It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Following the smash success of A Charlie Brown Christmas, Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz regrouped once more with producer Lee Mendelson, director Bill Melendez, and legendary jazz composer Vince Guaraldi for a follow-up special, 1966s Halloween-themed Its the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

Despite its sometimes fragmentary nature, Its the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is not to be underestimated, as Guaraldi and company sincerely usurped past efforts on numbers such as the moody Trick or Treat and hallucinatory Graveyard Theme. The same can be said of the warm Charlie Brown Theme (Reprise), which, despite its brief length, utilizes the sound of the cheering Peanuts gang to accentuate its confident bounce, inviting the listener on a leisurely stroll through Guaraldis rich imagination.

The Guardian
Vince Guaraldi: Its the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

*This pressing has the original 24 tracks