Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious the unreleased, Disney album

**BayouMotownMan** · 09-19-2023, 12:10 PM

This lp is best left unreleased. It's just so hokey. The spoken intro to Heigh Ho is just awful

**sup_fan** · 09-19-2023, 05:00 PM

Originally Posted by BayouMotownMan

This lp is best left unreleased. It's just so hokey. The spoken intro to Heigh Ho is just awful

but the Whistle While You Work dialog with Flo was kinda funny. Her being too busy digging the drummer! and that her teeth might fall out. Mary's line about bubble gum though was pretty weak lol

**bradsupremes** · 09-19-2023, 06:55 PM

The Disney album should be enjoyed for what it is - a children's album. It was a departure from the more adult oriented album like I Hear A Symphony and Rodgers & Hart and fun to listen to when not taken so seriously as their other works. How many other of their contemporaries were attempting this?

A lot of work went into this album and Gordy was clearly looking for different sounds as it was cut in three different places - Detroit, New York, Los Angeles and multiple producers. The fact they revived the project with Cindy shows they were committed to it. It would be fascinating to know much Disney was involved in this. "It Won't Be Long Till Christmas" was intended for The Happiest Millionaire, a Disney film that wouldn't be released until the fall of 1967. The song would eventually get cut from the film before general release, but the fact it was recorded before the film's release hints at the possibility there was some sort of Motown/Disney collaboration. I think another song from the film, "Fortuosity," would have been a better song to record.

**sup_fan** · 09-20-2023, 09:36 AM

Originally Posted by bradsupremes

The Disney album should be enjoyed for what it is - a children's album. It was a departure from the more adult oriented album like I Hear A Symphony and Rodgers & Hart and fun to listen to when not taken so seriously as their other works. How many other of their contemporaries were attempting this?

A lot of work went into this album and Gordy was clearly looking for different sounds as it was cut in three different places - Detroit, New York, Los Angeles and multiple producers. The fact they revived the project with Cindy shows they were committed to it. It would be fascinating to know much Disney was involved in this. "It Won't Be Long Till Christmas" was intended for The Happiest Millionaire, a Disney film that wouldn't be released until the fall of 1967. The song would eventually get cut from the film before general release, but the fact it was recorded before the film's release hints at the possibility there was some sort of Motown/Disney collaboration. I think another song from the film, "Fortuosity," would have been a better song to record.

agree that it is a great demonstration of the group's versatility and i like the performances. but i do agree, in hindsight, with the decision of not releasing it. it probably would have been released in 1st half of 68 and we were already seeing the massive shifts in popular music and the decline of MOR. the youth market was exploding, not just in music but in every economic sector. IMO while motown properly calculated the need to first move into MOR, they didn't always properly calculate the need to focus on the lucrative youth. groups like Four Tops, DRATS, DR solo, Sups, MRATV etc didn't tap in as well as they could have to the increased popularity of current R&B. i don't think the groups had to abandon MOR. they were still popular acts in night clubs and vegas. but night clubs were declining.

a disney album would have only further pushed the group away from being see as hip and contemporary. and while Funny Girl did nothing to endear the group to the youth, it could at least be explained as a significant effort to further cement themselves in MOR and Hollywood. it was a dud but at least there was logic there

**Ollie9** · 09-20-2023, 09:50 AM

Originally Posted by sup_fan

agree that it is a great demonstration of the group's versatility and i like the performances. but i do agree, in hindsight, with the decision of not releasing it. it probably would have been released in 1st half of 68 and we were already seeing the massive shifts in popular music and the decline of MOR. the youth market was exploding, not just in music but in every economic sector. IMO while motown properly calculated the need to first move into MOR, they didn't always properly calculate the need to focus on the lucrative youth. groups like Four Tops, DRATS, DR solo, Sups, MRATV etc didn't tap in as well as they could have to the increased popularity of current R&B. i don't think the groups had to abandon MOR. they were still popular acts in night clubs and vegas. but night clubs were declining.

a disney album would have only further pushed the group away from being see as hip and contemporary. and while Funny Girl did nothing to endear the group to the youth, it could at least be explained as a significant effort to further cement themselves in MOR and Hollywood. it was a dud but at least there was logic there

It’s a huge shame the album wasn’t completed with Flo in 67 and released the same year.
By 68 the shift was to more flower power, socially relevant songs.

**sup_fan** · 09-20-2023, 10:49 AM

Originally Posted by Ollie9

It’s a huge shame the album wasn’t completed with Flo in 67 and released the same year.
By 68 the shift was to more flower power, socially relevant songs.

yes but i do think it was wise not to flood a zillion concept albums into the market. and out of the 3 being worked on [[Broadway/Hollywood, Disney and R&H), Sing R&H is IMO lightyear beyond the other two.

now supposedly B to H was to include The Happening and All I Know About You. so that sort of makes it a different concept album in that it would also have a hit single on it. but then they decided to include on Greatest Hits and obviously that was a mega success. no way would Broadway have sold anywhere near as well. and it would have only been a single disc too [[and therefore less $ generated in sales)

I don't think you'd have wanted to do both R&H and Broadway. So maybe if they really did want another concept album, Disney would have won out. I'd guess it would have been a good release for the holiday season. not so much because of It Won't Be Long Till Xmas but just because it would have been a good gift-giving item for kids. Lots of grandparents would have bought this for the kids. and younger siblings of hip cool high schoolers would have been thrilled to have a record of their own by an artist that their big sis or brother liked

**Ollie9** · 09-20-2023, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by sup_fan

yes but i do think it was wise not to flood a zillion concept albums into the market. and out of the 3 being worked on [[Broadway/Hollywood, Disney and R&H), Sing R&H is IMO lightyear beyond the other two.

now supposedly B to H was to include The Happening and All I Know About You. so that sort of makes it a different concept album in that it would also have a hit single on it. but then they decided to include on Greatest Hits and obviously that was a mega success. no way would Broadway have sold anywhere near as well. and it would have only been a single disc too [[and therefore less $ generated in sales)

I don't think you'd have wanted to do both R&H and Broadway. So maybe if they really did want another concept album, Disney would have won out. I'd guess it would have been a good release for the holiday season. not so much because of It Won't Be Long Till Xmas but just because it would have been a good gift-giving item for kids. Lots of grandparents would have bought this for the kids. and younger siblings of hip cool high schoolers would have been thrilled to have a record of their own by an artist that their big sis or brother liked

That’s exactly what i was thinking, perfect for the holiday season. I think Diana channels a lot of her inner actress into the songs bringing them to life.
I actually heard “I’ve Got No Strings” being played in a UK radio show last year which features songs from film and stage musicals. A rare treat indeed.