Sing Broadway [Cast Recording]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Parents who make a point of working the Great White Way into their kids' cultural repertoire are bound to give The Broadway Kids Sing Broadway, the first release by the troupe of minors with major-league singing voices, more than a few encore spins. Here, the ever-expanding circle of 8- to 17-year-old musical-theater veterans belt their way through a medley of classics in their preternaturally big, sweet voices; represented are tunes from Annie, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Les Misérables, Oliver!, Peter Pan, The Sound of Music, The Music Man, The King and I, and a handful of others. It's far more than an introductory course to the sounds of the stage. Through its clear-voiced interpreters and thoughtful liner notes detailing each number's origin and pertinent story line, Sing Broadway tells the tales that percolate in kids' minds, helping to shape later perspectives (exasperated parents may be predisposed to hitting the Repeat button on "Tomorrow"--with its melodious "only a day away" message--around birthdays and Christmas). Beyond the Broadway connection, lots of these songs are first-rate fodder for fanciful imaginations. "Why Am I Me?" from Shenandoah will really set the gears of a 10-year-old's mind spinning, as will "I Won't Grow Up" from Peter Pan. Guest Petula Clark works her vocal magic on "Getting to Know You" from The King and I. --Tammy La Gorce --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Sing Broadway, Music, The Broadway Kids & Kathie Lee Gifford, Childrens, Karaoke, Pop, Show Tunes, Showtunes / B'way

Sing The Songs of Wicked
Average customer rating:

great for groups, but not solos

Amazingly realistic!

I LOVE WICKED!!!!

simply amazing

This is not a Karaoke CD

Sing The Songs of Wicked
Broadway Karaoke
Manufacturer: Pocket Songs
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Wicked - Piano/Vocal Arrangement

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Rent

ASIN: B000BGQRUU
Release Date: 2005-09-08

Tracks:

The One Mourns The Wicked
Dear Old Shiz
The Wizard And I
What Is This Feeling?
Something Bad
Dancing Through Life
Popular
I'm Not That Girl
One Short Day
Sentimental Man
Defying Gravity
Thank Goodness
Wonderful
I'm Not That Girl (Reprise)
As Long As You're Mine
No Good Deed
For Good

Product Description

Customer Reviews:

great for groups, but not solos.......2007-06-17

as you know, in wicked there are hardly any solo numbers and the ones like "the wizard and i" or "defying gravity" which are mainly solos and could be modified as solos have that extra music on the cd. it is a great cd if you love musical theater and karaoke, it's just not good for auditions or performances if you are looking to do a modified solo. i reccommend getting it, the music is fantastic and it helps me learn the piano parts for the songs. almost all the songs from the show are on the karaoke cd.

Amazingly realistic!.......2007-01-04

I am a singer and therefore wanted to preform some of the songs of wicked, i made one terrible mistake of buying the stage stars versoin first because i liked the cover better, but there is no comparison, these are MUCH better, The orchestrations are almost exactly like the ones on the cast recording and sound very realistic (althought they are synthesized). The only obviously synthesized instrument is the trumpet (both open and muted). It takes a lot of talent to keep up with the acconpaniment because 95% of the time there is no instrument playing the vocal line. The tracks include all of the instrumental interludes and underscoring that are on the cast recording,and are in the same tempo and key. I highly reccomend listening to samples of the tracks online so you can hear for yourseld how great it sounds.

I LOVE WICKED!!!!.......2007-01-02

Ok, i dont really know about this CD but i do know about wicked and i you love to sing this is a great and FABULOUS CD!!!!!!!!!! I love wicked and im in a pageant every year and i want to sing in the talent competition, you have to have the song alone with no words and cut up to 2 minutes i can do that but i have the karoke version but how do take the front part off?? anyway my point is you should buy this!

simply amazing.......2006-12-24

wicked is the best play ever. i've seen it twice and it was breathtaking both times.i'm glad i can get karaoke version so i can sing ''Popular'' at my winter talent show for school.

This is not a Karaoke CD.......2006-11-10

In my opinion, this is a plain accompaniment track CD, not a karaoke CD. It is not recorded in the CD+G format used with a karaoke CD - it does not have the words on screen. I was very disappointed. However, it is a high quality recording.

Les Miserables (Highlights from the 1987 Original Broadway Cast)

Average customer rating:

BEST OPERA MUSIC EVER
Time well spent.
Great Score, But Highlights Missing Critical Songs
Buy the full version, please
Argh Matey!

Les Miserables (Highlights from the 1987 Original Broadway Cast)
Alain Boublil , Claude-Michel Schonberg , and Colm Wilkinson
Manufacturer: Decca U.S.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Very Best Of Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Broadway Collection

ASIN: B000084TRM
Release Date: 2003-01-28

Tracks:

Overture/Work Song
I Dreamed a Dream
Who Am I?
Castle on a Cloud
Master of the House
Stars
Do You Hear the People Sing?
A Heart Full of Love
One Day More
On My Own
A Little Fall of Rain
Drink with Me
Bring Him Home
Javert's Suicide
Empty Chairs at Empty Tables
Wedding Chorale/Beggars at the Feast
Finale

Amazon.com

While not overly generous at 55 minutes, the highlights album of the 1987 original Broadway cast recording of Les Miserables is intelligently selected and likely to prove satisfying to most fans. It includes the best-loved numbers of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg's score, beautiful ballads ("Bring Him Home," "I Dreamed a Dream") and rousing anthems ("One Day More," "Do You Hear the People Sing?") alike, but eliminates some choral numbers ("Lovely Ladies"), redundancies ("Red and Black"), and connective tissue that propels the plot along ("Valjean Arrested," "Come to Me (Fantine's Death)"). Sure, a more perfect selection could have lasted longer than half of the two-disc set's 104 minutes by adding "At the End of the Day" and "In My Life," among others, but it's still a good representation on a convenient single disc. Of course, those who always want to re-create the theatrical experience will never be satisfied with a highlights album.

Re-creating their roles from the London production, Colm Wilkinson plays the heroic Valjean and Frances Ruffelle is the despondent Eponine. Randy Graff (Fantine), Terrence Mann (Javert), David Bryant (Marius), Judy Kuhn (Cosette), Michael Maguire (Enjolras), and Leo Burmester and Jennifer Butt (the Thénardiers) fill out the cast. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

BEST OPERA MUSIC EVER.......2006-11-03

This is the BEST!! I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes this kind of music!

Time well spent........2005-09-14

Each member of the Les Miserables cast stands to deliver this musical to its audience. Within moments we are transported to France during their Restoration. We experience sadness, laughter and, indeed, want to join in their crusade. The music and deliverance, in my opinion, is excellent.

Great Score, But Highlights Missing Critical Songs.......2005-08-05

Composers Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg's score for "Les Miserables" is simply brilliant and the spectacular Broadway cast, led by Colm Wilkinson, Randy Graff, Terrence Mann, and Frances Ruffelle, help bring this incredible music to life!

While I normally enjoy "highlight" cds, this one clocks in at a mere 55 minutes and could have easily included a couple of additional tunes (thus losing one star). Most notably missing: "At The End Of The Day", "Come To Me", "Red And Black", and "In My Life". The show's most memorable songs, however, are included.

Best tracks:

I Dreamed A Dream
Master Of The House
Stars
Do You Hear The People Sing
On My Own
A Little Fall Of Rain
Bring Him Home
Empty Chairs At Empty Tables

Great cast, great score ... even a good buy. But I would suggest the full double-disc score instead.

Buy the full version, please.......2005-01-20

Highlights are never worth it. You will never get the little in-between songs which make a show complete, montages will be cut together badly instead of being full songs as they should be...so much is left out. This is a fantastic show and deserves to be heard in full.

Argh Matey!.......2004-11-22

"Highlights" albums are not the full show, blah blah blah... THIS TAKES UP ONLY ONE SPACE IN YOUR CD RACK INSTEAD OF TWO LIKE THE FULL RECORDING. I rest my case.

Broadway - The American Musical (PBS Series)

Average customer rating:

Fabulous for any Broadway-lover
Top Shelf
TERRIFIC CD'S
Great Collection of Broadways greatest Songs
Great Compilation!

Broadway - The American Musical (PBS Series)

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00064ADMK
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Tracks:

Give My Regards To Broadway- Joel Grey
Swanee- Al Jolson
When The Moon Shines On The Moonshine- Bert Williams
A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody- John Steel
My Man- Fanny Brice
Fascinating Rhythm- Fred Astaire, Adele Astaire
If You Knew Susie (Like I Know Susie)- 78rpm Version Eddie Cantor
Someone To Watch Over Me- Gertrude Lawrence
Bill- 78 rpm Version Helen Morgan
Ol' Man River- Paul Robeson
Ain't Misbehavin'- Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra
Ten Cents A Dance- Ruth Etting
Body And Soul- Libby Holman
Brother, Can You Spare A Dime- Bing Crosby
Night And Day- Fred Astaire
Heat Wave- Ethel Waters
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes- Tamara
You're The Top- Ethel Merman
Summertime- Anne Brown
September Song- Walter Huston
My Heart Belongs To Daddy- Mary Martin
It Never Entered My Mind- Shirley Ross
Bewitched, Bothered, Bewildered- Vivienne Segal
Oh, How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning- Irving Berlin
Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'- Alfred Drake

Tracks:

