Vince Guaraldi - It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown (Original Soundtrack Recording) (Guaraldi 75th Anniversary Extended Edition) (LP) PREORDER

For the first time, Vince Guaraldi's complete score for the 1974 Peanuts® television special It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown receives an official soundtrack release. Issued as part of the Guaraldi 75th Anniversary series, this extended vinyl edition presents the complete score alongside bonus material from the original sessions and additional jazz recordings made around the same period. The special, which originally aired February 1, 1974, was the 11th Peanuts television production for which Guaraldi composed and performed the music.

Guaraldi brings his unmistakable melodic sensibility to a playful, funky score built around pieces including "Mystery Theme," "It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown," "Sassy Sally," "Cops and Robbers," "Sally's Blues," "Joe Cool" and "Little Birdie." Performing piano, electric piano and electric guitar, Guaraldi is joined across the Mystery sessions by bassist Seward McCain, drummers Mike Clark and Eliot Zigmund, and trumpeter Tom Harrell. The expanded program reaches beyond the music heard in the finished special with alternate performances and revealing session material, including the previously unused "Snoopy Holmes," an alternate take of "It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown," a "Vibraslap Mix" of "Mystery Theme," studio banter, an alternate Vince Guaraldi whistle performance of "Little Birdie," a rhythm-section mix of "Cops and Robbers," and a stripped-down "Just Vince Mix" of "Joe Cool." Two jazz standards recorded around the same period, "Autumn Leaves" and Charlie Parker's "Billie's Bounce," feature Ron McClure on upright bass.

The recordings were restored and mastered by Vinson Hudson, with the Mystery material mixed by Terry Carleton at Bones and Knives Studio. Sean Mendelson and Jason Mendelson produced the album, which was curated by Lee Mendelson Film Productions. Designed for both serious jazz listeners and generations of Peanuts fans, the restoration offers a rare opportunity to hear Guaraldi's television scoring in expanded form, exposing alternate performances, arrangements and isolated elements that illuminate his working process.

This LP edition is manufactured using BioVinyl, with the majority of its raw material sourced from industrial waste and cooking oil to significantly reduce the carbon footprint compared with conventional vinyl production. It is packaged using sustainably sourced paper and a compostable PLA bag and includes a four-page insert featuring artwork from the special, images of the rediscovered session tapes, rare personal photographs and liner notes by Guaraldi historian Derrick Bang, author of Vince Guaraldi at the Piano, along with Sean and Jason Mendelson. An exclusive magnifying glass is also included, inviting listeners to uncover a secret code, a secret "mystery" track, tiny Peppermint Patty bandits and other miniature Peanuts artwork hidden throughout the package. The release celebrates the 75th anniversary of the beginning of Vince Guaraldi's professional performing and recording career while bringing one of his previously unreleased Peanuts scores to vinyl for the first time.

Media

Track Listing

• Little Birdie
• Mystery Theme / Mystery Theme (Reprise)
• It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown
• Sassy Sally / It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown (Reprise)
• Mystery Theme (2nd Reprise)
• Cops and Robbers
• It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown (2nd Reprise)
• Mystery Theme (3rd Reprise)
• It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown (3rd Reprise)
• Sally's Blues
• Mystery Interlude #1
• Joe Cool
• It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown (4th Reprise)
• Mystery Theme (4th Reprise)
• Mystery Theme (5th Reprise)
• It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown (2nd Reprise Alternate Take)
• Snoopy Holmes
• Mystery Theme (Vibraslap Mix) / (Studio Banter) / Little Birdie (Alternate Vince Whistle) / Cops and Robbers (Rhythm Section Mix)
• Joe Cool (Just Vince Mix)
• Autumn Leaves (Take 1)
• Billie's Bounce (Take 2)

Additional Details

Label: Lee Mendelson Film Productions

Genre: Jazz

Language: English

Run Time: 42:40 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 09/18/26

UPC: 760137206651