Vince Guaraldi’s OH, GOOD GRIEF! Peanuts Album To Be Reissued

Omnivore Recordings has announced that Vince Guaraldi’s Oh, Good Grief! will be getting a reissue released on CD and yellow vinyl on May 30. Many people got to know Vince Guaraldi through his 1963 Grammy®-winning song, “Cast Your Fate To The Wind,” or via Sounds Orchestral’s Top-10 cover of it two years later. Lee Mendelson heard Guaraldi’s version when working on a Peanuts documentary, and contacted Guaraldi asking him to score it. Although the documentary never aired, that’s when Guaraldi composed “Linus and Lucy” and all the other songs included on his 1964 album, Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown. A year later, in 1965, Mendelson once again tapped Guaraldi to score the upcoming Peanuts Christmas special.

With songs like “Linus and Lucy,” the special was a hit for over five decades and continues to air each holiday season. So potent and successful was the Peanuts/Guaraldi combination that Guaraldi went on to score a total of 15 Peanuts television specials and the first feature film.

In 1968, Vince made a label switch from his long-time home, Fantasy Records, to his new label, Warner Bros. Records. For his inaugural album, he decided to re-interpret his Peanuts classics on Oh, Good Grief! In addition to the instantly recognizable Guaraldi sound of piano, bass, and drums, this time he added electric guitar and electric harpsichord to the mix. The record was a smash hit.

Omnivore Recordings will present the album the way the world first heard it—as stated on the original album’s back cover, “on shiny black vinyl.” This special pressing is on shiny yellow vinyl. Mastered by multi-Grammy winner Michael Graves, this timeless album has never sounded better. In addition to this special vinyl pressing, the classic album is also available on CD.