New York, New York- Cris Alexander,Adolph Green,John Reardon
If I Loved You- John Raitt,Jan Clayton
Come Rain Or Come Shine- Ruby Hill,Harold Nicholas
There's No Business Like Show Business- Ensemble
How Are Things In Glocca Morra? From "Finian's Rainbow"- Ella Logan
Once In Love With Amy- Ray Bolger
Wunderbar- Alfred Drake,Patricia Morison
Some Enchanted Evening- Ezio Pinza
Lost In The Stars- Todd Duncan
Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend- Carol Channing
Luck Be A Lady- Robert Alda,Guys
Getting To Know You- Gertrude Lawrence
Who Cares?- Jack Carson,Betty Oakes
Stranger In Paradise- from " Kismet" Doretta Morrow,Richard Kiley
Ballad Of Mack The Knife- Gerald Price
Hey There- from "The Pajama Game" John Raitt
Whatever Lola Wants- Gwen Verdon
I Could Have Danced All Night- Julie Andrews
Standing On The Corner- from "The Most Happy Fella, 1956" Shorty Long,John Henson,Alan Gilbert
The Party's Over- Judy Holliday
Glitter And Be Gay- Barbara Cook
Tonight- Larry Kert, Carol Lawrence

Tracks:

Seventy-Six Trombones- Robert Preston
I Enjoy Being A Girl- from "Flower Drum Song, 1958" Pat Suzuki
Everything's Coming Up Roses- Ethel Merman
My Favorite Things- from "The Sound Of Music" Mary Martin
Put On A Happy Face- from "Bye Bye Birdie" Dick Van Dyke
Try To Remember- Jerry Orbach
Camelot- from "Camelot" Richard Burton
Love Makes The World Go 'Round- Anna Maria Alberghetti
I Believe In You- Robert Morse And Co.
The Sweetest Sounds- Diahann Carroll,Richard Kiley
Comedy Tonight- Zero Mostel
What Kind Of Fool Am I?- Anthony Newley
As Long As He Needs Me- Georgia Brown
Hello, Dolly!- Carol Channing,Cast
People- Barbra Streisand
Anyone Can Whistle- from "Anyone Can Whistle" Lee Remick
If I Were A Rich Man- Zero Mostel
Night Song- Sammy Davis, Jr.
The Impossible Dream- Richard Kiley
If My Friends Could See Me Now- Gwen Verdon
Open a New Window- from Mame Voice

Tracks:

Willkommen- from "Cabaret" Joel Grey
Let The Sunshine In- James Rado,Lynn Kellogg,Melba Moore,Cast
I'll Never Fall In Love Again- Jill O'Hara,Jerry Orbach
The Ladies Who Lunch- from "Company" Elaine Stritch
Tea For Two- Roger Rathburn,Susan Watson
I'm Still Here- Yvonne De Carlo
I Don't Know How To Love Him- Yvonne Elliman
We Go Together- Adrienne Barbeau,Barry Bostwick,Walter Bobbie,Cast
Corner Of The Sky- John Rubinstein
Send In The Clowns- Glynis Johns
Ease On Down The Road- Stephanie Mills,Tiger Haynes,Ted Ross,Hinton
One- from "A Chorus Line" Cast
All That Jazz- Chita Rivera,Ensemble
Tomorrow- Andrea Mcardle
Don't Cry For Me Argentina- Patti Lupone
Come Follow The Band
Lullaby Of Broadway- Jerry Orbach
And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going- Jennifer Holliday
The Bells Of St. Sebastian- Raul Julia

Tracks:

Memory- Betty Buckley
I Am What I Am- George Hearn
Move On- Bernadette Peters,Mandy Patinkin
Do You Hear The People Sing?- Michael Maguire,Cast
The Music Of The Night- Michael Crawford
You're Nothing Without Me- James Naughton,Gregg Edelman
The American Dream- Jonathan Pryce,Cast
Doctor Jazz- Gregory Hines,Company
With One Look- Glenn Close
On Broadway- Adrian Bailey,Frederick B. Owens,Ken Ard,Victor Trent Cook
Le Jazz Hot- Julie Andrews,Ensemble
Seasons Of Love-
Hakuna Matata- Max Casella,Tom Alan Robbins,Scott Irby-Ranniar,Jason Raize
I Wanna Be A Producer- Matthew Broderick,Ensemble
Dancing Queen- Louise Plowright,Jenny Galloway
Good Morning Baltimore- Marissa Jaret Winokur
Movin' Out- Michael Cavanaugh,Band
I Go To Rio- Hugh Jackman,Company
Defying Gravity- Kristin Chenoweth,Idina Menzel

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous for any Broadway-lover.......2007-01-30

Packs into 5 CD's a sampling of Broadway tunes from the 20's thru (almost) today, mostly from original cast recordings. Includes not just well-known hits, but also some lesser-known gems. Sound quality is first rate, booklet is informative too. Have given this as a gift to several friends with rave reviews.

Top Shelf.......2007-01-04

This is THE definitive collection of Broadway hits. I have other collections, and none of them measure up. A great deal of care was obviously taken in compiling and presenting this box set. It covers a lot of ground, starting with some long-forgotten but still very enjoyable hits from the days of yore, and finishing with present-day favorites. To the best of my knowledge, the recordings are by those who made them famous. You won't be disappointed.

TERRIFIC CD'S.......2006-03-23

THESE BROADWAY MUSICALS CD'S ARE A BROADWAY LOVERS DREAM. WITH EACH SONG, MEMORIES COME FLOODING BACK. BOTH THE FAMILIAR AND THE FORGOTTEN SONGS ARE A TRUE LISTENING PLEASURE. IF YOU LIKE BROADWAY, YOU'LL LOVE THIS SET.

Great Collection of Broadways greatest Songs .......2005-06-14

This Collection was perfectly made it has almost all the most famous Broadway songs on this 5 cd set. The Music is great and has Broadways greatest treasures like "Memory""People""With One Look""Give my regards Too Broadway" just to name a few of this numerous cd set with over 100 songs. This is a great buy if you like musicals or The music of Broadway

Great Compilation!.......2005-01-17

If you are a fan of the Broadway Musicals, this is a collection that you should purchase. Since I got the 5 disc set I've enjoyed listening to it. The majority of the songs are done by the original singers. The collection is priceless considering that you will have over 100 songs from popular musicals since the beginning of Broadway

Bea Arthur on Broadway - Just Between Friends

Average customer rating:

And Then There's BEA!
Golden Girl Shines Brightly
Alive and Unforgettable
A trip down memory lane...
A Truly Remarkable Accomplishment

Bea Arthur on Broadway - Just Between Friends
Bea Arthur
Manufacturer: Drg
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Golden Girls: A Lifetime Intimate Portrait Series
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Mame

ASIN: B00005YTRL
Release Date: 2002-02-12

Tracks:

Lamb Recipe
Fun To Be Fooled
Introduction
What Can You Get A Nudist For Her Birthday?
Auditions
Isn't He Adorable
Fiddler on the Roof
Let's Face The Music And Dance
Bosom Buddies
Angela Lansbury
Threepenny Opera/ Pirate Jenny
It Never Was YOu
And Then There's Maude
Some People
The Soup Ladle
Where Do You Start
Bernie Schwartz
If I Can't Sell It, I'll Keep Sittin' On It!
Personal Hygiene
Who Cares
Fifty Percent
The Nun's Story
You're Gonna Hear From Me
The Chance To Sing
The Man in the Moon is a Lady

Amazon.com

More comedy monologue than musical performance, Bea Arthur's one-woman show Bea Arthur on Broadway: Just Between Friends collects memories from the silver-haired star's life on Broadway (Fiddler on the Roof, Mame, The Threepenny Opera) and television (Maude, The Golden Girls).

"I wanted to see if I had the guts to just come and be myself," Arthur says in this performance recorded in front of a live audience in December 2001. Alongside co-creator and pianist Billy Goldenberg, she offers wry and often funny anecdotes about her career and the people she's worked with (Angela Lansbury, Pia Zadora). When she does sing ... well, even decades ago Arthur didn't have a beautiful voice, but she's well-suited to the comedy songs. And her versions of Kurt Weill's "Pirate Jenny" and Goldenberg's own "Fifty Percent"--while they won't make anyone forget Lotte Lenya or Dorothy Loudon--are effective in their own right. Bea Arthur on Broadway is definitely more Bea than Broadway, but it's a career well worth remembering. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

And Then There's BEA!.......2007-01-20

Thank goodness this is available on CD. I saw the show twice in Manhattan and once in P-town MA. She is an American treasure. What's nice is that you don't need to have had seen the live performance to enjoy this CD. (Though I'd love to have it on DVD.) Just Bea, Billy, a piano and yet so much more!!!!!

Golden Girl Shines Brightly.......2005-10-21

For anyone who has ever laughed as Bea Arthur deftly put people in their place with her lightning quick wit as Dorothy on the "Golden Girls", they will not be disappointed with this CD. Arthur, some 9 years after leaving the small screen, returns triumphantly to her professional roots, the stage, and does not disappoint. Mixing antedotal stories with classic songs, all to the accompianment of Billy Goldenburg, Arthur weaves her life in a brillant 90 minute tapestry so that the listener regrets ever reaching the end. Anyone who has ever seen Arthur perform on stage, or as Maude or Dorothy, they will not regret purchasing this CD. For that rare minority of people who have not have the privilage of seeing Arthur previously should find out what they have been missing of this American icon.

Alive and Unforgettable.......2004-11-21

Bea Arthur. Nearing 80. And yet, her continuing vitality is blatantly obvious in this live recording. I will tell you this--I bought this disc with no expectations whatsoever. I like Golden Girls as much as the next chap, and I was slightly curious about what Bea had become.

The simple truth was that I was stunned. Completely stunned. Again, this sounds as the same, alive, malicious woman who portrayed those "affirmative women" on TV (per her own words). She mocks her own voice, recalling the humiliation of being mistaken for the man of the house through the phone ... and some--who buy this disk with the intent of getting a faultless musical performance--might agree (and according to some reviews her, HAVE agreed) that her voice is perhaps too deep, too cutting, not pure enough. But this is NOT (and I stress it) a musical performance per se, it is not a perfectly rounded voice singing perfect standards.

What this disc is? A drama performance. The songs are intermissed with speech interludes, during which Bea narrates anecdotes from her past experience as an actress--and that's is PRECISELY what is MAGIC. You feel as though she's inviting you to witness the high points of her life, and it's a very nice place. The songs, seem alive as rarely before, because they are performed. She renders them with life, and make the most of her abilities.

I really appreciated some of the smaller things. You get to recognize her trademark, slightly embarassed, `You know' ... She'll make you laugh with good natured reminiscence ("A Mother's Ingenuity"!); some of the songs are delightfully imperfect, (I learned to love the half-sung/half-spoken "What Do You Start" ...), some others are wonderfully dynamic ("What Can You Get a Nudist For Her Birthday?", "Threepenny Opera/Pirate Jenny" ...), but all are very enjoyable ...

Be it "Isn't He Adorable?" or "If I Can't Sell It, I'll Keep Sittin' on It" ... every track on this disc will have you fondly reminisce or curiously discover the career of one helluva woman.

You really can't be disappointed. I promise.

If only we could have a visual as well!

A trip down memory lane..........2003-10-19

Bea Arthur, one of the finest performers of her time.
Bea is most known for her role on the sitcoms Golden Girls and Maude, but she's done so much theater work as well.
She was in the cast of the original U.S production of "Threepenny Opera" starring Lotta Lenya, and in the original cast of "Fiddler On The Roof" and "Mame". But Bea started her theater career in a show called "The Shoestring Revue".
Bea stoled the scene every night when she performed as yente the Matcmaker on "Fiddler On The Roof" and she also got a hole lot of response as Vera Charles on "Mame", starring Angela Lansbury. In this live performence Bea performs a collection of songs chosen by herself, such as, "Let's Face The Music And Dance", "Isn't He Adorable", "Fifty Percent" and her theme song from Mame "The Man In The Moon". Bea is absolutely one of our time finest performers, with her witty sence of knowledge and her indefiable voice she has establised herself as a broadway legend, alongside Judy Garland, Elaine Stritch, Mary Martin. She is one of the last broadway female legends alive. And still going strong, Bea is rounding 80, but you wouldn't notice.
Do yourself a favour and take a trip down down memory lane, it's your chance to hang out with the last female broadway legend around.

A Truly Remarkable Accomplishment.......2003-06-16

As a huge fan of Bea Arthur's, I was very excited when I heard she would return to Broadway to do a one-woman show. Not since winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for "Mame" has Bea Arthur been on stage. Well, what a way to follow up! This cd (which was recorded during a live performance) Bea gives fans an intimate look into her show business life. The stories are very funny and touching, and the songs (which Bea picked out herself) are fun, beautiful, and magical. A favorite part of this cd for me, is when Bea talks about her days on TV. She was the star of two very successful and groundbreaking sitcoms, "Maude" and "The Golden Girls" I am a huge fan of "The Golden Girls" and Bea's character Dorothy was always my favorite. This cd is a must for any Bea Arthur fan, but the appeal of this amazing show goes beyond her hardcore fans. Any fan of classic Broadway and cabaret songs will love this cd. This is one of the favorite cds I own, and should be treasured by more people. And finally, as a sidenote, Bea's one-woman show was nominated for a Tony Award in 2001 in the category of Best Special Theatrical Event.

The King And I (1977 Broadway Revival Cast)

Average customer rating:

Best version of King and I
CD by which all other KING AND I discs are measured
good revival recording; Constance Towers is lovely
Required listening!
A MUST FOR ALL 'KING AND I' FANS

The King And I (1977 Broadway Revival Cast)
Oscar Hammerstein II
Manufacturer: RCA Victor Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000002W40
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Overture
Arrival At Bangkok/I Whistle A Happy Tune
My Lord And Master
Hello, Young Lovers
March Of The Siamese Children
Children Sing, Priests Chant
A Puzzlement
The Royal Bangkok Academy
Getting To Know You
So Big A World
We Kiss In A Shadow
A Puzzlement
Shall I Tell You What I Think Of You?
Something Wonderful
Finale To Act I
Western People Funny
Dance Of Anna And Sir Edward
I Have Dreamed
Song Of The King
Shall We Dance?
Finale

Customer Reviews:

Best version of King and I.......2004-07-26

This 1977 version really tells you what this show is made of!!! Yul Brynner is in prime form with A Puzzlement (finally being recorded with the full score), and Constance Towers makes a fine Anna Lenowans. The added dialouge tracks add a special personality to the CD, and help the listener who may have never seen the show to understand it. The 1956 soundtrack (remastered) is okay compared to this, and the 1951 Decca Broadway album is deplorable compared to this. Only version you will ever need. Highly Reccomended!!!!!!!!!

CD by which all other KING AND I discs are measured.......2004-02-17

By the time RCA recorded this album of the 1977 revival of THE KING AND I the show had been playing on Broadway for six months and the cast had settled happily into their roles. The result is a vividly theatrical recordng that, except for the "Small House of Uncle Thomas" ballet, contains the entire musical score.

I would like to correct reviewer Arne Anderson: Brynner was not dying from cancer when this production played. He returned to Broadway with the show again in 1985 just six months before his death and by that time, yes, he voice was showing noticable deterioration. But when this production played the Uris theatre in 1977 and 78 he was in fine voice. True, it is not the youthful voice heard on the original 1951 cast album but with the years come many more layers to the performance.

It also helps that several dialogue moments such as the King's soliloquy "So Big a World" are included on this record. The dialogue also plays an important part in the way Thomas Z. Shepard has laid out the record. For example, the famous "Shall We Dance" sequence. On this recording, the whole scene is prsented and suddenly what on other KING AND I cd's is just another great R & H song, is a dramatic highlight. Also, the Cd closes with a recording of the entire final scene. It is incredibly moving.

Constance Towers sounds properly mature as Mrs Anna, and all the secondary roles have been thoghtfully cast by wonderful singer/actors. Bear in mind, Richard Rodgers was still alive when this production and recording were made and was at the recording sessions. In fact, it would be the final cast recording of one of his shows he would supervise. This guarantees it is an authenic recording.

The package includes good background notes and a fully detailed synopsis of the show.

This album was recorded Monday October 31, 1977. On Tuesday November 1, 1977 I attended the performance at the Uris theatre. It was my first Broadway show. So, for me, this album holds extra special memories.

good revival recording; Constance Towers is lovely.......2003-10-12

This cast album to the acclaimed 1977 Broadway revival of THE KING AND I is a must-own for all fans of the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. Yul Brynner again heads the cast as the imperious King, with Constance Towers as Mrs Anna and June Angela as Tuptim.

Yul Brynner asked his good friend Yuriko (the original Eliza in the "Uncle Tom's Cabin" ballet in the 1951 Broadway production and later the film version) to direct this production and also recreate Jerome Robbins' choreography for the ballet. Yuriko perfectly reproduced all this and more with this sumptuous revival, which embarked on an extensive touring season following it's Broadway engagement, before coming back to New York in 1985, the year that Brynner succumbed to cancer.

Constance Towers is quite lovely in the role of Mrs Anna, offering up glowing renditions of "I Whistle a Happy Tune", "Getting to Know You", "Hello Young Lovers" and "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?".

June Angela, apparently the youngest actress to play Tuptim in a major revival, lets her gorgeous soprano loose with her breathtaking "My Lord and Master" as well as her duets with the Lun Tha of Martin Vidnovic (OKLAHOMA!) in "I Have Dreamed" and "We Kiss in a Shadow".

Hye-Young Choi is a lovely Lady Thiang, singing a heartbreaking "Something Wonderful". The rest of the cast is superb.

All-in-all, an essential cast album of THE KING AND I, and one you will really adore.

Required listening!.......2000-06-16

The 2 love duets between Martin Vidnovic and June Angela are worth the price of admission in themselves, plus you get the complete score including "I Have Dreamed", which for some unbelievable reason was cut from the film.

A MUST FOR ALL 'KING AND I' FANS.......2000-02-10

BRILLIANT! A MUST for all 'King and I' fans. It has ALMOST ALL the 'King and I' songs, except for 'The Royal Dancing Wives' Dance' and 'Uncle Tom's Cabin - The Ballet'. However, the voices are more 'opera-based', especially June Angela and Constance Towers, but what does that better? The singers are simply SUPBERB. Constance Towers portrays a SPLENDID Anna, even though Marni Nixon has a sweeter, smoother voice. June Angela sings 'My Lord and Master' and the other songs BEAUTIFULLY, I don't know how she reached all those high notes, but then again, Rita Moreno is 'smoother'. Yul Brynner is wonderful as usual, Martin Vidvonic(Lun Tha) sings MUCH better than Carlos Riva's singing voice in the 1956 movie, and as for Hye-Young Choir, I think she beats Terry Saunders. Her best song is 'Western People Funny'. And Gene Profanto and Alan Amick who play Prince Chulalonkorn and Louis are BRILLIANT too, and they sing 'A Puzzlement(reprise)' REALLY well. However, Constance Tower's 'Shall I Tell You What I Think of You' is not that good, and Marni Nixon is alot better anyway, because Towers sounds like an old woman at times. Anyway, overall, this IS a MUST!

Lullaby Of Broadway: The Best Of Busby Berkeley At Warner Bros.: Motion Picture Soundtrack Anthology

Average customer rating:

MY DREAM COME TRUE!!!!!
Busby and the Kings of Melody
Classic Hollywood musicals!
A wonderful souvenir
Quintessential 30s Pop Music

Lullaby Of Broadway: The Best Of Busby Berkeley At Warner Bros.: Motion Picture Soundtrack Anthology
Various Artists - Soundtracks
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

The Busby Berkeley Collection (Footlight Parade / Gold Diggers of 1933 / Dames / Gold Diggers of 1935 / 42nd Street)
Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers At RKO: Motion Picture Soundtrack Anthology
Hollywood's Best: The Thirties - '30s - Motion Picture Soundtrack Anthology
Lullaby of Broadway
Irving Berlin In Hollywood (Film Score Anthology)

ASIN: B0000033N9
Release Date: 1995-10-10

Tracks:

Young And Healthy - Dick Powell, Toby Wing and Chorus
Shuffle Off To Buffalo - Ruby Keeler, Clarence Nordstrum...
42nd Street - Ruby Keller, Dick Powell and Chorus
We're In The Money (The Gold Diggers Song) - Ginger Rogers and Chorus
I've Got To Sing A Torch Song - Ginger Rogers
The Shadow Waltz - Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler and Chorus
Remember My Forgotten Man - Etta Moten, Joan Blondell and Chorus
Honeymoon Hotel - Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell and Chorus
By A Waterfall - Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler and Chorus
Shanghai Lil - James Cagney, Ruby Keeler and Chorus
Don't Say Goodnight - Dick Powell and Chorus

Tracks:

Spin A Little Web Of Dreams - Verree Teasdale and Chorus
The Girl At The Ironing Board - Joan Blondell and Chorus
I Only Have Eyes For You - Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler and Chorus
Dames - Dick Powell and Chorus
The Words Are In My Heart - Dick Powell and Chorus
Lullaby Of Broadway - Winifred Shaw, Dick Powell and Chorus
The Lady In Red - Winifred Shaw, Judy Canova and Chorus
All's Fair In Love And War - Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Lee Dixon...
Hooray For Hollywood - Dick Powell, Frances Langford,...

Customer Reviews:

MY DREAM COME TRUE!!!!!.......2007-03-04

I swear, as soon as I saw this on Amazon, I was like screaming with joy, because i had been searching for such a set of music for such a long time, and if you are a Busby Berkeley fan, this is for you! All of those wonderful tunes to the early Warner musicals we love so much, as well as some rarer tracks, but all the big hits are here, 42nd Street, Shanghai Lil, Dames, Shadow Waltz...but suprisingly no Sittin' on a Backyard Fence, Pettin' the Park, I'm Going Shopping With You, and Ah, the Moon is here, which I would've liked to be on it. But this CD set is great. Lots of the people I meet think i'm strange for loving old musicals and 1920s and 30s stuff (even my hair cut is exactly like Louise Brooks's) because i'm a teenager, but I LOVE this kind of music and thanks to the clear sound and excellent vocals and all, everybody can just relax and dream of old Hollywood while listening to this set.

Busby and the Kings of Melody.......2002-12-22

Dick Powell sings in Dames, 'Who writes the words and music for all the girlie shows? No one cares, and no one knows.' Fortunately with this wonderful soundtrack set we'll always know. For me these Warner Bros movies exist for the Busby Berkeley sequences and the gorgeous melodies.

The twenty tracks, from ten movies, have something for everyone, my favorites are, By a Waterfall from 'Footlight Parade' (1933) Spin a Little Web of Dreams from 'Fashions of 1934' and Dames from the 1934 movie of the same name. The lovely melodies by Harry Warren and Sammy Fain just stay with you. These two had to solve some interesting problems with the dance sequences as they lasted for some minutes but the arrangements were quite short, solved by repeating the theme over and over but with subtly changing orchestration. The melody of By a Waterfall is repeated twelve times during the water sequence but you don't notice while watching it.

An interesting track is We're in the money from 'Gold Diggers of 1933' where Ginger Rogers sings the song and then sings it again in Pig Latin, this was a novelty language of the Thirties. For the curious, this involves taking the first letter of a word and placing it at the end and then adding the letters AY. Confused? Yes, so am I but you can find out more by putting the term into any search engine.

As this is soundtrack material, recorded in the Thirties, I found the quality surprisingly good and the forty-four page booklet with the CDs is full of information. If you want to know more try and find a copy of 'The Busby Berkeley Book' by Tony Thomas and Jim Terry, published in 1973, the complete story in words and (lots of) pictures.

*2006 UPDATE* Fans of Busby can get an excellent Warners DVD box set of five movies, each with loads of extras and a stunning bonus disc of 163 minutes featuring twenty-one musical numbers from nine movies. Unfortunately I don't think the bonus DVD is sold seperately though it might be available from some Market Place Sellers.

Classic Hollywood musicals!.......2002-11-12

If you haven't seen the musicals these recordings come from, the songs may seem a bit thin, or overlong. But if you have an appreciation of the lavish nuttiness of Berkeley's best work, then these tunes may conjure delightful images of Dick Powell and all them leggy dames, and the crazy kaleidoscopic dance routines that made these films so fab. This 2-CD set includes material from "42nd Street," "Gold Diggers of 1933," "Footlight Parade," "Wonder Bar," "Fashions of 1934," "Dames," "Gold Diggers of 1935," "In Caliente," "Gold Diggers of 1937," and "Hollywood Hotel." Harry Warren's scores are often frivolous and dingbatty, which is part of what made them so much fun in conjunction with the spectacles on screen. They also work fine on their own, at least to a certain degree. For fans, this collection is a must.

A wonderful souvenir.......2002-08-02

There has never been anything quite like the delicious musicals that Warner Bros. served up during the 1930s. To begin with, they served to take folks' minds off the Great Depression, and in themselves they are wonderful works of art. They are still loads of fun, and this two-disc set serves as a fitting reminder of the heights that the American movie musical once achieved.

The focal point of the pieces on here is that most of them originally received elaborate stagings by that master of dance direction, Busby Berkeley. Within the context of the films, most of them were intended as stage pieces, although there was no stage on earth capable of presenting these pieces. And the stagings are more than just emptyheaded presentations on which the melodies can hang: we are confronted with the suffering of war veterans in "Remember My Forgotten Man," violence in "42nd Street" and sudden death in "Lullaby of Broadway."

Without the visuals, however, the one who really emerges as the star of these selections is Harry Warren, who wrote all but 4 of the 20 songs here. Warren consistently wrote songs as appealing as those of George Gershwin but, unlike Gershwin, his name is pretty much forgotten nowadays. Thanks to the attractiveness of the tunes themselves and the inventiveness of the orchestrations, the brief melodies are as fresh on their twentieth repetition as they are on their first.

Among the many vocalists, the most constant is baby-faced Dick Powell who achieved stardom through these vehicles. But there are many other enjoyable singers on these discs as well. James Cagney is effective as only he could be in "Shanghai Lil," and Clarence Nordstrum brings a pleasant baritone and a quick vibrato to "Shuffle Off to Buffalo." On the other hand, Ruby Keeler's charms lie more in what she attempts than what she actually achieves (one of the other characters in 42nd Street tells Warner Baxter straight out that she is not a very good singer). Likewise, Joan Blondell is not a very accomplished vocalist although she is very effective, for example, in the spoken section of "Remember My Forgotten Man." But this is not to denigrate the participation of these wonderful performers; in large part, they make the films in which they appear. And the distaff side is well represented by the enjoyable singing of Ginger Rogers, Wini Shaw and Etta Moten.

The presentation of these discs is near impeccable. I still find myself wishing, as I do with Fantasia, that they could update the sound, but the ear adjusts quickly and the discs are still much more than listenable.

We have here for the first time anywhere Ginger Rogers' outtake of "I've Got to Sing a Torch Song" from Gold Diggers of 1933 (the song is alluded to in the opening moments of that film). We also get to hear Benny Goodman sing in a part of "Hooray for Hollywood" from Hollywood Hotel that was left on the cutting room floor. On the minus side, the producers chose to omit a bit of "Remember My Forgotten Man" because of the distortion in that section caused by the action onscreen. The cut is well disguised but still noticeable to those familiar with the piece, plus it detracts from the musical sense of the piece. I would have preferred to see the section left in, distortion or no. Finally, I wish they could have found a way to include "Pettin' in the Park" from Gold Diggers of 1933, my top favorite of all these production numbers.

The accompanying booklet could not be better. There are tributes to Busby Berkeley and Harry Warren, notes on each of the films and special comments on the musical numbers included, with lots of interesting minutiae, such as how Al Jolson made fun of his wife Ruby Keeler behind her back (the comments on the tastelessness of his "Goin' to Heaven on a Mule" pale before this revelation) and how Busby Berkeley carefully photographed "The Girl at the Ironing Board" from Dames to hide Joan Blondell's pregnancy. Plus there is a complete listing of Busby Berkeley's films. Finally, the booklet and the CD case itself are liberally laced with stills from these films.

Still, what brings me back to these discs time and time again are the delightfulness of the musical numbers and the enthusiastic performances they receive from everyone involved. Not all the films represented here have been available on video, so in the case of those that are not, I at least have these tantalizing moments to give me something to live for until they are. Highly recommended as a souvenir for those who have seen the films and as an introduction to a great era in American film history for those who have not.

Quintessential 30s Pop Music.......2000-10-11

For those Busby buffs who have seen his 30s Warner films and have become infatuated with those luscious Warren-Dubin medlodies, this double CD set is an essential. The selections include not just the vocals, but the entire numbers, complete with dance and pageantry sequences.

Unforgettable numbers, such as "I Only Have Eyes For You," "Lullabye of Broadway," "Young and Healthy," and "Forty-Second Street" not only generate charming waves of nostalgia, but the entire collection is a fine popular culture representation of the Depression-era musical comedy film.

Powell sounds radiant as ever, though most of the female vocalists (i.e., Blondell, Keeler, and Rogers) generally pale in comparison. However, Keeler's lower register in "By a Waterfall" showcases her genuine vocal talents. Fortunately there's Etta Motten's rich mezzo featured on "Remember My Forgotten Man" and Winifred Shaw's solo in "Lullabye of Broadway."

Regretably though, this collection omits Bebe Daniels' addictive "You're Getting To Be a Habit With Me" from *Forty-Second Street" and the racy ensemble,"Pettin' In the Park" from *Gold Diggers of 1933*. But a star-studded "Horray For Hollywoood" with Benny Goodman, Frances Langford, and Gene Krupa completes this collection in grand style.

A Chorus Line (1975 Original Broadway Cast) (Multichannel/Stereo SACD)
Average customer rating:

great soundtrack for a great show.....

A Chorus Line

What They Did For Love

God, I hope you get it...

a great musical

A Chorus Line (1975 Original Broadway Cast) (Multichannel/Stereo SACD)
Marvin Hamlisch , Edward Kleban , and Donna McKechnie
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Fiddler on the Roof (1964 Original Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B000087N0S
Release Date: 2003-03-11

Tracks:

Opening: I Hope I Get It - Company
I Can Do That - Wayne Cilento
At the Ballet - Carole Bishop, Kay Cole, Nancy Lane
Sing! - Renee Baughman, Don Percassi
Montage, Pt. 1: Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen, Hello Love [Expanded Vers - Baayork Lee, Cameron Mason
Montage, Pt. 2: Mother - Patricia Garland, Ron Kuhlman
Montage, Pt. 3: Gimmie the Ball - Ronald Dennis, Michael Stuart
Nothing - Priscilla Lopez
Dance: Ten; Looks: Three - Pamela Blair
Music and the Mirror - Donna McKechnie
One - Company
What I Did for Love - Priscilla Lopez, Company
One (Reprise)/Finale

Amazon.com

Michael Bennett's 1975 tale of Broadway's gypsies--the chorus dancers--resonated with audiences as few shows ever have, examining with both hilarity and heartbreak the grueling life of ordinary performers always auditioning for an opportunity to be members of a faceless chorus line. And along the way, it picked up the Pulitzer, the New York Drama Critics Award, and nine Tonys, and became the longest-running show in Broadway history. The original cast (eight of whom contributed their real-life memories to the show) included no major stars, but are unmatched on this cast recording of Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban's score, including Priscilla Lopez's poignant "Nothing," Donna McKechnie's yearning dance number "The Music and the Mirror," one of Broadway's most famous torch ballads in "What I Did for Love," and the ultimate high-kicking chorus number, "One." Fans of the show will welcome the 1998 remastered CD, which adds two and a half minutes to "Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen, Hello Love." While still incomplete, the montage now includes "Four-foot ten," "Little brat," and "The worst thing in school...." --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

great soundtrack for a great show............2007-06-09

I first heard this soundtrack on my cousin's CD player, back when she was pursuing musical theater, as a young teenager (at least ten years ago). Some of the greatest songs from the musical repertoire are here: "What I Did For Love," "One," and "Nothing." It's always a great sign when a score (in this case, by the talented duo of Hamlisch and Kleban) works so well that people don't have to see the musical to know what it's about from just a few musical numbers. That isn't to say that the show isn't wonderful, too. To make long stories [very] short for the sake of the increasingly decreasing attention spans of my readers who just want to know "Should I buy this," A CHORUS LINE is the story of a group of singer/dancers from diverse backgrounds, coming together on one Broadway stage for the same reason. They all want a crack at being a part of a dancing chorus line on The Great White Way, that could be their big break. There are other dramas going on, behind that, of course (and we hear all of their stories, complete with monologue, song and dance number). The drama is high, but so is the infectiousness. You really build attachments and interests in each of the characters, and the story is so well-written, you'll be compelled to stick through the songs and follow the stories, just to see who is "The One." This is truly a great example of storytelling in musical theater. There is a reason it was one of the longest running shows on Broadway.

A Chorus Line.......2007-05-31

Makes you recall the thrill of attending this terrific musical. You experience the glory and the pain and love every minute of it again.

What They Did For Love.......2007-02-12

A Chorus Line was an unlikely Broadway hit--there were no big name celebrities to brighten up the stage, no elaborate sets, and, according to the liner notes, "almost no plot." However, A Chorus Line shined brightly because it highlighted the lives of the people who are in the chorus line of a Broadway musical. By focusing on the people who normally don't make the leap into stardom, A Chorus Line paradoxically gained remarkable strength and popularity. A Chorus Line ran for fifteen years; and this CD shows why.

The CD begins with the track entitled "Opening: I Hope I Get It." Too many actors and actresses have arrived to compete for jobs in a chorus line in a Broadway production. Zach, the man who must chose the people who make the final cut, stuns the actors by requesting them to talk about themselves. This provides the premise for the rest of the music of the show. One by one the actors open up and share their life stories in song; and the music by Marvin Hamlisch enhances their songs greatly.

Several memorable stories told in song by the actors include "I Can Do That" in which Mike, performed by Wayne Cilento, tells about how he swiped his sister's dance shoes to race to a dance rehearsal; the beautiful ballad about escaping the heartache of real life at the theater entitled "At The Ballet" performed by Carole Bishop, Nancy Lane and Kay Cole; "Montage, Part 3: Gimme The Ball" performed by Michel Stuart and Ronald Dennis as Greg and Richie respectively; and "Dance: Ten; Looks Three" performed by Pamela Blair in the role of Val. Excellent!

Other numbers on this original cast recording deserve very special mention. "What I Did For Love" is delivered flawlessly by Priscilla Lopez and Company; in this song Priscilla's character Diana Morales sings beautifully of how she would have no regrets if she could never dance again. Priscilla Lopez also performs the memorable balled "Nothing" about how she simply did not profit from a course she took with an acting professor several years earlier.

The finale, a reprise of the smash number "One," features the cast singing together as polished professionals instead of the somewhat clumsy chorus line hopefuls they were before. I still remember feeling chills up and down my spine when I saw this number in the show at New York's Schubert Theater in 1979.

The liner notes have an excellent essay by Marc Kirkeby and the photos of the cast are a real treat. The notes indicate which actors performed each song and the artwork will impress you.

The sound is excellent even on my portable CD player. There is very little, if any, surface noise.

A Chorus Line represents a sophisticated look at the real lives of struggling actors and actresses. These people scramble for jobs in their chosen profession so that they can be happy and well fed at the same time. The catchy melodies by Marvin Hamlisch will delight you; and the lyrics by Edward Kleban display forethought and sheer brilliance.

I highly recommend this CD for fans of the theater and for people who love the outstanding music of Marvin Hamlisch. People who enjoy convincing exposés of the real lives of struggling actors will also enjoy this CD.

God, I hope you get it..........2006-11-28

I Just saw the new Broadway revival (which is fantastic), knew I had to give the original a re-listen, and have come to the conclussion that while it does not inspire deep thought or endeavor to change the world, A Chorus Line is a musical everyone, not just dancers and singers, can relate too. The central conceit of the show is the audience being invited to sit in on auditions for the dancing chorus of a broadway musical. Slowly the cast of hopeful auditionees dwindles to a victorious 8, who eventually earn roles and reveal much about their struggle for success. Yes, on the whole, it is a musical dancers will identify with, but it is not solely about dancing. A Chorus Line is about why and how we are able to do what we love. As we watch the audition play out on stage and hear the stories of the characters, one can't help but feel the same fear and pressure, and the cd masterfully captures the intimacy of "A Chorus Line".
A Chorus Line begins with the famous, pulse-pounding "GOD I HOPE I GET IT", where we hear the dancers inner thoughts while learning the choreography. This is a mostly danced number, but it is energetic, effecting and a brilliant opening.
More great numbers are "AT THE BALLET", which has three dancers taking down their "audition facades" and describing the therapy dance provided during troubled childhoods. The "MONTAGE" numbers are a funny mixture of painful, embarrassing, and entirely too real memories of teenage years. "DANCE 10, LOOKS 3" Is a hillarious yet sadly true song about the power of appearance. "WHAT I DID FOR LOVE" is one of the most original love songs of all time, about the sacrafices made not for the people we love, but for ourselves. It sumarizes the whole musical: Why we do what we do for the things we love.
The idea of A Chorus Line has become a little cliche after years and years of exposure and performance, but it is deffinately worth the praise it receives and fame it has accumilated. A must have for every lover of musical theatre.

a great musical.......2006-11-06

I enjoy listening to the original broaadway musical A Chorus Line. However I didnt realize I was purchasing the broadway version. I was actually looking for the film version.

Black And Blue: A Musical Revue (1989 Original Broadway Cast)

Average customer rating:

Diverse offering full of laughter, love and the blues!!

Black And Blue: A Musical Revue (1989 Original Broadway Cast)

Manufacturer: Drg
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000000PIF
Release Date: 1992-04-10

Tracks:

Blues: I'm A Woman
Royal Garden Blues
St. Louis Blues
After You've Gone
If I Can't Sell It, I'll Keep Sittin' On It
I Want A Big Butter And Egg Man
Stompin' At The Savoy
I've Got A Right To Sing The Blues
Black And Tan Fantasy
T'Ain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do
Call It Stormy Monday/I'm Getting 'Long Alright
Body And Soul
I'm Confessing
Am I Blue
I Can't Give You Anything But Love
In A Sentimental Mood
Black And Blue

Customer Reviews:

Diverse offering full of laughter, love and the blues!!.......1998-12-24

This musical soundtrack is my favorite! It has a diverse offering of artists who range in vocals from a very robust and alluring tenor to enchanting soprano. The types of songs go from fun & upbeat to "somebody-please-get-me-a-tissue" blues. These selections will make you envision whatever scene/theme that is being performed and will force you to crawl into the number and savor/enjoy the fun or the blues of it.

