Laughing Place's Disney Desert Island Albums
Often, I become overwhelmed by my own music library. With streaming becoming a treasure trove of music from the past and present (albeit one that unfairly pays royalties), sometimes the abundance of options leads one to resort to the same few songs. It’s my own fault for not organizing tunes in an easier-to-find fashion, but as a proper procrastinator, that’s something I can work on another day. [door slams shut]
Oddly enough, I was inspired to take a deeper look at my own music through, of all places, RuPaul’s TikTok and Instagram accounts. Surrounded by wildish characters and hilarious one liners, RuPaul has begun citing their own “desert island albums". These are albums which can be listened to for an eternity without getting tired of them. (No skips are critical when stranded, I’d assume.) The series led me to take a deeper look at my Disney favorites, all the while asking the Laughing Place team their own. Below you’ll find some of our team’s own Disney desert island albums and where you can stream them.
Rebekah Moseley – I'm taking "best of" compilations off the table because that feels like cheating. I’m forcing a choice between my favorite soundtracks Cinderella or Tarzan. While Cinderella has my favorite Disney tune of all time "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes", I'd have to select Tarzan due to its range of tempo from “You'll Be in My Heart" to “Trashin' the Camp" and the highly motivational, high-energy tunes like “Two Worlds" and “Strangers Like Me". When the album first dropped way back in 1999, I played it continually on my lengthy work commutes in Southern California. I even was able to see Collins perform the songs live at the El Capitan during the Disney Channel’s special taping.
Kyle Burbank – Back when I was much younger and could do such crazy things, I used to drive from Phoenix, Arizona to Disneyland with my newly-purchased annual pass. Somehow, I'd make it for rope drop, stay the day, and then drive home the same night. On one of those insane trips, while walking through Off the Page, I spotted a 2-CD set called The Official Album of the Disneyland Resort.
I was still relatively new to the fandom at the time, so it blew my mind that the source audio for some of my favorite attractions was available for me to own and listen to at my leisure. Needless to say, I bought my copy immediately and would listen whenever I needed a taste of Disneyland.
Some of my favorites on the album included the score to Soarin’ Over California and the full soundtrack to Remember… Dreams Come True — which is still the best fireworks show Disney has ever produced. I also recall being sure to bring the album with me (either the CDs themselves or, more likely, the tracks loaded on my iPod Nano) to listen in the middle of the night, driving down the 10 to California. This collection got me through that desert, so I’m sure it will serve me well on a deserted island.
(Editor’s Note: This specific version of the album is no longer in print, but other Disneyland options are still available to stream.)
Mike Celestino – I bought the Pirates of the Caribbean picture vinyl at Disneyland probably 6 or 7 years ago and it's in steady rotation on my turntable at home. Whenever I feel the need to immerse myself in the sounds and mood of New Orleans Square (and I don't happen to be at the park itself), the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction soundtrack does the trick perfectly. I love that it not only includes the audio from the ride but the memorable queue music as well.
Marshal Knight – I have made my obsession with Disney’s On the Record well-known (too well-known to some), however, enough can’t be said about the beauty of the original cast album. The revue show didn’t necessarily work on stage, but man if the album doesn’t work for everyone’s listening pleasure. It’s the perfect desert island pick as it adds a little dash of everything to create a grand portrait of the company’s discography. The medleys performed also add to the replayability, never wearing out their own welcome. And, for even more theatrical cred, it remains the only professional recording of Beauty and the Beast’s “A Change in Me" released by the Walt Disney Company.