Disney World & Disneyland Music Guide: Where to Buy & Free Downloads
Walt Disney World and Disneyland park music is available for purchase on official albums and via free downloads, and this guide will help you find the best ride soundtracks, background music loops, and more. Park music has become incredibly popular as it is one way people can relive their vacations and instantly transport themselves back to their “happy places” in Walt Disney World or Disneyland.
A lot of effort goes into creating the music heard in Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Most people are familiar with the big-name attraction themes, like those from ‘it’s a small world’ and Haunted Mansion. Many of these songs were penned by the Sherman Brothers, two of the most significant people in the history of Disney. Other music heard in the parks is far less famous, but resonates with us just as strongly.
Off the top of your head, you may not have any idea what music plays in the ‘background’ of Tomorrowland or the Innoventions breezeways. However, I’ll bet if you download and play those tracks, you would instantly recognize them. That’s what I found when I first started “collecting” Disney theme park music, and I have so much now that despite having it play for several hours each day, I can go an entire week without playing the same track twice!
Fortunately for fans, unlike Disney parks book collecting, music collecting is a relatively inexpensive hobby. In fact, it can even be free! I keep all of my music in digital form, so unlike books, it also doesn’t take up any physical space. This primer will get you started on the road to having an excellent collection of music from the Disney theme parks.
Note that this is a primer for those new to the sometimes intimidating world of Walt Disney World and Disneyland theme park music. If you’re an experienced torrenter with every official album in your collection, this article probably won’t do you much good.
Official Albums
Over the years, Disney has put out a lot of official albums, some of which covered the entirety of Walt Disney World or Disneyland, and some of which have been narrowly focused on specific lands, attractions, or events. In recent years, we haven’t seen an update of the double-disc official park albums that used to be updated yearly, but iTunes releases have slowly trickled out.
We’ve also seen some Disneyland-specific albums for both Cars Land and Carthay Circle…which are obviously much more narrowly focused than a resort-wide album. It’ll be interesting to see Disney’s strategy with these albums going forward. For now, here are some of my favorite albums. Most of these are out of print and are now only available through through the resale market.
The ones that are still available in the parks you can usually order through Walt Disney World Mail-Order (407-363-6200) or Disneyland DelivEARS ((800) 362-4533) for the in-park price plus shipping. I reflect what the in-park price is below. Feel free to correct prices/availability in the comments.
Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World Official 2006 Album: Where Magic Lives – This 2-disc album consists of tracks from various attractions around Walt Disney World, and it gets a lot of play in our household. From about 1997 until 2007, this album was re-released each year, with minor changes. “Four Parks, One World” is the 2007 CD, which is still available in the parks. While this CD is still mostly current, it’s definitely due for an update. This 2006 CD is only around $15 on Amazon, and is definitely a must-own.
Disney Epcot Soundtrack – Tapestry of Dreams CD – This is a great CD, primarily for the Tapestry of Dreams soundtrack and the songs used during Epcot’s Millennium Celebration. Reflections of Earth is also present, but it’s an abridged version. To my knowledge, this still sells at Walt Disney World (despite Tapestry of Dreams no longer running). I believe the price is $15-20, but I’m not sure. Regardless, it’s cheaper on Amazon.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom CD – This soothing 1998 release reminds me of the “sounds of nature” type music people use to go to sleep. I can recognize some of it from the park, but not all of it (but we’re not big Disney’s Animal Kingdom fans). To my knowledge, this CD is not sold in the park anymore.
Disneyland/Walt Disney World Fantasmic! CD – This CD contains both the Walt Disney World and Disneyland versions of the show, and is a fairly pricey CD via the secondary market. If you’re only a Walt Disney World fan, this is the version to get (since the versions do differ a decent amount), but everyone else should get the much cheaper Disneyland edition, which also includes the Main Street Electrical Parade. This may still be available in the park (someone can share whether it is in the comments and I’ll update this).
Walt Disney World Holiday Wishes CD – Music from the Holiday Wishes! fireworks (I LOVE the music to this show) and the surprisingly catchy Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I think this CD is still available at Walt Disney World (if so, it likely sells for $15-20).
