Magic Journeys - The Doopees
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!

Magic Journeys The Doopees 2001

Labels: disney age at d_100 cafe, doopees, electronic, magic journeys, obscure

  ¶ 1:28 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Proud of Your Boy - Clay Aiken
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.

Pround of Your Boy Clay Aiken 2004

Labels: adult contemporary, aladdin, clay aiken, disneymania 3, obscure, pop, proud of your boy

  ¶ 10:36 AM 6 Comments Links to this post

  Never Smile at a Crocodile - Fred Penner
One of my childhood memories of growing up in Canada and in the eighties is coming home after school to watch Fred Penner's Place on CBC. He was a very entertaining performer and he fit right in with my other tv friends, Mr. Rogers and Mr. Dress-Up.

I'll talk about FRED PENNER when I post another Disney cover song of his in the future, but right now I want to tell you about this song.

Never Smile at a Crocodile can be found on his 1993 release, POCO. The tune is heard as an instrumental piece in Peter Pan whenever the Crocodile is getting close.

The tune was written by Frank Churchill who wrote most of Disney's music in the 30s and the early 40s. Walt had planned to make Peter Pan in the early 40s and asked Frank to start writing the music for it. But when legal rights got in the way, the feature, and its music, was shelved.

Years later, Walt was finally able to make Peter Pan and asked Jack Lawrence, who was working on Sleeping Beauty at the time, to write some lyrics for the tune that Churchill wrote. Although the words were never heard in the movie, the song has gone on to be a popular children's song, especially in Australia.

Never Smile at a Crocodile Fred Penner 1993

Labels: childrens, folk, fred penner, never smile at a crocodile, obscure, poco

  ¶ 7:19 AM 1 Comments Links to this post

  It Won't Be Long Before Christmas - Diana Ross & the Supremes
The song that I have chosen for today's installment of Christmas Week should probably be used on one of my Obscure Disney Song Fridays because it's one you probably don't know. But I want to use it this week and it's my site so I get to do what I want!

It Won't Be Long Before Christmas is a song written by the Sherman Brothers for the 1967 film The Happiest Millionaire. The movie is based on real-life millionaire Anthony J. Drexel Biddle and lives of his wife and kids.

At the end of the film, Mr. and Mrs. Biddle realize that their kids are growing up and soon will leave their home. The song was sung here, a very important moment in the film. However, due to the long running time of 172 minutes, the song was cut by Walt Disney and was lost in the Disney vaults for years. The lost footage was later restored in the 80s.

When DIANA ROSS AND THE SUPREMES were recording DIANA ROSS AND THE SUPREMES SING DISNEY CLASSICS in 1967, The Happiest Millionaire was not yet released and the song was not yet cut. My guess is that the producer of the album probably wanted to be current and stick a song on there from Disney's newest blockbuster hit and recorded this song in anticipation of that. Or maybe they wanted to record a Christmas song and this worked out perfect. It Won't Be Long Before Christmas can be found on many Motown Christmas compilations.

It Won't Be Long Before Christmas Diana Ross & the Supremes 1967

Labels: diana ross, it won't be long before christmas, motown, obscure, supremes, supremes sing disney classics, the happiest millionaire

  ¶ 7:16 PM 1 Comments Links to this post

  Blue Shadows on the Trail - Syd Straw
Wrapping up Cowboy Week brings us to this month's Obscure Disney Song. This time it's a song from the Pecos Bill segment of Melody Time from 1948. Blue Shadows on the Trail is the opening number for the short and was originally performed by Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers.

Covering this song is SYD STRAW, an alternative rocker whose career started out as a back up singer for Pat Benatar. Straw recorded this song as part of the STAY AWAKE project in 1988 and from there went on to release her first album in 1989. She has released three albums, a live album and last week she held the CD release party for her fourth studio album, PINK VELOUR.

It is interesting to hear her take on this Western song. Her roots in alternative and indie rock don't really show through. Instead, we are treated to a nice country/folky version of Blue Shadows. She has a nice and unique voice and really shows her talent with the simplicity of this song.

Blue Shadows on the Trail Syd Straw 1988

Labels: blue shadows on the trail, country, melody time, obscure, pecos bill, stay awake album, syd straw

  ¶ 11:06 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  The Headless Horseman - Kay Starr
It's Obscure Disney Song Week here at Covering the Mouse and I have a spooky Halloween song for you! This month's obscure Disney song is The Headless Horseman from the Legend of Sleepy Hollow segment of The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad. The song was originally sung in 1949 by BING CROSBY and covered a few months after the films release by jazz singer, KAY STARR.

This version of Headless Horseman reminds me of classic Disney music from the shorts of the 40s. It has that distinct pop jazz sound to it. In fact, it is not that different from the Bing Crosby original but her sweet jazz voice is, dare I say it, nicer to listen to than Bing's. She is backed by the BILLY BUTTERFIELD QUINTET with background vocals by the THREE BEAUS AND A PEEP.

In 1948, the American Federation of Musicians was threatening a strike so Capitol Records, Starr's label, made all of their singers record a bunch of popular songs so that they could continue to release music while the strike was on. But Starr was new to the industry at the time so all of the good songs were given to the "popular" singers and she was left with the scraps. Is this why she recorded Headless Horseman? Because the all the good ones were taken? It certainly isn't a pop hit and it does fit with the timing of the strike. That's my guess.

The Headless Horseman Kay Starr 1949

Labels: adventures of ichabod and mr toad, headless horseman, i've got to sing, jazz, kay starr, legend of sleepy hollow, obscure, oldies

  ¶ 6:57 AM 3 Comments Links to this post

  Spectrum - Michelle Shocked
Today is the first day of Friday Features here at Covering the Mouse. Every Friday will have it's own theme and today, the last Friday of the month, is Obscure Disney Song Friday. Today's obscure track is The Spectrum Song originally sung by Paul Frees as Professor Ludwig Von Drake.

Way back in 1961, Walt Disney decided to change his black and white television program, Disneyland, to color as that was becoming more standard in households and Walt always liked being on the cutting edge of technology. The name became Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color and the very first episode featured a new character, Ludwig Von Drake, who sang a song that was very apropos to the new title. The Spectrum Song was written by the Sherman Brothers who tied color and music together very closely for this song. The following excerpt is taken from Wikipedia:

The opening stanza of "The Spectrum Song" tied each color to a specific note in a major scale, similar to the color coding of a toy xylophone. Thus, the word "red" corresponded to the tonic, or octave note (Do), yellow was the major third or mediant note (Mi), green was the perfect fifth or dominant note (So), and so on. The first four notes of the song thus formed a major chord, do-mi-so-do (red-yellow-green-red), a playful variant on the exercise of singing scales, similar to the Rodgers and Hammerstein song "Do-Re-Mi" from The Sound of Music. The Shermans thus compare colors to musical notes, stating in the lyric that "Color has its harmony".

This version of the song is arranged and performed by Michelle Shocked, a singer-songwriter and political activist from Texas. In 2005 she released three albums at the same time! One album called GOT NO STRINGS is made up entirely of Disney cover tunes! I'll be posting more by her in the future and I'll tell you a bit more about Michelle at that time.

Spectrum Michelle Shocked 2005

Labels: bluegrass, got no strings, michelle shocked, obscure, spectrum song, wonderful world of color

  ¶ 7:37 AM 3 Comments Links to this post