If Alan Reed were alive today he would be turning 101! If you don't recognize the name, you probably would recognize his voice as Fred Flintstone from The Flintstones!
But wait, isn't this a Disney blog? Why are you talking about a Hanna-Barbera TV show? Well, because Alan Reed provided the voice of Boris in Lady and the Tramp in 1955, four years before the debut of The Flintstones.
Reed was an accomplished actor by the time he worked on Lady and the Tramp. However, the only animation voice work he had done before this was an uncredited announcer in the 1937 Looney Tune, Porky's Romance.
This version of La La Lu can be found on the unique Japanese album DISNEY AGE @ D_100 CAFE. SUGIURUMN is a Japanese DJ who has been recording music and remixing other artists' stuff since 2000. He will be releasing a new remix album later this month.
I'm sorry for not posting yesterday. I saw the midnight show of The Dark Knight (which is awesome, by the way) and still had to take in a full day of work a few hours after that. Needless to say, this blog was not a priority.
So here I am on the weekend, bringing you a track that falls under the Obscure Disney Song category. I know that I usually post the obscure track on the fourth Friday of the month, which would be next week, and that this week should be a terrible track, but next week is Vote 2008 so I thought I'd spare you the awful track and bring you something special.
This also brings Disneyland Week to a close. And to finish off the week, we are traveling to Tomorrowland to visit the Magic Eye Theatre which in 1986, was playing the 3D film fantasy, Magic Journeys. The movie, which originally debuted with EPCOT Center in 1982, was basically one giant drug trip. Or at least that's what the description on Wikipedia sounds like. I've never actually seen this show.
Magic Journeys looked at the world through the eyes of a child. The film started with children running through a meadow and looking at clouds. Someone blew on a dandelion and the seeds then flew away, turning into stars and then turned into the sun. Next the kids were seen flying a kite at the beach. The kite then turned into a bird, a fish, a school of fish, a flock of birds, bird wings, a Pegasus, a horse and then finally into a merry-go-round. While the children rode the carousel, they began reaching for a brass ring spinning next to the carousel; it became a moon, a bat, a witch, a mask and finally into the Sphinx.
The show played at Disneyland for only two years, until 1986, when it was replaced by Captain EO, a show that I remember from my childhood visits to Disneyland (anyone have some Captain EO covers?). In Florida, the show was moved from EPCOT to the Fantasyland Theater in the Magic Kingdom where it played until 1993 when it was replaced by the Legend of the Lion King.
The soundtrack to Magic Journeys was written by the Sherman Brothers. This cover is by an obscure Japanese experimental electronic group called THE DOOPEES. The band was formed by YAAN TOMITA whose experimental electronic work has been admired for years. He formed this "pop" group in 1995 with singer SUZI KIM and CAROLINE NOVAC and recorded only two albums. The result was cult status as most people even inside Japan have no idea who the Doopees are.
While this track is nice, it doesn't give you any idea of the Doopees' style. Please visit their myspace page to get the idea. They are wonderfully creative and really odd too! The first two minutes of Love is samples of the word love from other songs! Brilliant!
PS: Next week is VOTE 2008! If you haven't already done this please vote now!
This week at Covering the Mouse is Disneyland Week, celebrating 53 years since the beginning of the magic. The actual day isn't until Thursday but I'll be sharing with you some info about the park, the rides and the music leading up to that day.
Since Main Street is the first thing to greet you as you enter the park, I though it would be fitting to begin this week by greeting you the same way. This version of the Main Street Electrical Parade is covered by the Japanese group ECCENTRIC OPERA and was recorded in 1998 for yet another Japanese Disney cover album called WE LOVE MICKEY: HAPPY 70TH ANNIVERSARY. You will hear the Baroque Hoedown and Unbirthday Song as well as some samples from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
The song's main theme is actually called the Baroque Hoedown and was written in 1967 by Jean-Jacques Perrey and Gershon Kingsley who were composing music with their early version of a synthesizer. The song became an early electronic hit and it wasn't long before Disney would secure the rights for his Electrical Parade in 1972. In 1977 the song was re-written, covered if you please, by Don Dorsey and Jack Wagner (that's Jack's voice you hear at the beginning of the track) which is the version you still hear to this day. So this cover is actually a cover of a cover.