Disney SpectroMagic Music CD – The soundtrack from the now seemingly “extinct” SpectroMagic parade. Unfortunately, the entire CD is just the one 14-minute long track of the parade, which is too bad since instrumental versions of the songs do exist. Still, one of my most played tracks in iTunes!
Wishes – A Magical Gathering Of Disney Dreams – This has the entire soundtrack from the Wishes! fireworks, with each section broken up into tracks. The CD is on the short CD, but it’s great for Wishes! fans.
Disney Magic Kingdom Event Party Music CD – One of my favorite Walt Disney World CDs, this is sadly not available on Amazon right now. It features music from the short-lived Pirate & Princess Parties, Dream Along with Mickey, and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. This is another one that I think is still available at Walt Disney World for around $15-20.
Candlelight Processional – One of my less-favorite CDs, this just feels like regular choir Christmas music to me. I guess I don’t have much of an attachment to Candlelight Processional. I list it because it’s really cheap on the secondary market at $10 for a digital download or a few bucks for the CD. It’s still sold at Walt Disney World for approximately $15-20.
Disneyland
Disneyland Resort Official Album – Happiest Homecoming on Earth – This 2005 album for Disneyland’s 50th anniversary has some great tracks on it, my favorite of which is the “Remember… Dreams Come True!” soundtrack. Unfortunately, this album now fetches slightly higher prices on the secondary market (~$25-35), but it’s well worth the price.
The Official Album: Disneyland/Walt Disney World – This predates the Walt Disney World Official Albums and despite having tracks from both coasts, it’s Disneyland-heavy, with the highlight here being music from the shortlived “Light Magic” parade. It also has Illuminations, Fantasmic (only the closing), Fantasy in the Sky, and the Main Street Electrical Parade (among other things), so it’s a good way to get a sampling of the top parks music from both coasts.
Disneyland Fantasmic! Good Clashes with Evil in a Nighttime Spectacular – Fantasmic plus the Main Street Electrical Parade makes this a winner that all Disneyland fans should own.
Disney’s California Adventure 2001 Album – This CD filled with many “extinct” Disney’s California Adventure tracks is a fun, out of print CD that for some reason Amazon indicates is becoming available for download on March 12, 2013. You can buy the physical CD right now for around $20, or wait for the $8 MP3 release.
Musical History of Disneyland (W/Book) – This originally sold for $99 at Disneyland, and was produced in a limited edition run of 5,000. It now sells for nearly double that price on the secondary market. This 6-CD set is for serious Disneyland fans, as many of the tracks are of a historical nature or are simply tracks in which casual listeners won’t have a ton of interest. The set also includes an interesting book on Disneyland music. If you’re a serious Disneyland fan, this is a must-own. If not, instead pick up the 2-disc set.
Walt Disney Takes You to Disneyland: A Musical Tour of the Magical Kingdom – A tour only in the sense that Walt Disney himself introduces each land in the park (which is then followed by 1950s-era music from those lands), this is a CD re-release of a 1956 record. A historical album that is great for fans of Walt Disney or Disneyland’s history.
The Circle Sessions (The Music of Carthay Circle) – This 2012 release captures the jazzy feel of Carthay Circle Restaurant beautifully, but is a bit of a letdown in that it doesn’t have all of the music found in the restaurant. Still, well worth the $8 digital album download price on Amazon. This album is available at Disneyland Resort for $14.98.
The Music Of Cars Land CD – This is a great CD of music from Cars Land, especially the Junkyard Jamboree and Radiator Springs Racers ride-through tracks. I do wish it had the awesome background loop that played in Cars Land, but it’s still a solid album. It’s way overpriced on the secondary market, as you can purchase it for $14.98 at Disneyland Resort.
Story & Song From the Haunted Mansion – This isn’t one I’d personally recommend, but Haunted Mansion fans might enjoy the campy story and history of this 1969 album (reprinted as a CD), narrated by Thurl Ravenscroft. Not bad for only $8.
Walt Disney and the 1964 World’s Fair – Not really a Disneyland CD, but this 5-disc set that includes some script readings is great for buffs of Walt Disney history. Lots of Carousel of Progress, Mr. Lincoln, and ‘it’s a small world’ on this set.
