It's been a while since I posted anything from the two classical Disney albums. So here is a track from BIBBIDI-BOBBIDI-BACH featuring CAROL ROSENBERGER on the piano.
Just like Rosenberger's version of With a Smile and a Song, here is A Whole New World in the style of the Polish composer and pianist, Frédéric Chopin.
Here is another track from WHEN YOU WISH UPON A CHIPMUNK, an album of Disney songs in squeaky Chipmunk voices. This one is not as bad as the last although it is still not great.
THE CHIPMUNKS, voiced by their creator, Ross Bagdasarian, have made quite a career for themselves seeing as they were created as a one-off novelty act. Dozens of albums, a few tv series, a feature film! They started way back in 1958 and are still going strong today!
My favourite thing about the Chipmunks is that even though they are cartoon characters, they act like real actors. Their albums are recorded as if they are actual recording artists and their tv shows are like reality tv, following their careers (and other adventures).
I hope you like this track as it may be the only Friend Like Me cover you'll hear in a while. Aside from A Whole New World, Aladdin covers are pretty rare.
Welcome to everyone who is visiting Covering the Mouse for the first time today as a result of hearing my involvement of the most recent Coverville Podcast! I was very happy that Brian invited me to take part in this roundtable discussion.
Every Friday is a special day over here with weekly features. On the third Friday of each month I post a Terrible Track. This month's Terrible Track is A Whole New World by GRACE KNIGHT and her son Jackie.
Grace Knight was a founding member of the popular Australian pop group EUROGLIDERS which was a powerful force on the Australian charts in the 80s. The group disbanded in 1989 after releasing their fourth album.
But Grace wasn't through with music yet. She went on to become one of the best selling jazz singers throughout the 90s in Australia! Most recently, Grace and Bernie Lynch reformed Eurogliders and recorded a new album in 2005, started touring in 2006 and released another album in 2007!
In 1999 she and her son Jackie recorded a cover of the Aladdin ballad, A Whole New World for the album DUETS: A FAMILY CELEBRATION, a collection of famous Australian artists singing with their children. This track is terrible due to Jackie's awful singing. Some of the tracks on this album get the cute factor but not this one. It's almost too painful to listen to. And Grace's vocal work isn't stellar here either.
Today is Obscure Disney Song Friday and to finish off American Idol Week I have chosen a deleted song from Aladdin that was featured on the Platinum Edition DVD.
Proud of Your Boy was an important song to the staff of Aladdin. It was written by Howard Ashman and Alan Menkin, the composing duo who also wrote the music for The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. The song focused on Aladdin's relationship with his mother and Ashman said that it was his favourite song in the film.
In the middle of Aladdin's production Howard Ashman died of AIDS. It was tough for the staff but it became even tougher for Alan when the decision was made to take the mother out of the story. The cut meant taking Proud of Your Boy out of the film which now Alan had become very attached to since the death of his friend.
You can hear the original demo put to storyboards from the scene on the DVD as well as a new recording of the song by American Idol second season runner-up, CLAY AIKEN
Aiken won second place but only barely. The votes were very close but Ruban Studdard still won. But what really matters is what happens after that! Clay's career has been ten times Ruban's career. He has recorded three albums and an EP. His three albums all debuted in the Top 5 making him the fourth artist ever to have his first three albums debut in the Top 5!
He has toured the world, sang the national anthem at the World Series, won many awards, has been on countless TV specials and is currently playing the part of Brave Sir Robin in the Monty Python's Spamalot! Broadway musical!
Even though I can't really stand his music, you have to admit that he has done pretty well for himself.
To celebrate one of the only shows back with a new season due to the writers strike, I'm having an American Idol Week here at Covering the Mouse. The first contestant up is the winner of the second season in 2003, RUBBAN STUDDARD.
Ruban worked hard to get into the music industry for years before his fame on American Idol. And he still had to work hard to compete with runner-up Clay Akien's career. But dispite all that, Ruban has done a great job, released three albums, toured the world and won a Grammy in 2004 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.
His cover of A Whole New World was one of the better songs he sang and a crowd pleaser too. The fans and judges loved it. This version is one of the few covers I have that turns this duet into a solo number.
Another thank-you goes out to Fong Songs for giving me a plug on his cover tunes site! I know you want to hear an Aladdin cover, so here it is!
This version of Prince Ali is taken from the album HEIGH-HO MOZART, a collection of Disney songs done in the style of classical composers, and is reworked to echo the styles of Béla Bartók.
The piece is performed by the MILLAR BRASS ENSEMBLE and is one of the only Aladdin covers I have that isn't A Whole New World! I hope you enjoy it!
Over the years, many musical artists have paid tribute to the music of Disney. This blog pays tribute to those artists.
You won't find any original Disney songs here, these are all covers, interpretations and variations on the tunes we all love.
Covering the Mouse is not associated with Disney or any major record label. If you wish to have a song removed from my site, please email me and I will be happy to comply.
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