St. Louis Woman [Cast Recording]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
After it flopped in 1946, Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer's musical about nightclubs and jockeys featuring an all-black cast had simply vanished. The original cast album was long out of print, and, worst of all, no orchestral scores had survived. After lengthy sleuthing, New York's Encores! team brought the show back to life. From pulsing big-band dance stomps to a cakewalk to near-operatic blues (yes, it works) the score is breathtaking, and both orchestra and singers rise up to the challenge, obviously exhilarated by the material. A special mention goes to Vanessa L. Williams, who confirms her natural affinity for Broadway ("Come Rain or Come Shine" with Stanley Wayne Mathis, "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home"). Original cast recording of the year for 1998, bar none. --Elisabeth Vincentelli --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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

Barbara Cook Sings Mostly Sondheim (Live at Carnegie Hall 2001)

Average customer rating:

Wow!
Everyone Should Whistle
An amazing intro to the body of work of a true master
Beautiful, moving concert
... and I love Barbara Cook

Barbara Cook Sings Mostly Sondheim (Live at Carnegie Hall 2001)

Manufacturer: Drg
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Barbara Cook's Broadway!
Barbara Cook at the Met with Special Guests
Tribute
It's Better with a Band
The Champion Season: Live at the Cafe Carlyle

ASIN: B000059LFF
Release Date: 2001-05-08

Tracks:

Everybody Says Don't
I Wonder What Became of Me?
The Eagle and Me
I Had Myself a True Love
Into the Woods / Giants in the Sky (Malcolm Gets)
Another Hundred People / So Many People (Malcolm Gets)
Let's Face the Music and Dance / The Song Is You (duet with Malcolm Gets)
Happiness
Loving You
You Could Drive a Person Crazy
Not A Day Goes By / Losing My Mind

Tracks:

Buds Won't Bud
I Got Lost in His Arms
West Side Story Segment: Something's Coming / Tonight (Malcolm Gets)
Move On (duet with Malcolm Gets)
Medley: Hard Hearted Hannah / Waiting for the Robert E. Lee / San Francisco
Ice Cream
Send in the Clowns
The Trolley Song
Not While I'm Around (duet with Malcolm Gets)
Anyone Can Whistle

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Barbara Cook is one of today's most accomplished song stylists, and if you don't believe us, just listen to this live album. It's a master class in the art of singing. It documents an evening at Carnegie Hall during which Cook proved that she can dissect and extract the substance out of the simplest of lyrics. One of the best surprises is "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" (from Company), which is taken at an amiable trot and allows the singer to display its humor. Cook is not a swinging singer and uptempo is not her pace; give her a ballad, though, and she'll wring the last drop of emotion out of it. Her version of "Losing My Mind" (here paired with "Not a Day Goes By") is simply astonishing. The singer also performs songs that Sondheim has said he wished he had written, an awful lot of them by Harold Arlen. No complaints here. Guest Malcolm Gets solos on a few songs and duets with Cook on others, including "Let's Face the Music and Dance." This is classic material done masterfully by a classic singer. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews:

Wow!.......2004-02-20

Having read the other reviews there is little more for me to add. I have been a Barbara Cook fan for a longtime and for me, this is one of her best concerts ever. I do, however, prefer the DVD. As with some other reviewers, I do not want to hear Malcolm Gets (as much as I like him) when I want to listen to Barbara. Her flawless interpretation of music is a hard act to follow for any singer! I managed to see this concert 4 times over a year and a half. Each time I saw her the voice was stronger and more assured (I would not have thought that possible). I can't help but think we will have the pleasure of hearing Ms Cook for many years to come. For those people who enjoyed his CD I strongly recommend purchasing the DVD. Barabara's rendition of So Many People is breathtaking (literally, I don't think I breathed once during the entire song). If you ever have opportunity to see her live - go! She has an ability to make you feel as if every song she sings and every word she speaks is directed to you alone. She can take a large venue and make it feel as intimate as your own living room. Having had the pleasure of meeting her I can say she is as youthful and pleasurable in person as she is in her performance.

