Barbara [Original recording remastered] [Import]

Product Description
Reissue of the Original Album. Part of the L'original Series, Digitally Remastered.

Tracks:

Overture/Rock Island
Iowa Stubborn
Ya Got Trouble
Piano Lesson
Goodnight My Someone
Seventy Six Trombones
Sincere
The Sadder-But-Wiser Girl For Me
Pick-A-Little/Goodnight Ladies
Marian The Librarian
My White Knight
Wells Fargo Wagon
It's You
Shipoopi
Lida Rose/Will I Ever Tell You
Gary, Indiana
Till There Was You
Finale

Amazon.com

Although Robert Preston and Barbara Cook put in stellar performances, it's the music that's the star of this hugely successful document of the 1958 Broadway smash. Written entirely by Meredith Willson, it drew from memories of his childhood in a small Midwestern town. Preston plays a traveling salesman/con artist, while Cook is the dull spinster "Marian the Librarian," whose love for Preston's character makes her come alive. "Seventy-Six Trombones" has become a marching band standard, while "Ya Got Trouble" (featuring dizzying fast-talk from Preston) and "'Til There Was You" (with a gorgeous vocal from Cook) remain well known even among those who have never seen the show. The latter was also a favorite of the Beatles, who covered it on their first album. --Dawn Eden

Customer Reviews:

Music Man.......2007-02-09

The original cast recording brings back the memory of the live production I saw which will always be superior, in my opinion, to the movie version. However, the movie was one of the better "reproductions" of this genre.

One of This Country's Finest Musicals Beautifully Re-Mastered.......2006-11-23

THE MUSIC MAN opened on Broadway on December 19, 1957 to rave reviews from the critics, adulations from the captivated audiences, and the beginning of a long run. This wondrous musical is an 'opera' of sorts in that the piece is not a series of songs connected by the usual musical comedy spoken dialogue. Meredith Willson wrote the music and lyrics in such a way that there is not an extraneous note or word that doesn't contribute to the totality of the work.

Despite the multiple reincarnations of this brilliant show both on film and recording, none of them compares to this original cast. Imagine Barbara Cook (lithe, and new) as Marian the Librarian: Cook still reigns as one of our finest voices on the stage and cabaret rooms today. Robert Preston is not only rich in personality he also delivers the immensely complex patter songs with deft authority. And the Buffalo Bills add the multiple barbershop quartet numbers with authentic sound and professionalism.

This musical holds all of the joys and imaginations and longings that we all hold so dear in our memories of how things used to be - and it is so terrific to return to that stage of ecstasy again. This is a must own CD. Grady Harp, November 06

We need a new remaster, nonetheless.......2006-10-22

A very interesting photo on the liner booklet's back cover demonstrates the one real flaw in this otherwise classic recording: it shows Robert Preston at the album sessions singing at two mikes, a fat Neumann with a Capitol flag and a skinny one, probably an AKG. This can only mean Capitol recorded this in simultaneous mono and stereo takes. With all that knob twiddling the balance had to go off, a problem not entirely corrected by the reissue engineer Bob Norberg, whose remasterings of Ol' Blue's Capitol mono output have earned scorn from some Sinatraphiles for their slight fake echo and stereo effects. (He remastered just about every album in the Broadway Angel series; the monos all appear to have the echo and stereo.) I guess we should be happy to have this in any form at all given how the other majors turned it down. Capitol was late and indifferent to the cast album trade, and it only had three hits before making its monumental closing botch of "Follies." However the label approached it it's still a great and exciting score perfectly performed. Who could have imagined a hit musical with a barbershop quartet? And if only all women could sing like Barbara Cook! Who says you can have too much of a good thing?

With the show's fiftieth anniversary coming up (!) now would be a good time for a remaster. (I know, I know, I'm tired of paying repeatedly for the same product too, but this deserves it.) It should include a second disc with the 1959 Capitol documentary LP "And Then I Wrote 'The Music Man'", where Meredith Willson and his wife Rini detail the eight years of trials and rewrites behind the show. Nor would it hurt to have bonuses like Willson's original take on "Till There Was You" (called "Till I Met You," which Fran Warren evidently first sang on "The Big Show") or a few licensed pop balladeers of the day -- and maybe examples like the 70s jingle for the late lamented Oldsmobile ("Oh ho the new Oldsmobile is a -- comin' down the line...."). It must also include Willson's contentious JFK physical fitness tune "Chicken Fat", recorded about the time "The Music Man" was filmed and available only on oddball Web music sites, where Preston yells and grunts himself into an athletic -- passion. (I keep thinking Allan Sherman recorded a full version of his notorious parody "76 Sol Cohens", but I guess he didn't.) The whole thing should end with a live public-radio performance from 1980 or 1981 where Willson led the superb Detroit Concert Band in "76 Trombones" and "The Stars and Stripes Forever" -- an apt and brilliant finish.

No, I have not forgotten the Beatles, but I fear neither have their lawyers.

Accept no substitutes!.......2006-08-22

This the best version of "The Music Man" available, especially if you're looking for the Broadway cast. The performances here are all terrific, the recording and mastering are great, and the liner notes are informative and thorough. "The Music Man" is available in several other versions and forms, including other releases of the same original cast recording, but without the good mastering or liner notes found here. My wife and I, hoping to listen to this great show with our kids, first purchased other versions that were easier to find (e.g., on iTunes) and those were major disappointments. Buy this CD (Broadway Classics from Angel) and accept no substitutes.

Preston and Cook are the best ever.......2006-07-15

Yes, the film is a delight, and Shirley Jones is certainly good as Marian. But the original cast album of this wonderful musical remains the best version ever, mostly thanks to Barbara Cook, whose voice was and remains a miracle of rare device to listen to.

For years I thought I was the only person who was in love with her voice, wearing out vinyl LPs of this musical with replaying. Then, in the early 80s I saw Cook in a one woman show in London, and discovered I was part of a fanatical following! The other reviews here on Amazon confirm the truth: there is only one truly great Marian, Madam Librarian.

Watch the movie, which is a terrific adaptation of the stage show, go to professional and amateur revivals of the musical, but buy this recording of the score for repeated listening. There is nothing better.

