For those unaware, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of 1976’s “IT’S ARBOR DAY, CHARLIE BROWN” and the 60th Anniversary of the second Peanuts® special, 1966’s “CHARLIE BROWN’S ALL STARS,” this Extended Soundtrack is perfect for any Peanuts® or Guaraldi fan.

2026 marks the 75th Anniversary of Vince Guaraldi starting his professional music recording career, and it has also been 50 years since Guaraldi passed away unexpectedly on February 6th, 1976, the same day he recorded “Arbor Day.”

“It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown / Charlie Brown All Stars! (Original Soundtrack Recordings) (50th Extended and 60th Anniversary Editions)” is sure to be another classic album and the 34-minute album is now available on 12” 33 RPM Black or Forest Green BioVinyl LP in a Gatefold Jacket, CD and digitally.

Lee Mendelson Film Productions (LMFP) is thrilled to announce the first-ever release of Vince Guaraldi’s complete soundtrack for “It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown,” the 15th animated Peanuts® special, from writer and creator Charles Schulz, director Phil Roman, and producers Bill Melendez and Lee Mendelson. Originally airing fifty years ago on March 16th, 1976, on CBS TV, the special went on to be nominated for the Emmy® for Outstanding Children’s program.

The album also includes the first-ever release of Guaraldi’s soundtrack for 1966’s “Charlie Brown’s All Stars!,” the second animated Peanuts® special, a summer baseball-themed follow up to 1965’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” It aired June 8, 1966 on CBS-TV, and was also nominated for the Emmy® for Outstanding Children’s program. Both specials are currently available for streaming on Apple TV.

The full soundtrack album includes 24 tracks comprising the scores from both specials: 17 tracks from “Arbor Day,” including two bonus alternate tracks of “Jay Sterling Morton Jazz” and “Happy Arbor Day Charlie Brown," and the “Charlie Brown’s All Stars!” score mixed into 7 tracks. Both scores include “Rain, Rain, Go Away,” one of the most beautiful compositions Guaraldi ever wrote, and through their book-ended presentation, allow the listener to experience the evolution of Guaraldi across the over ten years that he composed and performed for Peanuts®.

The soundtrack was produced by Sean Mendelson and Jason Mendelson; “Arbor Day” was mixed at WonderWorld Studio by Grammy® and Emmy® Award-Winning mixing engineer Clark Germain, and both “Arbor Day” and “All Stars” were restored and re-mastered by Vinson Hudson (who has mastered all the LMFP releases).

To help celebrate Arbor Day and Earth Day, the Gatefold version of the record is made from BioVinyl sourced from used cooking oil or industrial waste gases to reduce our carbon footprint, and with sustainably forested paper in a compostable PLA bag. LMFP is proud to partner with the Arbor Day Foundation: for every physical copy of this album purchased in 2026, LMFP will plant one tree in a forest of need with the Arbor Day Foundation, with a minimum annual support of 12,000 trees planted. Purchases of the album will not be tax deductible.

CD:
“It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown”
1. Rerun’s Lament*
2. Rerun’s Lament (Reprise)*
3. Ships Sail into Arbor
4. Laughter in the Library
5. Flatten Patten (Baseball Theme)
6. Young Man’s Fancy
7. Jay Sterling Morton Jazz
8. We’re the Visiting Team
9. Seeds for Thought (Joe Cool)
10. Don’t Forget the Shovel
11. Sprinkle Your Bird
12. Snoopy at Bat
13. Lucy’s Home Run
14. Rain, Rain, Go Away (Rain, Gentle Rain)
15. Happy Arbor Day, Charlie Brown
16. Jay Sterling Morton Jazz (Bonus Alternate Take)**
17. Happy Arbor Day, Charlie Brown (Bonus Alternate Take)**

“Charlie Brown’s All Stars!”
18. Charlie’s Run*
19. Charlie Brown’s All Stars!*
20. Baseball Theme (Medley)*
21. Oh, Good Grief!*
22. Surfin’ Snoopy (Air Music)*
23. Pebble Beach*
24. Rain, Rain, Go Away*

* Tracks pulled from a 35mm negative soundtrack tape (all the rest from the original 2” 16 track session tapes)
** Bonus material not on the special

A man with arguably the greatest moustache in jazz history, Guaraldi opens the It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown set with the demure Rerun’s Lament, a gentle reprise of Rerun’s Lament, the elegant Ships Sail into Arbor and the sweeping Laughter in the Library, then we get gifted the upbeat and free flowing Flatten Patten (Baseball Theme) and the smoothly sculpted Young Man’s Fancy along next.

Along next is the sparkling Jay Sterling Morton Jazz, the all-embracing We’re the Visiting Team, the more studious Seeds for Thought (Joe Cool) and both the atmospheric Don’t Forget the Shovel and the delightfully jaunty Sprinkle Your Bird, the active Snoopy at Bat, and they are in turn backed seamlessly by the gently uproarious Lucy’s Home Run, the languishing beauty of Rain, Rain, Go Away (Rain, Gentle Rain), the lazy, hazy hipsway vibe of Happy Arbor Day, Charlie Brown, culminating with two bonus alternative takes of both Jay Sterling Morton Jazz and Happy Arbor Day, Charlie Brown (Bonus Alternate Take).

Then we get to listen to the Charlie Brown’s All Stars! set, which opens on the fervently charged Charlie’s Run, the almost Mariachi-imbibed swing of Charlie Brown’s All Stars!, the decadent Baseball Theme (Medley), before we are brought forth the enjoyable Oh, Good Grief!, the fully-charged Surfin’ Snoopy (Air Music), this shorter recording rounding out on the, once-again Mariachi-imbibed melodies of Pebble Beach, coming to a close on the atmospheric Rain, Rain, Go Away.

Across the two soundtracks, there are 24 tracks of music all composed and performed by Vince Guaraldi. On “All Stars,” Guaraldi is joined by the Vince Guaraldi Sextet: Guaraldi on piano, Eugene “Puzzy” Firth on bass, Eddie Duran on guitar, John Coppola and Frank Snow on trumpet, and Lee Charlton on drums. This was recorded at Sound Recorders in San Francisco on May 13th, 1966.

Vince Guaraldi returns to his original jazz trio roots on “Arbor Day,” performing with the Vince Guaraldi Trio: Guaraldi on piano, Seward McCain on bass, and Jim Zimmerman on drums. Long time bass player Seward McCain returns to upright bass for this score. They recorded at Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco on January 28th, February 3rd and 6th, 1976.

Vince Guaraldi - Earliest Television Recording of Linus and Lucy

Official Purchase Page

Young Man’s Fancy - Purchase Link