5 comments about Mary Martin and Ethel Merman - Their Legendary Appearance on the Ford 50th Anniversary Show.

1. Despite the b/w dated condition of this program, the talent of two such remarkable women is a treasure to keep forever. Not only does it bring back fond memories of these stars, but it's an ideal for the latest generation of performers to aim toward. If they have any sense.



2. I remembering seeing this on TV. It was great to see two of the greats in their prime!



3. This teaming of Mary Martin and Ethel Merman was just way too short at 27 minutes. When you talk about show business greats, these two WERE Broadway!



4. As a record collector in Canada, I was not the first to fall on the 10 inches 33 rpm record of this show, buying it and listening to it over and over. Did I dream of seeing it? You bet! It is a real treasure and what fun camaraderie passes between Merman & Martin!
   BUT, for Canada buyers: BEWARE of stores who sells this short DVD at 54$! It was much less expensive to buy it here + shipping!
   DVD is short? It is not complete? It is much better than only hearing it!! Please, were lucky to have it anyway! There is more than the record itself (don't miss Martin's sketch on fashion passing fancies !!! Delightful!). Just imagine if the film itself had been destroyed? Just imagine all the great stuff that has not been kept through time?
   Let's enjoy what we have!



5. I was so pleased to see excerpts from this legendary programme finally released on DVD. I have shared it with my theatre classes and they have generally been enthused about the performances, especially Mary Martin who is quite funny in the fashion sequence. They were generally not as receptive to Merman. Perhaps Martin knew how to play to the camera to better effect. I wish I coud find some footage to demonstrate Merman's genius but maybe someday there will be a DVD available with her performance from Gypsy.

2 comments about Gay Purr-Ee (1962 Movie Soundtrack) (Rhino Handmade).

1. Finally, this wonderful soundtrack is once again available, now on CD!
   
   Except there's one tiny drawback - it's part of the Rhino Handmade collection of limited CD releases. Each one individually numbered and some released limited to as few as 1,000 copies. Gay Purr-ee's soundtrack release is limited to 5,000 copies. Not 5,000 per chain/store/whatever...5,000 total, for everywhere. Meaning Amazon is likely to have less than 1,000, Rhino's online store is likely to have less than 2,000, and then a few thousand more for the rest of the country. So pick up your copy quickly, because once all 5,000 are sold, that's it! (However, Rhino IS selling a digital download version, so if you can't buy a physical CD, you can always buy the download version.)
   
   The soundtrack has been nicely remastered for this CD release. A tiny bit of tape noise still exists on the CD, and there's occasional clipping from the loudness of the recording, but overall, the quality is superb!
   
   Of course, the reason this soundtrack is so spectacular is because of the presence of Judy Garland. Gay Purr-ee was Judy's sole cartoon voiceover work, and the team of E.Y. Harburg and Harold Arlen, who had penned her signature song Over The Rainbow for her in 1939, wrote several incredible songs for Judy for this film. Take My Pand Paree, Paris Is A Lonely Town, and Roses Red Violets Blue are wonderful songs that showcase her incredible voice. But the highlight of the album, which I also consider to be one of her finest performances ever, is Little Drops Of Rain. Despite the fact that this movie is basically a kid's movie, Little Drops Of Rain is quite an adult lament, as many have said of the song. This song is also available on Rhino's Judy Garland In Hollywood: Her Greatest Movie Hits compilation for VERY good reason - it's one of the best songs she ever sang.
   
   I wholeheartedly recommend this soundtrack. If the Amazon price seems a little steep, it's only about $20 at Rhino's website. Don't wait too long to buy it though - it could be sold out tomorrow!



2. Rhino, in the liner notes for this CD, refers to the Gay Purr-ee soundtrack as having been restored from the original Warner master tapes.
   
   What exactly has been restored is open to debate, as the entire album is marred with audible tape hiss and occasional dropouts. If any restoration of these elements took place, it isn't audible in the finished product.
   
   It's still a "must have" for anyone who loves Judy Garland...but with the tiniest bit of effort, this long overdue CD could have been worlds better. As things stand, it's mediocre at best.

5 comments about Model Prisoner.

1. This is a great CD by a very talented man. The tracks are varied and will either get you up dancing or have you deep in thought. Be sure to check out his other album "Civilian" Civilian Enjoy!



