We’re already primed for the upcoming release of It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown, as detailed in this earlier post.
But as an additional bonus, the folks at Lee Mendelson Film Productions have just announced a Record Day exclusive of this album: individually foil-stamped and numbered, on — are you ready for this? — egg-shaped vinyl. To drive folks even crazier, the LPs will come in five different colors ... and they’re “mystery colors.” You won’t know what you’ve got, until you take it home and check it out.
Additional details can be found on the official LMFP press release, and full details about all of the album’s iterations are available on this LMFP master release.
But wait ... there’s more!
The crafty folks at Craft Recordings (sorry, couldn’t resist) have kept this release secret until now: a Record Store Day exclusive version of Guaraldi’s Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown.
But no; not the 1964 album that we all know and love.
Jazz Impressions of a Boy Named Charlie Brown (Alternate Takes) features two alternate versions of “Linus and Lucy,” including an early studio test; outtakes of “Oh, Good Grief”; the charming ode to fellow pianist “Schroeder”; the sweepingly carefree “Baseball Theme,” and more.
“It’s not a children’s album,” All About Jazz pointed out, “but rather a top-notch series of breezy jazz treatments.”
This edition is pressed on sky-blue vinyl, limited to 3,400 copies, and mixed and mastered from the original analog sources by Grammy Award-winning engineer Paul Blakemore. The lacquers were cut by Matthew Lutthans at Cohearent Audio.
The track list:
Side A
1. Linus and Lucy (Studio Test)
2. Linus and Lucy (Take 3)
3. Happiness Theme (Happiness Is) (Take 4)
4. Pebble Beach (Take 7)
5. Baseball Theme (Take 1)
6. Oh, Good Grief (Take 1)
7. Schroeder (Take 3)
8. Baseball Theme (Take 2)
9. Oh, Good Grief (Take 1 / Later Session)
Side B
1. Schroeder (Take 2)
2. Blues for Peanuts
3. Charlie Brown Theme (Take 4)
4. Blue Charlie Brown (Take 1)
5. Frieda (With the Naturally Curly Hair) (Take 1)
No CD or digital release of these tracks has been announced, but — fingers crossed! — we can hope that changes at some point in the future.
This album is one of Craft's seven RSD releases; full details are here.
The complete list of RSD exclusives can be found at the Record Store Day website, which also includes a list of participating stores across the country. But remember: That list never is complete, so it’s best to call your favorite brick-and-mortar record store, in order to reserve or purchase one or both of these albums.
And should it prove necessary, on April 12 ... get in line early!
