Sings Sondheim

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Recorded live at the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia, this double CD is one heck of an extensive tribute to Stephen Sondheim. Backed only by Paul Ford on piano, Mandy Patinkin gets through nearly three dozen songs penned by the Broadway master. Some are obvious (excerpts from Sunday in the Park with George, in which the singer created the title role), others less so ("If You Can Find Me I'm Here" from Evening Primrose). Patinkin is often mocked for his shivering falsetto, but here, it's actually when his voice explores a lower register that it falters. What's more interesting is when he tackles songs usually sung by women, such as Follies' "Broadway Baby" and Company's "Another Hundred People" and "You Could Drive a Person Crazy"--the latter hammed up so much that you can hear the chewing of the scenery. A distinctively mannered interpreter, Patinkin remains an acquired taste, but fans of his will be in heaven with this set. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

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.

Average customer rating:

Dame Cleo sings Sondheim better than anybody else!
Love that Cleo
As good as it gets
WONDERFUL
The best interpreter of Sondheim songs

Cleo Laine Sings Sondheim
Cleo Laine
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000002WBI
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Everybody Says Don't
Losing My Mind
Ah! But Underneath
I Remember
Liasions
You Could Drive A Person Crazy
Not While I'm Around
The Ladies Who Lunch
Send In The Clowns
The Little Things You Do Together
Anyone Can Whistle
I'm Calm
No One Is Alone
The Miller's Son
Not A Day Goes By
I'm Still Here

Customer Reviews:

Dame Cleo sings Sondheim better than anybody else!.......2006-06-04

I wanted to hear Dame Cleo Laine and this was my first compact disc but not my last. She is a great singer with a super range. She can sing all of Sondheim songs especially Send in the Clowns which is one of my favorite Sondheim songs. I love Dame Cleo and I have listened to the original Company soundtrack and Dame Cleo puts them to shame sorry but she's just wonderful to listen to on the car ride home.

Love that Cleo.......2004-05-31

This is the finest all around recording available as far as solo performers of Sondheim go!
Not only does Ms. Laine truly know how to interpret his songs but the lush orchestrations and production quality of this recording are unsurpassed. I cannot recommend this recording more highly.

As good as it gets.......2004-04-04

Dame Cleo Laine must be in her late 70s now, although this album was recorded in 1988. It is in her jazz and theatre work that she best demonstrates her vast range and pyrotechnical abilities, actually touching high B-flat in one version of the song "Music" and was registered as reaching a note higher than B in her live version of "Being Alive" in Carnegie Hall.

"Cleo Sings Sondheim" did not showcase those stratospheric vocal flights except in some instances where the song calls for that, but her burnished lower registers and her storytelling technique in songs are what separate her from other singers. She can tell the story of a woman slowly unhinged in "Losing My Mind" or vamp up a Follies tune "I Am Here" with the insouciance of an experienced woman. She can then revisit songs overly recorded like "Send in the Clowns" and vastly and differently remove us from the unforgettable versions of Marti Webb, Sarah Vaughan and even Glenn Close's heartbreaking live performance. She can locate a moment of barely contained hysteria in "I'm Calm" and do a rapid-fire vocalese of "Everybody Says Don't" that has all the technical skill and precision of a newly cranked Ferrari.

Sondheim songs are difficult to sing because of the theatrical demands imposed upon a singer who should act the songs rather than sing beautifully with detachment. That is why very few singers ever do Sondheim or when they do, there are performers who do them better justice than others. I single out Ute Lemper because of her profound understanding of the darkness in these songs. I can imagine Holly Cole doing a Sondheim song too and deconstruct it the way Patricia Barber does but none of the postmodern lapses of the latter. Surprisingly, those who were touted as Sondheim "interpreters" did not move me much, like Bernadette Peters and Barbara Cook. But I was awed by non-singers like Glenn Close who managed to see the melancholy and pessimism of his songs and bring them out much better than trained singers.

Cleo Laine's album of Sondheim-niana is a very good place to start, but then there is no accounting for personal tastes and a listener is always finding things in songs than others. But this is as good as any Sondheim tribute albums out in the market.

WONDERFUL.......2004-01-10

As as been said, this CD is absolutely wonderful in ever aspect. Get it, don't ask questions, just get it NOW!