2. I only got this cd today. But man, it is GREAT. I love his voice so much!! "precious little meltdown", "model prisoner" and "just here to the left of you" are my favs. But I am sure it will change.



3. As an Adam Pascal fan, I was anxious to hear this, yet nervous that it would be less than perfect... and I was wrong - I really like this cd. The songs are "singable" - Liken A Razor and Rhyme and Reason are my favorites. For a free preview of him playing an accoustic version of it, go to (...)



4. Very good! I only had the privilege of listening to a few songs, but I love them all! Unfortunately, when I tried to buy it at Borders, they said it wasn't available from anybody. Not even the distributor. So I couldn't get it. But anyway, after hearing Rent and Aida, I really thought of this as a refreshing alternative to my...obsession, if you will, with Broadway stuff.



5. As a avid fan of RENT, I had bought the RENT OBC about 5 years ago and basically havent stopped listening to it since. RENT was the best and most orginal show B'Way had seen in decades. And upon listening to this CD I heard this golden voice of raw power and soul. It was Adam Pascal. And as he has been equally brilliant in everything he's done since(Aida, Cabaret).
   So when he came out with this CD about 2 years ago, I bought it. I must say, I loved it instantly. Adam has a very distinctive voice. Filled with power, emotion and soul. His voice is ear-shattering....But in a really good way. And on this wonderful music journey he hits shades of 80's hair band rock, Heavy Metal, Pop, Country and infuses it with fresh modern rock for just a very strong CD.

5 comments about Sherry (2004 Studio Cast).

1. This is a fun CD set. The music is lush. The performances by Bernadette Peters, Carol Burnett, Nathan Lane and rest of the cast are simply great. The personalities of the characters really come through. In the production numbers, you can almost see the dancers. Goodness, Carol Burnett -- always one of my favorites -- here at 70 sounds wonderful.
   I have to state my bias, though, I'm performing the role of Sheridan Whiteside in a community theater production of the play. So people less familiar with the play may not appreciate this CD as much. It has grown on me, so maybe it takes a few listens. The 2000 movie of "The Man who Came to Dinner" with Nathan Lane would be good background (as well as a lot of fun in its own right).



2. Great piece of work - would love to see this staged sometime. Some of the talent is predictable but this is a great idea.



3. As Ken Mandelbaum pointed out, "The Man Who Came To Dinner" is perfect as is, and isn't improved by musicalization. That said, I think it could have still been done much better. The two ladies (Lorraine Sheldon and Magie Cutler) get the best songs - the ballads for Maggie and the show tunes "Sherry" and "Putty In Your Hands" for Lorraine (although both songs rely upon the same "re-mi" hook in what seems to be plain lazy composition, rather than thematic continuity). Whiteside never gets a really great number, and the show is called "Sherry," isn't it? Shouldn't he have an 11:00 number? Shouldn't his establishing number be funnier? Why does the Noel Coward character have two (bland) songs and the Harpo Marx character none? Why does the nurse, Miss Preen, never sing?
   Although the score is never truly bad, it seems as though opportunities to write great songs (rather than acceptable ones) were missed. And please, Lipton, please get over your obsession with internal rhymes. Your overuse of them is like putting an entire box of salt in a stew.



4. As reviewers search for reasons why this just isn't a terribly good disc, I submit that you can't gild a turd. And that the only reason this near-forgotten score has been revived is because it's a ***JAMES LIPTON VANITY PROJECT***. Lipton, best (and only) known for his execrable TV show (oh, wait! no, there were also those sterling Bob Hope Birthday Specials...), is, politely put, an undertalented lyricist and playwright. That his emetic program has afforded him enough (hopefully-brief) celebrity to coerce talented performers (all but one--Tommy Tune--have been dais guests of the oleaginous Lipton) to waste their time in the service of his ego is just another reason to regret ITAS' popularity.
   
   B'way completists rejoice if you will, but please also admit that there are many shows much more deserving of fresh recordings with marquee casts than this hacked-out pastiche of other creators' immeasurably-better work.



5. At the risk of sounding totally mean, I have to say that there are some bright spots in this rather over-the-top and inflated score. No wonder it closed and was never recorded until now. It's just not as good as the publicity for the recording would lead you to believe. There's nothing original here, it's Broadway formula down to the first note of the overture to the end.