Everyone Should Whistle.......2003-10-11

After being privileged to attend this concert, I had to own the CD. Once a lyric coloratura and the original Cunegonde in Bernstein's Candide, Ms. Cook has become (in her 70s) a true diva, blessed with a velvety, warm sound. Every note has meaning. Her high B-flat on "Ice Cream" is still the envy of any soprano today. Everyone should whistle after hearing the superb performances on this CD. Even better, though, is the experience of having been in the concert hall for the live performance. Brava, Ms. Cook!

An amazing intro to the body of work of a true master.......2003-06-16

When I first bought tickets for the 'Mostly Sondheim' show on tour (in San Francisco) I figured it couldn't be too bad. Besides, I had only been exposed to a few of his songs (Anyone Can Whistle, Losing My Mind...) and had only seen "A Little Night Music". On the way out of the theater I immediately picked up this recording of the program. It is truly amazing. I immediately began listening to it and have barely put it down in the last few months. Furthermore, my Sondheim CD collection increased in size from an unflattering zero to five (and it's still growing)! This is an amazing introduction to the works of Stephen Sondheim, who is now my favorite modern musical composer). Buy this now if you don't already have it!

Beautiful, moving concert.......2003-04-13

This is a wonderful CD set with a great selection of songs. I do want to express a slight reservation, however. Barbara Cook has been one of my favorite singers for a number of years and the way her voice defies time is extraordinary -- for her to be singing with such bright, beautiful tone in her mid-70s with no wobble or beat in the voice is an amazing achievment.

I do have to say that by 2001, when this concert was recorded, Cook seemed to have a lost a little bit of power and intensity in her singing. This is only natural for someone of her age. Her voice is still lovely, but you can sense her keeping it in reserve a bit. She's as expressive as ever, but compare the rendition of "I got lost in his arms" on this album to the one on her previous album recorded in 1999, "The Champion Season", and there's less urgency and vocal depth in her singing here. That said, the high B at the end of "Ice Cream" is sensational.

So, despite that caveat, this is, again, a wonderful album, a must for Cook fans, especially for the gorgeous renditions of songs I'd never thought I'd get to hear her perform: "Not a Day Goes By", "Happiness/Loving You", "San Francisco", etc. Buy it!

... and I love Barbara Cook.......2003-02-11

This recording is a disappointment for me. It is not her best work, and Malcolm Gets is uninspired. My biggest complaint however is the engineering of the recording. Throughout the speaking was to soft, the singing volumes uneven, and the applause deafening. I will be passing this CD on to friends, and will later donate it to my local library.

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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Ain't Misbehavin' (1978 Original Broadway Cast)
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Play On!: A New Musical (1997 Original Broadway Cast)
Bubbling Brown Sugar
Five Guys Named Moe: (1992) Original Broadway Cast Recording

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:

Li'L Augie Is A Natural Man
Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home
I Had Myself A True Love
Legalize My Name
Cakewalk Your Lady
Come Rain Or Come Shine
Lullaby
Sleep Peaceful (Mr. Used-To-Be)
Leavin' Time
It's A Woman's Prerogative
Ridin' On The Moon

Tracks:

I've Got The World On A String
Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive
Come Rain Or Come Shine
Let's Fall In Love
One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)
It's Only A Paper Moon
Blues In The Night
Over The Rainbow
That Old Black Magic
The Gal That Got Away
Two Ladies In De Shade Of De Banana Tree
Stormy Weather

Customer Reviews:

One of Harold Artelen's best scores.......2006-08-13

Reviewing the previous Broadway Angel issue I wrote:

Capitol Records made their first original cast album of this 1946 show by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer. The album was issued as a set of five 10-inch 78 RPM records and in the early 1950s was briefly released as a 10-inch Lp. In the late 1960s Capitol re-released it on a 12-inch record in "fake" stereo. None of these editions stayed in the catalogue long.

Neither did Broadway Angel's CD edition which came out in 1992.
The show had only a short run, and has never been revived. (The original orchestrations were lost. A 1998 Encore reconstruction yielded a fuller recording available from Decca.)

