Craft Recordings will celebrate the upcoming 60th anniversary of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown with an impressive variety of new releases. The centerpiece is an eye-catching 45 RPM zoetrope LP, arriving August 7, which will feature memorable scenes from the special on each side, along with a new essay from Sean Mendelson.
Additional pumpkin-shaped color options will be available on August 21 from Barnes & Noble ("electric pumpkin patch"), Walmart ("pumpkin spice"), Target ("ghost white"), Craft Recordings ("candy corn") and Target (a 4-inch tiny vinyl, available July 17, and previously mentioned in an earlier post). Additionally, the conventional "orange pumpkin" pressing once again will be available at all major retailers. All of these options can be pre-ordered here.
Recorded on October 4, 1966, at Desilu's Gower Street Studio in Hollywood, just weeks ahead of its October 27 television debut, the Halloween special marked a new era in Peanuts scores, with the participation of seasoned composer, arranger and conductor John Scott Trotter. While music for the first two specials was managed entirely by Guaraldi, Trotter — best known for his three-decade run as Bing Crosby’s music director — brought a sense of order to the sessions, helping the jazz musician better tailor his music into short, TV-friendly cues. Joining Guaraldi were his trio members (bassist Monty Budwig and drummer Colin Bailey), plus Emmanuel “Mannie” Klein (trumpet), John Gray (guitar), and Ronald Lang (woodwinds), who added warm textures to the autumnal score.
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It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown also is getting two more vinyl variants:
• A "mysterious magenta" from Urban Outfitters, available August 21, which can be pre-ordered here; and
• A "mystifying teal" from Barnes & Noble, available August 20, which can be pre-ordered here.
Later in the year, new vinyl variants for A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and A Charlie Brown Christmas are anticipated, but details haven't yet been announced ... so watch this spot!