The best interpreter of Sondheim songs.......2003-06-10

I first encountered Cleo Laine in the recording of "The Mystery of Edwin Drood". She is not one of those typical big belters Broadway currently mass-producing. The arrangement of sondheim songs here are quite dated. However, the saving factor is the interpretation of Cleo Laine. She knows the beats of the Sondheim songs. Hearing her version of "I Remember", and even "I'm Calm", one could not help but wonder on the approach and motivation. The attacks are very simple but honest. Not one of those typical "being" actors attack wielded by current singers. Interesting songs here are "Anyone Can Whistle", "I Remember" and "I'm Calm". For Sondheim fans, this is the definitive songbook.

Average customer rating:

Sondheim recital
Also a very dissapointed fan
Adequate performance; poor entertainment
a very disappointed fan
What a train wreck!

Sings Sondheim
Mandy Patinkin
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00006JP2C
Release Date: 2002-10-29

Tracks:

Opening
Lesson #8
Another Hundred People
When?
Someone Is Waiting
Johanna
Green Finch and Linnet Bird
Pretty Women
Finishing the Hat
If You Can Find Me, I'm Here
Live, Laugh, Love
Live Alone and Like It
Everybody Says Don't
Rich and Happy, Part 1
Our Time
Broadway Baby
Rich and Happy, Part 2
Uptown, Downtown
Liaisons
Send in the Clowns
Live, Laugh, Love (reprise)
You Could Drive a Person Crazy

Tracks:

Free
Company
Waiting For The Girls Upstairs
Pleasant Little Kingdom/Too Many Mornings
Not While I'm Around
All Things Bright and Beautiful
It Takes Two
In Someone's Eyes
Beautiful
Losing My Mind
Take the Moment
Sunday

Amazon.com

Recorded live at the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia, this double CD is one heck of an extensive tribute to Stephen Sondheim. Backed only by Paul Ford on piano, Mandy Patinkin gets through nearly three dozen songs penned by the Broadway master. Some are obvious (excerpts from Sunday in the Park with George, in which the singer created the title role), others less so ("If You Can Find Me I'm Here" from Evening Primrose). Patinkin is often mocked for his shivering falsetto, but here, it's actually when his voice explores a lower register that it falters. What's more interesting is when he tackles songs usually sung by women, such as Follies' "Broadway Baby" and Company's "Another Hundred People" and "You Could Drive a Person Crazy"--the latter hammed up so much that you can hear the chewing of the scenery. A distinctively mannered interpreter, Patinkin remains an acquired taste, but fans of his will be in heaven with this set. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews:

Sondheim recital.......2007-01-22

Probably the best way to approach these disks is to treat them like a recital in a concert hall. Rather as you would listen to a Schubert or Schumann song cycle. Taken together this way, we come to hear Sondheim as one of our finest composers, serious, comic, manic, depressive, always dead on target no matter what the subject matter. And Patinkin is perfect for these songs; he understands the meaning and value of every note and every word, just as a fine concert singer would do, and he makes his listeners understand, too. One of the most intriguing concept albums in recent memory, and a joy all the way through. Bob Finley, Palm Springs, CA.

Also a very dissapointed fan.......2003-08-22

I too LOVE Mandy and Stephen Sondheim and own just about everything both has ever made! I also have been to 6 of Mandy's live performances. This was truly a big dissapointment to me. Every concert I have seen Mandy in has been filled with emotion and his personality just grabs hold of you for an evening of wonderful escape-ism. This to me was very un-entertaining and I actually became irritated after awhile of listening to it. It seemed to drone on with out the wonderful feelings and emotions and soaring voice that Mandy typically puts into his music. I gave this as a gift too (since my friend and I had missed Mandy at his Sondheim review in DC last year) and felt badly that I had. There are so many other great recordings of Mandy...Kidults, Saturday in the Park with George, The Secret Garden, Mandy sings Rogers & Hammerstien and Sondheim. This one has just sat on my shelf after I played it through twice hoping to warm up to it...while my other recordings are very worn out with years of playing!

