Mary Poppins Medley - Erich Kunzel & the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra

Since this Wednesday is the forty-fourth anniversary of Mary Poppins, I thought it would be fun to declare this week Mary Poppins Week! All of this wee will feature songs from the classic movie!

To kick off the week, I'm sharing with you the Mary Poppins Medley that was recorded by the CINCINNATI POPS ORCHESTRA, conducted by ERICH KUNZEL, with the Indiana University's Singing Hoosiers providing the vocal work, from the Grammy nominated album, A DISNEY SPECTACULAR from 1989.

The medley is well put together and includes a good variety of the different songs featured in the film. Here is what you will hear in this medley:

Chim Chim Cher-ee
Jolly Holiday
A Spoonful of Sugar
Let's Go Fly a Kite
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Step in Time

Mary Poppins Medley Erich Kunzel & the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra Year 1989

Some Day My Prince Will Come - Cheetah Girls

The popular Disney group, THE CHEETAH GIRLS, have made a very successful career for themselves. Well, Disney has made a successful career for them.

The group started out as a Disney Channel Original Movie based on a youth book series, but the movie was so popular that it spawned two sequels with a third on the way, as well as three studio albums and a yearly tour across the country. The Cheetah Girls were transformed from a fictitious pop band to actual recording artists.

But the fact remains that this is just another Disney Pop (D-Pop as I like to call them) formula band. My apologies to all of you Cheetah Girls lovers.

For DISNEYMANIA 6, the Girls recorded a version of Someday My Prince Will Come which I consider perfect fodder for Terrible Track Friday. One listen and I am sure you will agree that this version is just plain awful.

Some Day My Prince Will Come Cheetah Girls 2008

Gaston - Erich Kunzel & the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra

We continue on with Villains Week with a cover of Gaston, the beer-drinking song about the greatness of Beauty and the Beast's lead villain. Gaston's ego is as big as his biceps but his brain is as big as his tact. He is not very smart and is played mostly for comedic effect.

Gaston's major goal in the film is to marry Belle, but when the Beast gets in the way he becomes a very jealous man. So is that what makes him a villain? Jealousy? Many of the Disney villains try to defeat the hero because of jealousy: Cinderella's Step-sisters, Scar, the Queen from Snow White, but Gaston doesn't have as much to gain as all of these villains. He won't be marrying into royalty or inheriting a kingdom. He just wants the girl of his dreams and is being a baby becuase she said no. Whereas Scar is a great, evil villain, Gaston just come off as a hurt little boy who got pushed out of the sandbox.

This cover is performed by the CINCINNATI POPS ORCHESTRA under the direction of ERICH KUNZEL. This song is on the second of three Disney albums that Erich Kunzel has released. THE MAGICAL MSUIC OF DISNEY features all the songs from Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, Aladdin and the Lion King.

Gaston Erich Kunzel & the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra 1995

Disney Fantasy Medley - Erich Kunzel & the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra

Happy New Year everyone! I'm kicking off the new year with a the mother of all Disney medleys!

ERICH KUNZEL loves Disney music. He has recorded three albums full of the music from the films. The best one has got to be the Grammy nominated A DISNEY SPECTACULAR from 1989.

Erich Kunzel conducted the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra from 1965-1977 until the creation of the CINCINNATI POPS ORCHESTRA which he was appointed the head conductor. Kunzel, a master conductor and arranger quickly put this orchestra on the map with his great arrangements of pop music.

A DISNEY SPECTACULAR is performed with Indiana University's Singing Hoosiers who do most of the vocal work on the album.

There are many songs represented in this medley. Are you ready for me to list them all for you?

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah (Song of the South)
You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly! (Peter Pan)
Main Titles (Dumbo)
Casey, Jr. (Dumbo)
The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers (Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day)
Winnie the Pooh (Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree)
Love is a Song (Bambi)
Bella Notte (Lady and the Tramp)
The Siamese Cat Song (Lady and the Tramp)
Heigh-Ho (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
Whistle While You Work (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
Give a Little Whistle (Pinocchio)
I've Got No Strings (Pinocchio)
Once Upon a Dream (Sleeping Beauty)
A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes (Cinderella)
When You Wish Upon a Star (Pinocchio)

Disney Fantasy Medley Erich Kunzel & the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra 1989