More Good Feelings: Four Mister Rogers Albums Coming From Omnivore In February
Omnivore Recordings follows up two 2019 reissues of music from and inspired by the legendary television series Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood with another four albums of gentle music for children this month. The label, in partnership with The Fred Rogers Company, will issue new CD pressings of four albums of Mister Rogers music: 1992’s Bedtime, You’re Growing and You Are Special, and 1997’s Coming and Going. All titles will be available February 21, with digital editions already available to stream or download.
It’s fair to believe – and hope! – that the teachings of Fred Rogers live beyond the extraordinary children’s educator, who passed away in 2003. Through his half-century career, Rogers utilized the growing medium of television to offer gentle lessons to children about complex subjects both specific (the birth of a sibling, getting a haircut) and philosophical (feelings on love and life). By never condescending to his juvenile audiences or bombarding them with images more detailed than homemade, puppet-assisted visits to The Neighborhood of Make Believe, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood became one of the most important series in TV history, and a cornerstone of public television – a medium Rogers once secured $20 million in government funding through one impassioned testimony in 1969. Not only does Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood still air on PBS stations across America (along with an animated follow-up, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, which began in 2012), but Rogers’ story has captivated grown-up film audiences in recent years, thanks to the documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018) and last year’s drama A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood, which featured Tom Hanks’ portrayal of Rogers.
Bedtime, You’re Growing, You Are Special and Coming and Going, all originally released through Rogers’ Family Communications company, play like musical episodes of the series, with favorite songs like “It’s You I Like,” “You Can Never Go Down The Drain” and “What Do You Do?” – all cut in the studio with Rogers’ esteemed pianist/muiscal director Johnny Costa, bassist Carl McVicker and drummer Bobby Rawsthorne. Each release was bookended with unique renditions of Rogers’ well-known opening and closing themes, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” and “It’s Such a Good Feeling.”
The tracks on these albums formed the bulk of Omnivore’s recent collection It’s Such a Good Feeling: The Best Of Mister Rogers, which also featured five previously unreleased recordings. That disc, released on CD and red vinyl in October (the latter appearing exclusively at Barnes & Noble retailers), was also made available as a standard black vinyl release in January. The LP track list was slightly amended and resequenced from the 23-track CD, offering 21 songs including the LP exclusives “Many Ways To Say I Love You” (from the Bedtime album) and the unreleased “What Would You Like To Do Today?”
Those five releases can all be pre-ordered below, where you’ll also find full track lists!
Bedtime (originally released as Family Communications MRN-9201D, 1992 – reissued Omnivore OVCD-350, 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
- Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
- I’m Taking Care Of You
- Just For Once
- Sometimes Isn’t Always
- I Like To Be Told
- Then Your Heart Is Full Of Love
- When The Day Turns Into Night
- Many Ways To Say I Love You
- Nighttime Sounds
- Tree, Tree, Tree
- Peace and Quiet
- It’s Such a Good Feeling
You’re Growing (originally released as Family Communications MRN-9202D, 1992 – reissued Omnivore OVCD-351, 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
- Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
- You’re Growing
- Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
- Everything Grows Together
- Are You Brave?
- One and One Are Two
- Days Of The Week
- Please Don’t Think It’s Funny
- When The Baby Comes
- What Do You Do?
- Sometimes People Are Good
- You’ve Got To Do It
- Going To Marry Mom
- You Can Never Go Down The Drain
- Let’s Think Of Something To Do
- It’s Such a Good Feeling
You Are Special (originally released as Family Communications MRN-9203D, 1992 – reissued Omnivore OVCD-352, 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
- Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
- You Are Special
- Some Things I Don’t Understand
- Children Can
- Goldilocks and The Three Bears
- I’m a Man Who Manufactures
- Did You Know?
- It’s You I Like
- Everybody’s Fancy
- Pretending
- I Can Moo Like a Cow
- We Are Elephants
- The Clown In Me
- The Truth Will Make Me Free
- It’s Such a Good Feeling
Coming and Going (originally released as Family Communications MRN-9204D, 1997 – reissued Omnivore OVCD-353, 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
- Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
- This Is Just The Day
- I Like Someone Who Looks Like You
- It’s The Style To Wear a Smile
- Be Brave, Be Strong
- Look and Listen
- I Like To Take My Time
- Perfectly Beautiful Day
- Let’s Be Together Today
- I’m Still Myself Inside
- Propel, Propel, Propel Your Craft
- Museum Wares
- You Are Pretty
- This Is My Home
- Wishes Don’t Make Things Come True
- I’m Proud Of You
- It’s Such a Good Feeling
It’s Such a Good Feeling: The Best Of Mister Rogers (Omnivore OVLP-349, 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
* previously unreleased ** previously unreleased and exclusive to this pressing
- Today Is a Very Special Day *
- Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
- I Think I’m Going To Like Today *
- Be Brave, Be Strong
- Then Your Heart Is Full Of Love
- Pretending
- You Can Never Go Down the Drain
- I Like To Take My Time
- Sometimes People Are Good
- You Are Special
- It’s Such a Good Feeling
- What Would You Like To Do Today? **
- I’m Looking For a Friend *
- It’s the Style to Wear a Smile
- I’m Taking Care of You
- It’s You I Like
- Once Upon Each Lovely Day *
- Many Ways To Say I Love You
- Wishes Don’t Make Things Come True
- Tree, Tree, Tree
- Tomorrow *
Tracks 1, 3, 12-13, 17 and 21 previously unreleased
Tracks 2, 7 and 9 from You’re Growing
Tracks 4, 8, 14 and 19 from Coming and Going
Tracks 5, 11, 15, 18 and 20 from Bedtime
Tracks 6, 10 and 16 from You Are Special
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Disappointed, frankly, that Omnivore was so misty about the year of recording initially. “It’s such a good feeling – the best of” (the compilation cd released earlier) did not feature any 1960s or 1970s recordings. Through this article I finally get to see they’re from 1992-1997.