Adequate performance; poor entertainment.......2003-05-04

I received this disc the same day a "Philip Quast Live at the Donmar". The Quast disc has its own flaws (and I dont wish to compare the two performers) but it has been strung together in a more thoughtful manner, with witty imagination and using a more dangerous in the choice of songs, which is really where this disc fails. The songs here are generally enjoyable though rather standard, and the lack of cohesion (running the songs together doesnt count) means I just dip into the discs listening to a few favourites, rather than enjoying the whole show.

a very disappointed fan.......2003-02-05

I have every recording Patinkin appears on, even if he's only on one track; I adore his voice, his flair, his emotion, his ability to deliver a song.

But (much of) this recording is disappointing, mainly because Mr. Patinkin's voice in the lower range sounds muddled and forced, as though he's lost ability to control it (however, the more falsetto sounds are as clear and sharp as ever).

And I don't care for the format of this performance. Live recordings should have live audience reactions: one (often unrelated) song after another without applause had me wondering when--if ever--was the audience was going to be allowed to react.

Also, while I've never had the privilege of attending a Patinkin concert, I imagined that--above all-- he would be passionate. Perhaps he was. But what (mostly) comes across on the CD is a somber--almost technical--performance.

I hope he's healthy, that mixed quality of singing on this recording was just a fluke, and that his next CD will be a Five-star as all his previous ones have been

What a train wreck!.......2003-01-15

Hate to join the chorus of neigh-sayers, but jeeeez! I have to agree that with the exception of a few cuts (such as "Hyphenated Harriet") Mandy is a vocal bull in a china shop -- what he doesn't shatter he ... on. What should have been a tribute (I love Sondheim, but do we need ANOTHER anthology recording of oft sung songs?)is more like a wake. Mandy seems intent on becoming the male Ethel Merman -- if you can't hold the note, belt it out with a misplaced vabrato and maybe no one will notice. I REALLY wanted to like this recording, but is truly horrible. If the pipes are gone, Mandy, I hope you get back to acting.

Average customer rating:

An ego exceeding a talent
For Sondheads only, I assume...
Very intersting, but ...

Sondheim Sings, Vol. 2: 1946-1960
Stephen Sondheim
Manufacturer: P.S. Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Sondheim Sings, Vol. 1: 1962-1972
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ASIN: B000B7HZL4
Release Date: 2005-10-25

Tracks:

You're Only as Old as You Look
Do I Hear a Waltz?
Pour le Sport
Men
Steve Greets Ockie 1
What to Do at George School
How Do I Know?
When I Get Famous
A Star Is Born
I Remember That
In No Time At All/A Moment With You
New York Song
The Girls of Summer
I Wouldn't Change a Thing
Ten Years Old
High Life
Where Do I Belong?
Bitterness/Steve Greets Ockie 2

Amazon.com

The second volume of Sondheim Sings is an even greater discovery than the first. While that was a fascinating glimpse into the composer's private recordings of early versions of very familiar songs, volume 2 goes back to 1946 (and earlier), when Stephen Sondheim was a precocious 16-year-old writing a show called By George (which, as legend has it, Sondheim presented to Oscar Hammerstein II, who told him, "It's terrible, and I'll tell you why," thus propelling an eventually brilliant career). The most familiar song to listeners will be "Do I Hear a Waltz," written as the title song of a show composed by Richard Rodgers, but "Pour le Sport" is a fun romp. Even more interesting are two wildly ambitious list songs, "A Star Is Born" and "Ten Years After," that suggest the young Sondheim's cleverness was almost matched by his fascination with popular culture. There's also some variation on the "living room tapes" theme, with a 1948 radio broadcast of an instrumental combo playing a lovely waltz, "How Do I Know?" that foreshadows his film score for Stavisky.

As a singer, Sondheim is closer to Glynis Johns than Bernadette Peters, but he has the enthusiasm to match his vigorous piano-playing. The private-home recordings sound remarkably good, and the booklet is amazingly detailed, providing exactly the historical background required for this type of material, all the lyrics, and annotations of every reference in the list songs mentioned earlier. And again, proceeds from the recording will go to Young Playwrights Inc., which Sondheim founded to support playwrights under 18. --David Horiuchi

Album Description

The second volume of PS Classics' acclaimed SONDHEIM SINGS series, like the first, consists of newly remastered demos from the Tony, Grammy, Oscar and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer-lyricist's private collection. Volume II covers the years 1946 to 1960 and includes rare songs Sondheim wrote in college, for early unproduced musicals, and for the amusement of friends and colleagues in the 1950's.