The Eccentric Opera is Naomi Sagara, a soprano who graduated from The Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, and Nahoko Kakiage, who also graduated from the TNUFAM but in composition. Nahoko is the one behind keyboards, computers and sampling. Together these two girls arrange and record classical music in their unique style. I suppose that this Baroque-esque piece is very suiting for them to cover.
Main Street Electrical Parade Eccentric Opera 1998
Today is the 26th anniversary of the ground-breaking film Tron that was produced by Disney in 1982. The film was one of the first film to be released by a major studio that heavily relied on computer graphics. It has gone on to become a cult classic due to its computer game plot and CGI.
"In the year it was released," says director Lisberger, "the Motion Picture Academy refused to nominate Tron for special effects because they said we 'cheated' when we used computers which, in the light of what happened, is just mind-boggling."
The song I have chosen to post today is a remix of the Tron soundtrack. I'm not too familiar with the score to this film so I can't really give you specifics. Maybe one of you can? Leave a comments!
The track is by O.N.O., a Japanese DJ who likes to be simplistic yet powerful and sensitive. I think this track is a good example of that. I also think that this track is very fitting due to the heavy use of computers to do the remixing. Very apropos.
I know that this isn't When You Wish Upon a Star Friday but actually Request Friday but Nuno Alexandre Vieira wanted to hear something old and I needed something that fit Remix Week so I found this remix on the BREAKS & BEATS DISNEY album from Japan.
Over the last decade, Shinji Tsuchida aka TSUTCHIE has been honing his remixing skills for various soundtracks, albums and projects and released two of his own records in 2002 and 2003. I'm not too into this music so I don't know how to classify his sound, but I think it's called house (please correct me if I'm wrong). Whatever it's called, I call it really good.
Tsutchie's big ticket came when he was asked to provide music for the popular anime Samurai Champloo. Anime soundtracks are super popular so if Tsutchie wasn't known before the show came out in 2004 he sure is now. You can hear the tracks You and seventythree(i ask), two of the songs from the show, on his myspace.
I am very impressed with his contribution to BREAKS & BEATS. He has taken When You Wish Upon a Star and totally played with the tempo, creating the need to edit every line of music so that it would fit with the beat. The result is fun and creative.
As always with Japanese Disney cover albums, we get some of the industry's top talent contributing their work to these excellent tributes. Nowhere is that more true than DISNEY AGE @ D_100 CAFÉ.
Since this is Remix Week, I have chosen a track off this album by YUKIHIRO FUKUTOMI, a DJ and Remixer who has been blessing clubs in Japan with his beats since 1990. Since then he has become a well recognized DJ, programmer, arranger, composer and producer. Fukutomi has taken I Wan'na Be Like You and has added his own touch. You'll hear the main vocals and many samples from the song, but the beat and much of the music has been added.
What really interests me with this style of music is the editing. I've taken a few courses in this and I find it quite hard. Fukutomi, who uses Pro Tools for his work, has sped up the tempo a bit, therefore having to edit every line of the song to fit this new tempo. Looping Baloo's scatting and the monkey's whistling is brilliant and my favourite part is when the classic song builds with the big brass fanfare behind it at the end and melds so well with the beats laid down by Fukutomi.
I was so impressed by this unique EP by POGO, aka Nick Bertke, when I heard it last week that I knew that I had to share another track with you today. In fact, I've decided to make this whole week Remix Week. Each day will focus on a different style of music remixing.
Bertke uses samples (sound clips) from Alice in Wonderland to create all new songs. About 90% of the sounds you will hear in this track, titled Alice, are from the film. I can't imagine the amount of time it would take to edit something like this. It's unique and sounds great.
The most recognizable sample in this song is a line from Very Good Advice. All four of the tracks can be downloaded for free here.
