2 comments about Broadway Scene Stealers - The Men.

1. If you like Old Broadway this CD is fine... I thought it had more contemporary artists/performers, but it doesn't. I had seen an ad with Brian Stokes Mitchell on it ( and who happens to be one of my favorite artists/performers on Broadway), but he is not one of the featured singers/performers on this CD... so I was kind of was disappointed. Over all a nice collectors peice for the true Broadway fan.



2. I love anthologies, and we need more Broadway copmpilations. This is a great one ! They don't make 'em like this anymore ! Best of all, it's a cross-label ! Get it !

No comments about Broadway Baby.

1 comments about Mame.

1. THE soundtrack that got me hooked on showtunes. If you haven't heard Bea Arthur belt out "Bosom Buddies," kid, you ain't LIVIN'! And "That's How Young I Feel" is a stone-cold anthem for anyone of any age. Try not to run around your house like a mad thing when the "Overture" comes on!

No comments about A Party With Betty Comden And Adolph Green (1958 Original Broadway Cast).

3 comments about Old Time Radio: All-Time Favorites.

1. This collection is fabulous! I was not around for the original radio shows, but was able to catch "The Shadow" and some others on Sunday evenings while growing up. I was hooked! I loved the sound effects and visualizing everything in my mind -- it was amazing. Too bad we just don't have this kind of entertainment anymore.
   Needless to say, when I "discovered" this and other old-time radio show collections, I was ecstatic! And this collection will not disappoint. From comedies to thrillers, cowboy westerns to gumshoe detectives, sci-fi chillers to murder mysteries, this collection has it all.
   I bought this set as a gift for my parents, who did grow up with these old shows. I'm sure they will love this set and listen to it over and over again, recalling fond memories.



2. This is a very broad introduction to 60 different old time radio shows. Although these episodes are not generally the greatest from each show, they do serve as a great introduction to the quality and variety of old radio shows. The following is a list of the shows includes in this set.
   
   Abbott and Costello: Lou wants to become a sailor (1/25/45)
   Black Museum: Raincoat (5/5/50)
   Bob Hope Show: Bob's last radio show (4/21/55)
   Bold Venture: The Chinese Statue (4/2/51)
   Boston Blackie: The Phonograph Murder (4/15/47)
   Burns and Allen: Making George sick (3/23/43)
   Casey, Crime Photographer: Death in Lovers' Lane (7/31/47)
   Cisco Kid: The Claim Jumpers (1/26/54)
   Damon Runyon Theatre: The Lemon Drop Kid (9/26/50)
   Dangerous Assignment: When a Friend Is Not a Friend (12/30/50)
   Date with Judy: Joseph Cotton's date with Judy (2/6/45)
   Dimension X: The Outer Limit (4/8/50)
   Dragnet: The Big Kid (11/10/53)
   Duffy's Tavern: w/ Marie "The Body" MacDonald (4/12/46)
   Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show: Guest: Martha Raye (4/11/43)
   Falcon: The Case of the Big Talker (4/29/51)
   Fat Man: The Nightmare Murders (1/17/51)
   Fibber McGee and Molly: Fibber bakes Molly a birthday cake (5/20/41)
   First Nighter Program: Refresher Course (4/27/52)
   Fred Allen Show Guest: Carmen Miranda (3/10/46)
   Frontier Gentleman: Charlie Meeker (2/9/58)
   Great Gildersleeve: Family prepares for Easter (4/16/57)
   Green Hornet: State's Witness (2/16/49)
   Gunsmoke: Billy the Kid (1st show) (4/26/52)
   Halls of Ivy: Audition show (6/23/49)
   Have Gun, Will Travel: Brother Lost (11/8/59)
   Inner Sanctum Mysteries: Death Wears a Lonely Smile (4/4/49)
   Jack Benny Program: Trouble with the sound engineer (9/26/54)
   Jeff Regan, Investigator: The Guy from Gower Gulch (11/13/48)
   Life of Riley: Cissie's marriage (2/13/44)
   Life with Luigi: Luigi tries to get rid of his cough (3/24/50)
   Lights Out: Come to the Bank (11/17/42)
   Lone Ranger: Jim Farrell's Son (4/5/44)
   Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons: The Mother's Plea Murder Case (4/23/52)
   My Favorite Husband: George attends a teenage dance (11/20/48)
   My Friend Irma: Dinner date (4/19/48)
   Mystery Playhouse: Lady in the Morgue (5/15/45)
   Nero Wolfe: The Case of the Bashful Body (12/29/50)
   Nick Carter, Master Detective: Murder in the Crypt or Nick Carter and the Jackal God (8/2/43)
   Nightbeat: Am I My Brother's Keeper? (3/13/50)
   Our Miss Brooks: Budgeting problems (7/3/55)
   Ozzie and Harriet: The antique vase (8/12/45)
   Pat Novak, For Hire: Fleet Lady (3/6/49)
   Phil Harris, Alice Faye Show: Concert stage (1/1/50)
   Philip Marlowe: The Panama Hat (10/10/48)
   Red Skelton Show: Satires law enforcement (10/7/41)
   Richard Diamond, Private Detective: Lynn Knight Wants Protection (8/6/49)
   Sam Spade, Detective: The Bow Window Caper (11/9/47)
   Screen Director's Playhouse: Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (7/1/49)
   Screen Guild Players: Pardon My Past (5/5/47)
   Sergeant Preson of the Yukon: The Queen's Parlor (2/19/53)
   Shadow: The Silent Avenger (3/13/38)
   Six Shooter: The Shooting of Wyatt King (5/20/54)
   Suspense: Vial of Death (5/18/53)
   Tales of the Texas Rangers: Alibi (9/7/52)
   True Detective Mysteries: Murder in the Horror House (8/19/37)
   Whistler: Death Comes with a Lunch Kit (10/23/44)
   X-Minus One: The Reluctant Heroes (12/19/56)
   Your Hit Parade: w/ Frank Sinatra (12/18/43)
   Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar: The James Clayton Matter (12/5/52)