3 comments about The Golden Years 1934-1954.

1. It's really a shame more of Kay Thompson's vocal work isn't (as yet) out there! I was impressed with both her speaking presence as well as booming vocal capabilities from the very first (of many) viewings of "Funny Face"! Let's face it, outside of the background vocalists in that movie she's really the only one that can actually sing (and that's no putdown to either Fred Astair or Audrey Hepburn; both of whom I love for their many other talents)! She's absolutely amazing! This collection came available a few years back and I snapped it right up, only having her recordings up to that time from the aforementioned soundtrack. What others have said about the sound quality is true, but nowadays remastering equipment has come a whole lot further, so maybe a second re-release of this and others is somewhere out there in the works, one can only hope. But my favorites on this one start about midway with her standards like "That Old Feeling", "Where are You?", "Blue Moon", etc.. The earlier big band numbers are enjoyable too in another way like "Take a Number From one to Ten" for example, but you also have to like earlier recordings that were about a "band singer" that was only one part of the whole ensemble (see also Janet Blair or Lucia Pamela) until musical tastes later went off the direction they did. Overall, though this is a good diverse body of her earlier years and I'll look forward to coming across more from this amazing lady as I collect things!



2. Kay Thompson is an amazing vocal arranger and singer and it is wonderful to hear her at the top of her craft. The cd on the other hand suffers from poor sound quality. This cd has been recorded from an out of print album and pops and skips along. It is really too bad because it distracts from the performance. I hope that some time in the future they will release the material from the original source.



3. Kay Thompson has smart-set style, vocal virtuosity, class, and arrangements to kill (her swinging version of "How Much Do I Love You" alone is worth the price of the CD). She taught Judy Garland and Lena Horne style at MGM, and you can see where those two seminal artists developed some of their technique. The last 10 tracks, taken from her obscure studio album of 1952, are by far the best, and each swings. A must for any fan of Sinatra, Garland, Horne, Lee... actually, for anyone!

2 comments about Songs From The Sound Of Music (Accompaniment 2-CD Set).

1. 
   The Sound of music is a classic musical, and as it happens, Stage Stars does well in creating background tracks for just that type of music. This complete Broadway-show recording is low on the synthesizer sound and high on authentic-sounding instrumentation. There are exceptions of course, but overall this is a solid buy.
   
   The guide vocal disc, which includes the background and professional singers performing the songs in the style of the show, is about as high quality as one gets with Broadway Karaoke. The singers' voices are all beautiful, which is nice, but the real treat is that they all sing on pitch. Other Broadway Karaoke you find that the singers have really nice vibratos and they can punch the high notes, but they're consistently flatter than a Goodyear with a nail in it. Not only is that kind of thing just painful to the ear, it doesn't help the customer learn how to sing the song. But with `The Sound of Music' everyone's on top of their game, and one can really learn from a trained singer how the songs should sound. This is maybe the best guide vocal disc I've ever heard for a Broadway Karaoke. The only complaint I have with the guide vocal disc is that once or twice the actors needed to have stepped back from the microphone just a smidge so we aren't bombarded with their enunciations, as we are a few times when Maria sings. But that aside, this is the most enthusiastic, professional sounding `cast' I've heard on a disc like this.
   As far as the actual instrumentations go, when the vocals are removed for disc 2, one can pick up a little more synth sound than was detectable with the singers. But for a Broadway Karaoke disc, this is definitely one of the most authentic sounding discs I've heard. Real instruments are provided through the CD, and are played very, very well. Songs like `Edelweiss' and `How Do you Solve a Problem Like Maria?' are wonderfully done in the spirit of the original recording, with actual instruments and with a little more heart than one normally gets on a disc like this. However, look out for `You Are Sixteen' because this is painfully synthesized and sounds like the kind of background you find at a senior citizen's evening ball. This track however, is the only one I firmly protest. And even it, despite my verbal spearing of it, is not all that bad. Again, Stage Stars specializes in musicals and when you listen
   to this CD, you can hear the evidence.
   
