Reviews

Wonderfully downbeat and moody listening, perfect for late night drives or quiet times around the campfire. Even the happy, upbeat cuts sound sinister! Besides the big, well-known selections like Ringo's "When You Wish..." are smaller, intimate, sad songs such as "Blue Shadows on the Trail" which never fail to send the chills straight through me. What a great concept for a CD.

If the idea of a cover album of Disney songs sung by classic 70s acts and hipster musos of the late 80s sounds like your thing, this is definitely worth checking out. It's lovely to discover this on your own. Some songs will thrill you. Some will surprise you. Yes, some will make you swoon. You'll feel better for owning this one. It's the sort of record that'll impress your friends. I bought it on vinyl at the time of it's original release and, thanks to Amazon, have now traded up to CD. The big but: if you don't dig this type of avant garde novelty project and you could care less about Disney tunes - stay away. This isn't for you. The preciousness and willful obscurity of this album will make you crazy. You're better off buying something else.

Had a copy of this album on *cassette tape* in the 90s; cannot wait to rip this CD to mu iPod now that it's arrived! Bought the Rock-a-bye colection of albums as lullaby song to play for our newborn that wouldn't drive mom and dad batty with saccharine sounds. This CD is better -- takes so many familiar and good Disney tunes and adds a mature sound that baby and parents can appreciate.

This is an exceptional compilation. Not something I say lightly, I love compilations, but they have to have something special or else there is no reason to stray from the first recordings. I particularly love the renditions here of "Baby Mine" from Dumbo, and Tom Waits' "Hi Ho" is simply awesome.

This was produced by Hal Willner at A&M in 1989 when Willner was 31. Willner has also produced albums for Marianne Faithfull, Lou Reed, Bill Frisell, William S. Burroughs, Gavin Friday, Lucinda Williams and Allen Ginsberg, among others. So it should be no surprise that this album is an eclectic mix and highly theatrical in concept. Several reviewers have criticized the use of medleys, but a great many Disney songs have only one verse and a chorus, which makes it difficult to make a full length cut, hence the medleys. It's an album that has aged very well and bears many repeat listenings. Tom Waits, Harry Nilsson,Suzanne Vega, Bonnie Raitt, Los Lobos, Betty Carter,Sinead O'Connor, James Taylor, Yma Sumac, and narration by Ken Nordine. It sounds as though it should be a real mess, but Willner has put it together so it not only makes sense but is more than the sum of its parts.

Reviews

Disney Music can sometimes seem a little too ... well ... Disney. Neat, catchy little tunes sung by voices that you just KNOW have never seen a zit in their lives. Subject matter that is trite at best, portraying characters so cute that they're almost embarrassing. Embarrassing, because even at thirty years old, you still whistle Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah from "Song of the South" when you're happy. Don't you? Fear not, closet Disney-phile. This album takes all those songs from your favorite movies, and gives them an adult twist. This album will serve a two-fold purpose. First, you can get your fix of Disney anytime your middleaged-child heart desires. But most importantly, if you get "caught" by your friends, you can pass it off as serious music. Whether a mere fresh coat of paint (as with "I Wanna Be Like You" from Jungle Book) to a slight sarcastic tone on old favorites (Sinead O'Conner singing "Someday My Prince Will Come" -- 'nuff said there!), to downright spooky versions of bettime songs (Suzanne Vega's acapella version of "Stay Awake"), to absolutely twisted rehashes of formerly tired standby's (Tom Waits rebuilds "Heigh Ho" in his own graven image), this album is a fantastic work. It not only transforms these scores into wonderful new pieces of art, but it also remains true to the basic spirit of Disney. Perhaps it is irreverent in places. Yes, it may even poke a little fun at our favorite childhood icon. But it is still a respectful tribute to the original artists who put these tunes in our heads in the first place. Review by Marcus Wright. 1. Opening Medley (I'm Getting Wet and I Don't Care at All): Hi Diddle Dee Dee (An Actor's Life For Me) / Little April Shower / I Wan'na Be Like You (The Monkey Song) - Natalie Merchant/Michael Stipe/Mark Bingham/The Roches/Los Lobos 2. Baby Mine - Bonnie Raitt/Was (Not Was) 3. Heigh Ho (Dwarf's Marching Song) - Tom Waits 4. Medley Two (The Darkness Sheds Its Veil): Stay Awake / Little Wooden Head / Blue Shadows On The Trail - Suzanne Vega/Bill Frisell/Wayne Horvitz/Syd Straw 5. ...Wonderful Height): Castle In Spain / I Wonder - Buster Poindexter/Yma Sumac 6. Mickey Mouse March - Aaron Neville 7. Medley Four (All Innocent Children Had Better Beware): Feed The Birds / Whistle While You Work / I'm Wishing / Cruella DeVille / Dumbo And Timothy - Garth Hudson/NRBQ/Betty Carter/The Replacements/Bill Frisell/Wayne Horvitz 8. Someday My Prince Will Come - Sinead O'Connor 9. Medley Five (Technicolor Pachyderms): Pink Elephants On Parade / Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah - Sun Ra/Arkestra/Harry Nilsson 10. Second Star to the Right - James Taylor 11. Pinocchio (Do You See the Noses Growing) Medley: Desolation Theme / When You Wish Upon A Star - Bill Frisell/Wayne Horvitz/Ringo Starr