Mary Poppins

Some consider Mary Poppins Walt Disney's greatest cinematic achievement. Listening to the music from the official soundtrack, you would be hard pressed to argue. I would actually argue that without the masterful songs and score by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman, Mary Poppins would be another 60's Disney movie that hasn't quite aged so well. Thankfully, the Sherman Brothers music keeps Mary Poppins a classic for all ages.

What makes this album stand out is the extra interview with the Sherman Brothers on track 18. On it, the brothers play demos of "Chim Chim Cher-ee", "Let's Go Fly A Kite", "The Eyes of Love" (a track written for the movie, but was replaced when Julie Andrews and Walt didn't think it was "Mary Poppins" enough), and "Feed the Birds". They also explain what went into each song and share a story about each. My personal favorite was the story behind "Feed the Birds". I think everyone who visits Walt's office in Disneyland or Walt Disney World will be able to picture the scene as the Sherman Brothers describe it. The rest of the tracks are straight from the movie, all sounding better than ever. Also included for the first time on this album is the complete restored "Steps in Time" track. I think it goes on a bit long, but if you ever wanted to dance along to the movie, now you can practice with the complete recording.

You will also be able to sing-a-long to all of your favorites due to the wonderful booklet, which contains the lyrics to all the songs. The best part of the lyrics is that you can finally understand some of the phrases that you have never been able to understand either due to the music or Dick Van Dyke's British accent. There are also some neat stills from the movie and some notes from the soundtrack restoration supervisior, but not much else.

So if you have not already picked up the Mary Poppins Soundtrack, go get it. It's like having the DVD in your car without all those moving images distracting you on the road.