Customer Reviews:

An ego exceeding a talent.......2006-03-14

Mr. Sondheim is a phenominal composer/lyricist...none better in my book. Mr. Sondheim, however, can't sing a lick. There are a thousand great Broadway voices who would have killed for the opportunity to present these early works. Mr. Sondheim chose to kill them himself.

For Sondheads only, I assume..........2005-12-20

This recording is really great. But I doubt it has relevance for any other than us hard core fans.

Most of the songs are really good. Some are unexpectedly tuneful, some are literally breathtaking. Most are witty and touching, as one expects from Sondheim songs.

One highlight is the incredible list song A Star Is Born, which seems to go on forever and forever, constantly topping itself in inventiveness. It has to be heard to be believed!

I recommend this CD to people who are more than average interrested in Sondheim music. For people who ae not yet hard core fans of his, I recommend becoming one before purchasing this CD.

Very intersting, but ..........2005-11-15

Well, you'd never buy this for Stephen Songheim's singing voice! This probably should be the first volume of the series, since it has reviews of his earlier work, but the songs here are very obscure indeed. Almost all of them are student works, or works written for friends etc. They are really interesting to hear especially as a historical curiosity, (although I don't think I will be playing the CD again without skipping the cut "10 years old" which is basically just annoying).
I found that after a few hearings the cd really grows on you. It is not surprising however that these musicals in general were never produced, if these were the only performances heard by backers etc.
P.S. classics should consider having professional performing musicians perform the never before recorded songs to get a better idea of their merit.

Average customer rating:

Broadway Sings the Blues: Party's Over

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000002921
Release Date: 1993-09-21

Tracks:

Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered (Mono) - Vivienne Segal
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (Mono) - Joan Roberts
I Never Know When - Elaine Stritch
Lonely Town - John Reardon
Where Am I Going? - Gwen Verdon
If He Walked Into My Life - Angela Lansbury
Anyone Can Whistle - Lee Remick
This Nearly Was Mine - Giorgio Tozzi
My Own Morning - Leslie Uggams
Send In The Clowns - Glynis Johns
Be On Your Own - Karen Akers
Being Alive - Dean Jones
Fifty Percent - Dorothy Loudon
What I Did For Love - Priscilla Lopez/Company
Bill - Anita Darian
The Party's Over - Judy Holliday

Average customer rating:

Fascinating and Entertaining
Sondheim sings
Group One or Group A
Two Stars out of respect for the past.
I can't wait for Volume 2!

Sondheim Sings, Vol. 1: 1962-1972
Stephen Sondheim
Manufacturer: P.S. Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0009299JC
Release Date: 2005-05-10

Tracks:

Love Is in the Air
Pretty Little Picture
Truly Content
Multitudes of Amys
Miracle Song
The Lame, the Halt and the Blind
The Glamorous Life
Everybody Ought to Have a Maid
Invocation
Dont Look at Me
Pleasant Little Kingdom
Everybody Says Dont
Losing My Mind
Broadway Baby
Anyone Can Whistle
A Hero Is Coming
No, Mary Ann
Marry Me a Little
Send in the Clowns

Amazon.com

Imagine yourself sitting in Stephen Sondheim's living room as he sits at the piano and sings 19 of his songs, some still in the gestational stage. That's the gist of Sondheim Sings, Vol. 1: 1962-1972, the first installment of what promises to be a large collection of private recordings Sondheim made "for fun" at the home of a friend. Naturally they're from shows relatively early in Sondheim's career, such as Company, Follies, A Funny Thing..., Anyone Can Whistle, and A Little Night Music. But just because the songs were written for those shows doesn't mean they made the final cut, so the selections range from the ultra-familiar "Send in the Clowns" and "Broadway Baby" to the less-familiar "Pleasant Little Kingdom," "Marry Me a Little," and "Love Is in the Air." Of course anyone who's the least bit versed in Sondheim song collections probably already knows "Marry Me a Little" and other such fare, but more rare is "No, Mary Ann" (from a never-produced movie called The Thing of It Is), "Truly Content" (a single song from The World of Jules Feiffer), and "The Lame, the Halt and the Blind" (cut from Anyone Can Whistle). A further element of interest is that some of the songs are different from their final stage versions. The changes are minor--a word here, a line there--but they offer a glimpse into Sondheim's working process. The beautiful booklet reprints all the lyrics as sung here, with notations for where they were eventually changed and to what. It also includes historic photos and detailed notes by Sondheim archivist Peter E. Jones.

