Walt Disney Records The Legacy Collection: Beauty And The Beast Review
Walt Disney Records latest addition to their The Legacy Collection is based on the animated classic, Beauty And The Beast. It’s the first time they’ve released the full complete score and takes up two CD’s, with 24 tracks. The first CD is the main soundtrack, while the second CD is more focused on additional songs, demos and even the Céline Dion single.
With a movie that is nearly 30 years old, the music is timeless and is still as enchanting as it was when it was released, probably more so, as overtime it has become a huge part of Disney history, especially at the Disney Theme Parks. And that’s where I feel in love with the music, such as eating at the “Be Our Guest” restaurant, watching the parades and fireworks.
So for me, songs like “Be Our Guest”, “Gaston” and ” Beauty and the Beast” stand out as amazing songs and worth getting the album for alone.
All the songs from the movie have been remastered, so all sound perfect, they’ve been tweaked a little, but unless you listen to both tracks one after another, its difficult to hear the difference. I found the main soundtrack to be so crisp and clean, regardless if I was listening through headphones or in the car.
A great thing about this album is that the songs appear on the album in the same order that they do in the movie, so its easy to listen along to the story.
One of my favourite things about this album, is that it also includes seven demo tracks by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. It’s so nice hearing the creative process in action and the development of the songs. It’s something that makes these Legacy Collection albums stand out and a highlight of Disney’s musical releases.
The CD also comes with a nice book, though if you buy it digitally, you will also get a digital version. This book includes notes written by Alan Meken and lots of great artwork. It’s releases like this why physical releases are superior to digital releases.
If you already own a previously released version, it might be a hard push to purchase this album but the demos and book are a good reason to “upgrade” to this.
Here is a closer look at the packaging:
Here is our video review of this Beauty and the Beast CD:
OVERALL:
If you love the music from Beauty and the Beast, this is a perfect addition to any collection, it has everything you could possibly want and more. It comes in a great package for physical release and the remastered version is fantastic. It’s a must own for Disney fans.
REVIEW SCORE: 9 out of 10
You can purchase this Walt Disney Records The Legacy Collection: Beauty And The Beast CD now from Amazon