In The Key Of Disney

[smile-holland]

Discuss, review and rate In The Key Of Disney, released October 2011

[Weezer12]

Very enjoyable album overall. Just a few observations:

* Definite highlight are "Baby Mine", "Kiss the Girl", and "Stay Awake". Closing it all out with "When You Wish Upon a Star" is simply perfect. The acapella "Our Prayer"-esque opening is stunning and I'd say the closest the Wondermints have ever sounded to the actual Boys.

* "Bare Necessities" is a lot of fun.

* I've never seen "Pocahontas" and "Colors of the Wind" was never a song I gave much thought to, but Brian really does a fine job with it. His voice hasn't sounded better in years.

* As much as I enjoy "The Lion King", I really wish we hadn't gotten TWO numbers from this film. There are over seventy-five years of Disney music from which to choose and it's kind of a crime that two of the eleven tracks on this record are occupied by songs from the same film.

* I miss the little riff right after the chorus of the film version of "I Just Can't Wait to Be King". Also, I think the song is a bit too high for Brian to sing at this point in his life. Nevertheless, if I had to keep only one of the two "Lion King" numbers, it would be this one. "Can You Feel The Love Tonight", on the other hand, just sort of plods along for four minutes and doesn't feel different enough from the far superior Elton John version.

* Brian does a commendable job with "We Belong Together" but I can't help but think that this song's spot on the record would be better served by the inclusion of a more memorable Disney number. Again, it's underwhelming to get two songs from the same film/film series. The song is fun and catchy but by no means a 'classic'.

* "Peace on Earth" and "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" are beautifully done and there's no good reason why they didn't make the record. As it is, at eleven tracks, and given the vast, vast wealth of source material, I feel shortchanged.

All in all, a very pleasant record. Brian excels at the slower numbers and, with the exception of "Colors of the Wind", sounds far more comfortable singing the older songs. Some of the track selection is suspect, and the album is far too short, but it is nonetheless a worthy addition to Brian's discography.

[rab2591]

This has to be my favorite Brian Wilson solo album.....yes, very hefty statement considering this is an album entirely made up of covers. But I've come to this conclusion due to a variety of reasons:

- Never since Pet Sounds have I heard Brian Wilson sound so good on an entire album (in my humble opinion). Brian's voice on 'Baby Mine' is the best vocal of his solo career...there is so much depth and beauty to his voice in that song.

- Brian's band did an incredible job with the backing vocals (as Weezer12 said, they sound perfect on 'When You Wish Upon A Star').

- The song choice was just great - there is a great balance of love and life in this whole album. The love songs were perfect - Brian kills the lead on 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight' and 'Kiss The Girl'.

- The instrument choice was great - marimbas, banjos, saxaphones, the organ (this was a great addition to the instrumentals), electric guitars, those funny whistles he likes using - there was such a diversity that nearly every song has its own unique atmosphere. On many songs the instrumentals are really bare, and that really made Brian's voice stand out more.

- 'Heigh Ho' took me straight back to my childhood at Disney (I was practically raised there) - such a fun/upbeat song.

- Also, I've always found the movie 'Mary Poppins' to be one of the creepiest films ever - the music, the acting, the singing, the flying nannies - but Brian's rendition of 'Stay Awake' is amazing - I can really see why he says it's one of the most beautiful songs.

- The bonus tracks are outstanding....'Peace On Earth' is just incredible.

In the end this album had something I could relate to - unlike many of his other solo albums - GIOMH was just too confusing, BW88 is brilliant but it's un-relatable to me, TLOS is great but too nostalgic, BWRG is beautiful but too unimagined.....But 'In The Key Of Disney' had a perfect balance of everything.

Anyways, I really enjoy this album - and I hope everyone here gets a chance to hear it!

[Dr. Tim]

Son of a bitch!

I wanted to hate this.  I really did.  I thought it was a bad idea.

But it's a much better listen than  I expected.  Certainly the arrangements are what carry this - very inventive.

Of his two recent albums, the Gershwin is more ambitious, and Brian clearly enjoyed performing that material when I saw him this summer.  But this is OK.  My only beef is the Amazon bonus tracks are only available as mid-fi mp3's.  Sound is decent but as an audiophile snob I would prefer to hear all of these tracks at full bandwidth, especially since it turned out so well.

[hypehat]

I got this on CD for christmas, and I must say it's grown on me. It has its charms, but the middle section really makes it drag - the modern Disney tunes just aren't as good as the evergreens that bookmark the record.

