both his initial announcement and then his detailed description of the LP facsimile edition.

(Note that this is not a release of the soundtrack for the 1969 movie also titled A Boy Named Charlie Brown. Sadly, that soundtrack remains unreleased.)

Another year, another A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack release

Fans of Vince Guaraldi and the music of the Peanuts television specials might have thought that after releasing a newly remastered version of the A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack in 2012 (which was preceded by a different remaster in 2006, which was preceded by the original CD release in 1988), that Fantasy Records might take a year or two before releasing another edition of the classic holiday soundtrack. They'd have been wrong.

On October 22, 2013, Fantasy released what they are calling A Charlie Brown Christmas (Snoopy Doghouse Edition). The CD contents are exactly the same as the 2012 remaster - the same tracks, the same remastering, the same booklet with liner notes by Vince Guaraldi expert (and my FiveCentsPlease.org colleague) Derrick Bang - but this version comes with special packaging that converts into a doghouse and includes little standup cutouts of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, and Lucy (see the picture below).

On YouTube, Concord Records (owner of the Fantasy label) has posted an "unpacking" video that gives a better idea of how the packaging works.

If you already have the 2012 release, there's no need to get this one unless you're a completist. But it might make a nifty gift if you're planning on giving the CD to someone else... which is probably what Fantasy is hoping you'll think! The "plain" 2012 CD release remains available as well, and is slightly cheaper, so you can save a few bucks if you don't want the special doghouse packaging. For more commentary on this new CD release, see Derrick's post at the Impressions of Vince blog.

Meanwhile, the soundtrack isn't the only A Charlie Brown Christmas item to get a re-release this year. Lee Mendelson's book detailing the creation of the 1965 TV special, A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition, has been reissued with a new cover. The contents are otherwise apparently the same as the previous hardback and paperback editions.

Newly Remastered Version of A Charlie Brown Christmas Soundtrack Album Released October 9, 2012

Getting a very early jump on the holiday season, Concord Music has released a newly remastered edition of the A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack album by Vince Guaraldi.

You may be thinking, "didn't they remaster the soundtrack already?" Yes, they did. Concord issued a remastered and expanded version of the album in 2006, but some listeners found fault with that release's remastering for changing the sound of the album too much and using different edits and takes of some of the tracks.  This new, 2012 remastered edition is a much more low-key remaster, resulting in modest sonic improvement and clarity over the original 1988 CD, but no radical changes.

This re-release of the album includes two "bonus" tracks: "It's the Great Pumpkin Waltz" and "Thanksgiving Theme" (from It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, respectively). However, both have been previously released - they can be found on the Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits album, and seem somewhat out of place accompanying the Christmas soundtrack. Unfortunately, the four bonus alternate takes from the 2006 release do not reappear on the 2012 edition. (Concord also calls "Greensleeves" a bonus track, and while it's true it wasn't on the original soundtrack LP, it's been part of every CD release so far, so it's a very familiar track at this point.)

The 2012 remastered edition does feature a very nice 20-page booklet with generous new liner notes written by Guaraldi expert and historian Derrick Bang. You can check out Derrick's writeup about the new remastered album on his Impressions of Vince blog.

It appears that all three versions of the A Charlie Brown Christmas CD (the original 1988 release, the 2006 remaster, and the 2012 remaster) remain in print simultaneously, at least for the moment - presenting listeners with an embarrassment of choices (or possibly with the feeling that they'll need all three).  The 2012 remaster is available as a digital download as well as on CD, and there's even a special green vinyl LP version of it!

(The album has also been repackaged in various ways over the year. If you're curious about the many different releases of the A Charlie Brown Christmas album, see Derrick's detailed A Charlie Brown Christmas Redux ... and redux and redux article.)