3. Radio Spirits is noted for its fabulous collections of old-time radio shows. Their boxed sets of tapes and CDs are devoted to a single show (Jack Benny) or a single star (Frank Sinatra) or to types of programs such as Science Fiction, Mystery, Westerns, comedy, Christmas shows. Some are based on a theme such as the recent "America at War" in which broadcasts of World War II were frighteningly like those on and just after 9/11/01. However, the beginner might turn to the most recent release: "Old-Time Radio's 60 All-Time Favorites."

   
   Available on 20 tapes with three shows each or on 30 CDs with two shows each, this collection includes several examples of just about every kind of radio show that kept us glued to that box when our imaginations supplied what the video tube was all too soon to give us--to our detriment.

   Without trying to list all 60 shows, here are some of those included in this set. For comedy we have Abbott & Costello, Ozzie & Harriet, Bob Hope, "A Date With Judy," "The Great Gildersleeve" ( a serious Easter episode), "Life With Luigi," "Our Miss Brooks," Fred Allen, Red Skelton, and Phil Harris and Alice Faye. It is interesting to note that the most popular of them all, "Amos 'n' Andy," is not included, although separate collections of that hysterically funny show are available.

   You like hard-boiled detectives? Try Philip Marlowe, Nero Wolfe, Sam Spade, Boston Blackie, Richard Diamond, the Falcon, and Nick Carter. A little less hard-boiled are Casey, Crime Photographer, and Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons. For mystery with a spooky atmosphere, there are "The Whistler," "Suspense," "Lights Out," and "The Black Museum."

   Westerns are your meat? Then ride along with "The Six Shooter," "Have Gun, Will Travel," "Gunsmoke," and "Tales of the Texas Rangers." A little farther north you can hear "Sergeant Preston of the Yukon" getting his man across the snowy terrain.

   From the comic strips and the pulps come The Shadow, The Lone Ranger, and The Green Hornet. Science Fiction, their close relative, is represented by "Dimension X" and "X-Minus One," while dramatizations of then-current films ("Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House") afford interesting comparisons as 90 to 120-minute stories have to be condensed into 25 minutes of radio time.

   Straight drama is abundant: "Bold Venture" (with Bogart and Bacall, no less), "The First Nighter," "Damon Runyon Theatre," and so on. And the only show that does not fit into any of the above is the fabulous "Your Hit Parade," this one from 1943 with a certain up-comer by the name of Frank Sinatra to croon out the latest hits, including "Speak Low" and "My Ideal."

   Adding extra spice to all of the above are the guest stars: Carmen Miranda, Joseph Cotten, Peter Lorrie, Cary Grant, among others. Then, of course, there are the stars themselves: Even Arden, Lucille Ball and Richard Denning, Marie Wilson, J. Carrol Nash, Joel McCrea--and I leave it to you to match those names with the shows in which they starred!

   Another bit of fun comes from the commercials--especially those that tell you how good cigarettes are for you--many of which, especially on the comedy shows, were integrated into the scripts. Of course, there will be several references to wartime shortages, rationing stamps, and other items that will need footnotes for younger listeners. All of which, by the way, suggests wonderful lessons a good Social Studies teacher could develop from judicious use of these tapes or CDs.

   As always, the book supplied by Radio Spirits is practically worth the price of the set alone. In 64 pages, it gives you a good deal of information about each show and has an illustration for almost all of them.

3 comments about Sings the Select Rodgers & Hart.

1. Look hard for this. There are no better songs in the American Songbook than those by R&H and there is no better interpreter. Although a compilation, this album is of a whole. The orchestrations, mostly very spare, become entirely secondary to the focus on song and performer. There isn't a false, or even questionable, note on the entire album, which leaves no doubt about what were Sinatra's very best years.

   Sadly, the short life of this collection is not a hopeful commentary on public tastes (even most Sinatra fans will probably gravitate to the "swagger" of the Chairman's later recordings). But the promoters and packagers of this collection are equally suspect. Some idiot saw fit to include 5 largely duplicative photos of Sinatra in addition to the commentary and song credits. Consequently, Pete Welding's generous notes on the songs and performances are too minuscule to be read by the human eye, and the song credits and dates on the back cover are too microscopic to be picked up even by a voice scanner.

   One might argue that the music itself is what counts. But then R&H fans, unlike followers of C&W, are not exactly illiterate.




2. The five songs from PAL JOEY(THERE'S A SMALL HOTEL,I COULD WRITE A BOOK,THE LADY IS A TRAMP,BEWITCHED and I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TIME IT WAS) are now included in the collection SINATRA IN HOLLYWOOD.The others were all in the CAPITOL albums 1953-1961.Many of these songs were recorded by FRANK back in the COLUMBIA days(WHEN OR WHEN,I COULD WRITE A BOOK etc.)but SINATRA's voice had deepened since then,and those versions are better.Strangely,the singer rarely sang MY FUNNY VALENTINE live and in PAL JOEY the song was lipsing by KIM NOVAK.The recording here from the CAPITOL's first album is a prime example of the way FRANK and NELSON RIDDLE made magic together( a great spare arrangement)Anyway,if you can find this cd in a used music store, because it is no longer available,grab it...The same thing can be said about the select JOHNNY MERCER,SAMMY CAHN and COLE PORTER.These are superior kind of packaging.



3. This is a great mix of Rogers and Hart tunes from some late 50's Capitol albums, plus some rare diamomds originally from the 1957 movie PAL JOEY. These rarities are THERES A SMALL HOTEL,and I COULD WRITE A BOOK, perhaps not found anywhere else, both with terrific arrangements. LADYS A TRAMP is a nice extra, and the ballads are a fine mix too. I was lucky to buy this a few years back, but it may be tough unless you can get it thru ......Another hidden gem in the massive Frank oevre!!!

2 comments about Curtain Time.

1. Yes, Curtain Time is an expensive Japanese release, as well as being a compilation album. But getting beyond those points, this is an exceptional collection of much-loved American show tunes - an equal balance between youthful energy and tender romanticism. Jack swings with the best of 'em on Shall We Dance, Luck be a Lady, People Will Say We're in Love, and especially I Love Paris (featuring terrific vocal, rhythm and horn arrangements and, wow, could Jack ever belt this old Can-Can tune). But he also leaves his mark on the sensitive It Never Entered My Mind, People, and Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye - all of which I keep replaying in my mind hours, if not days, after I've listened to them, as his interpretations are really THAT great. Well worth the money!



2. Really a great recording but $45? Are they kidding?

No comments about Makin' Whoopee.

2 comments about Kurt Weill: The Seven Deadly Sins; Little Threepenny Music.