This CD preserves the wonderful orginal cast: Pearl Bailey, Ruby Hill and Harold Nicholas. Several songs from this show became standards: "Come Rain or Come Shine," "Any Place I Hang My Hat is Home" and "It's a Woman's Prerogative."

Well, 10 years later the songs are as strong as ever and the performances as definitive as we will likely ever get. The score is truncated, and the soud while very good is not modern digital stereo, but a BIG thanks to DRG for bringing this one back!

ASTONISHING!.......2006-03-09

even having the moire complete Encores version of ST LOUIS WOMAN the original cast is superlative & a must have. Ruby Hill, June Hawkins & of course Bailey are beyond great as are orchestrations of this classic Arlen/Mercer score. & Arlen singing his own songs is something else again. This CD is a keeper for -oh, about forever!

Average customer rating:

Failed Ideas
Simply Exquisite

Out of This World
Harold Arlen , Herbert/ Arlen, Harold ("Hal") Stothart , Allan Schwartzberg , Joe Beck , Cyro Baptista , James Saporito , Jeffrey Harris , and Mike Renzi
Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Another Woman in Love

ASIN: B0000TAZ5Q
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Tracks:

Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home
Come Rain or Come Shine
Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive/Get Happy
It's Only a Paper Moon
Let's Fall in Love [*]
Sleepin' Bee
Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead
Optimistic Voices [*]
Over the Rainbow
Let's Take a Walk Around the Block
Don't Like Goodbyes
Right as the Rain
Out of This World
Man That Got Away/Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time)/Blues in
My Shining Hour

Customer Reviews:

Failed Ideas.......2004-12-09

Maureen McGovern is a national treasure. Her Naughty Baby CD to me is the 2nd coming of Christ. By comparison Out of this World is quite disappointing. Mostly either Harold Arlen or MM's uninspiring interpretations and/or Renzi's arrangements don't seem to suit MM on this CD. The drums and percusion are sometimes schlocky. The screechy sax is always terrible. Also not working for me are the electric keyboard/synthesizer, the electric guitar and the cello. Even Renzi's piano playing is sometimes a let down. Jay Leonhart's great bass work seems to be the only thing that you can depend on here. Did MM do this to herself or is Renzi mainly responsible? Spend your money instead on: Naughty Baby, The Music Never Ends, The Pleasure of his Company and Christmas With MM. All wonderful music.

Simply Exquisite.......2003-12-01

I'd forgotten what a beautiful, supple vocal instrument McGovern has. Here, she sings blues- and jazz-flavored tunes, torchy ballads, and more--all Harold Arlen--including "It's Only a Paper Moon," "Over the Rainbow," "Let's Take a Walk Around the Block," "The Man That Got Away" and "Come Rain or Come Shine." Her "Optimistic Voices" (from The Wizard of Oz) is worth the price of the entire CD. It is simply exquisite, like a fine jewel, polished and gleaming with feeling.

Double Feature: Saturday Night Fever/Grease

Average customer rating:

Double Feature: Saturday Night Fever/Grease

Manufacturer: Madacy Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Tracks:

Night Fever
Stayin' Alive
Disco Inferno
How Deep Is You Love
You Should Be Dancing
More Than a Woman
Jive Talkin'
Boogie Shoes
If I Can't Have You
Boogie Child
Fifth of Beethoven
K-Jee
Salsation

Tracks:

You're the One That I Want
Grease
Summer Nights
Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee
Hopelessly Devoted to You
Greased Lightning
Beauty School Dropout
Blue Moon
Love Is Many-Splendored Thing [Instrumental]
Sandy
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We Go Together

St. Louis Woman (1998 Encores!/City Center Cast)

Average customer rating:

Vanessa Williams and long-forgotten gem of a score
Why didn't Vanessa Williams become a Broadway star?
Acceptable revival without being at all "special"
ARLEN AND MERCER
Nice revival, but not really a restoration

St. Louis Woman (1998 Encores!/City Center Cast)
Harold Arlen , Johnny Mercer , and Vanessa Williams
Manufacturer: Decca Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Call Me Madam (1995 Broadway Concert Cast)

ASIN: B00000DBYZ
Release Date: 1998-11-10

Tracks:

Act One: Overture
Li' Augie Is A Natural Man
Sweeten' Water
Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home
I Feel My Luck Comin' Down
I Had Myself A True Love
Legalize My Name
Cakewalk Your Lady
Come Rain Or Come Shine
Chinquapin Bush/Lullaby
Sleep Peaceful, Mr. Used-To-Be
Act Two: Entr'acte
Funeral Scene: Prelude
Leavin' Time
Come Rain Or Come Shine (Reprise)
It's A Woman's Preogative
Ridin' On The Moon
I Wonder What Became Of Me
Least That's My Opinion
Come On Li'l Augie
Finale: Come Rain Or Come Shine

Amazon.com

After it flopped in 1946, Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer's musical about nightclubs and jockeys featuring an all-black cast had simply vanished. The original cast album was long out of print, and, worst of all, no orchestral scores had survived. After lengthy sleuthing, New York's Encores! team brought the show back to life. From pulsing big-band dance stomps to a cakewalk to near-operatic blues (yes, it works) the score is breathtaking, and both orchestra and singers rise up to the challenge, obviously exhilarated by the material. A special mention goes to Vanessa L. Williams, who confirms her natural affinity for Broadway ("Come Rain or Come Shine" with Stanley Wayne Mathis, "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home"). Original cast recording of the year for 1998, bar none. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews:

Vanessa Williams and long-forgotten gem of a score.......2004-01-28

This 1998 recording of the Harold Arlen-Johnny Mercer ST. LOUIS WOMAN score features the acclaimed Encores! concert cast headed by the lovely Vanessa Williams.

ST. LOUIS WOMAN is yet another of those long-forgotten musicals (SARATOGA and HOUSE OF FLOWERS are two more) which have heavenly scores that hardly anyone have heard. This 1998 recording has done a lot in helping to rectify that situation. The original cast album with Pearl Bailey was issued on CD in the early 90's but was quickly deleted.

Vanessa Williams (INTO THE WOODS) is a dynamite in the lead role, especially fetching belting out "Any Place I Hang My Hat is Home". The score also features "Cakewalk Your Lady", "Ridin' on the Moon", "I Wonder What Became of Me" and "I Had Myself a True Love".

At least one of the numbers from ST. LOUIS WOMAN became a standard for Judy Garland: "Come Rain or Come Shine" (the best-known song in the score).

This great cast album also features Stanley Wayne Mathis and Yvette Cason. [DECCA BROADWAY 314 538 148-2]

Why didn't Vanessa Williams become a Broadway star?.......2003-11-23

The most beautiful of all Miss Americas (with the POSSIBLE exception of only Lee Meriweather), Vanessa Williams has an absolutely gorgeous voice made just for musical theatre. Here, on this Encores! recording of the famous Harold Arlen musical, she gives what I would call the definitive performance of "Anywhere I Hang My Hat is Home," which is saying something given her competition over the decades. Why she never fully turned her talents towards Broadway will mystify you after hearing her on this magnificent recording. The rest of the cast does beautifully with some of Arlen's most beautiful music: I notice here some criticisms of Helen Goldsby, and though her voice isn't always as true here as it could be, she is quite moving on "I Wonder What Became of Me" (she is a marvelous actress, as anyone ever fortunate enough to see her on Broadway in "Master Class" could attest).

Acceptable revival without being at all "special".......2003-04-15

The reviews on this page that have gone before me are rather astute. They cover the disparity of the new orchestrations with what those of 1946 should have sounded like. The cast is, I agree, pulling very hard and doing quite well with the material, but something doesn't click here- even the three standards (ANY PLACE I HANG MY HAT IS HOME; I HAD MYSELF A TRUE LOVE; COME RAIN OR COME SHINE) and the two fine comedy numbers (LEGALIZE MY NAME; IT'S A WOMAN'S PREROGATIVE)are well done but not "special" in any way.

It's certainly important that any serious lover of musical theater hear this score so on that point, I recommend the album.

What noone's ear has been able to pick up thus far in these reviews is the vamp for CAKEWALK YOUR LADY. It's identical to "GASTON'S SOLILOQUY" in GIGI. Note for note. Since MGM backed the staging of ST. LOUIS WOMAN, it owned the rights to Arlen's music. Twelve years later, it seems someone brought this piece of music to the ears of Fritz Loewe for MGM's original musical, GIGI. Listen to it and be amazed. Here's a "steal" that no one has ever reported or admitted, since the original cakewalk music had not been heard until 1998.

All in all, a decent attempt to revive a forgotten show, but nothing extraordinary on its own terms.

ARLEN AND MERCER.......2001-03-01

While they wrote many greats songs together(THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC,BLUES IN THE NIGHT),HAROLD ARLEN and JOHNNY MERCER were never really BROADWAY bound.However, this show had all kinds of misfortunes in 1946 and really deserved the second chance it got in 1998.Of course the original orchestrations were not quite the same as they are here,but the fact that the show could have a rebirth is in itself a reward that can not be denied.VANESSA WILLIAMS is wonderful.The show has one character miscast;it's easy to find out if you listen to the cd at least twice.Try to indentify it because i won't tell you.Overall, this revival is perhaps not perfect, but was certainly worth doing.

Nice revival, but not really a restoration.......2000-10-05

Taken in itself, this is a really nice CD. But it is unique among the ENCORES recordings in that it really is more a revival recording than a careful recreation of the original piece.

The original orchestra parts for this show were lost, but the problem here is that the new ones that Ralph Burns and Luther Henderson created do not sound ANYTHING like what Broadway arrangements sounded like in 1946. Rather, they sound like the kind of arrangements Burns and Henderson crafted starting in the 1960s. These nightclubby/Vegasy sounds are wonderful in themselves, but in the proper sense, ST. LOUIS WOMAN didn't sound like LITTLE ME, SWEET CHARITY and PLAY ON! -- it sounded more like PORGY AND BESS. Saxophones swinging through densely intricate passages as a matter of course as if Ellington and Strayhorn had written the parts, Count Basie pedal point bass lines -- this kind of arranging didn't exist yet in 1946 Broadway pits. As presented on this CD, I FEEL MY LUCK COMIN' DOWN sounds about as unlike what this song surely sounded like in 1946 as the 1971 NO NO NANETTE revival's arrangements -- glorious in themselves -- sounded unlike the originals from that show in 1924 -- and pointedly, it was precisely Burns and Henderson who did the new orchestrations for that revival. If Burns and Henderson, having lived through all of this as a lifetime rather than as a vintage record collection, do not spontaneously draw these kinds of distinctions, surely the youngish aficionados who produce these recordings do.

And how we know what the original sounded like is the ST. LOUIS WOMAN album that was recorded in 1946, and what perplexes me is that even the orchestrations for the songs recorded on that album are altered somewhat for this recording, making them sound more "Sammy Davis/Lena Horne" than what the authors intended.

This is the only ENCORES album which sounds out of period, even the overture sounding like something playing under the opening credits of a 1960s or 1970s TV special rather than what an overture would have sounded like the year after CAROUSEL opened. As much as I hate to say this, I cannot help thinking that somewhere along the line, a sense developed that black entertainment somehow means less attention to details such as period style. This is sad in this case, because part of the glory of that brief original ST. LOUIS WOMAN album is the plangent, quirky, rich sounds from the orchestra, not quite like anything else at the time, but surely not sounding like CHICAGO either.

Furthermore, Helen Goldsby is to my ear quite unimpressive, especially compared to the magnificent singing by June Hawkins on the original cast recording, all the more affecting given how the segregation of the period surely restricted her career. Among the ENCORES recordings, only on the BABES IN ARMS recording is anyone allowed to get away with singing so ordinary outside of "character" parts, and there the reason was the emphasis on casting people who sound like youths -- but what was the reason here? Surely there are dozens of black female singers in New York who could knock you against the wall the way Hawkins did with the very, very good songs her character was given. Why was Goldsby's merely okay rendition considered suitable for such a historic occasion?

