Published on Dec 22, 1999
Thanks to a steady diet of Christmas cartoon specials when I was
growing up, one of the things I associate most with Christmas is
Charlie Brown. Every year, I make it a point to watch “A Charlie
Brown Christmas,” and I’ve often entertained the notion of buying a
copy for my daughter (though my wife reminds me we could always
tape it from TV).
Seeing we reviewed the soundtrack to “A Charlie Brown Christmas”
some time ago, and seeing that I needed a CD copy of the song
“Linus And Lucy” for my buddy’s wedding last month, I discovered
the latest disc from the late Vince Guaraldi that encompasses the
music from countless specials I grew up with:
Charlie Brown’s Holiday Hits. It’s a sad choice this time of
year, with Charles Schulz’s recent announcement that he will be
retiring. (I don’t know if anyone associated with Mr. Schulz reads
this – but if someone is, please pass along this message for me:
Thank you.)
Now, I’ll admit this isn’t a Christmas album per se; only two of
the songs have anything to do with Christmas, and three of them
come from the album
A Charlie Brown Christmas. But not everything on
A Charlie Brown Christmas was strictly Yuletide music, so
I’m willing to bend the rules a little bit. Besides, I recognize
one song on this disc that was on the special and not on the album
– “Surfin’ Snoopy”. (Oh, wait… maybe that song was on the “book
and record” set I used to have as a kid.)
The nicest thing about
Charlie Brown’s Holiday Hits is that this disc is sure to
bring back some great memories if you grew up glued to the TV
awaiting every Peanuts special. Remember “Thanksgiving Theme,”
where Snoopy and Woodstock enjoy a meal together? It has been at
least a decade since I saw that special, but as soon as I heard
that song, almost the whole show started playing in my mind
again.
And the two definite selections for the holiday season are
always pleasures to listen to. Both the vocal and the instrumental
versions of “Christmas Time Is Here” show just how talented a
musician that Guaraldi was. (Side note: The liner notes of this
disc say that Guaraldi actually sat in with The Grateful Dead for a
few Bay Area shows after Tom Constanten left the band. I never knew
that – and it gives me, a
nouveau Deadhead, a new reason to love Guaraldi’s work.)
All of this said, there are a few disappointments. First is the
vocal track “Oh, Good Grief,” which is done a capella by a
children’s chorus. What Guaraldi had to do with this I don’t know,
but I honestly don’t think it belongs in this collection. Likewise,
“Joe Cool” is not the version I remember from my childhood, though
it does grow on you a bit after about twelve listens.
The other disappointment is hearing how some themes are
recycled; one would have thought that Guaraldi would have wanted to
create different pieces for different moods. Okay, I can understand
the piece “Schroeder” and how its musical line is the same as “Oh,
Good Grief” (and possibly answers the question I raised above), but
“Track Meet” is the same musical motif as the song “Christmas Is
Coming” from
A Charlie Brown Christmas… disappointing, to say the
least.
Still, there are some gems on
Charlie Brown’s Holiday Hits, and if you’re looking at
reclaiming a piece of your childhood (short of renting all the
specials from Blockbuster), this disc is a nice way to be a kid
again for just under 40 minutes. If you’re looking for a decent
Christmas album, though, I’d still suggest grabbing
A Charlie Brown Christmas instead.