Average customer rating:

This should never have worked at all
A GREAT AND OFTEN OVERLOOKED MUSICAL FROM THE 80-IS
Chess
One of my favorites!
Concepts get better with practice

Chess
Bjorn Ulvaeus , and Tim Rice
Manufacturer: Decca Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Chess (1988 Original Broadway Cast)
Miss Saigon (Original 1989 London Cast)
Evita (1978 Original Broadway Cast)
A Little Night Music (1973 Original Broadway Cast)
Sweeney Todd (2005 Broadway Revival Cast)

ASIN: B000002GLR
Release Date: 1996-07-23

Tracks:

Merano - The Ambrosia Singers/Anders Eljas/Murray Head
The Russian And Molokov/ Where I Want To Be - The Ambrosia Singers/Anders Eljas/Tommy Korberg/Denis Quilley
Opening Ceremony - The Ambrosia Singers/Anders Eljas/Bjorn Skifs
Quartet (A Model Of Decorum And Tranquility) - Elaine Paige/Tommy Korberg/Denis Quilley/Bjorn Skifs
The American And Florence/Nobody's Side - Elaine Paige/Murray Head
Chess - LSO/Anders Eljas
Mountian Duet - Elaine Paige/Tommy Korberg
Florence Quits - Elaine Paige/Murray Head
Embassy Lament - Tommy Korberg/The Ambrosia Singers/Anders Eljas
Anthem - Tommy Korberg

Tracks:

Bangkok
One Night In Bangkok
Heaven Help My Heart
Argument
I Know Him So Well
The Deal (No Deal)
Pity The Child
Endgame
Epilogue: You And I / The Story Of Chess

Amazon.com

Chess is a musical that sounds like it shouldn't work but instead succeeds surprisingly well. This is the original concept album that was recorded before the musical was staged in London. Chess is the story of a love triangle told against the backdrop of an international chess tournament during the height of the cold war. The composers are Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus (the Bs in ABBA) and the lyrics are by Tim Rice, who supplied the words for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita, as well as Disney's Aladdin (with Howard Ashman), The Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast. The six-member cast does a beautiful job with the songs, which are a combination of ballads, rock, and operatic choruses. Murray Head's version of "One Night in Bangkok" became a surprise hit in the mid-'80s and it still turns up on the turntables in dance clubs around the world. --Michael Simmons

Customer Reviews:

This should never have worked at all.......2007-06-18

And on that basis alone, you've got to cut it some slack. Fortunately, not all that much slack turns out to be necessary.

While "Chess" may be a document of an era that no longer exists, there's a lot more going on than the surface metaphor. It holds up very well indeed. When it aims for humor, it generally succeeds, and likewise when it aims to devastate. What more can you ask for?

A GREAT AND OFTEN OVERLOOKED MUSICAL FROM THE 80-IS.......2007-03-04

`Chess' is a musical that should be counted among the best of what the 1980-is had produced: side by side with `Cats', `The Phantom of the Opera', `Les Miserables' or `Miss Saigon'. The score as heard on this concept album, written by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (formerly of ABBA) and with the exceptional lyrics written by Tim Rice, stand proof to this. And yet, due to various reasons, like the changing of the director half way through London staging; a heavy rewrite for Broadway and a pan review from Frank Ritch (a.k.a. `The Butcher of Broadway'), `Chess' seems to be unjustly neglected.

This concept album is the main reason why the show has so many ardent fans until this day. Tim Rice wanted to write the show with the main plot revolving around chess for years and after his long time partner Andrew Lloyd Webber remained uninterested, he found the new collaborators in Ulvaeus and Andersson. The subject matter follows two international chess players in a championship, a Russian (Tommy Körberg) and an American (Murray Head) and a woman called Florence (Elaine Paige) who is a manager to the American but falls in love with the Russian. The story also draws a parallel between the game of chess and the cold war/real life situations.

This concept album was recorded in 1984, two years before the original London production took place. As the authors noted in the accompanying booklet, it was a work in progress and thusly the story is not quite readable here from the musical numbers alone. Despite that fact (which is amended by the synopsis included in the booklet), this album remains a winner. The score (played here by the London Symphonic Orchestra) itself makes an intriguing bland of the famous ABBA sound, the classical; the rock and the pop enhanced by the orchestral solo passages and the strong choral parts. The lush orchestrations add an epic touch to it and on the whole it is melodic and hummable, packed with great tunes. Some of the songs achieved huge success outside the musical: `I know him so well', a duet between Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson, held the number one spot on the UK singles charts for 4 weeks in February 1985 and won Ivor Novello Award as the Best Selling Single; Murray Head's `One night in Bangkok' became one of the biggest dance hits of its time, often heard today. Some other notable tunes include `The Anthem' (Russian's deliberation on his homeland); the soaring rock songs `Where I want to be' and `Pity the child' (in the former, the Russian reflects upon his life under the spotlight; in the latter, the American ponders about his own unhappy childhood) or the gentle `Heaven help my heart' (in which Florence weighs up her relationship with the Russian).

A special reference must be made to Tim Rice's excellent lyrics. With `Chess' he managed to keep up to the high standards he set himself in `Jesus Christ Superstar' and Evita'. Again in this case he shows he is a lyrical wizard, with his familiar cynical touch. `The story of chess', in which he gives a history of the game in a couple of crafty verses, is a pure masterpiece. The same can be said of the song `I know him so well', where the two women reexamine their relationship with the same man. As a whole, `Chess' owes a lot of its appeal to Tim Rice's written word.

The cast on this album ranks the high standard of the material. The principal parts (sung by Elaine Paige, Tommy Körberg and Murray Head) are delivered in a strong and impeccable fashion.

This 2-disc edition comes with a booklet containing a note from the authors, a text about chess, a full synopsis and a libretto, together with the photos of the principal singers.

Anyone interested in the modern musical theatre should find `Chess' to be a great score with great lyrics, which should be enough to satisfy any aficionado.

Chess.......2007-01-15

A magnificent musical, i have enjoyed the music since i first heard it and read the storyline. Had been unable to find it in our local music stores.Very pleased to find it on your site.

One of my favorites!.......2007-01-12

I love "Chess"! I still remember the first time I heard the single "One Night in Bangkok" on my car radio. I thought it was so unusual and so very cool, so I tracked down the album and bought it. Then I taped it onto a cassette, which is what I've been listening to for years, so I finally broke down and got it on CD. Of course, it's on my iPod now. I've seen the musical, and I loved that, too.

Concepts get better with practice.......2006-11-27

I love this show! That said, I do not care for this version of it. The inclusion of the word "concept" in the title means it is just that. This was, thankfully, not the final version of the show that would later spawn the hit song, "One Night In Bangkok".

With most Broadway musicals, the musical numbers tell the basic story of the show. If you listen to the recordings of Phantom, Mama Mia, Beauty and the Beast, you can discern the basic storyline of the show. Listening to this particular recording of Chess, though, will leave you wondering "What was that?" The Broadway arrival of Chess saw a much needed reworking of the storyline and arrangement of the musical numbers. This recording seems too much like a mish-mash of songs that don't really relate to each other.