Tracks:

Jesus Christ Superstar: Overture - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Jesus Christ Superstar: Everything's Alright - Yvonne Elliman/Murray Head/Ian Gilllan
Jesus Christ Superstar: I Don't Know How To Love Him - Yvonne Elliman
Jesus Christ Superstar: Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say) - Steve Balsamo
Jesus Christ Superstar: Superstar - Murray Head
Evita: Oh What A Circus/Sing You Fools - Antonio Banderas
Evita: I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You - Elaine Paige/Joss Ackland
Evita: Another Suitcase In Another Hall - Barbara Dickson
Evita: Don't Cry For Me Argentina - Julie Covington
Evita: High Flying, Adored - Mandy Patinkin/Patti LuPone
Cats: The Jellicle Ball - Andrew Lloyd Weber
Cats: Memory - Elaine Paige
Cats: Gus: The Theatre Cat - Susan Jane Tanner/John Mills
Cats: Mr Mistoffelees - Paul Nicholas
Song And Dance: Take That Look Off Your Face - Marti Webb
Song And Dance: Tell Me On A Sunday - Marti Webb
Song And Dance: Unexpected Song - Sarah Brightman
Song And Dance: Nothing Like You've Ever Known - Sarah Brightman
Song And Dance: Introduction - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Song And Dance: Variations 1 -4 - Andrew Lloyd Webber

Tracks:

Starlight Express: Starlight Express - El Debarge
Starlight Express: Crazy - Greg Ellis/Reva Rice/Caron Cardelle/Samantha Lane/Voyd
Starlight Express: Next Time You Fall In Love - Reva Rice/Greg Ellis
Starlight Express: I Am The Starlight - Lon Satton/Ray Shell
Starlight Express: Light At The End Of The Tunnel - The Company
Requiem: Hosanna - Placido Domingo
Requiem: Pie jesu - Sarah Brightman/Paul Miles-Kingston
The Phantom Of The Opera: The Phantom Of The Opera - Michael Crawford/Sarah Brightman
The Phantom Of The Opera: The Music Of The Night - Michael Crawford
The Phantom Of The Opera: All I Ask Of You - Sarah Brightman/Steve Barton
The Phantom Of The Opera: Entr'acte - Andrew Lloyd Webber
The Phantom Of The Opera: Masquerade - The Company
The Phantom Of The Opera: Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again - Sarah Brightman
Aspects Of Love: Aspects Of Aspects - Orchester Der Vereinigten Buehnen Wien
Aspects Of Love: Love Changes Everything - Michael Ball
Aspects Of Love: Seeing Is Believing - Michael Ball/Ann Crumb
Aspects Of Love: The First Man You Remember - Kevin Colson/Diana Morrison
Aspects Of Love: Anything But Lonely - Sarah Brightman
Aspects Of Love: Chanson D'Enfance - Sarah Brightman

Tracks:

Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Any Dream Will Do - Jason Donovan
Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Joseph's Coat - Maria Friedman/Richard Attenborough/Donny Osmond
Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Close Every Door - Donny Osmond
By Jeeves: Travel Hopefully - John Scherer/Martin Jarvis/Don Stephenson
By Jeeves: When Love Arrives - Steven Pacey/Diana Morrison
By Jeeves: Half A Moment - Sarah Brightman
Sunset Boulevard: With One Look - Glenn Close
Sunset Boulevard: New Ways To Dream - Glenn Close/Alan Campbell
Sunset Boulevard: The Perfect Year - Glenn Close/Alan Campbell
Sunset Boulevard: Sunser Boulevard - Alan Campbell
Sunset Boulevard: As If We Never Said Goodbye - Glenn Close
Whistle Down The Wind: Whistle Down The Wind - James Graeme/Lottie Mayor
Whistle Down The Wind: Cold - Everly Brothers
Whistle Down The Wind: No Matter What - Children/Adult Chorus
Whistle Down The Wind: The Nature Of The Beast - Marcus Lovett/Lottie Mayor
The Beautiful Game: Overture - Andrew Lloyd Webber
The Beautiful Game: The Beautiful Game - The Company
The Beautiful Game: Our Kind Of Love - Hannah Waddingham
The Beautiful Game: Dont Like You - Josie Walker/David Shannon
The Beautiful Game: Let Us Love In Peace - Josie Walker/Omagh Youth Community Choir

Tracks:

Oh What A Circus - David Essex
Memory - Betty Buckley
The Phantom Of The Opera - Sarah Brightman/Steve Harley
All I Ask Of You - Sarah Brightman/Cliff Richard
Love Changes Everything - Michael Ball
Any Dream Will Do - Donny Osmond
Amigos Para Siempre (Friends For Life) - Sarah Brightman/Jose Carreras
As If We Never Said Goodbye - Barbra Streisand
The Perfect Year - Dina Carroll
With One Look - Petula Clark
You Must Love Me - Madonna
The Heart Is Slow To Learn - Kiri Te Kanawa
A Kiss Is A Terrible Thing To Waste - The Metal Philharmonic Orchestra
Whistle Down The Wind - Tina Arena
No Matter What - Boyzone
The Vaults Of Heaven - Tom Jones
Try Not To Be Afraid - Boy George
Pie Jesu - Charlotte Church

Tracks:

Make Believe Love - Wes Sands
Down Thru' Summer - Ross Hannaman
I'll Give All My Love To Southend - Ross Hannaman
Believe Me I Will - Sacha Distel
Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1969 Radio Luxembourg Commercial) - Joseph Consortium/Pete Murray
Try It And See - Rita Pavone
Come Back Richard Your Country Needs You - Time Rice And The Webber Group
Goodbye Seattle - Paul Raven
John 19:41 - The Andrew Lloyd Webber Orchestra
What A Line To Go Out On - Yvonne Elliman
Disillusion Me - Gary Band
The Ballad Of Robert And Peter - Tim Rice
Christmas Dream - Maynard Williams
It's Only Your Lover Returning/All Through My Crazy And Wild Days/Don't Cry For Me Argentina - Julie Covington
It's Easy For You (1977 Jungle Room Session Version) - Elvis Presley
Magdalena - Tony Christie
Buenos Aires - The Roja Rockers
Pollicle Dogs And Jellicle Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Mungojerrie And Rumpleteazer (Live At The Sydmonton Festival 1980) - Gemma Craven
I Could Have Given You More - Petula Clark
I've Been In Love Too Long - Marti Webb
Benedicite - The Stephen Hill Singers

Album Description

Disc 1: Selections from Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats, and Song and Dance

Disc 2: Selections from Starlight Express, Requiem, Phantom of the Opera, and Aspects of Love

Disc 3: Selections from Joseph nad the Amaziong Technicolor Dreamcoat, By Jeeves, Sunset Boulevard, Whistle Down the Wind, and The Beautiful Game

CD 4: 1. "Oh What a Circus" --David Essex 2. "Memory" - Betty Buckleey 3. "The Phantom of the Opera" -Sarah Brightman, Steve Harley 4. "All I Ask of You" --Sarah Brightman, Cliff Richard 5. "Love Changes Everything"--Michael Ball 6. "Any Dream Will Do"--Donny Osmond 7. "Amigos Para Siempre (Friends for Life)"--Sarah Brightman, Jose Caerras 8. "As if We Never Said Goodbye"--Barbra Streisand 9. "The Perfect Year"--Dina Carroll 10. "With One Look" --Petula Clark 11. "You Must Love Me" 12. "The Heart Is Slow To Learn" --Kiri Te Kanawa 13. "Whistle Down the Wind"--Tina Arena 14. "A Kiss Is a Terrible Thing To Waste"--The Metal Philharmonic 15. "No Matter What"--Boyzone 16. "The Vaults of Heaven"--Tom Jones and Sounds of Blackness 17. "Try Not To Be Afraid"--Boy George 18. "Pie Jesu"--Charlotte Church

Disc 5: (All tracks available for the first time) 1. "Make Believe Love"--Wes Sands 2. "Down Thru' Summer"--Ross Hannaman 3. "I'll Give All My Love to Southend"--Ross Hannaman 4. "Believe Me I Will"--Sacha Distel 5. "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: 1969 Luxembourg Radio Commercial--The Jospeh Consortium, Pete Murray 6. "Try It and See"--Rita Pavone 7. "Come Back Richard Your Country Needs You"--Tim Rice and the Webber Group 8. "Goodbye Seattle"-- Paul Raven 9. "John 19:41"--The Andrew Lloyd Webber Orchestra 10. "What a Line To Go Out On"--Yvonne Elliman 11. "Disillusion Me" --Gary Bond 12. "The Ballad of Robert and Peter"--Tim Rice 13. "Christmas Dream" --Maynard Williams 14. "It's Only Your Lover Returning/All through My Wild and Crazy Days/Don't Cry for Me Argentina--Julie Covington 15. "It's Easy for You" (1977 Jungle Room Session version)--Elvis Presley 16. "Magdalena"--Tony Christie 17. "Buenos Aires"--The Rioja Rockers 18. "Pollicle Dogs and Jellicle Cats"--Andrew Lloyd Webber original demo 19. "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" (Live at Sydmonton Festival 1980)-Gemma Craven 20. "I Could Have Given You More"--Petula Clark 21. "I've Been in Love Too Long"--Marti Webb 22. "Benedicte"-- Stephen Hill Singers

Customer Reviews:

I waited for this for five years.......2006-06-30

Between Amazone, Ebay and Napster, I don't usually buy CDs anymore, and I usually wait till I can buy them cheaper "new and used". When this set came out, I was excited, mainly by Disc 5, but wasn't going to spend $70 on it. I waited till it was cheap enough, and got it for Father's day this year.
It was worth the wait.

The concept is great. The packaging is great. The recording is great. Disc five is really cool for an ALW aficionado. There are a few real gems on it; my favorites are Petula Clark's "I Could Have Given You More" and "Benedicite."
I've always thought "Gus the Theatre Cat" made a great medley on the piano with "Unexpected Song" and "I DOn't Know How to Love Him," but wished there was an alternate lyric to match the other two songs. Now that I know there *is*, and it's a good lyric, it's a dream come true.
The melody of "Benedicite" is one of my favorites from _Sunset_ (the book mis-identifies it as "SUrrender"; it's actually "The Lady's Paying" and "Eternal Youth is Worth a Little Suffering"). The lyrics are the canticle from Daniel 3, which comes up every odd Sunday in the Divine Office, so it's nice to have cool music to sing it with.