Supercalifraigilsitcexpialidocious - Yasuharu Konishi & Pizzicato Five
With beats that sound like they're straight outta the Powerpuff Girls, YASHUHARU KONISHI takes this classic Mary Poppins song and combines the electronic beats we heard on Monday and and jazz we heard yesterday and creates a wonderful cover song.
I can't stress enough how much I like the creativity that these guys bring to the table. The PIZZICATO FIVE was a group that Konishi formed in the late 80s. The group went through many different musical evolutions and eventually came to a style that sound quite similar to what you hear on this album. Pizzicato Five recorded over a dozen albums before breaking up in 2002. This album was released a year later by Konishi, probably as a way to get a couple more bucks out of the Pizzicato Five.
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Yasuharu Konishi & Pizzicato Five 2003
Main Street Electrical Parade - Yasuharu Konishi & Pizzicato Five
A few weeks ago, I posted a track from the wonderful album READYMADE DIGS DISNEY, a whole album of covers by YASUHARU KONISHI, founder of Readymade Entertainment. I was so impressed by this album when I heard it that I knew I wanted to devote a whole week of Covering the Mouse dedicated to it.
Now, the best way to listen to this album is from start to finish because the transitions between some of the songs are quite fun. But I have decided to pick a few choice tracks for this week and forgo the whole order thing.
This track is the Baroque Hoedown, the main theme for the Main Street Electrical Parade. The MSEP no longer runs at Disneyland but the music lives on forever on albums just like this. You will be able to hear a sample of the Unbirthday Song from Alice in Wonderland, another featured melody in the parade.
Main Street Electrical Parade Yasuharu Konishi & Pizzicato Five 2003
Mickey Mouse Club March - Yasuharu Konishi & Pizzicato Five
Happy birthday to Mouseketeer DARLENE GILLESPIE who is 67 today! Darlene was an original and faithful member of the Mickey Mouse Club during it original run from 1955-1959. We are celebrating her birthday today with a Japanese cover of the Mickey Mouse March from the album READYMADE DIGS DISNEY.
Readymade Digs Disney was produced by YASUHARU KONISHI, founder of Readymade Entertainment. This album features the music of PIZZACATO FIVE, a band that Konishi founded in 1985. However, since this album was released in 2003 and Pizzacato Five broke up in 2002, I'm assuming that Konishi, who is a well known arranger and remixer, took the recorded tracks and turned it into this album.
READYMADE DIGS DISNEY is one of the best Disney cover albums I have heard. It is unique and interesting to listen to, it has a great variety of songs and styles and is just really well produced. I will be planning a Readymade Digs Disney week in May so be prepared to hear some more from this album!
Mickey Mouse Club March Yasuharu Konishi & Pizzicato Five 2003
The world said good-bye this weekend to CHARLTON HESTON who died in his home on Saturday. Although it is unclear at this time what he died of, Heston was battling prostate cancer and Alzheimer's disease for many years.
Heston, who is known for his stunning film career (Ben-Hur, Planet of the Apes, The Ten Commandments) and being the President of the National Rifle Association, has a Disney connection that not that many people are aware of. Heston was the voice of the narrator at the beginning of Hercules. It is because of this that I chose a cover of Go the Distance by MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER for today's post as a tribute to Charlton Heston's legacy.
Many people have asked me to post something by BUCKETHEAD, the guitar shredder with a KFC bucket on his head! The man is a guitar legend and a genius songwriter. He has recorded dozens of albums and has a huge fan base all over the world! And he loves Disney songs! He constantly incorporates Disney tunes in his sets, including Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life For Me) which he recorded for his 1996 release GIANT ROBOT.
Today marks the 41st anniversary of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland. Many things have changed in the displays over the years. Many of the displays have been changed to be more politically correct. But these are pirates! They are not meant to be PC! But I guess some people don't want children to think that the pirate's life is a glorified life.