For musical fanatics (like myself), I say "yes, you should have this recording in your collection", if only to understand how much work went into the show before it opened on Broadway.

If you are only buying the album because of "One Night In Bangkok", purchase the Broadway recording instead; you'll be much happier with the performance by Phillip Casnoff rather than Murray Head.

Average customer rating:

annoying, endearing
Candide
Better words, better singing, all too brief!
I'd rather have the studio cast
a Broadway milestone

Candide (1956 Original Broadway Cast)
Leonard Bernstein , Richard Wilbur , Max Adrian , and Barbara Cook
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Gypsy - A Musical Fable (1959 Original Broadway Cast)
She Loves Me (1963 Original Broadway Cast)
A Little Night Music (1973 Original Broadway Cast)
Candide: The New Broadway Cast Recording (1997 Revival)
Leonard Bernstein's Candide (Great Performances)

ASIN: B0000996FW
Release Date: 2003-05-13

Tracks:

Overture - orchestra
The Best of All Possible Worlds [Ensemble]
Oh, Happy We - Robert Rounseville & Barbara Cook
It Must Me So - Robert Rounseville
Paris Waltz Scene
Glitter and Be Gay - Barbara Cook
You Were Dead, You Know - Robert Rounseville & Barbara Cook
My Love - William Olvis, Barbara Cook, Irra Petina
I Am Easily Assimilated - Irra Petina, Barbara Cook, chorus
Finale Act 1 - Quartet
Quiet - Irra Petina, William Olvis, Barbara Cook
Eldorado - Robert Rounseville
Bon Voyage - William Orvis
What's the Use? - Irra Petina
Gavotte
Finale: Make Our Garden Grow - Entire company
Overture to Candide (bonus) - New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein

Amazon.com

This original 1956 production, with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Richard Wilbur, and libretto by Lillian Hellman, based on Voltaire's novel of the same name, was not a hit, except as a recording. Presenting the remarkable Broadway debut of Barbara Cook as Cunegonde (she still sings "Glitter and Be Gay," or "The Jewel Song" better than anybody) and a praiseworthy Bernstein score, Candide on disc quickly became a cult favorite. None of the endless stream of revivals (most recently the abysmal 1997 Broadway staging), replete with new libretti, additional lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and Hal Prince three-ring-circus staging, has improved the oil-and-water marriage of Voltaire's satire and an operetta-ish approach to musicals. Candide in fact may be the only musical in history to incorporate both first-rate and 10th-rate material as well as everything in between. They may never get it right on stage. But fortunately it's been all right on record for more than four decades. Cook and company (including the operatic tenor Robert Rounseville in the title role, and Irra Pettina as the comic Old Woman) still glitter on audio. --Robert Windeler

Album Description

Additional lyrics by John LaTouche, Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker and Leonard Bernstein.

Customer Reviews:

annoying, endearing.......2007-05-17

An amusing Broadway classic, at least. Interesting, if slightly inaccurate adaptation of Voltaire's great novel. Admittedly Bernstein is able to, through song, bring some points and moments to a clarity I've never gotten out of the book itself. Worth it for a Broadway fan and an open minded fan of intertextual works.

Candide.......2007-02-15

Wonderful, though I prefer the rich maturity of Barbara Cook's voice now to the beauty and purity of it in her youth.

Better words, better singing, all too brief!.......2005-08-29

Someday, a genius producer will make this show work, probably as a film instead of a staged production. Until then, we must bask in the fabulous music, the best of which, perfectly sung, remains on this all-too-abbreviated original cast recording. Ideally, this recording should be supplemented by Bernstein's 1989 recording of a complete score. The two together represent youth and age, sadly.

All the tinkering and updating went for naught when you compare the original "Best of all possible worlds" words with later versions. Candide was a child of the 18th century and 1950s and should remain so.

I'd rather have the studio cast.......2005-01-18

after recently viewing candide in concert i took out the original cast and it was a disapointment.I'd rather have the studio cast recording because it has the stephen sondhiem lyrics aswell as the clasic bernstien music. the original only has 16 songs where as the studio cast has 34 songs, 10 more than the revival cast. my dad recieved tickets to the rvival cast directly from stephen sondhiem himself. the studio cast also has a lot of extra instrumental pieces such as the battle music.

a Broadway milestone.......2003-09-29

Leonard Bernstein's CANDIDE was a Broadway flop when it first opened in 1956 at the Martin Beck Theatre, shuttering after an abysmal 73 performances. Though the show has never quite achieved the greatness it deserves, the Overture is considered to be one of the greatest, most thrilling ever written. The original 1956 cast album of the show has now been reissued on the Columbia Broadway Masterworks label.

Based on the play by Voltaire, the show starred Robert Rounseville ('Mr Snow' in the film version of CAROUSEL) as Candide, with Irra Petina as the Old Woman with One Buttock and Max Adrian as Dr Pangloss. Barbara Cook (the City Center revival of CAROUSEL, PLAIN AND FANCY) stars as the young ingenue Cunegonde.

The score, by Leonard Bernstein by lyrics by Richard Wilbur, John LaTouche and Dorothy Parker, is superb. The musical is best known for the devilish 'jewel song' aria "Glitter and Be Gay", sung by the clarion soprano of Barbara Cook, who infuses it with all the vocal pyrotechnics that it calls for."I Am Easily-Assimilated" is comically performed by Irra Petina, whilst the baritone of Robert Rounseville is showcased in "It Must Be So".

As a bonus on this new reissue, there is the majestic sweeping Overture as performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein himself. There are also brand-new liner notes including an essay from Barbara Cook.

Tracks:

Act 1: Overture - John Berkman/Orch
Act 1: Good Morning, Sunday
Act 1: Sounds While Selling
Act 1: Thank You, Madam
Act 1: Days Gone By
Act 1: No More Candy
Act 1: Three Letters
Act 1: Tonight At Eight
Act 1: I Don't Know His Name
Act 1: Perspective
Act 1: Goodbye Georg
Act 1: Will He Like Me?
Act 1: Ilona
Act 1: I Resolve
Act 1: Romantic Atomsphere
Act 1: Tango Tragique
Act 1: Dear Freind
Act 2: Overture - John Berkman/Orch
Act 2: Try Me
Act 2: Where's My Shoe
Act 2: Ice Cream
Act 2: She Loves Me
Act 2: A Trip To The Library
Act 2: Grand Knowing You
Act 2: Twelve Days To Christmas
Act 2: Ice Cream-Reprise
Act 2: Curtain Call

