Opening Doors

Editorial Reviews
Salt Lake Tribune
"He is a real talent. Every word and inflection meant something..."

Omaha World Herald
"LaBrecque...has the kind of theatrical sense that is so important to Broadway songs..."

Album Description
A Broadway star sings hits songs from Broadway shows! Doug LaBrecque is a tenor with a clarity of voice that’s easy on the ear. LaBrecque is a favorite with audiences of symphonic concerts across the country. He has thrilled theatre audiences as The Phantom and Raoul in the Harold Prince production of The Phantom of the Opera. In addition, LaBrecque has starred on Broadway in Showboat, Oscar Hammerstein’s 100th Birthday Celebration and Les Miserables. Regionally, he has performed leading roles in Candide, A Chorus Line, Man of La Mancha and many more.

Backed by a full symphonic orchestra he is joined by special guests Christiane Noll and Jan Hovarth.

Opening Doors

Tracks:

The Opening Of Doors
The 1000 Mile Stare
Bahia, Nebraska
A Happy Home In Kathmandu
Murray's Song
A Movie Of A Placid Lake On A Moonless Night In...
Last Dance
Santos And The Well-Traveled Bear
Silver Gate
The Inexorable Drift Of Tectonic Plates
A Movie Of A Placid Lake On A Moonless...(Reprise)

Customer Reviews:

This is my favorite Will Ackerman.......2006-11-20

I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder. This was my first Will Ackerman album and it remains my favorite. I like the electric guitar and all of the other instruments that accompany his playing on this one.

Falls a bit short..........2005-09-18

I've been hesitant to review this album because it is probably Ackerman's weakest. It came at time when there were a lot of things wrong in Ackerman's business and personal life, and it's only natural that some of this filtered into his music. Even so this is hardly a bad album, and some of the work is superb. Listen to the title track, for instance, which is a beautiful concoction for guitar, Paul McCandless on oboe, and friends.

The casting for this album is outstanding. In addition to McCandless, Michael Manring plays bass, Buckethead is on electric guitar, Phillip Aaberg and Tim Story on keyboards. The 1000 Mile Stare and Bahia, Nebraska are examples of Manring's skill as well as Michael Spiro's percussion work.

Another Ackerman/McCandless cut is A Happy Home in Katmandu. Over the whole album, Ackerman only seems to come close to his best in concert with McCandless. I'm not sure if this is chemistry or just an excellent recording session, but this is the work that makes the album worth buying. That and a nicely done solo piece like Murray's song.

With this album out of the way, Ackerman stopped recording for some seven years, at the end of which he issued The Sound of Driven Rain, a much stronger album. Since there is work on The Opening of Dorrs that foreshadow the future of Ackerman's work, you will very likely want to own this. But if you are starting out, almost any other Ackerman album will give you a better sense of what this musician is about.

Inferior Ackerman.......2003-05-03

The music fan from Ithaca's got it right. I've got all but the first and most recent of Ackerman's cds, and this is the weakest of the lot (8 cds). Somewhat surprising, perhaps, since it comes on the heels of Imaginary Roads and Conferring with the Moon, and followed by The Sound of Wind Driven Rain- all outstanding. On this cd, it seems that Ackerman tried to experiment with adding electric guitars on some tracks- which I found unlistenable (a word which rarely applies to his entire output). Also, even some of the quiet, solo guitar tracks seem uninspired when compared to those on, say, The Sound of Wind Driven Rain. Consider often overlooked releases such as 'Passage' (1981)(his last of the early works based in folk guitar, though I like 'Childhood and Memory' even more), or 'Past Light' ('83)(his first of the 'new age' sound- Imaginary Roads and Conferring w/the Moon are his two major releases during this phase, and sound very similar). Finally, I consider 'The Sound of Wind Driven Rain' to be a sort of return to his early solo acoustic guitar recordings. All of this to say that this is, in my opinion, 'for completists only.'

A bloody masterpiece!.......2002-05-07

I got this CD for one simple reason, Buckethead. I am a completionist and this CD was going to probably lay on my shelf as another strange side product, thankfully I decided to give it a thorough listen... the guitar is amazing (especially the acoustic, alot like Bucket's stuff on Colma) which is provided mainly by Ackerman himself, with Buckethead occasionaly sliding casually sliding into the background with ambient electric funk guitar. This CD is a new-age masterpiece, the soothing melodies covered with hauntingly fading acoustic guitar ebbing in and out like the tides of a mental wave... If you liked Colma buy this CD, if you like Octave of The Holy Innocents BUY this CD NOW! A wonderful experiece from one moment to the next this CD will leave you with a profound feeling of simple complete contedness! BUCKETHEAD FOREVER!!

The cracks begin to show.......2001-11-14

The formula begins to get a bit weak here. One can almost hear why, after making this recording, Ackerman sold his brainchild Windham Hill Records and disappeared for seven years. In that time he started his own small label again, Imaginary Road, set up a home studio and eventually returned with 1998's "Sound of Wind Driven Rain" (which is excellent).
Ackerman sounds like he's going through the motions here. He collaborates with the synthesizers of Tim Story on many of the tracks, and Story's sounds are a bit too light and "new-agey" for Ackerman's realistic music. The collaboration with an electric guitarist on "Movie of a Placid Night" is also a little off-putting. That said, there are some songs that work on this record. "Silver Gate" and especially "The Opening of Doors" are really beautiful. There is also an interesting re-recording of "Murray's Song," which originally appeared on 1979's "Childhood and Memory."
This is not the best place to start in order to discover William Ackerman; for that, pick up "Conferring with the Moon," "Childhood and Memory," or "Sound of Wind Driven Rain." But the album is worth hearing for Ackerman fanatics and completists.

Average customer rating:

A great cd.

Opening Doors
Doug LaBrecque
Manufacturer: Jay Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Defying Gravity
Company (2006 Broadway Revival Cast)

ASIN: B0007XBLZI
Release Date: 2005-04-12

Tracks:

Something's Coming (West Side Story)
Begin the Beguine (Jublilee)
Why Do I Love You? (Show Boat) with Christiane Noll
Music of the Night (The Phantom of the Opera)
I Talk to the Trees (Paint Your Wagon)
Too Many Tomorrows (Sweet Charity)
Almost Like Being in Love (Brigadoon) with Jan Horvath
Her Face (Carnival)
Mr. Cellophane (Chicago)
Over the Rainbow (The Wizard of Oz)
Luck Be a Lady (Guys and Dolls) with men
Empty Chairs at Empty Tables (Les Miserables)
The Phantom of the Opera (The Phantom of the Opera) with Christiane Noll
The Prayer (Quest for Camelot)

Album Description

A Broadway star sings hits songs from Broadway shows! Doug LaBrecque is a tenor with a clarity of voice that's easy on the ear. LaBrecque is a favorite with audiences of symphonic concerts across the country. He has thrilled theatre audiences as The Phantom and Raoul in the Harold Prince production of The Phantom of the Opera. In addition, LaBrecque has starred on Broadway in Showboat, Oscar Hammerstein's 100th Birthday Celebration and Les Miserables. Regionally, he has performed leading roles in Candide, A Chorus Line, Man of La Mancha and many more.

Backed by a full symphonic orchestra he is joined by special guests Christiane Noll and Jan Hovarth.

Customer Reviews:

A great cd........2005-04-18

I discovered Doug when I bought the Bravo Broadway series and was delighted with his rendition of Music of the Night. So when his first solo cd came out the other day I bought it and it was very good. He makes each song his and adds realiasm to all of the tracks. Before the cd came out I was not sure about songs like Mr. Cellophane, but he pulled them off well. The only problem I had with the cd was Christiane Noll. Don't get me wrong I love her voice and was excited to hear her sing the title song of Phantom of the Opera, but she fell a little short. Her voice is just not suited for that song. But this cd still deserves 5 stars for LaBrecque's stellar performance.

Merrily We Roll Along (1993 Leicester Cast)

Average customer rating:

How does the revised MERRILY compare with the original?
The most comprehensive recording
This is the recording of MERRILY to purchase!
The Definitive "Merrily"
Best interpretation of the show and score

Merrily We Roll Along (1993 Leicester Cast)

Manufacturer: Jay Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Musical Theater | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Company (2006 Broadway Revival Cast)
Spring Awakening (2006 Original Broadway Cast)
Merrily We Roll Along (1981 Original Broadway Cast)
Grey Gardens - A New Musical (2006 Original Broadway Cast)
Curtains (2007 Original Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B000005BGV
Release Date: 1997-03-11

Tracks:

Overture
The Hills of Tomorrow Merrily
Merrily (1979-75) Old Friends Like It Was
Merrily (1974-73) Franklin Shepard, Inc.
Old Friends
Not A Day Goes By
Now You Know
It's A Hit!
Merrily (1964-62) Good Thing Going
Merrily (1961-60); Bobby and Jackie and Jack
Not A Day Goes By
Opening Doors
Our Time
The Hills

Customer Reviews:

How does the revised MERRILY compare with the original?.......2005-04-10

The most comprehensive recording.......2002-09-19

I've never seen the show, which has had a mixed history (initially a flop, recently much more successful), so I can only rate the music, which is just fabulous. The score features everything from sophiticated ballads -- Not A Day Goes By -- to lovely pop tunes such as Our Time. Sondheim's trademark lyrical cleverness is ever present. At one point he has the characters perform a political comedy song in 1960, so Sondheim had to write a piece using sophisticated 1960 political humor. I doubt anyone at the time did it half as well.

Note that this is a double CD, and I think it is the only one available. In many cases this means that the recording has two versions of certain songs if they are sung twice in the show. I thought this a big plus because the songs are sung at different times in the show and given different interpretations. Indeed, because the show it told chronologically backwards, you see how Sondheim gives you what is really a reprise before the song is initially sung. On the other recordings of this show they have only one version and you miss this whole layer of Sondheim.

The cast is great. The orchestra is great. All in all, just great Sondheim.

This is the recording of MERRILY to purchase!.......2002-06-08

MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG was one of Sondheim's biggest flops when it first opened on Broadway in 1981. It suffered from a variety of problems, probably the biggest being that the fascinating concept of the show - relating a story in reverse chronological order - led to a host of difficulties that required more time to solve than the tryout period allowed. Over the next dozen years, Sondheim and book-writer George Furth (along with assistance from a new director, James Lapine), modified the show. The show is drastically improved by the revisions.

While Sondheim and Furth have made a few minor revisions since the Leicester Haymarket production (mostly in shortening a few rhythms in the transitions, changing some introductory dialogue, and axing some dialogue in "It's a Hit!"), the Leicester recording is far superior to the recording of the final version of the show produced by Varese Sarabande.

CHANGES FROM THE ORIGINAL BROADWAY PRODUCTION:
Some neat concepts from the original production have been left by the wayside to improve the overall structure. Gone is the opening scene at the 1980 Lake Forest Academy graduation ceremony and the accompanying "The Hills of Tomorrow." The title song is now presented as a prologue so that the audience can concentrate on the lyrics' message. The music of the 1979 (now 1976) scene has been heavily revised (including a new melody called "That Frank") to integrate more plot into the lyrics. The 1975 scene has been eliminated, although Mary's music survives intact as the first part of an expanded 1973 scene. A great new song, "Growing Up," Frank's rationalizations for changing his goals and values, has been added to the 1968 scene. Beth now sings "Not a Day Goes By" in the 1966 (now 1967) scene instead of Frank. Lyrics have been revised in "Now You Know" to be about encouraging Frank to take a vacation, not to go back to work.

Act II has required less modifications. Gussie opens the act by singing a brassy rendition of the beginning of "Good Thing Going" as her eleven-o'clock number in Frank and Charley's 1964 show. "It's a Hit!" has been shortened a bit, but Beth is now included in the backstage celebration. The 1962 scene includes a song about the New York elite, "The Blob," which had been cut from the original production, plus a reprise of "Growing Up." The scenes from 1960-1957 remain relatively unchanged, although Beth sings lead in the reprise of "Not a Day Goes By." The show now ends with "Our Time," since the 1955 graduation scene has been eliminated.

THE RECORDING:
Of the three recordings I know of this show, this is by far the best. Michael Cantwell (who I truly thought I would hate after hearing him in STARTING HERE, STARTING NOW) is a great Frank, both as a successful Hollywood executive and as an idealistic music student. Maria Friedman is almost perfect as Mary, with gravelly singing as an alcoholic in Act I and a youthful exuberance in the "Our Time" dialogue. Evan Pappas has the dramatic range to play Charley, and his enunciation in the difficult "Franklin Shepard, Inc." is admirable. Louise Gold brings the proper degrees of brassiness and insincerity to Gussie, one of musical theater's greatest "dragon lady" roles. (Jason Alexander in the original 1981 cast recording is the best Joe, and Anne Bobby in the 1994 Varese Sarabande recording is the best Beth.) The actors are young enough to convey the youthful ideals of the second act (and hit the high notes) but old enough to convincingly portray 30- and 40-somethings in the first act. The inclusion of key dialogue helps the listener put the songs into their proper context.