   If you are looking for a CD background of The Sound of Music for rehearsal or performance, I would urge you to first look at this one. I think you will be very pleased with the quality you hear on both the guide vocal and background CDs.



2. I was searching for a good Sound of Music CD that featured the background music to the famous songs. From the write-up, the CD looked promising. Though I wasn't expecting much from the vocals that were featured on disc 1 (who could compare to the motion picture vocals!), what I really was looking forward to was the beautifully orchestrated music that was featured in the songs. Right away I was pretty much disappointed in the quality of the music. It was too electronic sounding and was definitely not played by an orchestra. The music even leaned toward a circus type sound which was very annoying. If you want a sing-a-long karaoke CD for fun, this may be what you are looking for. But you could do better with a lower priced compilation. If you are looking for the music, like I was, you would do better looking somewhere else.

5 comments about Moulin Rouge Collector's Edition.

1. Amazing, great music in this collection, but save yourself money and just buy the two Moulin Rouce soundtracks separately - it will be way less money than this, and you'll get all of the songs except one - "Lady Marmalade (Thunderpuss Radio Mix)." Trust me, that song is not the best one on this CD.
   
   If you're wondering what the actual music sounds like - check out my reviews for Moulin Rouge Soundtrack and Moulin Rouge 2 Soundtrack...I explain it all they're.
   
   If you want my opinion on the music in two words (or in one word, repeated once)...here ya go: Spectacular, spectacular!



2. Moulin Rouge already is a very very very good film, and so do the music in it! Moulin Rouge Collector's Edition include all songs in the movie! Including the killer track, Lady Marmalade and Come What May. This album is totally fabulous!



3. I'm very open to new types of music and films. When I first saw Moulin Rouge, it had wonderful music. It wasn't what I expected and I was blown away. Buuuuut this cd that I purchased didn't contain all the music that I had hoped for. The first cd had a majority of the good songs but the second one had the minority. Total waste of money. Still, I liked some of the music but I felt cheated when they didn't include some of the others. I wouldn't say that I'm not fully disappointed but I am. Guess I should of stuck with Andrew Lloyd Webber. U_U



4. This is one of the best musicals ever it has all of the elements you need and then some. The movie is wonderful and if you buy the soundtrack you don't even need the movie the music tells the entire story that is how strong the music is once you begin listening to it you just get entwined in the story and you may not even be watching charactors just listening to wonderful singing, along with wonderful lyrics, added to a wonderful harmony. That is the combination that makes a truly great musical that is worth awards such as Best Score. I recommend this to anyone who loves the idea of romance in the late 1800's in France. It is that good. I hope this review was helpful to you!!!



5. If you are hoping that the whole score and all the musical numbers are found in the collector's edition, you will be disappointed. First, the tracks are not ordered in the manner as they occurred in the film. Song bits from the "Sound of Music" and from the Green Fairy are missing. You don't get the film version (which sounds way better!) of "Your Song" or "Children of the Revolution" on either disc. "El Tango de Roxanne" would've been better if the intro dialogue was included. I personally would've liked the soundtrack collection to include some of the notable lines/quotes from the movie as supplemental tracks. The collection is good, but you aren't getting everything that you hope to. My solution to this problem, buy the dvd, capture the songs to your computer, and create your own soundtrack! I created my own "soundtrack" (for my own use) and it's better than the collector's edition could ever be!

5 comments about You Never Know (2001 Studio Cast).

1. This recording is a total peach! Gorgeously arranged and sung, a very worthwhile purchase.
   
   Damien Slattery.
   
   Cole Porter



2. I bought this CD from Barnes and Noble on an impulse, but it has turned out to be one of my favorites in my collection.
   The cast is stellar and so very talented.
   Kristin Chenoweth simply sparkles in every song she sings.
   David Garrison also was a surprising joy to listen to.
   If you enjoy talent, good music and clever and chraming lyrics then buy this CD. It is worth every penny!



3. Reconstructions of neglected musical scores of Gershwin and Porter are among the great joys of our time, but this is something else. The production on which it is based used a patchwork libretto, interpolated songs from other shows and reduced the orchestrations. The result sounds less like a cast album than low budget Porter complilation. Yes, the (all too?) familiar singers do a great job.