Amazon.com

This utterly charming musical had a disappointing Broadway debut in 1963 despite the high-powered pairing of director Harold Prince (his first musical) and the songwriting team of Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick (Fiddler on the Roof). Thanks to a legendary cast album that took up an unprecedented two LPs (74 minutes on one CD), the show gathered a loyal following, eventually becoming a repertory staple and earning Broadway and London revivals in the 1990s. Based on the same Hungarian play as the 1940 James Stewart film The Shop Around the Corner (and its successors, In the Good Old Summertime and You've Got Mail), the sweet romantic story follows two shop clerks who can't stand each other but are also anonymous pen pals. Barbara Cook sang one of her best roles as Amalia, Jack Cassidy won a Tony as the cad Kodaly, and the rest of the cast is also perfect. The booklet includes production photos, a loving appreciation, and a detailed synopsis, but no lyrics. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

Joyful Joyful Joyful.......2007-05-11

When I was in high school living on MacDill AFB there was an adult theatre group doing this production. I got the leading Amelia role, then also designed and built sets. Of anything I have ever performed this was the single most challenging music. I loved every bit of it. What a joy it is to hear the sweet lovely words and tale of romance so fresh now - 35 years later! This story, lyrics and music did flavor my life actions viewing romance with sweet depth. Light, lovely and fun- this is a great piece of musical experience.

We love "She Loves Me"!.......2007-01-09

Having just seen a wonderful local production of this revival, we wanted to hear the score again. The Broadway cast is great, too. While it fits the play perfectly, the music grows as an independent joy.

Underated Gem.......2006-07-22

This show is one of the best from the 60's. Barbara Cook is sublime, and the rest of the cast are practically at the same level. The 94 revival was also an absolute delight. the cast then was wonderful, maybe missing Cook, but who can equal her. That CD is wonderful as well. Saw that production several times and loved it more each time I saw it. Have seen Cook several times in concert and her performances of the songs from this show may be even better now.

excellent........really moving!.......2006-01-27

Before I'd heard this CD,I saw 'you've got mail' and absolutely fell in love with it. That started my obsession with Meg Ryan romantic comedies, but i'm over that now, thankfully. Also before i'd heard this CD, I heard a recent recording of Barbra Cook at Carnagie Hall, but none of these songs were on that CD.

Then, after i found out about this musical, I decided to have a listen and see what it was like. Well, I'm sure you know that I thought it was brilliant and now see Barbra Cook as one of the best singers ever to be on broadway. Daniel Massey is quite good, too, but I've never heard anyone else in the role, so I can't compare him to anyone. Barbra Baxley is funny aswell when she sings 'A Trip to the Library'.

Barbra Cook's song 'Dear Friend' is absolutely heart wrenching. More moving than seeing Meg Ryan waiting alone in the resteraunt for someone you know will never turn up. I would definitely reccomed buying this CD, as it is something amazing to listen to. Oh, and the orchestra is brilliant too. I play the violin, but I'll be darned if i could play a bar of that score!

Before "Fiddler".......2005-08-12

Before Bock and Harnick wowed the American Musical Theater with Fiddler on The Roof, they composed and wrote "She Loves Me" an innovative musical comedy (for its time) with no chorus, no dancing (though it was expertly blocked and choreographed); just a stream of wonderful music that is captured perfectly in this original cast recording. Just listening to Barbara Cook's crystal clear soprano voice is worth the price; the late Jack Cassidy, Daniel Massey and Barbara Baxter only add to this perfect recording.

Average customer rating:

B way Vs London
Enough of this Broadway vs London stuff. Let's add Australia to the picture
Jellicle ball part cut out of remastered version
CATS: London VS Austrailia
Cats London V.S Cats Broadway!!!

Cats (1981 Original London Cast)
T. S. Eliot , Trevor Nunn , and Richard Stilgoe
Manufacturer: Polygram Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Cats - The Musical (Commemorative Edition)
The Phantom of the Opera (Original 1986 London Cast)
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, Illustrated Edition
Cats (1982 Original Broadway Cast)
Starlight Express (1984 Original London Cast)

ASIN: B000006XI0
Release Date: 1998-10-12

Tracks:

Cats/Act 1. Overture
Cats/Act 1. Prologue. Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats
Cats/Act 1. The Naming of Cats
Cats/Act 1. The Invitation to the Jellicle Ball
Cats/Act 1. The Old Gumbie Cat
Cats/Act 1. The Rum Tum Tugger
Cats/Act 1. Grizabella: The Glamour Cat
Cats/Act 1. Bustopher Jones
Cats/Act 1. Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer
Cats/Act 1. Old Deuteronomy
Cats/Act 1. The Jellicle Ball
Cats/Act 1. Grizabella: The Glamour Cat
Cats/Act 1. Memory

Tracks:

Cats/Act 2. The Moments of Happiness
Cats/Act 2. Gus: The Theatre Cat
Cats/Act 2. Growltiger's Last Stand Including the Ballad of Billy ...
Cats/Act 2. Skimbleshanks
Cats/Act 2. Macavity
Cats/Act 2. Mr. Mistoffelees
Cats/Act 2. Memory
Cats/Act 2. Journey to the Heavyside Layer
Cats/Act 2. The Ad-Dressing of Cats

Amazon.com

Since its debut in 1981, London's and the world's longest-running musical still fills seats in a dozen theaters worldwide. Uncountable recastings and reorchestrations later, Andrew Lloyd Webber's adaptation of T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats strives to please the ears of ever-new generations. This is the original cast recording, and it retains a freshness from the still-recent opening, its novelty untarnished by decades of success. Also, the abundance of "names"--both singers and musicians--makes this one of the high-class musical recordings of all time. Elaine Paige rose to stardom as Grizabella with the hit "Memory"; at the time, though, bigger names were Wayne Sleep, Paul Nicholas, and Brian Blessed. Sarah Brightman and Bonnie Langford are also on the cast list. Lloyd Webber himself plays keyboards and the impressive roster of session musicians includes Barbara Thompson and David Locke. Lloyd Webber, well versed in the practice of "auto-quotation," can always look back to this work for cat-chy material: the Overture, "Old Gumbie Cat," "Rum Tum Tugger," and "Mr. Mistoffelees"--the list of good tunes and themes goes on and on. This remains a fun listening experience, even for those few who still haven't caught the show. It's also available in a highlights version. --Yngvil V.G.

Album Details

The Original London Cast Performs the Entire Andrew Lloyd Webber Masterpiece (Based on a Story by T.s. Eliot), from the Opening "Overture" to the Last Bar of "Ad-Dressing of the Cats". Originally Released in 1981, this Piece Has Since Been Digitally Remastered. Features the Classic "Memory" as Sung by the "Grizabella" Character (Elaine Paige).