Tracks:

Little Johnny Jones: Give My Regards To Broadway
Finian's Rainbow: How Are Things In Glocca Morra? - Tony Mansell
Oklahoma: Oklahoma!
Carousel (Medley): June Is Bustin' Out All Over/If I Loved You/When I Marry Mr. Snow/What's The Use Of Wond'rin/You'll Never Walk Alone
Can-Can: C'est Magnifique - The Romantic Strings Orchestra
No, No Nanette: Tea For Two - Margaret Whiting
The Baker's Wife: Meadowlark
St. Louis Woman: Come Rain Or Come Shine
Damn Yankees: Whatever Lola Wants - Rosemary Squires
Funny Girl: People - Jo Stafford
The Threepenny Opera: Mack The Knife
The Phantom Of The Opera: All I Ask Of You - Roger Williams

Overture: American Musical Theatre, Vol. 3 (1946-1952)

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Overture: American Musical Theatre, Vol. 3 (1946-1952)

Manufacturer: Black Tulips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Overture: American Musical Theatre, Vol. 2 (1935-1945)
Overture: American Musical Theatre, Vol. 1 (1924-1935)
Overture: American Musical Theatre, Vol. 4 (1953-1960)

ASIN: B000001P4N
Release Date: 1993-12-03

Tracks:

There's No Business Like Show Business/The Girl That I Marry/I Got The Sun In The Morning/They...
Almost Like Being In Love/Come Rain Or Come Shine
How Are Things In Glocca Morra/Old Devil Moon/Look To The Rainbow
Always Ture To You In My Fashion/Wunderbar/So In Love
Let's Take An Old Fashioned Walk/Once In Love With Amy/Lost In The Stars
Some Enchanted Evening/Younger Than Springtime/I'm In Love With A Wonderful Guy/Bali Ha'i
Guys And Dolls/I've Never Been In Love Before/Fuge For Tinhorns/If I Were A Bell
It's A Lovely Day Today/I Talk To The Trees/You're Just In Love
The March Of Siamese Children/I Whistle A Happy Tune/Hello Young Lovers

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Out-of-Print but worth a hunt!

St. Louis Woman
Original Broadway Cast
Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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House of Flowers (1954 Original Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B000008L2J
Release Date: 1992-11-17

Tracks:

Li'l Augie Is a Natural Man - Robert Pope
Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home - Ruby Hill
I Had Myself a True Love - June Hawkins
Legalize My Name - Pearl Bailey
Cakewalk Your Lady - Robert Pope,
Come Rain or Come Shine - Ruby Hill, Harold Nicholas
Lullaby - Ruby Hill
Sleep Peaceful (Mr. Used-To-Be) - June Hawkins
Leavin' Time
It's a Woman's Prerogative - Pearl Bailey
Ridin' on the Moon - Harold Nicholas

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Out-of-Print but worth a hunt!.......2004-03-08

Capitol Records made their first original cast album of this 1946 show by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer. The album was issued as a set of five 10-inch 78 RPM records and in the early 1950s was briefly released as a 10-inch Lp. In the late 1960s Capitol re-released it on a 12-inch record in "fake" stereo. None of these editions stayed in the catalogue long.

Neither did Broadway Angel's CD edition which came out in 1992.
The show had only a short run, and has never been revived. (The original orchestrations were lost. A 1998 Encore reconstruction yielded a fuller recording available from Decca.)

This CD comes with a great set of notes including a detailed synopsis. Best of all it preserves the wonderful orginal cast: Pearl Bailey, Ruby Hill and Harold Nicholas. Several songs from this show became standards: "Come Rain or Come Shine," "Any Place I Hang My Hat is Home" and "It's a Woman's Prerogative."

Search high and low for a copy of this one!

UPDATE: AUGUST 2006...this has been reissued by DRG!

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