Peanuts Greatest Hits [LP]

Vince Guaraldi recorded plenty of enduring music but his most popular works remain the songs he recorded for Peanuts television specials. Remarkably, it took until 2015 for the best of these to be collected in a handy little compilation called Peanuts Greatest Hits. This Concord release draws heavily on the music the trio made for A Charlie Brown Christmas -- nearly half of the disc derives from that 1965 special -- but there are also four selections from A Boy Named Charlie Brown, along with "The Great Pumpkin Waltz" and "Thanksgiving Theme," which means this will contain all the familiar themes and feels for those who have loved the pianist's music purely through its association with Charles M. Schulz's beloved characters. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine