A new Vince Guaraldi release from Lee Mendelson Film Productions—the team behind the iconic Peanuts animated TV specials—arrives July 11, 2025: the first-ever complete soundtrack to the 1975 motocross-themed special You’re a Good Sport, Charlie Brown.
From the official press release we learn: “The full soundtrack album includes the original 16 cues that comprise the score of the special – mixed into 14 tracks – plus a bonus track melding two of the intended opening cues left off the special. Additionally, the album features four bonus tracks from Bicycles are Beautiful, a film that Guaraldi scored for LMFP in 1974. Vince Guaraldi composed all 19 tracks on the album. This is the first time Peanuts animation has appeared on a Zoetrope album. When the record plays at 45RPM, scenes from the special come to life. The action from the cartoon plays right along with the music on your turntable.”
This music was composed in the mid-1970s, during a period when Vince Guaraldi was fully immersed in synthesizers and funk-infused jazz. The result leans more toward the soulful grooves of Headhunters-era Herbie Hancock and the electric intensity of Chick Corea’s Return to Forever than the cool, cozy charm of A Charlie Brown Christmas from a decade earlier.
Regarding the fidelity of the 45 RPM Zoetrope picture disc, I was pleasantly surprised. Modern picture disc manufacturing has clearly improved over the sonic train wrecks of the 1970s and 80s. This new album was cut from new mixes made from 192 kHz, 24-bit transfers of the original 2″ 16-track master tapes, so the album’s producers were starting with some solid source material to begin with. While there is some inevitable low level surface noise — mostly audible on the lead in groove (especially if you have your amp up loud) — generally You’re A Good Sport Charlie Brown sounds very good and is a totally enjoyable listen.
A fun release, my favorites thus far include the many variations on the catchy “Motocross” theme and I really like the bonus “Bicycle Ballad” medley, from the aforementioned 1974 film, which feels like classic Guaraldi. But each time I play the album new earworms emerge, which is a good thing! Listening to this lost Peanuts music has been a breath of fresh air.
I think you get the idea You’re A Good Sport Charlie Brown is a compelling and solid release. You can get the vinyl edition for about $30 on Amazon and the CD is just a little over half that amount. Links can be found at the end of this release.
Where to buy:
Mark Smotroff is a deep music enthusiast / collector who has also worked in entertainment oriented marketing communications for decades supporting the likes of DTS, Sega and many others. He reviews vinyl for Analog Planet and has written for Audiophile Review, Sound+Vision, Mix, EQ, etc. You can learn more about him a LinkedIn.