The picture I have posted above is one of the more recent changes. It used to be a drunk pirate who was holding a bit of a girl's clothing and the girl is hiding in the barrel behind him. As the ride would pass you could hear him saying things about the wench. Now it has been changed to a pirate with a treasure map and you can see Jack Sparrow in the barrel behind him. They say the change was made to be a movie tie-in but I think they also got pressure from PC activists.
Hi! I'm Brian Ibbott, and I'm the producer and host of a cover song podcast called Coverville, dedicated to my favorite hobby: babbling endlessly about myself cover songs. I produce the show two to three times a week, and shows are sometimes themed, based around a single artist, or made up entirely of listener requests.
Kurtis has generously asked me to guest post, and to pick one of my favorite Disney covers to talk about.
I was very young when I saw the movie that the original comes from, but I'll do my best to give you a quick rundown of the plotline. A family walks into a talent agent's office, and the father tells the talent agent that he's got a great act. The agent tells him that he usually doesn't book family acts, but he asks the father what they do. The father tells him that it's much better if they can demonstrate it to him live. After putting on a show about a Parisian cat named Duchess and her kittens, and a charming stray named Thomas, the talent agent asks family what they're called. The family answers, "The Aristocats!" Or something like that. I'm really bad with movies.
The covering band is a British duo called PSAPP (pronounced 'sap'). They're most noted for being the artists behind the theme song to the wildly successful Grey's Anatomy TV show, but their choice to cover this song isn't completely out of left field. From their covers to their originals, and even the graphics on their website, it becomes apparent that Psapp are cat fanciers. As part of a recent Q Magazine soft rock anthem cover CD, they even covered Al Stewart's Year of the Cat. A Love Cats cover can't be far behind.
Their interpretation of Everybody Wants To Be A Cat from the 5th volume of the Ubiquity Records' excellent REWIND! series, incorporates the best elements of their sound. Warm organic instruments, layered with electronics and everyday objects used as musical percussion, along with sampled meows, all capped off with the lovely whisper-smooth vocals of singer Galia Durant.
When someone says Mannheim Steamroller, what comes to your mind? Probably Chirstmas music, right? While MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER has released over two dozen albums, the only time they get radio play seem to be at Christmas with their versions of Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Deck the Halls and other Christmas favourites.
Mannheim Steamroller is really one man, Chip Davis, who began experimenting with synthesizers and electric bass to create what he calls 18th Century Classic Rock. He formed his own record label in the 70s (because no other label would touch his music) and continues to release albums to this day.
In 1999, he recorded a whole album of Disney music. MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER MEETS THE MOUSE is an album of experimentation and creativity. The arrangements of the classics songs are often different, weird and sometimes a bit unrecognisable. But Mannheim's unique, signature sound is there and paints a new picture for these songs.
On the album in You've Got a Friend In Me from Toy Story. This version of the song removes Randy Newman's playful pop sound and turns it into a jazzy, laid back piece of muzac. It is a very different take on the song. Do you like it? Let me know what you think!
You've Got a Friend In Me Mannheim Steamroller 1999
It's sad that children these days don't get to experience the Main Street Electrical Parade at Disneyland. Yes, there are other variations of the Parade at in the other parks but none of them are the same. The Main Street Electrical Parade, and it's soundtrack, were a part of summer evenings at Disneyland for three decades and it is on this day in 1996 that it did it's last route on Main Street.
The soundtrack, which was created by cutting edge synthesizers, was written in 1967 and was synchronized to the thousands of blinking lights and animatronic characters. The main theme was the Baroque Hoedown, which was heard during the Blue Fairy float, but the soundtrack incorporated many Disney songs that went with the floats of the same movie.
This version of Baroque Hoedown is by quirky rock duo THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS. This pairing is perfect; the song is quite weird and the Giants use of electronica in their music works to modernize this tune using the same elements that made it famous in the first place. You will also hear a bit of the Unbirthday Song which was played during the Alice in Wonderland float in the parade.
I should note, in case you are unfamiliar with the band, that They Might Be Giants is not an electronica group. They are alternative rock that draw on many other styles of music to make up their sound. Check back in a few week and you'll hear another Disney cover from TMBG!
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.
Stumble It!