[Lowbacca]

Not as ambitious as TLOS or BWRG, obviously. But it's an LP of Brian Wilson recording stuff like Bare Necessities, I Just Can't Wait To Be King, Kiss The Girl and When You Wish Upon A Star. It's awesome for what it is. And yeah: dito @ what Dr. Tim and hypehat had to say. It's definitely a grower.

I haven't heard the bonus tracks yet.. as far as i know Peace On Earth is supposed to be good? They should've Put More tracks on the album anyway.

[Scotty]

Avex Network in Japan has just (5/9/12) re-released the CD including the two bonus tracks "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" and "Peace On Earth" which both so far has only been available as MP3 downloads.
Source: http://avexnet.jp/id/brwil/discography/product/AVCW-12890.html
Already ordered a copy for myself - but it'll take a few weeks before arrival.

[Nathan Snyder]

Avex Network in Japan has just (5/9/12) re-released the CD including the two bonus tracks "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" and "Peace On Earth" which both so far has only been available as MP3 downloads.
Source: http://avexnet.jp/id/brwil/discography/product/AVCW-12890.html
Already ordered a copy for myself - but it'll take a few weeks before arrival.

My physical CD from amazon included A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes.  Agreed its a crime all cds didn't have this on....its one of my favs on the album.  Also agreed with others sentiments.  Love this album.  With all the current talk of autotune, listening to this album slaps you in the face with what Brian and band can sound like more left alone. 

[Scotty]

Didn't knew that the US Amazon CD at least already included "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" - the European releases misses the bonus track.

Would be cool if Avex Network would also release Brian's album "That Lucky Old Sun" + all five bonus tracks ("Oh Mi Amor", "Message Man" (With Danny Hutton), "Good Kind of Love" (With Carole King), "I'm Into Something Good" (With Carole King),  "Just Like Me and You"). If anyone speaks Japanese he/she should write them a few lines and ask for. 
 

[Lowbacca]

Didn't knew that the US Amazon CD at least already included "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" - the European releases misses the bonus track.

Would be cool if Avex Network would also release Brian's album "That Lucky Old Sun" + all five bonus tracks ("Oh Mi Amor", "Message Man" (With Danny Hutton), "Good Kind of Love" (With Carole King), "I'm Into Something Good" (With Carole King),  "Just Like Me and You"). If anyone speaks Japanese he/she should write them a few lines and ask for. 
 

I'm learning Japanese these days. As soon as I'm good enough, I'll get on it! I'd love to see a proper release of TLOS including all the (great) bonus tracks. Maybe put 'em on a bonus EP for a vinyl reissue of TLOS.

[musicismylife101]

Again, he sounds younger than ever! what sorcery is this?!  He vocally shines on Colors of the Wind and Baby Mine. My sister likes his version of Colors of the Wind, Kiss the Girl, and a few others I can't remember at the moment. When she listened to the songs she said "Woah! You go dude!" when she found out how old he was. She also thought his performance on Surfer Girl on the Rolling Stone thing was great too. Overall it's a nice tribute album.

[Les P]

I am curious...  Disney Pearl originally wanted Brian to record ITKOD so badly that they agreed to let him do the Gershwin album first.  So why did they decide to toss it into the marketplace with virtually no promotion at a time it would be lost in the wake of TSS?  Were they that unimpressed with the final product and/or BWRG's sales performance?

[Wirestone]

I am curious...  Disney Pearl originally wanted Brian to record ITKOD so badly that they agreed to let him do the Gershwin album first.  So why did they decide to toss it into the marketplace with virtually no promotion at a time it would be lost in the wake of TSS?  Were they that unimpressed with the final product and/or BWRG's sales performance?

Very good questions. I think it's safe to say that, once the Gershwin project came together (especially with the "new songs" cobbled together from old Gershwin rejects), that the label shifted its resources to that album. The original plan was changed to support the artier, more easily hyped project.

And Disney put some resources into it too, with high-profile listening parties and hiring Al Schmidt to mix it. I think the goal (especially with Al) was to get some Grammy nominations out of the deal. They did a beautiful job with the promo photos and CD packaging abd printed up all sorts of merchandise. But the album didn't necessarily sell well (Brian's solo projects seldom have), no Grammy nominations materialized, and the big BB reunion started coming together.

At that point, I think Disney was glad to get the second album and put it out, but Brian was pretty much devoted to promoting TSS and (we now know) recording TWGMTR. Promo works both ways, after all, and if the BW camp didn't see much of a reason to flog the record, I'm sure Disney didn't either.

