Vince Guaraldi: Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown

The series of complete Peanuts television special soundtracks put out by Lee Mendelson Film Productions continues to provide a treasure trove of musical delights for fans of Vince Guaraldi, Charlie Brown, Snoopy and all the gang. Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown came out in 1975, and it certainly sounds like it, thanks to the expanded palette of instruments available to Guaraldi. In addition to the piano and electric piano featured on earlier specials, we hear the new ARP Solina String Ensemble, which provides an of-its-era orchestral synth sheen, along with a funky clavinet, harpsichord, and even a bit of phased electric guitar played by Vince himself. Along with new Guaraldi originals, we are also treated to faithful snippets of Bach, Chopin, and Schroeder's favorite, Beethoven, who admittedly never had his picture on a bubble-gum card. Guaraldi is ably abetted here by his superb longtime electric bassist Seward McCain and by Vince Lateano on the drum kit. The recorded sound is superb as is the remastering and pressing quality on the vinyl release.

When Guaraldi and his trio first began providing music for the Peanuts specials, they would record standard-length jazz performances in the studio, such as those found on the best-selling soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas (Fantasy, 1965). Short edits of these would be prepared—initially rather crudely—to highlight the animated action. As the film series progressed, Guaraldi and his crew became highly skilled at writing and recording only short snippets of tunes that could be used directly as cues, and that is what is found on Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown. While undoubtedly efficient for the producers, this method of working does mean that the soundtrack can be a frustrating listen; just as a great groove such as "Paw Pet Overture" or "Woodstock's Mambo" begins to ramp up, it is already over (the latter is crying out to be sampled and looped by someone, especially the "bonus mix" version that includes some rejected guitar and wah-wah ARP parts). Less problematic are the extensive reprises of this special's key theme, "Heartburn Waltz," due to the fascinating range of color, tempo, and harmonic variation the trio provides to each of its 9 appearances. A lovely slow version of this tune, performed on the Fender Rhodes, is distinctive enough to earn its own name, "Charlie Brown's Wake-Up," and it is a highlight. It perfectly captures the pathos of Charlie Brown's unrequited love for the Little Red-Haired Girl. The soundtrack is rounded out by a series of bonus tracks, including a gratifyingly longer take on "Heartburn Waltz" and a fantastic 6-minute bluesy tune, "Last Call for Love," on which the trio jammed at the end of the recording session. These tracks, along with the superb booklet featuring an explanatory essay by Guaraldi biographer Derrick Bang along with track-by-track commentary from producer Sean Mendelson, are worth the price of admission alone.

It is hard to imagine anyone's heart not being pierced by cupid's arrow upon hearing this music, in which Guaraldi's gift for casting universal human emotions in melodic form is as apparent as ever.