Vince Guaraldi, whose music helped define the Peanuts specials that have become household classics, has recently remastered and reissued a number of those songs — among them, music from It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and A Charlie Brown Christmas. With Thanksgiving right around the corner and the 70th anniversary of Peanuts‘s launch hitting earlier this year, Craft Recordings has reissued Peanuts’ Greatest Hits, which includes a number of the most memorable songs from the run, including “Thanksgiving Theme,” which Guaraldi and Craft have provided ComicBook.com with an exclusive first look at a new, animated video for.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The video does not feature the Peanuts characters, which Guaraldi obviously doesn’t personally own, but is a new look at the beloved theme. You can pick up Peanuts’ Greatest Hits and other LP and CD releases of Guaraldi’s Charlie Brown music here.
You can see it below, via Guaraldi’s YouTube Channel.
Peanuts Greatest Hits offers music for all seasons from the animated TV specials, including the instantly recognizable “Linus And Lucy,” the classic “Great Pumpkin Waltz” and yuletide favorite, “Christmas Time Is Here.” Side A features a cheerful-looking Snoopy, while his avian sidekick, Woodstock — who made his first official appearance in the PEANUTS comic strip 50 years ago this June — graces Side B. The collection also includes some of Guaraldi’s earliest PEANUTS compositions, like “Baseball Theme,” which originally appeared on his 1964 LP Jazz Impressions Of A Boy Named Charlie Brown — the soundtrack for an unreleased TV special about the comic strip’s anti-hero. Another highlight is “Little Birdie,” written for the 1973 special A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and featuring rare vocals from Guaraldi.
On vinyl for the very first time is Peanuts Portraits, which collects the vivid musical cues that Guaraldi wrote for the cast of Peanuts characters. With his evocative compositions, the artist added new dimensions to beloved regulars like Peppermint Patty, Schroeder, Sally and, of course, Charlie Brown. In addition to nine songs performed by Guaraldi, the album also includes two classic Peanuts tunes recorded in the ’90s by pianist George Winston. Eight of the selections on Peanuts Portraits — including Winston’s renditions of “Linus And Lucy” and “Masked Marvel,” plus Guaraldi’s alternate takes of tracks like “Frieda (With The Naturally Curly Hair)” and “Charlie’s Blues” — will make their vinyl debut.
If you don’t own a copy of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, you can hear the song in action by watching the special on Apple TV+ anytime this holiday season.