And how is Sondheim the performer? Broadway fans are well aware that performances by songwriters can be valued for their insight and passion, but not necessarily their beauty. There's a 1971 quote from Sondheim: "For those of you who have not had the pleasure of hearing my voice before, I tend to sing very loud, usually off-pitch and always write in keys that are just out of my range." That's a self-deprecating exaggeration, but it's probably best said that Sondheim is a good pianist who as a singer won't make anyone forget Barbara Cook. Sondheim Sings is a product of PS Classics' non-profit wing, and proceeds from the recording will go to Young Playwrights Inc., which Sondheim founded to support playwrights under 18. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating and Entertaining.......2007-04-14

As a huge Sondheim fan, it was fascinating to listen to the songs in their early form. Though his voice is not professional, the music is so good that it sounds wonderful no matter who is singing it. And coming from him you really hear the intended intonations and witticisms.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves Sondheim! Especially noteworthy tracks are "Love is in the Air," "Pretty Little Picture," "The Glamorous Life," "Pleasant Little Kingdom,"Everybody Says Don't," "No Mary Ann," and "Marry Me a Little."

It is interesting to see now the songs changed from this early recording to the final Broadway version. It really gives you more insight into the composer's artistic method.

Fabulous!

Sondheim sings.......2006-09-22

They say writers cant really read their own writing...well composer really cant sing their tunes

This is a collection of Stephen Sondheim demos from shows Follies, Company, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Anyone can Whistle and A Little Night Music. Some non classic tunes with a few chestnuts we all remember

It is worth it? To listen to composer Sondheim singing his showtunes digitally remastered for this CD. In my opinion, Sondheim can write wonderful pieces of music, but can't sing them.

So would I recommend it to a broadway fan? SURE. But for the common person, this is a composer's Golden Turkey. The last cut on the CD says it all, SEND IN THE CLOWNS

Bennet Pomerantz, AUDIOWORLD

Group One or Group A.......2005-12-21

Collectors of cast albums fall into two generalized categories: Group One is made up of die-hard fans that want every cast album of every show (including alternate versions.)

Group A consists of more casual collectors who just buy the titles they like and don't worry about being completists.

This CD is really for Group One.

For the serious theatre fans that appreciate Sondheim's dedication to polishing each lyric with even the subtlest changes, this CD is a treasure trove of material. Those who already know many of these songs from the cast albums will be amazed at the number of changes he has made in the lyrics and sometimes the tunes.

In a day when most Broadway lyric writers are content to have two lines that rhyme, Sondheim's obsessive re-writing and polishing must seem needless, but this is what has given the songs their ability to stand up to repeated listenings.

The CD is a Sondheim fan's dream. Almost a master class in how to write (or, in a few cases, how NOT to write) for the musical theatre.

The sound quality, given the source, is quite good. Sondheim's voice is untrained. Like most songwriters, he sings loud and enthusiastic and usually in the general vicinity of the note. But this CD is not a Sondheim recital. There are plenty of those around (Barbara Cook, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters etc.) Here we have an insider's look into the creative process.

Two Stars out of respect for the past........2005-09-21

No one has wanted even to hear Sondheim's writing of late, and you surely do NOT want to hear him sing. I loved his interviews where he'd play and sing in an insturctional mode. All composers are forgiven for that. The man is brilliant. But singing for real? Uh-uh.

I can't wait for Volume 2!.......2005-08-15

At last - the greatest musical theatre composer of the 20th century singing his own compositions. It's a treat for the Sondheim-ophile to hear his interpretation of material that was either cut from shows or included in some of his biggest hits.

Anyone who loves the musical genre will love this CD.

Average customer rating:

Julie Wilson Sings the Stephen Sondheim Songbook
Julie Wilson is a living legend
Dreck!