“Unofficial” Music
Unofficial is a bit of a misnomer, as these tracks are actually what is actually played in the parks; they’re just available through unofficial channels. Two sites that are the go-to resources for content that isn’t available via official releases are Mousebits.com and MagicMusic.net. The latter is a great place to chat about playlists and to see listings of tracks that make up certain background music (BGM) loops, which is a great resource to use for purchasing tracks from iTunes.
The former is a torrent site (instructions on torrenting via Mousebits) where you can download commercially unavailable Disney Parks music. Be aware that Mousebits operates, legally speaking, in a manner best summarized by its site owner here. I regularly use Mousebits and feel ethically and legally comfortable doing so (although some commercially available stuff does slip through the cracks), but you may not feel the same way.
Both sites have a lot of knowledgeable and helpful members who are well-versed in parks music. However, despite how superficially simple parks music may seem, it can be quite complicated. If you do register over at either site, please spend some time learning the lay of the land before asking questions.
Here are some of my favorite torrents on Mousebits:
Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World Forever Project – I’m listing this first because it’s probably the best place to start if you want to build a collection. Personally, it’s not my favorite torrent because it breaks loops down track-by-track, and I prefer listening to them as single (longer) tracks. Also, it’s in loseless “flac” format, so you’ll need to know how to deal with those files.
Disney’s Magical Express Loop – I’m not entirely sure this is the audio still used on DME, but it’s a great mix of instrumental favorites. I listen to Disney music (quietly) at my office, so scores and instrumental renditions are perfect for me.
Magic Kingdom Entrance Loop – This is a great loop that always reminds me of late nights photographing the Main Street Train Station. It’s also played at the TTC, so if you spend a lot of time there for some reason, you’ll recognize it from there, too!
Frontierland BGM Loop – This is a nice, relaxing loop featuring the twangy sounds of Frontierland. Reminds me of wandering along the pathway by the Rivers of America late at night.
TTiiMM’s Illuminations: Reflections of Earth Mix – This is the full show of Illuminations, with sound from the fireworks. I’ve heard the Illuminations score without fireworks, and I really prefer it this way, as it puts me in the moment more. This is one of my top 5 most-played tracks in iTunes! If you want the full effect of a night in Epcot, check out “An Evening in Epcot,” which also includes the Illuminations pre-show and post-show music. I’m really digging this 68 minute track, lately!
Innoventions BGM – Epcot has some of the best BGM loops, and my current favorite of these is the Innoventions loop. It has a distinct sound, and I find it really relaxing.
Epcot Main Entrance BGMs – There are a lot of files in this torrent. If, like me, you want the entire loop as a single file, the tracks to download here are Kirky’s 2006 noise reduced recording (current BGM) and 1982 Complete Loop Version 1 – HQ. There’s also a 2001 loop you may want. These are easy to spot, as they’re the three longest tracks in torrent. If you want individual tracks only, download everything but the three tracks I listed. These scores are beautiful.
World Showcase Loops – Serious collectors would probably cringe at this, since there’s a lot of low quality and incomplete stuff here, but for casual listeners like me, this collection of World Showcase loops is great. If only I could snack on some School Bread while listening at the office!
Martin’s EPCOT 25th Anniversary Megamix – Martin, best known for his excellent tribute videos (which are all available for download on Mousebits or streaming on his website), put together a fun mix of audio covering the first 25 years of EPCOT Center. A lot of effort was put into this, and it shows.
Fantasmic Area Music – My favorite Disney’s Hollywood Studios tracks are no longer available on Mousebits, but this is a good one. I’m pretty sure it’s not completely current, but it will still be pretty recognizable to Fantasmic fans. First track is the only one you need to download if you want the complete loop.
Expedition Everest Queue BGM – I don’t have nearly the emotional attachment to Animal Kingdom music as I do the other parks, but this is my favorite Animal Kingdom track (other than the park entrance BGM).
Disneyland
Disneyland Forever Project – Since there isn’t as much Disneyland music out there in unofficial channels (at least on Mousebits), this collection is essential. Selective downloading is key here, as there’s a lot in this 4+ GB collection that you probably won’t want. There are a lot of gems, though, so make sure you grab those!