[Les P]

I am curious...  Disney Pearl originally wanted Brian to record ITKOD so badly that they agreed to let him do the Gershwin album first.  So why did they decide to toss it into the marketplace with virtually no promotion at a time it would be lost in the wake of TSS?  Were they that unimpressed with the final product and/or BWRG's sales performance?

Very good questions. I think it's safe to say that, once the Gershwin project came together (especially with the "new songs" cobbled together from old Gershwin rejects), that the label shifted its resources to that album. The original plan was changed to support the artier, more easily hyped project.

And Disney put some resources into it too, with high-profile listening parties and hiring Al Schmidt to mix it. I think the goal (especially with Al) was to get some Grammy nominations out of the deal. They did a beautiful job with the promo photos and CD packaging abd printed up all sorts of merchandise. But the album didn't necessarily sell well (Brian's solo projects seldom have), no Grammy nominations materialized, and the big BB reunion started coming together.

At that point, I think Disney was glad to get the second album and put it out, but Brian was pretty much devoted to promoting TSS and (we now know) recording TWGMTR. Promo works both ways, after all, and if the BW camp didn't see much of a reason to flog the record, I'm sure Disney didn't either.

Wirestone, I had not considered maybe BW's camp wasn't that interested in promoting it.  The failure of Disney to promote ITKOD is curious after they had done such a strong push for BWRG (accompanied by Brian's performances of the entire album).  IIRC, the ITKOD recording was complete by April, so the album could have been released that summer before the TSS media blitz.  However, TSS' release date was a moving target, and as you point out, Brian was already engaged in BB activities that summer. 

Brian was passionate about the Gershwin album but less emotionally invested in ITKOD.  So between the disappointing sales of BWRG and Brian's reduced availability/commitment/focus, maybe Disney decided they would just toss it out in late 2011 and hope that articles about TSS would include the line "Wilson also just released an album of Disney songs."

[Seaside Woman]

Apart from one song 'We Belong Together' this one passed me by.

[Rocky Raccoon]

Not a great album but a lot of fun, the songs definitely make me nostalgic for when I like many practically lived on Disney as a little kid.  "We Belong Together" is probably the best track, it was practically written for Brian to sing.  I have friends who are into Disney movies and songs that I like to play this album for sometimes.  They always think that's pretty cool that the guy from the Beach Boys did an album of Disney songs.  And I like it as well.  It's pleasant and nostalgic and I think Brian really finds the heart in these songs.  Three stars.

[pixletwin]

Very strong 4 for me. This (along with the Gershwin album) presents Brians best vocals since the early 70's.

Most of Brian's vocals post 1974 sound like a totally different person. But on this album, I hear Pet Sounds Brian Wilson, now in his late 60's. Superb.

[EgoHanger1966]

I dunno, these are clearly Brian's best vocals since the 60s - but it's almost wasted on the material. Sure, there are some good moments ("Baby Mine" and most of "Kiss The Girl", sans the intro)....but imagine if he sounded like this on some of the original compositions on TWGMTR, or even TLOS. Wowsville.

[pixletwin]

He sounded that good on Summers Gone, IMO.

[EgoHanger1966]

He sounded that good on Summers Gone, IMO.

He sounds pretty good on Summer's Gone - but compare that to "Stay Awake" and there's a big difference. On the latter, Brian sounds as sweet as he did in the 60s. On Summer's Gone, he sounds like an older version of his old self. Glad to have both of them.

[Gabo]

Yeah his vocals almost approach something like Please Let Me Wonder on this album. Just amazing.

[Orange Crate Art]

Probably the Brian-solo album I listen to the least. Great vocals, but the material being all Disney music doesn't work for me, except for A Pirate's Life which is pretty good. I dunno, I just can't get into a Disney Wilson album. I don't play his Gershwin album too often but I play the Disney one even less. Having said that, the vocals are great, the production is great, the album cover is great...but the material. If I was a big Walt Disney fan I'd probably love this album.

[Hot Rod]

I give this album 4/5, because I really love it. Not every song is perfect, but overall it's really great. The production and arrangemants are wonderful.

[KDS]

I rated this one a three. 

It's a decent listen, but to me, nothing really jumps out as memorable. 

I do like the Sail On Sailor arrangement of A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes.  Unfortunately, that's only available on the deluxe version. 

Not a bad album, but it sounds exactly like what it is - a contractual obligation.   

[bringahorseinhere?]

this came out and fell on dead ears as I recall, no advertising, promotion, no nothing.
Brian sounds pretty good actually, but it is missing something. Maybe 'heart'.