For the 55th anniversary of the 5th animated Peanuts special, It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown, LMFP, for the first time, is releasing the full soundtrack.

It’s 28 minutes of wall-to-wall brassy versions of the entire soundtrack from the special, which originally aired on September 27th, 1969 on CBS-TV, and the special is currently available for streaming on Apple TV+.

This includes classic Peanuts themes and songs made directly for this special. Also included are 6 never-before heard takes, that were not used in the special.

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.

This entire soundtrack plus never-before-heard bonus tracks not even used in the Special, opens on the beloved Charlie Brown Theme, the renowned Linus and Lucy piece and then we get the jaunty, titular run of It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown, the fun, playful Oh Good Grief, the romantically-charmed You’re In Love, Charlie Brown, the free-flowing Schroeder, and then we get the aptly-named Bus Blues thereafter.

Along next is a reprise of the titular It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown, the cute Frieda (With the Naturally Curly Hair) and a short reprise of Oh Good Grief, and then comes the more adamant Come and Get It, a most wondrous Hash and then Hash with Horn, before we are brought forth the perky AM Break, the upbeat Tah Dah, a perkily emphatic He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown, and both a romanticized Peppermint Patty and an endearing Will Come.

A slightly different version of He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown is then backed by the smooth Pebble Beach, a reprise of You’re In Love, Charlie Brown, a reprise of He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown, before the dashing The Masked Marvel and the fluctuating Air Music are unleashed, and they are followed by two reprise’s of The Masked Marvel, a second reprise of You’re In Love, Charlie Brown, and a reprise of Linus and Lucy.

This delightful musical flashback to a time less stressful, continues onward with a second reprise of Oh Good Grief, a short reprise of Charlie Brown Theme, a second reprise of It Was a Short Summer, then comes a lovely alternative take of Linus and Lucy, an interesting Working on It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown, the recording rounding out on alternative takes on Bus Blues, Pebble Beach, Masked Marvel Music and Linus and Lucy.

1. Charlie Brown Theme 2. Linus and Lucy 3. It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown 4. Oh Good Grief 5. You’re In Love, Charlie Brown 6. Schroeder 7. Bus Blues 8. Bus Blues (Reprise) 9. It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown (Reprise) 10. Frieda (With the Naturally Curly Hair) 11. Oh Good Grief (Reprise) 12. Come and Get It 13. Hash 14. Hash with Horn 15. AM Break 16. Tah Dah 17. He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown 18. Peppermint Patty 19. Love Will Come 20. He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown 21. Pebble Beach 22. You’re In Love, Charlie Brown (Reprise)
23. He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown (Reprise) 24. The Masked Marvel 25. Air Music 26. The Masked Marvel (Reprise) 27. The Masked Marvel (2nd Reprise) 28. You’re In Love, Charlie Brown (2nd Reprise) 29. Linus and Lucy (Reprise) 30. Oh Good Grief (2nd Reprise) 31. Charlie Brown Theme (Reprise) 32. It Was a Short Summer (Reprise 2) 33. Linus and Lucy (Alternate Take) 34. Working on It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown 35. Bus Blues (Alternate Take) 36. Pebble Beach (Alternate Take) 37. Masked Marvel Music (Alternate Take) 38. Linus and Lucy (Reprise Alternate Take)

Watch “Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown” 1975

Watch “A Charlie Brown Valentine” 2002