Don Dorsey
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Three records, and the charts they inconvenienced.

Don spent the eighties talking synthesizers into playing Bach and Beethoven, and the classical charts never quite recovered. All three records are still in print digitally: streaming below, or a proper download if you would rather own it.

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Bachbusters album cover, Telarc 80123

Bachbusters 1986

Telarc's first-ever Billboard #1 · 78 weeks in the Classical top 30 & counting

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17 tracks, play a sample of any of them
  1. Italian Concerto in F Major, BWV 971: I. (Allegro)3:35$1.29
  2. Italian Concerto in F Major, BWV 971: II. Andante5:45$1.29
  3. Italian Concerto in F Major, BWV 971: III. Presto3:27$1.29
  4. Two-Part Invention No. 1 in C Major, BWV 7721:39$1.29
  5. Three-Part Invention No. 1 in C Major, BWV 7870:52$1.29
  6. Two-Part Invention No. 8 in F Major, BWV 7790:53$1.29
  7. Three-Part Invention No. 8 in F Major, BWV 7941:03$1.29
  8. Two-Part Invention No. 10 in G Major, BWV 7810:42$1.29
  9. Three-Part Invention No. 10 in G Major, BWV 7961:00$1.29
  10. Two-Part Invention No. 12 in A Major, BWV 7831:05$1.29
  11. Three-Part Invention No. 12 in A Major, BWV 7981:17$1.29
  12. Two-Part Invention No. 15 in B Minor, BWV 7861:02$1.29
  13. Three-Part Invention No. 15 in B Minor, BWV 8011:09$1.29
  14. 14 Diverse Kanons (On the First Eight Notes of the Aria Ground from the Goldberg Variations), BWV 10877:44$1.29
  15. Toccata & Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565: Toccata3:08$1.29
  16. Toccata & Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565: Fugue5:50$1.29
  17. Cantata, BWV 147: X. Chorale "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring"6:10$1.29

Thirty-second samples, played from Apple. Nothing is requested until you press play.

Beethoven or Bust album cover, Telarc 80153

Beethoven or Bust 1988

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13 tracks, play a sample of any of them
  1. Rondo a capriccio in G Major, Op. 129 "Rage over a Lost Penny"6:17$1.29
  2. Mixed Bagatelles: Bagatelle in G Major, Op. 119 No. 61:51$1.29
  3. Mixed Bagatelles: Bagatelle in G Minor, Op. 126 No. 22:58$1.29
  4. Mixed Bagatelles: Bagatelle in A-Flat Major, Op. 33 No. 72:01$1.29
  5. Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 "Moonlight": I. Adagio sostenuto5:43$1.29
  6. Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 "Moonlight": II. Allegretto2:08$1.29
  7. Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 "Moonlight": III. Presto agitato7:03$1.29
  8. Various Variations (From 15 "Eroica" Variations, Op. 35)6:33$1.29
  9. Piano Sonata No. 6 in F Major, Op. 10 No. 2: III. Presto3:51$1.29
  10. Six Ecossaises, WoO 832:18$1.29
  11. Für Elise (Albumblatt), WoO 592:50$1.29
  12. Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-Flat Major, Op. 31 No. 3 ("Western"): II. Scherzo. Allegretto vivace4:38$1.29
  13. Ode to Ludwig (Based on "Ode to Joy" from Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125 "Choral")1:50$1.29

Thirty-second samples, played from Apple. Nothing is requested until you press play.

Busted album cover, Telarc 80473

Busted 1997

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27 tracks, play a sample of any of them
  1. Piano Sonata No. 6 in D Major, K. 284 "Dürnitz": I. Allegro (Uncompleted)4:49$1.29
  2. Eine kleine Gigue in G Major, K. 574 (Uncompleted)1:16$1.29
  3. Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525: III. Allegretto - Trio (Concept Demo and Exploration)3:24$1.29
  4. Musette in D Major, BWV Anh. 126 (Concept Demo and Exploration)1:18$1.29
  5. Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (Extended Fade Ending Version)6:45$1.29
  6. Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (Fade Lines Only)1:25$1.29
  7. Menuet in G Major, BWV Anh. 114 (Concept Demo and Exploration)2:00$1.29
  8. 2-Part Invention No. 10 in G Major, BWV 781 (Demo)0:42$1.29
  9. 2-Part Invention No. 10 in G Major, BWV 781 (Work in Progress)0:42$1.29
  10. 2-Part Invention No. 10 in G Major, BWV 781 (Rough Mix)0:44$1.29
  11. 2-Part Invention No. 15 in B Minor, BWV 786 (Rough Mix)1:03$1.29
  12. 3-Part Invention No. 8 in F Major, BWV 794 (Rough Mix)1:04$1.29
  13. Toccata & Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565: Fugue (Rough Mix)5:49$1.29
  14. Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-Flat Major, Op. 31 No. 3: II. Scherzo. Allegretto vivace (Excerpt, Without Keyboard Parts)3:05$1.29
  15. Für Elise, WoO 59 (Rough Mix)2:51$1.29
  16. 6 Ecossaises, WoO 83 (Demo)2:19$1.29
  17. Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125 "Choral": IV. Ode to Joy (Abandoned Concept Demo No. 1)2:03$1.29
  18. Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125 "Choral": IV. Ode to Joy (Abandoned Concept Demo No. 2)3:51$1.29
  19. Ode to Ludwig (Final Tracks, Rough Mix)1:46$1.29
  20. Dimensions (Rough Mix)5:08$1.29
  21. Birthday Dimensions (Personal Project)4:38$1.29
  22. Ascent (Unedited Original Version)3:51$1.29
  23. Don Dorsey, Unplugged (Live Performance)0:44$1.29
  24. The Festival of Festivals: Fanfare1:27$1.29
  25. The Festival of Festivals: Celebrations on Land3:55$1.29
  26. The Festival of Festivals: Spectacles on Water3:15$1.29
  27. The Festival of Festivals: Revelries in Pyrotechnics6:14$1.29

Thirty-second samples, played from Apple. Nothing is requested until you press play.

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Also on these records

Where Don's name is in the small print.

Two Walt Disney Records releases credit him as a writer rather than the artist. Both are long out of print and on no streaming service, so there is nothing to play here, but the credits are the point.

Walt Disney World Millennium Celebration album cover: Mickey's gloved hand planting a 2000 banner on Spaceship Earth, with the millennium torch burning alongside

Walt Disney World Millennium Celebration 1999

Walt Disney Records · 60659-7

Don's part Wrote the lyrics for We Go On and Promise, both sung by Kellie Coffey to Gavin Greenaway's music. Don also created and directed the show this album records, IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, and the sleeve credits him as its show and music director.

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The Main Street Electrical Parade album cover: the parade's illuminated title drum glowing in orange lights above a crowd watching from Main Street at night

The Main Street Electrical Parade 1999

Walt Disney Records · 60024-7

Don's part Wrote Electric Fanfare, Fanfare of Lights and It's Mine, and is credited on the engineering. Don was music director for the parade's 1977 return and rebuilt its score on a Minimoog. His fanfare still opens the parade wherever it appears, and opens Disney Starlight at the Magic Kingdom, though both have been re-recorded and re-orchestrated since his original.

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Everything in one place

The whole catalogue, by service.

Every record, everywhere

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A word of warning. There is a page on Bandcamp using Don's name and selling Bachbusters. It is not his, it is not authorised, and nothing on it reaches him. Every link on this page goes to a service that does.

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