Customer Reviews:

B way Vs London.......2006-08-12

The London verson has a longer overture and has more lyrics then the b way version
1. overture..........London
2. Jelicle Songs.....London
3. Naming of Cats....London
4. Invitation........London
5. Gumbie Cat........B way [shorter]
6. Rum Tum Tugger...London
7. Grizabella.......Same
8. Bustopher Jones..London
9. Mungo & rumple...Tie But Lundon Is much slower!
10.Old D...........London [but longer]
11.Jellicle ball..tie Shorter than B way
12.Memory.........London
13. Moments Of Happiness. London
14. Gus..........London
15. Skimble shanks.London
16. Macavity.London
17. Mistofoless. London
18 Memory. London
19 heviside layor.london
20 ad ressing. london london wins!!!!

Enough of this Broadway vs London stuff. Let's add Australia to the picture.......2006-07-02

Like most people, I've been torn between London and Broadway for a while. I'll admit, I'm fond of both London and Broadway, but some songs I like on Broadway more than London, and vice versa. However, when I bought the Australian recording, it turned into my favorite CATS recording, hands down. They have EVERY song in there, (Growltiger's Last Stand, and Battle of the Pekes and Pollicles) Anyhow, here's my biased opinion on which of the three recordings dominate in certain songs.

Overture - The overture is pretty much the same

Jellicle Song for Jellicle Cats - London

Naming of Cats - Australia

Invitation to the Jellicle Ball - Broadway

Old Gumbie Cat - London but Australia's is pretty darn good

Rum Tum Tugger - I'm not very fond of London's version or Broadway's. I'd have to say Australia, but Broadway is just as good.

Grizabella - London

Bustopher Jones - London

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer - Australia. This version has a very interesting Mungo and Rumpel

Old Deuteronomy - London or Broadway

Jellicle Ball - London

Grizabella: The Glamour Cat - Tie

Memory - Okay, Elaine Paige is about as good as it gets. But Debbie Byrne from Australia delivers a heart felt Memory also.

Gus: The Theatre Cat - Australia

Growltiger's Last Stand/The Ballad of Billy McCaw - All are good

Macavity: The Mystery Cat - Australia

Mr. Mistoffelees - Australia. The Australian Rum Tum Tugger is a lot better. And while I'm a huge Sarah Brightman fan, and you can hear her overpowering in this song, I still say Australia wins here.

Memory - Moment of truth. I love Elaine Paige. Her Memory is as good as it gets. However, some would say that Elaine's version is too soft and sweet, and isn't bitter and cold enough. This song could go both ways. Betty Buckley certainly expressed rage and power in this song, but maybe too much. In my personal opinon, Elaine's version is too soft, and Buckley's version is too cold. Debbie Byrne is a perfect medium, and she expresses remorse, sorrow, pain, anger, and loneliness in perfect harmony. I'd have to say Australia.

Journey to the Heaviside Layer - Not much of a difference. Tie between all three.

Ad-Dressing of Cats - Broadway. THANK GOD FOR KEN PAGE.

Jellicle ball part cut out of remastered version.......2006-05-04

when I got this CD i was expecting more from it.I knew how all the london version songs sounded before i got the CD,but the reason I bought the CD was because I wanted to hear the big cut out of the jellicle ball.I heard the songs the first time from my computer and noticed a big part was missing from the jellicle ball and one could tell by listening that it was cut from the recording.About two years after that at a yard sale I stumbled upon an unopened original london cast record of cats.I bought and i brought to my friends to hear it on his record player and i found the missing part from the jellicle ball on the record.since i didn't have a record player and records sound bad anyway I ordered it and I was expecting the complete version.I was wrong.The jellicle ball part was still cut from the remastered version of the CD.I was confused and disappointed.I thought why would they cut a big part out of the remastered version if it had been there to begin with from the original recording.Unfortunately I don't think i will ever have it on CD because the only original recording of the london cast is on that remastered version.I'm not sure if can get my hands on a CD recording before they released the remastered version but I'll try.

CATS: London VS Austrailia.......2005-05-02

Overture: Tie

JS for JC: London

Naming: Oz

Invitation: Tie

Gumbie: London. 2 words: More Lyrics!!

Tugger: Oz

Grizabella: London

BJ: London. It also has more lyrics.

MJ&RT: BOTH!!! I liek both tunes equally but I prefer London more.

Old D: London. Yet again, more lyrics.

(Pekes and Pollicles is only included on the Oz version).

Jellicle Ball: London

Memory: London

MOH: London

Gus: Tie

Growltiger: Tie. My version would go like this: London Pirates, Oz slow part w/Siamese, Billy McCaw, London Ghengis, Bway catfight, and London finishes it off!

Skimble: Oz

Macavity: Oz

Misto: London

Journey: Tie

Addressing: London

Cats London V.S Cats Broadway!!!.......2005-02-13

I know you think you'v seen alot of these v.s things for cats
but I couldn't help myself!

Overture:same

Jellicle songs for Jellicle Cats:London

The naming of Cats:This song is HORRIBLE!

The Invitation to the Jellicle Ball:Broadway

The Old Gumbie Cat:Broadway

The Rum Tum Tugger:I like London a bit better.

Grizzabella:Broadway

Bustopher Jones:Broadway

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer:London

Old Dueteronomy:Broadway

The Awful battle of the Pecks and Poticles:Broadway

The Jellicle:Same

Grizzabella the Glamour cat:Broadway

Memory:Broadway

The moments of Happiness:I like Ken Page(Broadway) and Sarah Brightman(London) but they don't work together"sniff"

Gus the Theatre cat:Broadway

Growltiger's Last Stand(the ballad of Billy Mccaw):London

Skimbleshanks the Railway cat:Broadway

Macavity the Mystery cat:Both are VERY BAD!

Mr.Mistoffelees:Can't pick between them!

Memory:Betty Buckley(Broadway)is more stronger.

The Journey to the Heaviside Layer:Broadway

The Ad-dressing of CATS:BOTH!!!

