It arrived! Yea!!

Truly a priceless treasure, well worth the sixty-year wait. And clearly an absolute labor of love by all involved. Thank you, Intrada. Never imagined I would see this in my lifetime.
What a thrill to hear these tracks as they were recorded. A special treat for me is the first 53 seconds of Intro to Royal Barge/The Royal Barge (CD1 #18). Because this part of the cue is drastically shortened and the editing somewhat mangled in the home video mix, it has always been difficult to imagine what it would sound like in its entirety. It’s pure delight!
For me the most exotic (and strangest) cue is The Royal Barge (Alternate) (CD3 #11). It’s vaguely reminiscent of a George Bruns track, Serengeti Serenade (from the 1964-65 World’s Fair Magic Skyway attraction), which appears in shortened form in his Jungle Book score.
One curiosity I’ve pondered over the years: the Prelude’s opening timpani roll, which doesn’t appear in the conductor’s score or any of the re-recordings, is identical in pitch and duration to the opening of Around the World in 80 Days. Sheer coincidence? Or perhaps a subtle nod to Victor Young?