1. Certainly, Julia Migenes has one of the most beautiful voices of the women who have recorded Brecht and Weill's ballet/cantata/suite of songs/theatrical-musical piece....or, as Weill called it "ballet chante" (a ballet with singing). But I wonder if "beauty" is what is needed in this, one of my favorite pieces of music. I have four different recordings and, although I would never say that this one is badly done, it is my least favorite simply because Migenes sings so prettily and so carefully and operatically. The Lotte Lenya recording sets the standard. No one comes close to her biting, rough-textured voice and dramatic abilities....but Ute Lemper comes close, Gisela May comes closer and Marianne Faithfull comes closest. The Faithfull performance has the added benefit of being done in a fine English translation. The London Symphony Orchestra, under Michael Tilson Thomas, is the true star of this CD. The orchestra's work is really wonderful, full and rich. Tilson Thomas has gone for a grand performance and it works up to a point. Weill wrote an intimate piece of music for orchestra and a total of 5 singers: The soprano and a male quartet.

   About twenty years ago, there were rumors that George Balanchine was going to revive "The Seven Deadly Sins" for his New York City Ballet and the soprano was to be none other than Bette Midler who has performed some other Weill material excellently. But it was not to be. The performances were cancelled because of a musicians' strike and the revival never came about. If you want to sample this exciting music, try the Lenya recording to hear the original "Anna" and if you'd rather hear it in English, the Marianne Faithfull performance is very, very fine.




2. This is surely one of Brecht and Weill's most (unfortunately) neglected masterpieces, and definately one of their most unorthodox pieces. Julia Migenes, of course, sings it all divinely, and her dramatic flair and tension is all there, too. Her acting genuinely comes through... it's all there... IN THE VOICE. She doesn't just sing it 'prettily' (i.e., 'blandly') like some pretentious Brechtians would accuse. I like to think of myself as a Brechtian, and generally do prefer the Brecht-Weill pieces to be done by a great actor with a mediocre singing voice. But I also don't mind it when that great actor pays equal (and I mean EQUAL) attention to the music. Brechtian 'scholars' pointing fingers at Migenes, saying that she would make a pretentious operatic sound while singing this piece, would do better to point their fingers elsewhere. Migenes was a sublime interpreter of Weill's music, and I wish that she had performed it more frequently in her prime. The male quartet that makes up the Annas' family (two tenors-brothers, baritone-dad, bass-mom), are all of very good voice (among them vetrans Alan Opie and Robert Tear).
   
   Michael Tilson Thomas leading the London Symphony Orchestra through this piece and EINE KLEINE DREIGOSCHENMUSIK is perfect from beginning to end (the only other performance that I have heard of the THREEPENNY suite that is better is available on the DG Weill box set).
   
   For a long while, this was the only recording of THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS that I knew, and I didn't see how it could possibly get any better. I now own Marianne Faithfull's FABULOUS rendition (recorded in W.H. Auden's top-notch English translation), as well as the always-fabulous Lenya's recording. I love both of them (particularly Faithfull's), but I still find myself pulling out this Migenes rendition and listening to it as I lie bed in the dark: the bittersweet ending of the piece is a heart-stopping, brilliant moment, and I just can't move in the first few moments of silence following the final chord. I really don't think that I could live without this album.
   
   Julia Migenes and THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS.
   
   *sigh*
   
   PERFECTION!
   
   Buy this recording RIGHT NOW!

1 comments about Gregory Hines.

1. This album graduated straight out of Luther Vandross Academy!!! In fact, if you close your eyes; you'll think it's a Luther album. Mr. Hines masterfully copied Mr. Vandross to a tee in his silky delivery. I love to hear an artist sound like their producer and still bring their own flava to the party and it's evident that Mr. Hines is indeed channeling his inner Luther for our ears to enjoy. The production is once again top notch as Luther used his dream team of friends like Marcus Miller, Doc Powell, Nat Adderly, Lisa Fischer, Cissy Houston, Kevin Owens and others to create an enjoyable listen. Song highlights are "That Girls Wants To Dance With Me", "Gloria My Love", "Love Don't Love You Anymore", "So Much Better Now", "There's Nothing Better Than Love w/Luther Vandross" and "You Need Somebody"!!!