Aladdin: Special Edition Soundtrack

The "Aladdin Special Edition Soundtrack" is a great volume restoring the classic Aladdin songs and including two bonus tracks as well. Although there is some unfortunate editing of "Arabian Nights," the CD is otherwise perfect. The songs sound just as good as you remember them if not better. This CD attractively mixes Academy Award winning vocal tracks with a stunning musical score. Included with the CD is a complete track listing and provided lyrics for all songs. Although there a couple errors in the provided lyrics, they are for the most-part spot-on.

This CD includes two excellent bonus tracks, "Proud of Your Boy" and "High Adventure," by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman. I actually find Menken's rendition of "Proud of Your Boy" quite enjoyable. "High Adventure" is spectacular and also gives great insights into characters that were planned for the original version of the movie and then deleted following sweeping changes.

The thing I don't understand...Read more

I bought this CD only to hear Clay sing "Proud Of Your Boy" on it. I heard it on AOL, and couldn't wait to have it on CD. It didn't list the singer for POYB, it just said DEMO TRACK. I assumed that Clay would be on it, since his song has been highly publicized.

I pulled up the track number and found only Menken's voice for the song. While Menken has an okay voice, I would have much rather prefered Clay's voice over anybody's!

I love ALADDIN, and am definitely buying the DVD on Tuesday. The soundtrack is great, including reprises and underscoring.

Not having Clay on there will pull Disney's expected income down for this CD, I know it!

The five stars are for the bulk of the CD, which is the same old outstanding "Aladdin" music that was on the original CD. This review is for people wondering if they should invest in this new edition for the two demos included as extra tracks.

The short answer: if you're a big Disney or Alan Menken fan, a definite yes, especially considering the relatively low price tag.

"Proud of You Boy" is a sweet, yearning ballad in the same vein as "Part of Your World" and "Out There." It's decent, but nothing to get wowed over.

"High Adventure," however, immediately became one of my favorite Menken/Ashman songs. It's a romp of a track, and it doesn't have any close analogues in the remainder of Menken's songbook, at least, not that I can think of. The performance itself is a duet between Menken and Ashman, and the two of them are obviously having a blast (and dig those ultra-cheesy synthesizers!). This track, in my opinion, makes the CD a must-buy...Read more