BURBANK, Calif. – Walt Disney Records honors one of the most celebrated and successful soundtracks of all time with the 40th anniversary release of the Mary Poppins 2-Disc Special Edition Soundtrack on November 16, 2004. The Mary Poppins collection features over 2 1/2 hours of content, including 13 never-before-released tracks, bonus interviews and commentary, a collectible 40-page booklet and a link to a sneak peek into the making of the new Mary Poppins stage musical. This must-have CD set compliments the fully restored and remastered Mary Poppins 40th Anniversary Edition DVD, available just in time for the holiday season on December 14 and packed with special bonus features.
First released in 1964, the Mary Poppins motion picture soundtrack featured 14 original songs by now-legendary Disney songwriters and composers, Richard and Robert Sherman. The soundtrack was the #1 album for 14 consecutive weeks in 1965, maintaining the #1 position that year longer than the Beatles (Beatles’ 65, Beatles VI, and the Help! soundtrack), Elvis Presley (Roustabout soundtrack), The Rolling Stones (Out of Our Heads) and The Sound of Music soundtrack. The Mary Poppins film garnered 13 Academy Award® nominations and won five Oscars®, two of which the Sherman brothers received for “Chim Chim Cher-ee” and the film’s original musical score.
Showcasing the musical talents of Oscar®-winning legend Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins), beloved actor-comedian Dick Van Dyke (Bert), British comedian David Tomlinson (Mr. Banks) and the Sherman brothers, the Mary Poppins 2-Disc Special Edition Soundtrack revisits unforgettable family favorites such as “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” “A Spoonful of Sugar” and “Jolly Holiday.” The 40th anniversary collection boasts 13 never-before-released instrumental and vocal tracks, as well as four songs that now include additional material previously excluded from other releases of the Mary Poppins soundtrack.
The second disc of the Mary Poppins Special Edition Soundtrack begins with over 40 minutes of excerpts from the seminal story meetings between Mary Poppins authoress P.L. Travers, the Sherman Brothers and screenwriter Don DiGradi as they discussed the original outline for the movie, including the music. Also included is a 17-minute Hollywood Spotlight Microphone interview with Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, the Sherman brothers and Irwin Kostal (who arranged the music for Mary Poppins, West Side Story and The Sound of Music). Rounding out the bonus disc is a 17-minute interview with Richard and Robert Sherman as they discuss their work creating the magical music of Mary Poppins. When used in a computer with Internet access, the bonus disc links fans to an exclusive website with a sneak peek video taking them behind the scenes of the brand new Mary Poppins stage musical.
Track listing for the Mary Poppins 2-Disc Special Edition Soundtrack is as follows:
Disc 1 – The Soundtrack
- Buena Vista Fanfare
- Overture
- One Man Band
- Sister Suffragette
- The Life I Lead
- The Perfect Nanny
- Air Mail – Admiral Boom – The Not-So-Perfect Nannies
- Mary Poppins Arrives
- A Spoonful of Sugar
- Pavement Artist
- Jolly Holiday
- Jolly Holiday – Reprise
- Penguin Dance
- The Carousel Horses
- Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
- Pavement Artist – Reprise
- Stay Awake
- Trouble at Uncle Albert’s
- I Love to Laugh
- A British Bank – The Life I Lead
- Feed the Birds – Tuppence a Bag
- Father’s Footsteps
- Fidelity Fiduciary Bank
- Panic at the Bank
- Chim Chim Cher-ee – March Over the Rooftops
- Step In Time
- A Man Has Dreams – The Life I Lead / A Spoonful of Sugar
- Mr. Banks Is Discharged
- Let’s Go Fly a Kite
Disc 2 – Bonus Material
- The Mary Poppins Story Meetings
- Hollywood Spotlight Microphone
- The Sherman Brothers Reminisce About Their Work on Mary Poppins
The Mary Poppins 2-Disc Special Edition Soundtrack will be available November 16, 2004, for a suggested CD retail price of $18.98. All Walt Disney Records audio products also can be ordered by visiting DisneyRecords.com.