Disneyland Esplanade BGM Loop – My favorite loop from Disneyland, this is a lot like the Magic Kingdom entrance area loop in idea, but far better due to its tracks. Features instrumental versions of some great land and attraction music.
World of Color Surround Sound Mix – I love the music from World of Color, and this surround sound mix is incredible. Add a pair of cheap “dancing water” speakers, and it’s like you’re right there at the show! (Okay, not quite, but still…)
Rivers of America BGM Loop – This is what plays near the water in New Orleans Square, but not actually within New Orleans Square. Obviously two very different sounds.
Paradise Pier Boardwalk BGM Loop – I’m not sure if all of this music is still used–I heard a rumor that it was being replaced and I don’t always pay attention to the Paradise Pier loops–but it’s an excellent loop.
Here are some of my favorite loops containing commercially available music that are listed on MagicMusic.net:
Wilderness Lodge Christmas Loop – Who hasn’t fallen asleep by the fireplaces in Wilderness Lodge relaxing to this music? Uh…I haven’t either.
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Loop – This is my all-time FAVORITE Christmas loop at Walt Disney World, and is by far my most played loop at Christmas (I used Audacity to combine all of the songs into a loop). I highly recommend buying the songs/albums used to create this loop!
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Loops – I still have yet to assemble these loops (too much work!), but I hope to make a recording of a couple of them someday. Besides the MNSSHP Adventureland loop, I love hard ticket BGM loops!
Tomorrowland – One of my favorite loops is the current Tomorrowland (1994-present) BGM, which reminds me of nights spent riding the TTA while gazing at the neon marquees. There’s also the pre-1994 loop, which a lot of people actually prefer over the current loop.
Illuminations Pre-show Music – The music leading up to Illuminations sets a great mood for the show, and this music most reminds me of sitting in Japan with my tripod set up, waiting for the show to start. Good times.
Tower of Terror BGM Loop – As mentioned in the blog post listing the tracks, recreating your own Tower of Terror loop doesn’t do the actual BGM justice due to processing used on the tracks. This BGM is absolutely classic and (to my knowledge) isn’t available on Mousebits, so you’ll have to find it elsewhere.
Disney’s Polynesian Resort – A mellow and relaxing island playlist, which is very fitting of Disney’s Polynesian Resort.
Soarin’ Over California Queue – Who doesn’t love the Soarin’ queue music? The score here is incredible, and there aren’t too many tracks, so it’s pretty easy to put together.
MuppetVision 3D Christmas Loop – I love the BGM around MuppetVision, especially at Christmas when it’s pulled from a few classic Muppets’ Christmas albums. The good news here is that you probably already own these albums, and if you don’t…you should!
Lights of Winter Loop – If you miss the Lights of Winter as much as me, it may not be the best of ideas to assemble this loop. I still enjoy listening to it, and hope one day the lights will dance to it again at Epcot.
Overall, Disney theme park music is quite the rabbit hole. Once you get hooked on it, you will find yourself with much less hard drive space and will thirst after rare albums and tracks. Fair warning, as that’s definitely where you’ll head once you graduate from this beginner’s guide and start gaining more knowledge of what’s out there. Before you start purchasing and/or downloading, if you’re worried about spending a lot of time or money obsessing over this new hobby, now is the time to turn back!
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Your Thoughts…
What are your favorite Walt Disney World or Disneyland albums, music tracks, or loops? Share your favorites, along with links to their listings in the comments! If you’re new to Disney music collecting, share which albums you’re getting or which BGM loops you’re downloading. If you have any other questions, ask below.
http://forums.ffshrine.org/f92/disney-music-north-america-|-soundtracks-|-133338/3.html
This is probably the most comprehensive list I’ve ever seen. Thank you so much for posting! I, too, love me some Mouse World Radio. Between that and my own collection that I’ve assembled over the years, I’ve got probably 2 days worth of random Disney park music.
Thank you so much for this fantastic post! I’m happy to send it to my friends who ask where my music comes from!
Two Things.