The Music Man (1957 Original Broadway Cast) [Angel Reissue]

Average customer rating:

Music Man
One of This Country's Finest Musicals Beautifully Re-Mastered
We need a new remaster, nonetheless
Accept no substitutes!
Preston and Cook are the best ever

The Music Man (1957 Original Broadway Cast) [Angel Reissue]

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

My Fair Lady (1956 Original Broadway Cast)
South Pacific (Original 1949 Broadway Cast)
Camelot (1960 Original Broadway Cast)
West Side Story (1957 Original Broadway Cast)
Guys & Dolls: A Decca Broadway Original Cast Recording (1950 Original Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B000002SNL
Release Date: 1992-11-17

Tracks:

Act I. Overture/Rock Island - Vern Reed
Act I. Iowa Stubborn - Ensamble
Act I. Ya Got Trouble - Robert Preston/Ensemble
Act I. Piano Lesson - Barbara Cook/Pert Kelton
Act I. Goodnight My Someone - Barbara Cook
Act I. Seventy-Six Trombones - Robert Preston
Act I. Sincere - Buffalo Bills
Act I. The Sadder But Wiser Girl For Me - Robert Preston
Act I. Pick-A-Little, Talk-A-Little - Asnia Rice, Peggy Mondo, Elain Swann, Helen Raymond, Martha Flynn, Robert Preston
Act I. Goodnight Ladies/Marian The Librarian - Robert Preston, Buffalo Bills
Act I. My White Knight - Barbara Cook
Act I. Wells Fargo Wagon - Eddie Hodges, Ensemble
Act II. It's You - Buffalo Bills
Act II. Shipoopi - Iggie Wolfington, Ensemble
Act II. Lida Rose/Will I Ever Tell You? - Buffalo Bills, Barbara Cook
Act II. Gary, Indiana - Eddie Hodges
Act II. Till There Was You - Barbara Cook, Robert Preston
Act II. Finale - Robert Preston, Barbara Cook, Ensemble

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Music Man.......2007-02-09

One of This Country's Finest Musicals Beautifully Re-Mastered.......2006-11-23

We need a new remaster, nonetheless.......2006-10-22

Accept no substitutes!.......2006-08-22

Preston and Cook are the best ever.......2006-07-15

Big: The Musical (1996 Original Broadway Cast)

Average customer rating:

didn't work for rehearsals
Big for folks doing the Musical
It's Awesome, It's Amazing, It's BIG!!!!
a lost gem
Ungodly awful

Big: The Musical (1996 Original Broadway Cast)
Richard Maltby Jr.
Manufacturer: Decca U.S.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Big: The Musical
Baby (1983 Original Broadway Cast)
Curtains (2007 Original Broadway Cast)
Little Women The Musical (2005 Original Broadway Cast)
Seussical: The Musical (Original Cast Recording)

ASIN: B000005AY0
Release Date: 2001-09-25

Tracks:

Overture/Can't Wait
Talk To Her/Carnival/Zoltar Speaks
This Isn't Me
I Want To Go Home
The Time Of Your Life/Fun
Josh's Welcome/Here We Go Again
Do You Want To Play Games?/Stars, Stars, Stars
Cross The Line
It's Time
Stop, Time
The Nightmare
Dancing All The Time/I Want To Know
Coffee, Black
The Real Thing
One Special Man
When You're Big/Skateboard Ballet
I Want To Go Home/Stars, Stars, Stars (Reprise)/Finale

Customer Reviews:

didn't work for rehearsals.......2007-03-22

I used this CD to help me rehearse for the BIG production I was in, but it didn't match the libretto at all. I think there was one song on there that I could use.

Big for folks doing the Musical.......2006-03-20

If you're getting this CD to help prepare for your school or community group doing the musical, there are a lot of changes from the CD to the book. Aside from finding the book in a new key and some chunks added/deleted, Here We Go Again and When You're Big aren't included anymore.

Overall, the music's a little trite, but there are some nice moments -- mostly the stuff sung by the female leads.

It's Awesome, It's Amazing, It's BIG!!!!.......2006-01-22

My high school did "Big" my sophomore year, and oh my god, it was such a fun musical to do. I kind of forgot about it until my senior year, when I suddenly craved some of that music again. So I purchased this CD and I've been loving it since. They got rid of a couple of the songs and replaced them with others as the show progressed on Broadway, so I was suprised to hear new material (to me anyways), and for the most part, I actually enjoyed these original songs over their replacements that my production contained. This cast is phenomenal and the guy who plays Josh Baskin sounds so much like Tom Hanks at points, its crazy. It's a simple, yet a bit fantastic musical about growing up, and it's funny and romantic, and a lot of fun. I love all the songs, and it's a shame it didn't do too well on B-way. At least this recording will keep the music alive.

"This Isn't Me" is one of my favorite tracks, as it's a lot of fun and has a great beat, but suprisingly it was replaced with "Good Morning to Mom", which was only so-so. "I Want To Go Home" is a great ballad that Josh sings, and its simple, a bit funny, and the ending is the best, as its cute and sad. Another song they got rid of, "Here We Go Again", is a song Susan sings, and again, I like it alot. It has a quirky melody that I like. "Stars, Stars, Stars" is another great song, and is quite cute. One of the more popular songs. "Cross The Line" is the finale to Act I and is also very excellent and up beat, and makes you want to dance. "Stop, Time" is my favorite song on the album by far. Sung by Josh's mom, it is one of the more poignant moments of the show. Heartfelt, sad, and truly beautiful, it defiantely makes you appreciate your mom. Barbara Walsh sounds superb on this: she has a great voice. I love this one. "Dancing all the Time" is another good Susan song, and it leads into "I Want To Know" by Young Josh, which is another good ballad. "Coffee, Black" is another showstopper, fun ensemble song, and again, very comedic. "One Special Man" is Susan's ballad to Josh, and it is very beatiful. My only regret is that its only 2:21 so its a short one, and I just want her to start belting at the end, but no, its a quiet ending. Still, I love this one too. The finale is great too, and features an amazing duet between Josh and Susan. I love the harmonies they do.

All in all, this is a great album. Sample the songs and give it a try. This is a must have!!

a lost gem.......2004-10-14

i saw this musical at the local high school in 2001 and was plesently suprised i of course saw the movie and the only thing i knew about this musical was it didnt stay long on broadway, so when i saw it was i shocked this is a delight cross the line still resenates in my head 5 years later.

Ungodly awful.......2004-06-19

BEWARE. This musical is perhaps one of the five worst pieces of music I have ever experienced. I began to wonder if the composer was attempting to make the world's worst musical. Listen for yourself and enjoy the disjunct vocal lines, the desperate attempt at "fun music", and - worst of all - how the highlight of the entire show both dramatically and musically is the insipidly awful "Heart and Soul". Stick to the movie because this baby is horrendous.

