In May of 1988, I felt that I had to move out of Stately Roach Manor. I had to save money for my upcoming wedding and I really wasn’t doing anything at the house but sleeping for a few hours at night. It was time to move on. I have to take a moment to thank Aric for being the absolute best room mate I could have had. For two and a half years we had a harmonious blast of hollywood film proportions.
My Musical Evolution was still rather dormant as I moved back into my childhood home on Lincoln Court. Living with mom was different this time. I wasn’t doing anything that she would disapprove of and the grindstone was keeping my nose busy. A side effect is that I don’t have a clear era attached to this period of my life. Roach Days Revisited had come to an end and I’m just sort of floating here, waiting for the next phase to happen.
In September of 1988, I began to purchase some music again. Not in the volumes I had in the previous years, just a few notable things. I may have mentioned that I had always been a fan of Charlie Brown music. Ever since I first saw It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown back in the 1960’s , I’ve been drawn to the music. Back in The Academy Days, I used to ask a musician friend named Charlie Jones to play what I now know as Linus And Lucy on the piano in the audtiorium in Fuller Hall.
As for my acquisition of this album Oh Good Grief! I have to thank my friend Albert Gomez. I must have mentioned my fondness for Charlie Brown music that fall. I can only assume that it was in anticipation of the airing of Great Pumpkin. To my surprise, he had a couple albums by The Vince Guaraldi Trio. How lucky is that? Or was it some kind of destiny? It was just a short while later that I was able to find 3 Charlie Brown albums by The Vince Guaraldi Trio at Musicland in the mall. Musicland was way more expensive than Wooden Nickel but they alwasy seemed to have the more obscure stuff that I was looking for.
Oh Good Grief! is a fantastic album and I cannot thank Albert enough for making this connection for me. You have to remember that this was still a decade before the internet was a household utility and Shazam couldn’t have run on cell phones if it had been invented and even if we had cell phones. Doesn’t that sound crazy? A life without smartphones and the internet. Where did we get information? In this case, it was old fashioned person to person networking.
It may seem unlikely but in the nearly 25 years that I’ve owned Oh Good Greif!, it would have to rank in my top 30 most played Compact Discs. Is it because I bought it in September like a-Ha’s Hunting High And Low? Similar to my favorite classical stuff and Tubular Bells, Oh Good Grief! is a smooth collection of instrumental music that I find it easy to work to. As it plays, it muffles the background sounds of life going on, helping to focus without the distraction of lyrics. I love it. It is seriously good jazz music. It might benefit from some sentimental nostalgia tied to It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and that small town 60’s feel particularly with The Great Pumpkin Waltz. The only thing I’d like better would be the full Great Pumpkin Soundtrack with the flute laced Linus And Lucy and that great music behind Snoopy’s adventures behind enemy lines in the French countryside. I’ve even written to the late Mr. Guaraldi’s representatives requesting just that. It has become a Halloween tradition in our house. I watch It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown while Mary hands out candy to Trick Or Treater’s that show up. I love the nostalgia of the program but mostly I just listen to the music. I hope they do eventually release the full soundtrack. Until then I’ll continue to thoroughly enjoy Oh Good Grief! Thanks Albert.
Linus And Lucy
You’re In Love Charlie Brown Hard to find good examples to share. This is a growing concern as My Musical Evolution progresses.
Great Pumpkin Waltz
Oh Good Grief
Red Baron