One. MouseBits requires an account and torrents require seeding which may not always be active.
Two. Will you make a downloads page for source audio? I would LOVE the Hooray For Disney Stars 1989 Parade which I had on a torrent from Mouse Bits but lost it.
Now I’ll never find it again and I looked hard! 🙁
YouTube has a video but the audio is very crappy sounding like it’s from an 8 track.
A downloads page would require way more technical expertise than I have, and present more liability than would interest me. But thanks for the suggestion!
Great post like all your others. But now I am up a creek. Despite having a bunch of the Disneyland tunes you listed, you just showed me that there are more I now have to have. I am gonna need a bigger iphone.
One thing to mention is you might want to check with your local library as to what they have. I was shocked to see the Disney Happiest Celebration cd one day in the kids section.
Thanks as always.
Hi Tom! This is a great blog post! I have read it a few times since I have a very large Disney music collection (over 50GBs of it) and I have been using Mousebits for a while and have found some great music on there. There is one track that I have been searching for for years that I can’t find anywhere and I figured I would see if you happen to know of anywhere to find it. I used to listen to disradio all day at work (now I just loop my collection on random) and they used to play the Phantom Manor with Vincent Price and I loved listening to it. I have never been able to hunt down that track anywhere. Do you happen to have it know where to get it (download, CD, anything)? Thanks! I love your blog and your photography is amazing! Your pictures brighten my day when i see them 🙂
Sorry, but I can’t help there. However, if you happen to find this, please let me know. That would be AWESOME to have!
I would be glad to let you know where I find it, if I ever do! I have the entire track of just the music with no narration right now. It would be awesome to have! 🙂
I found it! It was released on 2 different CDs in the 90s. One was a limited edition CD called Haunted Mansion 30th Anniversary that was released in Disneyland and only 999 copies were made. The CD is on amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SJQJNU/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=) starting at $175 for a used copy and up to $700 for a new copy! There was a re-release of the same CD minus one track for Walt Disney World which is called Disney’s Haunted Mansion and this one on amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E25Y8C/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=) starts at $50 used and goes up to $409 for a new copy! I caved and ordered a used copy and it is a great CD! I would be happy to share the track with you if you would like 🙂
Oh, dear! Good sir, you have opened the door to a rabbit hole that I shall not soon emerge from. Dear, oh, dear!
Holy crow! Thank you!! I’ve been trying to track down the Polynesian’s area music tracks for a while, and let’s just say that my wallet is about to be much lighter!
Happy to help!
Tom – Thanks so much for this article!! You gave me a lot more stuff to look into to so I can collect more Disney Parks music. I started about a year ago gathering music, so I’m fairy new at it.
What are you thoughts about downloading youtube to mp3? That’s how I’ve downloaded a lot of music.
Well, assuming the music is commercially unavailable, YouTube to MP3 still isn’t the best quality. I’d use Mousebits when possible.
Yes, I’ve noticed the quality of some is not good. I’m looking to get the Four Parks One World based on your recommendation. Thanks!
I didn’t realize how many website are out there dedicated to Disney Park music. I’ve always really liked Utilidors Audio Broadcasting. I like being able to search for tracks and make requests. Looking forward checking out all of these other sites now.
Thanks for all this information! Lovely to have so much of the music stuff in one place. As a PP has mentioned, there are a ton of great Epcot songs that used to be available on the ’83 Official Epcot album. These songs were also on the DL/WDW Official Album (we must have had a different version than the one you list; it was a tape and it had Magic Journeys, Making Memories, Energy, Universe of Energy, Tomorrow’s Child, Listen to the Land, One Little Spark, Canada, Golden Dreams, New Horizons, Space, It’s Fun to Be Free, and a Kitchen Kabaret medley).
You can stream original theme park LPs (including the 83 Epcot album and the old Musical Souvenir of the Magic Kingdom) at Walt’s Music (waltsmusic.com); E82 (epcotlegacy.com) has been putting together musical compilations of the old Future World pavilions; and there was a torrent on Mousebits also called a Musical Souvenir of the Magic Kingdom that attempted to capture the ambiance of an early trip to the MK that I thought was really remarkable.