I haven't bought _By Jeeves_ or _THe Beautiful Game_ yet, to it was great to sample them.

There are other parts of the CD taht aren't found in my collection. I like CD 4 "The Hits."

But the selections on CDs 1-3 don't make sense.

First, any self-respecting ALW fan has the Original London Cast of _Phantom_, so six tracks are totally useless. Why not draw from the Canadian cast with Colm Wilkinson? Or pull out some obscure recordings never published.

Why two different tracks with Michael Ball singing "Love Changes Everything", yet they're hardly any different?

On Disc 5 is "It's Only Your Lover Returning," sung by Julie Covington. It's an early draft of the song (Lloyd Webber and Rice went through several suggested titles) and quite nice. The very thing one expects on a Boxed Set.
So why have the Julie Covington "Don't Cry for Me" on disc 1?? The only difference is a few words, but it's otherwise identical. Why not Elaine Paige or Patti Lupone or Madonna?

The _Evita_ section is otherwise the best, choosing a sample from each major recording, though I'd have chosen slightly differently (as above).

There is a great selection of "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" from the Sydmonton festival, using the original music that was changed when _Cats_ went to Broadway_. It would have been nice if they'd included more recordings from Sydmonton, like the original lyric of "All I Ask of You" shown on the second DVD to the _Phantom_ movie.

With so many great actress-singers who've played Norma Desmond, why does the collection beat us over the head with Glenn Close?

Paul Miles Kingston must be set for life in royalties, for the number of albums the original recording of "Pie Jesu" has appeared on. "Amigos Para Siempre" is nice, but it reminds me of Shari Lewis's "The Song that Doesn't End," especially when it's been used on so many compilations.

In short, this is a great collection for the obscure material, if you can get it cheap. But for a boxed set, it's a poor sampling, drawn mostly from the most familiar recordings.

Excellent collection but BIG PUBLISHING MISTAKE! .......2006-01-10

Please beware they made a mistake on this. It's actually the shortened Ray Shell version of STARLIGHT EXPRESS from the original 1984 London cast - NOT the El Debarge single from 1987 like it says on the box. I don't know how they let that goof pass. Sorry to Ray Shell. Having said that, this is an outstanding compilation of Lloyd Webber's greatest hits.

ONE OF LLOYD WEBBER'S BEST COMPILATIONS, DESPITE A FEW FLAWS.......2005-03-21

Regardless of the fact that some of his latest efforts (most notably, The Woman in White) are disappointing, there can be little doubt that Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of the greatest composers ever to work in the musical theatre. Ever since his "Jesus Christ Superstar" hit the stage in the early 70-is, it was clear that the conception and perception of musicals are never going to be the same again. Many of his songs became standards not only in the theatre history, but also as tops on the charts. Even though he's British, his influence on the shape of the modern musical theatre expanded over the West End boundaries long ago and has thus made an enormous impact on Broadway. Two of his shows ("Cats" and "The phantom of the opera") hold the record as two the longest running shows in the history of Broadway. He has also been the only composer to have three of his shows running at Broadway concurrently. Some of his awards include three Grammies, a Golden Globe, an Oscar and a bunch of Tony awards. But perhaps most of all, Lloyd Webber is responsible for bringing the musicals and the theatre appealing to the wide audiences, who in different circumstances would not consider seeing a musical. The secret of his success is probably the mixture of beautiful and catchy melodies, interesting subject matter (though some, like Starlight Express, are too thin) and grandiose staging.

Over the years many compilations of his work have emerged. In the late 80-is and early 90-is it was the "Encore" series and lately the one-disc collection called "Gold". The one in question here can be considered one of the best currently on the market. First, it includes a 3-disc selections from all of his shows, minus the latest one, i.e., "The Woman in White", which, considering the triviality of the score, is no great lost. The fourth disc covers some of his most known songs sung by the famous artists. Then, there is the fifth disc with previously unreleased material, most of which are the songs ALW wrote with Tim Rice for various artists during the 70-is. The disks are all neatly packed in a hardcover book that features 67 pages of pictures and text with information about each of ALW's shows. One of the other assets here is the perfect sound quality, since all of the tracks have been digitally remastered.

Here are my basic impressions and comments regarding the material on the discs:

* Disc #1 has the selections from "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Evita", "Cats" and "Song & Dance". The Superstar material mostly comes from the Concept Recording. Although the songs sound beautiful as always, their orchestration is a bit dated now. Only Steve Balsamo's "Gethsemane" from the 1996 revival cast has a modern rock sound. "Evita" comes with the material from all of the major recordings: London, Broadway and the movie productions, as well as the Concept album. No objections here; since this is one of ALW's most satisfying works, every song is just perfect, although Patti LuPone, the Broadway and overall the best Evita, is left with only a couple of lines. With the selections from "Cats", however, I have some doubts. A plus to the choice of the "Jellicle ball" impressive orchestral sequence from the 1998 movie version and "Mister Mistoffelees" from the 1981 London cast. One of the best known ALW's songs, "Memory", also comes from that album. It's a pretty version and Elaine Paige's rendition cannot be matched, but why include this when the definite version, featuring an 80-piece orchestra and Elaine Paige with much better interpretation, can be found in the same movie version. Thusly, one has to buy Elaine Paige's latest 2-disc compilation "Centre Stage: The very best of Elaine Paige" to get that one. And "Gus the theatre cat" is more a recital than a song, so there was not much point in including that. Marti Webb brings her vocal charm to the "Song & Dance" sequence, Sarah Brightman sings "Unexpected song" with her famous soprano, but as much as I like her version, Bernadette Peters, who was in this show on Broadway is strangely left out here.

* Disc # 2 starts with "Starlight Express". This was never one of my favorite ALW's shows; the plot is even lighter than in "Cats" and the 1984 original cast recording is terribly dated. Yet, here we have one terrific duet, "I am starlight" from the original together with three songs from the later revivals and it seems that fresh orchestrations were just the thing Starlight needed. My favorite remains a touchy ballad, "Next time you fall in love". "Requiem" is the most solemn of all ALW's compositions, written in 1985 to commemorate the death of his father. Placido Domingo's tenor rides together with the chorus all the way through the strong "Hosanna", only to be joined by Sarah Brightman in the final moments of this song. She then gives an echoing deliverance of "Pie Jesu". What can be said of ALW's next show, "The Phantom of the Opera"? A phenomenon in its own right, it's easy to see from the six numbers included here why this is one of the best and most beloved musicals of all time. The cast, the music, the story - everything is perfect. Although "Aspects of love" was never a popular hit, it does have some of the most beautiful love melodies ALW has ever written. "Love changes everything" sung by Michael Ball is probably one of the best tunes ever about love. The rest of the selected material here has a dreamy love flavor and the melodies find their way into your brain in the best Lloyd Webber way.

* ALW's first musical, "Joseph and the amazing Technicolor dreamcoat" was more successful in its revival form than the original from the 70-is. The three songs included here are sung by the show stars, Jason Donovan and Donny Osmond. Maria Friedman was not a lucky choice to play the narrator, as the track from the 1998 movie version shows. "By Jeeves" was ALW's only big flop when it came to the stage in the 70-is. The 1995 revival sounds much better though, full of funny numbers in the best manner of the musical comedy. "Travel hopefully" remains one of the show's highlights on this compilation. "Sunset Boulevard" comes next. "Sunset" remains for me one of Webber's best scores; lush and beautiful. I listen to the original cast recording with Patti LuPone all the time. However, here most of the songs are performed by Glenn Close. A big mistake. If you've ever listened the American premiere recording with her, you'll know what I am talking about. She may have a strong stage presence, but her vocal abilities are too limited, and her aggressive approach to the role lacks any subtlety. Therefore, the two big numbers from this show, "With one look" and "As if we never said goodbye" are ruined by the fact she can't sing. The same goes for the American Joe Gillis, who was played by Alan Campbell. Luckily, Patti LuPone and Kevin Anderson, the original Norma and Joe from the London production, make their brief entrance here with the "Perfect year"; enough to show how better they are. The funny thing is, on the jacket and inside of it, Glenn Close and Alan Campbell are credited as performers in this song as well. If this was a mistake on ALW's part, it was a good one. The next ALW's show, "Whistle down the wind" was never a critic's dear and yet the audiences rushed in to see it in London. The score brings back ALW to his rock and roll roots of the seventies and the story is quite interesting. But the selections here are not the happiest, since the cast recording boasts with much better songs. And finally, "The Beautiful Game". Again, we have one of those ALW's shows that is worth in its individual parts rather than as a whole. "Our kind of love" and "Let us love in peace" are two catchy ballads. The latter is a nice amalgam version not available elsewhere. The two other tracks here I could live without.

* Disc # 4 has the songs from all the above shows performed by different artists. The assembled tracks have their pros and cons. For example, we have some previously unreleased stuff, like Dame Kiri Te Kanawa's operettic rendition of "The heart is slow to learn", or a stunning and epic "A kiss is a terrible thing to waste" from "Whistle down the wind", performed by The Metal Philharmonic Orchestra. Then again, what was the point in including almost identical tracks as the ones on the previous disks? So we have Michael Ball again singing "Love changes everything" with only a bit different orchestration; Sarah Brightman comes out again with the same Phantom duets, but only with the different male singers. It would be much more appropriate to include tracks from the Toronto Cast of the Phantom, with Colm Wilkinson. Other pop deliverances (Tina Arena's "Whistle down the wind", Barbra Streisand's "As if we never said goodbye", Boyzone's "No matter what" and many more) were wisely chosen. Patti LuPone is again nowhere to be found and Petula Clark's "With one look" sounds too worn-out.

