Vince Guaraldi's 'It Was A Short Summer, Charlie Brown' Soundtrack Available For The First Time Ever

Lee Mendelson Film Productions (LMFP) will release - for the first time ever – the complete Vince Guaraldi soundtrack to It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown, the timeless 6th animated Peanuts special, from writer and creator Charles Schulz, director Bill Melendez and producers Melendez and Lee Mendelson. Originally airing on September 27, 1969 on CBS-TV, the special is currently available for streaming on Apple TV+.

The album includes the original recordings that comprise the song cues of the Special, plus another six bonus or alternative tracks that have never been released or heard before.

Guaraldi lovingly created the soundtrack for the summer camp adventure where Charlie Brown and his gang face off against the girls' camp lead by Peppermint Patty. The large jazz combo album also includes the best rendition of Guaraldi classic, “Love Will Come (Nova Bossa)” as well as the first use of additional percussion in Victor Feldman.

The recording features Guaraldi (piano), Monty Budwig (double bass), Jack Sperling (drums), Conti and Pete Candoli (trumpet), Frank Rosolino (trombone), Victor Feldman (percussion),  Herb Ellis (guitar), Willian Hood and Peter Christlieb (woodwind), and John Scott Trotter as the orchestra leader. The soundtrack was produced by Sean Mendelson and Jason Mendelson and restored and re-mastered by Vinson Hudson.

The album will be available exclusively at a participating store starting April 20, 2024 as part of Record Store Day. Find stores and more information at recordstoreday.com

The 12” 45 RPM LP comes in Camp Green and will have liner notes that give a track-by-track analysis by Derrick Bang and notes from Sean Mendelson, son of Peanuts producer Lee Mendelson and co-producer of the record. The release includes images from the special and from the original tape boxes recently re-discovered that led to this release.

Find participating stores and more information at recordstoreday.com  

About Peanuts:

The characters of Peanuts and related intellectual property are owned by Peanuts Worldwide, which is 41% owned by WildBrain Ltd., 39% owned by Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., and 20% owned by THE FAMILY of Charles M. Schulz, who first introduced the world to Peanuts in 1950, when the comic strip debuted in seven newspapers. Since then, Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang have made an indelible mark on popular culture.

In addition to enjoying beloved Peanuts shows and specials on Apple TV+, fans of all ages celebrate the Peanuts brand worldwide through thousands of consumer products, as well as amusement park attractions, cultural events, social media, and comic strips available in all formats, from traditional to digital. In 2018, Peanuts partnered with NASA on a multi-year Space Act Agreement designed to inspire a passion for space exploration and STEM among the next generation of students.

About Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Inc.:

Lee Mendelson Film Productions (LMFP) is the Publisher of the Vince Guaraldi musical catalog associated with Peanuts. LMFP is also the producer of the classic Peanuts television specials, including A Charlie Brown Christmas, It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, along with the Hollywood animation studio Bill Melendez Productions.

LMFP also produced over 50 other network Peanuts specials, 12 prime time Garfield specials, 121-program series “Garfield and Friends” and many other film and television animated, documentary and entertainment programs. Founded by the late Lee Mendelson in 1963, Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Inc., has received 11 Emmy Awards (from 45 nominations) and four Peabody Awards, as well as producing projects that have received Grammy and Academy Award nominations.

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