The DL Forever torrent in particular has a lot of great documentation about the tracks (both it and the WDW Forever torrent feature tracks that park visitors could compile into their own soundtrack CD in the early 2000s). Both the Musical Souvenir torrent and E82 also have some good commentary on the music.
I do make a point of buying the official albums (when there’s a new one) and especially the ones I can get over iTunes/Amazon–I wish Disney would release more of its theme park music commercially (especially BGM/ride soundtracks that aren’t available on other albums) and more of it in digital format (so I don’t have to wait for a park trip to buy it!).
Thanks again for this lovely resource!
Perfect timing – I now have a “productive” activity for my snow day. Thanks for the tips!
Here’s a website that I found, might be of interest to someone…
http://www.parktunes.com
Hey….if you’re interested, I found a good resource for the background music from ToT:
http://www.towerofterror.org/library/audio
Even sounds like it’s the ‘processed’ (tinny and reverb’ed out) files straight from the attraction. Fun to listen to!
Thanks for posting all this…I had found some Haunted Mansion recordings a few years back, and this has spiked my interest again. Fun times.
Awesome–thanks for the heads up on the Tower of Terror tracks!
What a great reference. I’ve always wanted some of the official music, and never knew where to buy it(other than the parks) or what options were better. Thanks for this tom.
And as a quick correction to Kevin’s comment above, the site he mentioned is d-cot.com, for those who had a hard time finding it.
Thanks for the correction, Keith.
Tom, what a wonderful resource on Disney music. I’ve always felt that the Disney BGM is one of the most underrated jewels of the Parks. Most people pay little attention to it, yet it completes the experience.
Thanks for all the time you spent working up the list for us!
You’re welcome. This list is truly just the tip of the iceberg, and only covers my personal favorites. There’s so much more out there…you really ought to explore MagicMusic and Mousebits if you haven’t!
In my opinion this post solidifies your place as a true “disneyphile.” I often wonder if I will tire of disney parks (we only go once a year) but to know that someone who goes multiple times a year still enjoys listening to and collecting disney park soundtracks- well that gives me the impression that Disney really is that incredible of a place.
My wife always teases me when I start singing “all your wishes!” around the house… but I think she secretly loves it.
I don’t own any disney parks music but I often play Aaron Copland to reminisce about our stay at wilderness lodge. We have a CD that was played at our wedding called “fairytale weddings” or something like that that features instrumental guitar and string covers of disney classics that is probably my favorite disney related album.
I wonder if there is a boardwalk inn album around? That’d be cool.
Variety is the spice of life, and I have plenty of diverse interests (most of which are geeky), but “Disney” is definitely my biggest interest. While I take issue with a lot of changes happening with the parks, overall, they’re my greatest interest. My degree of interest might change, but I doubt I’ll ever lose the passion for the parks.
I think that’s part of why people enjoy my photos and articles about Disney. I’m not just writing/photographing this stuff for content to fill a blog. I have passion for the subject, and I like to share that passion.
That same passion can also cause me to be critical when I think things aren’t done up to Disney’s standards. I know a lot of people *don’t* appreciate that because they love Disney, and feel it’s above reproach.
Back to the topic of this post, I’m sure there’s a BoardWalk Inn BGM loop or list floating around, but I don’t have the loop, nor do I see the list anywhere.
Yep it’s definitely your passion that sets this blog apart! Plus you always seem to be genuinely enjoying your time visiting Disney, which is really what it’s all about when it’s all said and done.
I think one of the great things about Disney is it can be a venue in which diverse hobbies and interests can be connected to. Rather you’re a foodie, into photography or video, running, art, movies, music, travel (obviously), history, sociology, architecture, design engineering, literature… Disney covers all those things. The same really can’t be said for any other theme parks (I loathe six flags .. Cedar Point is ok but really only once every 5 or more years).
Oh and thank you by the way- your blog inspired me to take photography seriously and I just read the book you recommended “understanding exposure.” It’s excellent. I got my first great star trail shots last night, so now I’m totally hooked!