4. An excellent album of a fantastic score. The performance are superb - the cast does the music justice, and the music is wonderful Porter. It keeps you humming tuneful songs and has some typically clever porter lyrics. As the editorial reviewer points out, From Alpha to Omega makes you want to get up and Charleston. Kristin Chenowith somehow manages to ooze charisma in a vocal recording. Donna McKechnie shines in the title number, and in her duet with Harry Groener (What Is That Song). Angela Teek has one number (I'm Back In Circulation), but she really makes the most of it. David Garrison wouldn't surprise anyone who's heard him in the BAM recordings of Of Thee I Sing and Let Em' Eat Cake (now there's a CD that needs reissuing), and the incredible, definitive Show Boat Studio Cast Album from EMI. He's a talented musical comedy performer. Harry Groener is as well, but also does a very tender and lovely version of AT Long Last Love. Speaking of which, it's hard to imagine how any show with that number could be considered a failure.
   
   This album does have a few flaws. I don't die over the interpolations, even if Porter himself never hesitated to do that. Let's Misbehave is not one of may favorite Porter songs, and neither is Riding High. I like almost all of the numbers that were actually in this show better. I also wonder if they had to cut anything out to add the extra numbers in. As another reviewer noted, Groener and Garrison do sound a lot alike. The orchestrations are lively and very enjoyable, but they don't strike me as terribly true to the early thirties sound. Given my choice, I think I would have preferred hearing this score with this cast, but as it was originally performed. All of that aside, this is an album that any lover of musicals has to like. Now when, oh when, is somebody going to do justice to Jubilee?



5. "A Cole Porter show I've not heard of?" I wondered aloud. "And Kristin Chenoweth? Well, I must buy it."
   
   I was certainly not disappointed. As an avid fan of Cole Porter, I must confess that I bought this album because of Kristin Chenoweth. But I can't live without it for many reasons. From start to finish, it is filled with some of the most beautiful Porter songs. I was almost ashamed to admit that I really prefer this version of "Let's Misbehave" over the version on the my beloved 1962 Off-Broadway revival cast recording of Anything Goes.
   
   That's not the only song here that I consider perfection. "I'm Going in For Love" is beautiful and Kristin Chenoweth's vocals are breathtaking. "From Alpha to Omega" is catchy as heck, and my personal favorite - "I Happen to Be in Love" is musically and lyrically outstanding (and the vocals are superb).
   
   Cole Porter called this his worst show, but I couldn't disagree more. I never saw it, but I'm in love with this recording. Really, with Cole Porter music and lyrics and performances from legends like Donna McKechnie (eee!) and Harry Groener and brilliant gems like David Garrison and Kristin Chenoweth, how can you lose?

4 comments about Porgy and Bess.

1. The elements of Joe flow throughout the session, you can hear of his signature sound and jazz vocabulary constantly at work.
   
   A fabulous session by the master tenor sound weaver.



2. I searched for this album simply for the rendition of There's a Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon for New York. Turns out the entire CD is tight. Recommended for fans of Porgy.



3. I have always loved Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, the story and the music. And this album is a glorious take on it. Joe, along with other talented musicians....Tommy Flanagan on piano, Jack DeJohnette on drums, John Schofield on guitars, Dave Holland on bass, Stefon Harris on vibes, and Conrad Herwig on trombone make for a wonderful jazz album. And add to that, Chaka Khan's vocals on "Summertime" and Sting's vocals on "It ain't necessarily so". The booklet comes with a synopsis of the plot, so you can follow the music along with the storyline. Especially good for those people who aren't familiar with the story.



4. Joe Henderson fluidly explores a Gershwin classic, the opera Porgy and Bess, unfolding the lines of one of America's greatest composers playfully and skillfully.

   Henderson employs talented musicians (including himself) to sketch a beautiful rendition of this haunting story. Most Gershwin phrases are memorable, but this retelling is even more enchanting.

   It is a wonderful CD, enhanced magnificently by Chaka Khan's exquisite work on "Summertime."

   If you like smooth, sophisticated sounds, this CD is for you.

1 comments about Vol. 58, Unforgettable Standards For All Instruments (Book & CD Set).

1. Enjoyed this book, some tunes I already knew and others I learnt quickly from following the easy to read notation. Aebersold books are ideal learning tools and have really helped me with improvisation and learning the standards.