Disneyland Resort Official Album (2013) – My First Impressions

A new version of the Disneyland Resort Official Album was released back in August on Amazon as a digital download as well as in the parks. I tried on several trips to find it and each time they were sold out, not sure if this was because of popularity or just very limited initial supply. I finally found a copy at Off the Page in Disney California Adventure. The two disc set is $24.98 plus tax and you can use an Annual Pass discount to bring it down to $21.58 after discount including tax. The digital download is currently $18.99. For that couple dollar difference I wanted the physical disc to add to my collection. I have several of the parks CDs dating back to 1991 and some cassette tapes and records before that. Each time a new one is released the first thing I do is go through the track list to see how many I did not have on another CD. This set had at least 10 I did not own yet and a couple with different arrangements than the old tracks I had. So I made the decision to purchase it for my collection.

I always find it fun to see what is included on each release and what is not. This time around there were no parade, fireworks/night time show, or stage show tracks included this time around. Surprised the World of Color Theme did not make the cut or even the Fatasmic exit music that has been a staple on park CDs the past few releases, there were no seasonal tracks this time around either. Also fun to compare to the WDW release. For example from Toy Story Disneyland got “Midway Mania” and “The Cleaner” where as WDW received “Hot Potato” and “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”.

Here is the full track list:
Disk 1:
1. All Aboard!
2. Married Life
3. The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room
4. Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye
5. Tarzan Medley
6. Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life For Me)
7. Grim Grinning Ghosts
8. Splash Mountain Medley
9. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
10. Pecos Bill
11. Touch the Sky
12. Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo
13. The Fantasyland Darkride Suite
14. It’s a Small World Clock Parade
15. It’s a Small World
16. Steamboat Willie
17. Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin

Disk 2:
1. Submarine Voyage
2. The Throne Room
3. Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters
4. Space Mountain
5. Suitcase and a Dream
6. Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf
7. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue
8. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror Theme
9. Soarin’
10. The Bakery Theme
11. A Bug’s Life Suite
12. It’s Tough To Be a Bug
13. The Little Mermaid Medley
14. Midway Mania
15. The Cleaner
16. California Screamin’
17. Welcome to Radiator Springs
18. Funiculi Funicula
19. Radiator Springs Racers: Attraction Ride Through

Some notes on the tracks after listening through the CD a couple of times:

• Including “Married Life” for the Main Street selection is great since I seem to always hear it now when I stroll along Main Street.
• I found it interesting that the Submarine Voyage is an instrumental track. Not sure many people pick up on that background track. I thought it was great it includes a couple of minutes of the exit music, Beyond the Sea.
• There are three Cars Land tracks, one different than the Cars CD.. Funiculi Funicula which I have heard on the attraction unlike the track in the Cars Land CD.
• I always enjoy the attraction mixes and this set features the Little Mermaid Medley which is more of a ride through and is fun to listen to, it even includes Scuttles introduction/conclusion, it also includes the Radiator Springs Ridethrough for those that did not purchase the Cars Land CD.
• I was looking forward to Suitcase and a Dream on CD but for some reason it seems flat to me compared to experiencing it in the park.
• The choice of “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf” from the Carthay seemed interesting that it was off the 2nd Piano selections and not the original CD that is for sale in the parks.
• “Touch the Sky” to represent the Fantasy Faire was an odd choice to me since Merida is not part of the faire. Wonder if that is foreshadowing her moving in and out of the Small World Mall?