The Definitive "Merrily".......2001-11-20

Having listened extensively to all recordings of "Merrily We Roll Along," I say with confidence that this is by far the best, most complete recording.

The performances are all wonderful. I enjoy Maria Friedman's work on here most of all. I can clearly hear her transformation from a depressed drunkard back to a hopeful youth through the recording. Her expressive voice and striking acting choices always make her a joy to even listen to.

This CD has the best orchestrations I have heard. The underscore to "Franklin Shepherd Inc" has finally been cleaned up to the point where it sounds like an actual song, and the overall feel of the show has a real edge.

The tempos are up and the performers sound like they don't have guns being held to their heads in the recording studio. The performances a lucid and dynamic. The overall feel of the show, for the first time, has a smooth and consistent feel just from listening to the recording.

This may not be my favorite piece of Sondheim, but it is his brassiest score. This quality, lost in the off-broadway recording, is really restored here.

This CD is personal treasure and a must for Sondheim fanatics. However, this recording is by far the most accesible recording of this most difficult show.

Best interpretation of the show and score.......2000-07-21

This recording only helps to prove that Maria Friedman is the no. 1 British interpreter (if not the no. 1 international interpreter of all-time) of the music of Stephen Sondheim. Her comic timing is immpeccible, and she is larger than life in her singing (especially in "Now You Know"). Louise Gold has an Ethel Merman-y quality to her voice, and this is a great new reading of the character of Guessie (she is, after all, a Broadway head-liner), as opposed to the purring sex-kitten of all of the other Guessies out there. And her rage in the dialgoue excerpt on the first disc is clear. This woman is one heavy-duty actress. We see that Guessie isn't really the only one out of the main characters to become bitter and disilliusioned, as many people make the mistake of believing. Jacqueline Dankworth does not just sing the heart-wrenching "Not a Day Goes By," she acts it. And she acts and sings the hell out of it. She has definately inherited her mother's talent (but is decidedly different in her performance style). As you can see, all of the women on this recording are effervescent, and the men rise up to the challenge (particularly the Joe Josephson of Gareth Snook and the Charlie of Evan Pappas). And there is Frank, menacing as always. This CD is the best out there, with a large amount of dialogue, and all of the score. Here is the definitive, no-questions-asked, no-holds-barred version of MERILLY WE ROLL ALONG on CD. Buy it today!

Opening the Doors: The Blues Tribute to the Doors

Average customer rating:

Into their blues

Opening the Doors: The Blues Tribute to the Doors
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Cmh Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Blues | Styles | Music

General | Compilations | Blues | Styles | Music

Blues Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Blues | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Opening Doors: A Jazz Tribute To The Doors
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ASIN: B000059RWS
Release Date: 2001-03-27

Tracks:

Moonlight Drive - Richard Hardy
Roadhouse Blues
Love Her Madly
Love Me Two Times - Richard Hardy
When The Music's Over
L.A. Woman
Hello, I Love You
Twentieth Century Fox
Break On Through
Soul Kitchen
Light My Fire
Alabama Song

Product Description

1. Moonlight Drive
2. Roadhouse Blues
3. Love Her Madly
4. Love Me Two Times
5. When The Music s Over
6. L.A. Woman
7. Hello, I Love You
8. Twentieth Century Fox
9. Break On Through
10. Soul Kitchen
11. Light My Fire
12. Alabama Song

Format: CD

Customer Reviews:

Into their blues.......2002-07-20

Notwithstanding all those eerie organ sounds and high-pitched guitar twangs, the Doors were most of all a blues-based group. Indeed, their unique sound is often labeled "psychedelic blues." In this blues tribute, covering an appropriate selection of the group's classic songs, there are no vocals, just a multi-instrument workout, with a separate bass player and much more. As on the original, a harmonica pumps prominently in "Roadhouse Blues," one of the best cuts, but it also dishes out the motif on "Break on Through." On "Alabama Song," it is a mandolin that communicates the Brechtian decadence. The songs in which sax or trumpet ("Love Me Two Times" has both) are employed have a jazzy as well as bluesy feel. The trumpet is often slow with a sexy texture, as on "L.A. Woman." However, the slowest cover of all, and the best, is "Love Her Madly," with its jazzy, soulful sax. By contrast, the sax work is livelier on "Moonlight Drive," which also contains a fine guitar solo. There are not that many outstanding moments on this CD, but each song is easy listening, fitting of covers of one of rock's most listenable groups.