Since returning from Disney in January, I have been reading this blog & the Disney photography blog. I think it is funny how we become “addicted” to Disney, whether it is the music, books, or for me the movies. I have been buying & watching Disney movies with my 4 year old & love this new addiction!
Better than being addicted to crack, right?! 😉
Seriously, though, it goes in phases for me. Right now, I have pretty bad “Disney withdrawals.” To hold me over until our next trip, I’ve been listening to a lot of music, editing photos, and have been watching a lot of tribute videos and old promotional videos from Mousebits.
Hmmm…maybe I should do a post on downloading videos, too?!
Nice summary, but no mention of the “Four Parks – One World” WDW CD? I think that is a particularly good one.
I also still have a (tape!) recording of the 1983 Epcot Center Official Album. There’s some really good music on there, including the original unbastardized version of Golden Dream.
My favorite track from any CD is probably a full-length version of Illuminations, complete with the 30-minutes of pre-show (I believe an earlier version of the preshow than they do now).
That’s the annual 2-disc CD mentioned as the first CD in the Walt Disney World list. I went with the one from 2006 instead of the 2007 one, since the 2006 one is significantly cheaper.
I did not realize those were the same CD, thank.
Another one in our collection is “Disney’s Magic in the Streets: Parade Memories”. I picked it up for <$10, used. It's interesting because it is the music from parades that have disappeared from the parks, except the Jungle Jammin Parade.
An internet source worth mentioning is dcot.com. Their site does not play well with Android phones, but from a computer you can stream nearly any music from the Disney Parks from and time or place in history.
Do you have a track list for that Parade Memories CD? I just checked it out, and I’ve seen it before as a suggestion on Amazon, but I always passed it up because it looked like one of those “RadioDisney” albums. I hadn’t even looked at the title of it until now, I always just assumed it was junk! Now I might have to check it out!
It’s official name is “Disney’s Magic in the Streets: Parade Memories”.
1) Share a Dream Come True Parade
2) Disney Stars and Motorcars
3) Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade
4) Fantasy
5) Show-Biz
6) Discovery
7) Adventure
8) “Share a Dream Come True”
Tracks 4-8 are under the heading of “Walt Disney World – Suite of Dreams”. I’m not sure where they are from.
I remember the Share a Dream Come true parade from our 2002 visit, so I like hearing the music. (Although it’s not on this CD, I like listening to Spectromagic because although I have pictures of the parade from our honeymoon in 1996 and from 2002, I have no memory whatsoever of that parade).
Look at all those links… *drools* Thanks, Tom!
I am a total Reedy Creek Radio junkie. I listen to it (almost literally) constantly. I have this weird thing with the Pixar Play Parade… I swear that it is the same background singers that they used in High School Musical 3, which is a pathetic thing for a 26 year old woman to even be able to reasonably suspect, but they sound exactly alike. Both PPP and HSM3 get me all jazzed and hyper. I think the singers are some weird siren people that Disney created to force you to be unnaturally peppy. I really should just delete all that because it’s insane, but I’m not going to. I also think that the melody from the Sinbad ride sounds very Soarin’-esque but the few people I know who even know what I’m talking about don’t agree. What does it all mean?! (This is what 24/7 RCR does to a person)
My favorite BGM is definitely Splash Mountain Area. Mouth harp FTW. My least favorite is probably the Mark Twain audio. I love Thurl but MAN do I want to kill someone after hearing him go “Maaaark Twaaaaain” about fifty trillion times.
LOVE this article. I’m going to be a busy girl. Thanks again!!
The Splash Mountain BGM is great. I’ve never had an issue with the Mark Twain audio, but your comments made me chuckle.
MouseWorldRadio is my radio station of choice, but I’ve listened to RCR a few times, too. Also an excellent station!
I had no idea this Mouse World Radio existed!!!! I’m very excited by this! lol
I must have the Mark Twain audio! Last October for a big family trip, that was the obsession. Can you imagine for two days, 12 different family members randomly shouting out “Maaaaark Twaaaaaain” at any given moment? o_O
Awesome compilation! Thanks, Tom!
Help! What does BGM stand for?
Thanks!
Background Music – what you hear in the background while walking around the parks, resort hotels, etc.