Sings The Stephen Sondheim Songbook
Julie Wilson
Manufacturer: Drg
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Sings the Cole Porter Songbook
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Sings the George Gershwin Songbook
Julie Wilson in London...with Friends
Sweeney Todd (2005 Broadway Revival Cast)

ASIN: B000008MDF
Release Date: 1999-01-19

Tracks:

Can That Boy Fox-Trot
Good Thing Going/Not A Day Goes By
Love I Hear
I Do Like You
Not While I'm Around
The Ladies Who Lunch
Never Do Anything Twice
With So Little To Be Sure Of/Too Many Mornings
Beautiful Girls/The Song Of Lucy And Jessie/Loosing My Mind, Leave You
Send In The Clown
I'm Still Here

Amazon.com

Grande dame of cabaret Julie Wilson finds an ideal foil in the music of Stephen Sondheim, whose brilliant musicals have included some outstanding songs for older women: "I Never Do Anything Twice," "Send in the Clowns," "The Ladies Who Lunch," and almost all of Follies (notably absent is "Liaisons"). Yet Wilson can also do justice to the ode to young love, "Love I Hear," from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Throughout, pianist William Roy provides excellent support, including occasional vocal contributions. It's an excellent start to a series of composer songbooks Wilson has recorded for DRG. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

Julie Wilson Sings the Stephen Sondheim Songbook.......2005-08-15

I purchased this CDbecause Julie Wilson sang a previously unrecorded Sondhiem song that was cut from the show "A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum." Unfamiliar with Ms. Wilson's work, I assume she was once a formidable cabaret singer. Unfortunately, her voice has gone. Listening to an entire CD of her raspy, not always on key singing, was not that entertaining.

Julie Wilson is a living legend.......2000-06-08

Ms. Wilson epitomizes half a century of American cabaret to a degree that is unmatched by no other. Her rendition of Sondheim's songs not only gives tribute to a great American songwriter that comes almost two generations after her, but it also showcases the originality and personality of the performer. This album is certainly not for those who are looking for run-of-the mill renditions of Sondheim. Ms. Wilson's individuality comes through powerfully in this album, matched only by Sondheim's lyrics. A great album!

Dreck!.......2000-06-02

This is probably the worst butchering of Sondheim's music I have ever come across. A waste of money, even for a Sondheim collector.

Louis Lebeau Remembers Cole Porter, Not Stephen Sondheim (But Sings Their Songs Anyway)

Average customer rating:

Another amazing recording!

Louis Lebeau Remembers Cole Porter, Not Stephen Sondheim (But Sings Their Songs Anyway)
Robert Clary with the John Rodby Trio
Manufacturer: Original Cast Record
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005IAN4
Release Date: 2002-07-02

Tracks:

Let's Misbehave (1927) [LA Revue des Ambassadeurs]
Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
Do I Love You? (1939) [Du Bary Was a Lady]
After You, Who? (1932) [Gay Divorce]
Friendship (1939) [From Du Barry Was a Lady]
Easy to Love
It's All Right With Me (1953) [Can-Can]
All Through the Night (1934) [From Anything Goes]
You Don't Know Paree/I Love Paris [Fifty Million Frenchmen/Can-Can] - Robert Clary
You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To/Get Out of Town [Something to ...]
It's Bad for Me (1933)
Marry Me a Little
Anyone Can Whistle (1964) (Anyone Can Whistle)
I Remember (1966) [Evening Primrose]
Love I Can Hear (1962) [A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum]
I'm Calm (1962) [A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum]
Pretty Women (1978) [Sweeney Todd]
Beautiful Girls (1971) [Follies]
Too Many Mornings (1971) [Follies]
Live, Laugh, Love (1971) [Follies]
Old Friends (1981) (Merrily We Roll Along)

Customer Reviews:

Another amazing recording!.......2001-05-03

Robert Clary has done it again! You probably remember Mr. Clary as Louis LeBeau from Hogan's Heroes, but if so, you've only seen a piece of his talent! Truly, if you haven't heard Robert Clary sing, you are missing a chance to hear one of the greatest voices ever. I've bought this CD for so many friends and family members... everyone loves it! A relative of mine that I bought this CD for has put all of her other CD's away in storage, as Robert Clary is the only person she wants to listen to! Take my advice- you have to hear this!

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Sings Sondheim
Myrra Malmberg
Manufacturer: Bmg
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0002N8M6E
Release Date: 2007-03-19

Music:

Music

Music