The Robber Bridegroom (1976 Original Broadway Cast)

Average customer rating:

An excellent underknown musical
Be Forewarned
BUY IT NOW
The Robber Bride Groom - Soundtrack Review -
an "unsung" musical hero

The Robber Bridegroom (1976 Original Broadway Cast)
Alfred Uhry
Manufacturer: Original Cast Record
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

The Robber Bridegroom
Two Gentlemen of Verona (1971 Original Broadway Cast)
The Baker's Wife (Members of the 1976 Original Cast)
Working (Original 1978 Broadway Cast)
Curtains (2007 Original Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B00000GBYU
Release Date: 1999-04-27

Tracks:

Once Upon The Natchez
Sudden The Day Looks Sunny
Two Heads
Steal With Style
Rosamund's Dream
The Pricklepear Bloom
Nothin' Up
Deeper In The Woods
Riches
Little Piece Of Sugar Cane
Love Stolen
Poor Tied Up Darlin'
Mean As A Snake
Sleepy Man
Where Oh Where Is My Baby Darlin'?/Pass Her Along/Wedding Ceremony/Finale
Company's Comin'
There's The Way The People Blend
Gallop To Your Treasure Thy Wife
Grab Your Mate And Skedaddle All
You Got You A Suckling Pig
Poor Little Baby Darlin'

Customer Reviews:

An excellent underknown musical.......2007-02-07

This show should be better known. I think it's just as good as "Big River" and in several ways much more complex. One of the few musicals that really combines country and folk and Broadway
effectively. It's a forgotten gem-- & cast all do a fine job too.

Be Forewarned.......2007-01-27

I was not prepared for how... um... redneck this production sounds. It makes BIG RIVER (a fave of mine) sound "citified." A LOT of WARBLING and drawling and vocal scooping. It's so thick, it actually distracts from the melody and music. But it sounds well-portrayed and energetic and funny. I just wasn't prepared for the kind of musical it is. No negatives intended.

"Sleepy Man" is a beautiful track, and if you love a clear soprano, it's a must-hear (try Emily Skinner's solo CD).

I write this review to steer those who may not like hillbilly country music in another direction.

BUY IT NOW.......2000-03-30

I have been looking for thisa for about 8 years on CD. My old 33 1/3 wore out and so did my cassette tape. I HAD TO HAVE THIS ON CD and it took calls all over the country as well as the internet and 8 years to find it... buy it now if you are interested it's a rarity.. By the way the samples are off by one so if you are not faliliar with this wonderful show don't get too confused just sit back and enjoy!

The Robber Bride Groom - Soundtrack Review -.......1999-11-27

The Robber Bride Groom is a wonderful production that has been one of the best kept secrets of Broadway. It's music is so lively and "foot stompin'" on CD that it makes you want to get up and square dance when you listen to it. Certainly you do not have to love country music to love these extraordinary musical pieces. "There's Nothin' Up", "Rosamund's Dream", and "Deeper In The Woods" are some of the most beautiful songs that you will ever hear. And "The Prickle Pear Bloom", "Two Heads", "Love Stolen", and "Goodbye Salome" are hilariously funny and entertaining. I would highly recommend this soundtrack to anyone!

an "unsung" musical hero.......1999-05-27

The Robber Bridegroom is one of a group of little known but wonderfully performable musicals. This recording, which features Barry Bostwick as the romantic hero of this bluegrass fantasy, gives you a little of the freewheeling flavor of the show. Written by the team that went on to give us Driving Miss Daisy, the story is based on a novella by Southern writer Eudora Welty. The bluegrass score is the foundation for this strange, funny, romantic love story, and the characters include a gentleman-by-day bandit-by-night hero, a wicked stepmother right out of a fairy tale, and a pair of bumbling villians, one of whom is a talking severed head! The songs are singable- listen to the lullaby Sleepy Man or the haunting Deeper in the Woods- the plot, hilarious. If you're a music theatre person, give this a try.

Follies in Concert (1985 Live Performance) + Stavisky Film Score

Average customer rating:

A Sondheim spectacular - Follies in Concert
GREAT PERFORMANCES!
A Good recording.
FOLLIES - the best recording ...so far
My Favorite Follies

Follies in Concert (1985 Live Performance) + Stavisky Film Score

Manufacturer: RCA Victor Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Follies (Highlights from the 1971 Original Broadway Cast)
Company - A Musical Comedy (1970 Original Broadway Cast)
Stephen Sondheim's Follies in Concert
Follies - The Complete Recording (1998 New Jersey Cast)
A Little Night Music (1973 Original Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B000002WB6
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Overture
Beautiful Girls
Don't Look At Me
Waiting For The Girls Upstairs
Rain On The Roof
Ah, Paree!
Broadway Baby
The Road You Didn't Take
In Buddy's Eyes
Who's That Woman
I'm Still Here
Too Many Mornings
The Right Girl
One More Kiss
Could I Leave You?
Loveland
You're Gonna Love Tomorrow/Love Will See Us Through

Tracks:

Buddy's Blues
Losing My Mind
The Story of Lucy and Jessie
Live, Laugh, Love
Finale: Waiting for the Girls Upstairs and Beautiful Girls (reprises)
Stavisky: Theme from "Stavisky"
Salon at the Claridge #1
Arlette by Day
Auto Show
Easy Life
Secret of Night
Erna
Distant Past
Arlette by Night
Airport at Biarritz
Trotsky at Saint-Palais
Montalvo at Biarritz
Operetta
Arlette and Stavisky
Recent Past
Salon at the Claridge #2
Suite at the Claridge
Old House
Goodbye Arlette
Hideout at Chamonix
Erna Remembered
The Future
Women and Death
Theme from "Stavisky"

Amazon.com

Since the original Broadway cast recording of Stephen Sondheim's Follies was a truncated affair that turned out to be both a disappointment and a disservice to a brilliant show with a brilliant cast, this 1985 concert performance from New York's Avery Fisher Hall set out to record the whole score, a set of pastiches of old songs and songwriters as performed by a cast of faded stars and the visions of their younger selves. The result was a star-studded roster backed by the New York Philharmonic led by Paul Gemignani, with principals Barbara Cook, Mandy Patinkin, Lee Remick, and George Hearn, supported by the likes of Carol Burnett, Liliane Montevecchi, and Liz Callaway. Even these stars can't quite match the original cast, and the results are somewhat uneven--from Cook's yearning "Losing My Mind" to Patinkin's you-love-it-or-you-hate-it schizophrenia in "Buddy's Blues." Other highlights include Elaine Stritch's wry "Broadway Baby," the two young couples' interplay in "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow/Love Will See Us Through," and the electrifying audience reactions to "Beautiful Girls" and "Who's That Woman?" (A documentary video was released, but unfortunately, it did not contain the complete show.) As a bonus, this two-CD set includes 45 minutes of instrumental music Sondheim composed for the 1974 French film Stavisky, including two melodies that had been cut from the original production of Follies. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