* The last disc is probably the one that will be of most interest to Lloyd Webber aficionados. It consists of entirely previously unreleased material ALW for the most part wrote for various artists during his early years, with Tim Rice. Some of these tunes, not successful as a singles, were later used in his shows. Thus "Down thru' summer" became "Buenos Aires"in Evita, "Try it and see", an unsuccessful attempt for the Eurovision was used for "King Herod's song" in "Superstar" and so on. Some of these songs are nicely made pop songs: "Make believe love", ALW's first recorded composition, for which he provided the lyrics; "Goodbye Seattle", sung by Paul Raven, who later became Gary Glitter; "Come back Richard, your country needs you", from a never made musical, sung here by Tim Rice, or Latin flavored "Magdalena", with Tony Christie singing. My all time favorite here is a song called "It's easy for you", sung by none other than Elvis Presley himself. Lloyd Webber and Rice sent him a demo recording that he accepted and recorded this live version a couple of weeks before he died. It's amazing to hear how his voice remained in the perfect shape. Also, there is a track of Andrew Lloyd Webber singing "Policle dogs and Jellicle cats" while plying the piano. His voice doesn't sound bad at all.

Taken as a whole, this compilation makes a perfect birthday or Christmas present to any fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber shows, or just anybody interested in some of the best tunes from the modern era of the musical theatre; despite the flaws I mentioned above. To the former, it may just be the final addition for the Andrew Lloyd Webber collection.

SUCH MAGICAL MUSIC OF THE NIGHT!.......2003-01-19

"Evita." "Sunset Blvd." "Starlight Express." "Jesus Christ Superstar." "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." "Requiem." "Aspects of Love." The man who is the most recognized composer in the history of the musical theatre, the man who has won more Tonys than any other composer, the man who boasts the best-selling show of all time ("The Phantom of the
Opera") and the longest-running show of all time ("Cats"), the man whose homes are filled with three Grammys, five Oliviers, a Golden Globe, and Oscar and too many other honors and hosannas to mention, the man knighted in 1992 certainly doesn't need an introduction. Now Decca Broadway pays tribute to Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber with "Now and Forever," a spectacular 5-CD set compiled and produced by Sir Andy himself. It's cheaper than a
ticket to "The Producers" ... and more much exciting. This treasure trove contains highlights from all of Webber's shows, and a bonus disc of tunes sung by Betty Buckley, Barbara
Streisand, Jose Carreras, Boy George, Charlotte Church, Madonna, Tom Jones, Petula Clark, even Elvis! A must for lovers of theatre---and good music.

A Must Have for Sir Andrew fans.......2002-05-21

This five-CD collection of Andrew Lloyd Webber's career is fantastic. It leaves virtually no stone unturned. I have no doubt that diehard Webber fans will love this, especially for the 5th disc entitled "From the Vaults." This disc alone is worth the price as it contains tunes never before heard by the typical fan. Who knew Elvis did a Lloyd Webber tune?!? I didn't! Also the tune "Benedictine" which the composer wrote for his most recent marriage is not only pretty, but it has the same medley as "The Lady's Paying" from "Sunset Blvd." which I found highly enjoyable. Another great track is the composer himself singing a cut song from "Cats" entitled "Pollicle Dogs and Jellicle Cats" which has the same tune as "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats," but to hear Sir Andrew sing is a blast...he sounds a lot like Al "Year of the Cat" Stewart.
The cuts from the musicals are great but are likely owned by ALW fans as they are on the original cast albums. And I'm glad that there were tunes included from the composers most recent efforts which have yet to make it beyond London (Whistle Down the Wind, Beautiful Game).
My only complaint is the inclusion of way too many tracks by Sarah Brightman. She must've received a great divorce settlement that included having tunes on any ALW collection until the end of time!! Her interpretations of some of the tunes were limp and uninspired. I would've much rather heard casts from around the world rather than yet another song by this disdainful soprano! How about Colm Wilkinson's version of "Music of the Night" from the original Canadian cast of "Phantom"? Or Michael Crawford's version of "Unexpected Song"? What? No Betty Buckley from "Sunset Blvd."? And of course there are songs you KNOW are going to be on the collection before you even listen to it as they have been on EVERY ALW collection for the past decade or so.
A great collection but too much Sarah Brightman!

Average customer rating:

Perfect Release of a two-fer
Finally "Alone" on CD!
Terrible sound and terrible packaging
JUDY AT HER BEST with SPECTACULAR SOUND!
Garland the Great

Judy in Love & Alone
Judy Garland
Manufacturer: S&P Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Miss Show Business/Judy
That's Entertainment!/I Could Go on Singing
The Best of the Capitol Masters: The London Sessions
Live in Paris
Classic Garland: Capitol Years 1955-1965

ASIN: B0000641C8
Release Date: 2002-04-23

Tracks:

Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart
I Can't Give You Anything But Love
This Is It
More Than You Know
I Am Loved
I Hadn't Anyone Till You
I Concentrate On You
I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)
Do I Love You?
Do It Again
Day In-Day Out
By Myself
Little Girl Blue
Me And My Shadow
Among My Souvenirs
I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues
I Get The Blues When It Rains
Mean To Me
How About Me
Just A Memory
Blue Prelude
Happy New Year
Then You've Never Been Blue (bonus track)

Customer Reviews:

Perfect Release of a two-fer.......2004-11-20

The person who wrote the review below is wrong : the "Alone" album was recorded and released in mono sound, in 1957. "Judy in Love" was Garland's first album recorded and released in stereo, in 1958.

The sound on this disc is spectacular. The original session tapes were used, for the best sound possible. It is glorious sound here, folks.

Pehaps the person that wrote the review below is thinking of the previous two-fer of "Judy in Love" from England, a few years back, paired with the "Judy" album. That CD sounded very flat and dry.

Get this new and improved disc, and you'll love it.

Finally "Alone" on CD!.......2003-10-01

I just received this Judy "double bill" and I can only say it's GREAT!! "Alone" was always one of my favorite Judy albums, and I am more than pleased to have it on CD now. The sound is not stereo, as another reviewer point out, but it never was recorded in stereo. I have the old vinyl, and that's mono too, but also pretty worn, after all these years. The liner notes actually are pretty good too. The original covers are reproduced, with the original liner notes reprinted, AND some fresh liner notes about this re-issue. There, you can read that the "alone" recordings are from 1957, and that "Judy in Love" is from 1958, and was her first stereo album for Capitol.

So why is "alone" my favorite Judy album? Maybe simply because it was one of my first encounters with Judy, when I was 17 years old. I didn't realize at the time that the selection of songs is pretty unusual. It's not the repertoire she sang a lot in her live and TV shows. I love the mostly subdued pathos on this album, although she does belt it out occasionally, in her own inimitable way. The songs are about 'surviving on your own', and some times about finding your inner strength, in a bittersweet way. The album is not very cheerful, but it does make me feel good, in a sentimental way. The arrangements are very good, just right, in the 'proper' fifties style. The strings have a very warm quality, which wasn't always the case in those days. There is also a beautiful large choir singing in the background on some tracks.
Some of the songs are very unknown, which makes this album special too. Happy New Year, for instance, is a beautiful torch song, written over a very slow version of Old Lang Syne in minor key; a real gem of a song! Blue Prelude is also a great song, so don't be discouraged by the titles you may not know.
All in all, a 'must have' for any Judy fan, but also a wonderful introduction if you want to get acquainted with Judy's singing. "Judy in Love" is an excellent example of her warm joyful singing, while "Alone" gives you all those wonderful torch songs. A balanced package, with a passionate Judy in great voice!!

Terrible sound and terrible packaging.......2003-06-27

Let me rant. This CD has 2 albums on it. 1 is mono and the other stereo!? I have these albums on records and they are both stereo. I feel ripped off. Also, these albums do not sound anywhere like the records in quality. In fact, they sound very boring and lacking of any sort of life. Judy did very big, exciting production numbers and the sound on this CD makes them sound stale and dead. I returned this CD and demanded my money back. The store clerk said I wasn't the only one. Thumbs way down.

JUDY AT HER BEST with SPECTACULAR SOUND!.......2002-05-11

JUDY IN LOVE is perhaps Garland's greatest studio album. A superb collaboration with Judy in wonderful voice, and arranger Nelson Riddle at the top of his form. Inexplicably, this album is only now making its CD debut in the U.S. Capitol Records seemingly had no interest in releasing it themselves, so they've sublicensed it to S&P Records, who have done a terrific mixing and remastering job. Comparing the sound to a recent UK import is overwhelmingly impressive. The UK release sounds mediocre, and this new issue belies its having been recorded 44 years ago.
JUDY IN LOVE is paired with her monaural ballad album ALONE, which was arranged and conducted by Gordon Jenkins. The two albums together are a distinct contrast and yet only show the versatility and mastery of Garland. The highlight of the ALONE tracks is Jenkins' schmaltzy, yet irresistable I'VE GOT A RIGHT TO SING THE BLUES. ALONE was previously issued on CD by Capitol years ago, but has been long out of print, so this collection is a dream come true for Garland fans.

The 5 Star rating is for the recordings and the way they've been beautifully produced. It does not, however, represent a true rating for the package itself, which has been saddled with awful,
amateurish liner notes which are so poorly written that it's a blatant insult to Garland. What a shame the producers who took such care in creating such a great sounding album, didn't bring the same kind of excellence to the accompanying package. This should not detract anyone from buying this CD, but buyers looking for an interesting commentary on the legendary lady and these specific tracks will have to go elsewhere.

Garland the Great.......2002-05-02

A beautiful compilation of two classic, original "Judy" albums. These are two of the six studio albums she recorded for Capitol in the fifties, and these are probably the best. While Judy's vocal tone is not at its best on "Judy in Love", the song selections and her interprative genius make up for the slight vocal imperfections. "More Than You Know", "I Am Loved" and "By Myself" are absolute delights, and are clearly definitive versions of these songs. In addition, the ballads shine with passion and tenderness. "Alone" is mostly filled with similarly tender song