The music of the Vince Guaraldi Trio is nearly inseparable from Charles Schulz's Peanuts. Guaraldi was tapped to record the soundtrack after Peanuts producer Lee Mendelson heard Guaraldi's "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" while traveling in a taxicab on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. The soundtrack was recorded by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, with drummer Jerry Granelli, and bassist Fred Marshall. Guaraldi would go on to compose scores for for seventeen Peanuts television specials, along with a feature film. Peanuts Greatest Hits collects some of the most popular music that the trio recorded for the television specials. There's "Linus And Lucy," the song most frequently associated with the series, along with several seasonal pieces. Guaraldi pops up on vocals on "Little Birdie," while the youngsters from San Rafael's St. Paul's Church Choir appear on the vocal version of "Christmas Time Is Here." Includes liner notes from Derrick Bang.

• music label: Fantasy 2015

reviewed by Cool Hand 09/2015