A Sondheim spectacular - Follies in Concert.......2007-03-14

I have very definite views on this - in other words, my word rules, ignore the others. Random thoughts - pay no attention to those who disparage Mandy Patinkin singing "Buddy's Blues." This is an album of brilliant pastiche songs, right? Patinkin is giving us the old vaudville, split week in Jersey, performance. Of course he's over the top! Outstanding. However - sorry, I love Barbara Cook, and it's a lovely rendition of "Losing My Mind," but no one, I repeat no one, does it like Dorothy Collins from the original cast. Dorothy Collins, the Hit Parade lady? Come on! Well, OK, I don't know how she did it, what she pulled up from inside herself, but it tears your heart out. The song belongs to her. "Beautiful Girls" is ... well, if you're a woman (or not!) I dare you to listen to this and not get up and pretend you're strutting down an imaginary runway (particularly if your kids are in diapers and you haven't been out of the house for 82 weeks and my husband better start helping out or I'll GO MAD)... Sorry,got carried away there. I could go on and on (remember, it's been 82 weeks), but those are just three highlights ... oh, and the overture, oh, and "Waiting for the Girls Upstairs" and heartbreaking George Hearn and absolutely terrific Lee Remick and of course, Elaine Strich!! and you've got to get this so we'll enjoy it over and over together, vicariously, and I better stop now, it's almost spring, maybe I'll get out. A girl can hope.

GREAT PERFORMANCES!.......2006-11-21

A WONDERFUL RECORDING OF "FOLLIES" WITH A LOT OF BRILLIANT PERFORMANCES
BY THE STARS ON STAGE. A "MUST" FOR ANYONE WHO CARES FOR THIS GREAT MUSICAL.

A Good recording........2004-06-23

The original is my perferred version, even though it is very watered down. Here, all the songs are complete, but it comes out uneven somehow. The really great performers here are Carol Burnett and Barbra Cook. They really shine. The rest do mediocre performances. Out of the rest, Lee Remick, and Elaine Strich do a great job. Buy this you want the "complete" version and four stellar performances, but the original is the one to get performance wise.

FOLLIES - the best recording ...so far.......2004-02-04

If any one album makes a case for FOLLIES is is this set of FOLLIES IN CONCERT. It is not the definitive FOLLIES, but about as close as we're likely to get. The sound is very VERY good, especially for a live recording, but as such there is quite a bit of applause on this disc.

Producer Thomas Shephard originally taped the dress rehearsal so he would have quiet endings for all the numbers but when the audience nearly tore the roof off Avery Fisher Hall, he decided that eliminating applause would negate the event that led to the album. So, he comprmised and used applause after the "follies" numbers but not after plot songs. If you didn't know this you might wonder why "Beautiful Gilrs' gets such a huge hand and the next song "don't Look at me" seems to be met with stoney silence.

The cast is sensational. Perhaps not in the same league as the originals but a fine "revival" cast. Lee Remick and Barbara Cook are ideal as leading ladies Phyllis and Sally and its a joy to hear Cook's glorious voice in "Losing My Mind." Mandy Patinkin effectively uses his energy to put a new spin on "Buddy's Blues. " I know some object to his over-the-top style but it was effective on stage. Elaine Stritch has fun singing "Broadway Baby" and Carol Burnet makes the most of "I'm Still Here." Really, there isn't one bad track in the whole package.

Completists may quibble with the slight cuts here and there..the last bit of the Overture (including a segment of "Can That Boy Foxtrot") has been cut, as has "Bolero D'amour." The original montage ending of "Rain on the Roof/Ahh Paris/Broadway Baby" was dumped, and the spoken interludes in "Loveland" have been re-arranged. NONE of this will impair your enjoyment of this wonderful show.

As a bonus RCA has filled out the second CD with the soundtrack of Sondheim's score for STAVISKY. Many cut songs from FOLLIES were used in this film score, so its a natural tie-in.

The booklet has all the lyrics but no synopsis to place the songs within the context of the story. It is a minor flaw in an otherwise first rate package.

My Favorite Follies.......2003-12-24

This is, in my opinion, the best recording of Follies you can buy. The quality of the recording isn't the best for reasons of staging and the lack of wireless mics back then, but who cares? Take a look at the list of famous singers in this cast. A big plus of this recording is the complete overature that wasn't on original. Barbra Cook is absolutely wonderful. Her voice doesn't age! I like the fact that they raised the key of a few of Sally's songs for Barbra since Sally is supposed to be the soprano of the two female leads anyway. Babra sings every single song with feeling and vocal perfection. I feel that her rendition of Losing My Mind is the definitive version of that song. Her final, "you said you loved me," is gorgeous and really shows the pain that Sally is feeling in her dramatically perfect interpreation of the song.

Lee Remick is wonderful as Phyllis. She has the icy beauty that really makes her song, Story of Lucy and Jessie really make sense. Her version of Could I Leave You? Is great! She is just really great.

George Hearn is absolutely wonderful! He sings every song like a god and it's nice to hear him sing something other then Sweeney Todd, which he tended to scream a lot in. I adore his voice and think he is perfect for the character of Ben.

Mandy Patinkin is so annoying. He emphasizes things that aren't supposed to be emphasized and he's just ridiculous in all of his songs. His voice isn't the problem, it's his high voltage, uneccasary dramtization that turns me off.

Tracks:

Bring Back Romance: Music - Ann Hampton Callaway
Billy Stritch: Come Rain Or Come Shine/As Long As I Live - Billy Stritch
Live From Rainbow & Stars: Errol Flynn - Amanda McBroom
Then And Now: Moonlight In Vermont - Margaret Whiting
Jay Leonhardt With His Friends: Let The Flower Grow - Jay Leonhart
Romantic Ellington: Lush Life - Carol Sloane
Back In Business: Let's Misbehave - Eartha Kitt
Broadway Baby: Pack Up Your Sins And Go To The Devil - Dorothy Loudon
A Leap Of Faith: The Boy From... - Faith Prince
Time Between The Time: Home - Laurie Beechman
Sibling Revelry: Our Time - Ann Hampton Callaway/Liz Callaway
Stritch: If - Elaine Stritch
Music Is Forever: Twisted - Annie Ross
My Impetuous Heart: Love Won't Let You Get Away - Marlene Ver Planck
Crazy World: Crazy World - KT Sullivan
The Champion Season: I Got Lost In His Arms/Time Heals Everything - Barbara Cook
The Stephen Sondheim Songbook: I'm Still Here - Julie Wilson
Karen Akers Live: How Do You Say Auf Wiedersehen? - Karen Akers
Portia Nelson: This Life (Her Songs And Her Friends): As I Remember Him - Nancy LaMott
Let Me Love You: Let Me Love You - Portia Nelson

Customer Reviews:

Recommended.......2002-09-13

Lots of fun, and even though it's mostly live recordings the recording quality is quite good. A wonderful "first CD" for the fledgling cabaret enthusiast.

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