5 comments about The Light in the Piazza (2005 Original Broadway Cast).

1. ... was my reaction to the music, a few numbers into the LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA (when they still were playing the full overture). After performing for some months on a cruise ship - and bearing in mind what is said about how you enjoy your travels even more when you remember them - that's exactly what I said to a companion: it feels like travel.
   
   There's not much to add to the favorable words elsewhere in these pages,but a few thoughts:
   
   Some like barbecue, some like sushi, some like both. Good thing to remember when voting for President,by the way.
   
   I will say that my favorite scores are those that keep growing on me (WEST SIDE STORY as well as THE MUSIC MAN) - and LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA reveals something new at every listening.
   
   Besides evoking that travel experience,PIAZZA comes mighty close to answering Cole Porter's question,'What Is This Thing Called Love?' by contrasting three more experienced, unhappy couples with one pair of 'youngsters' who can't be bothered to ask. This presentation is both classic and quirky - we LIKE quirky. If there are occasional bumps in the lyric-setting, there are also many poetic and provocative insights, here in Craig Lucas' territory.
   
   Over the years I've learned not to spoil my own good time by straining too hard to find that 'catchy' tune. And here's a news flash -
   The musical theater hasn't generated any Billboard hits in a very long time (HAIRSPRAY has that old top-40 sound, very clever tunesmithing in fact, but only one of its lyrics is liftable from the story - "I Know Where I've Been"). Barbra Streisand managed to find something like a 'hit' in SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE by opening her Broadway Album with "Putting It Together",which became widely familiar as a result; that, and however many foursquare Lloyd Webber ballads have been sold by concert singers, is about as close as Broadway gets to a hit song anymore.
   
   So the 'no hits' charge is moot, got it? Or one may settle for such as JEKYLL & HYDE, whose composer (Frank "I don't need to worry about plot or character" Wildhorn) knocked himself out to write 'hits' that never got beyond some piano bars and minor cabaret venues. Singable,yes...and empty. Broadway, these days, is so full of 'been there, heard that'.
   
   Have I committed one complete PIAZZA song to memory? So far just one, but so many other beautiful and surprising passages keep rebounding within the brain! If it's not material for my piano bar, so what -- there is always MY FAIR LADY or FOLLIES, CHICAGO or SOUTH PACIFIC for quality singalongs. I'll be very happy if and when someone writes a good new singalong score (David Yazbek might yet pull it off); meanwhile
   I'll save "La Passegiata"(edited) for a restaurant...enjoy the bistecca Fiorentina and the pretty melody.
   
   Another important point is to admit (when asking rhetorically what everyone else is raving about), that one may not be quite getting something, and to be careful not to arrive at conclusions before a second hearing, at least (to think that I once recoiled at CANDIDE - now I can't get it out of my head!). Praise to the NY Times' Charles Isherwood for rethinking his opinion of Adam Guettel's score for PIAZZA.
   
   
   On repeated hearings,LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA exceeds even my delighted first impressions. You may feel differently, but until you've listened at least twice, I can't HEAR you......
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   



2. This is an unusual story to be made into a musical. Many good musicals from similar sources have just not made it--witness "Cry for Us All" in 1970 and "I Remember Mama" in 1979. And those were from a time when Broadway tended more toward the book musical.
   It is also an unusual approach to music. As several others reviews have noted, it is somewhat operatic in style. While there are wonderful musical moments, there are no songs that stand out and have become popular.
   Whatever the "unusualities," this is certainly refreshing in the midst of the "Spamalots" and "Spelling Bees."
   To appreciate the work initially, it is necessary to follow the libretto, which fortunately is included with the cd. Later, it can be heard as good background music--such as on headsets while taking your walk.
   Since I do not have access to Broadway, I am grateful for the "Live from Lincoln Center" television presentation. This has given me a more complete reference for following the plot.
   While this is not the number one favorite in my collection of musical recordings, it will certainly remain an important part.



3. Adam Guettel's "The Light in the Piazza" is a wonderfully refreshing and complex masterpiece that rightly earned the Best Score Nod at the 2005 Tony Awards. Having seen and heard Guettel's earlier "Floyd Collins" I was well acquainted with how innovative his music was.Because "Piazza" is a romantic melodrama with Firenze,Italy as its location, Guettel's music evokes the 1950's Era with grace,elegance and ingenuity.The opening title is a rhapsodic ode to love and the breezes twirling the leaves in the piazza is vividly acute under Guettel's pen.Victoria Clark has the most accomplished and cultured female voice currently on Broadway.Her rendering of 'Dividing Day' is heart-crushingly poignant.Clark's voice is accurate always and true in pitch and vibrato.She blends perfectly with the thinner voiced Kelli O'Hara in the opening.O'Hara's voice is a lighter, less mature sounding coloratura, but is perfect for the part she plays.An outstanding choice to counter balance other Broadway offerings.Clark's new solo cd "Fifteen Seconds of Grace" is highly recommended.
   RATING A+



4. My daughters and I had the good fortune to see this musical shortly before it left Chicago. We love musicals and all agreed that this is one of the best we've seen in many years. Why?
   First of all, the story is simple, yet basic to everyone. It's about finding love and embracing it to the greatest extent possible. For Margaret, it's about losing a passion for someone that once existed, but recognizing it's not too late to help your daughter find hers. Most of all, it's about the simplicity of pure love in a complicated world and how it can break down all language, cultural, and even physical barriers to conquer all.
   The composers matched characters and emotions perfectly, from Clara's cries from her heart in "The Light in the Piazza" to Fabrizio's love at first site in "Love to Me". How can you not love the beginning lyrics in "Love to Me"? ("The day we meet. The way you lean against the wind, and do not know that you are beautiful.)
   Or Margaret's lament in the reprise to "The Beauty Is". The lyric ("If I could, then I would paint it over. I would be there and I wouldn't turn away. If I only had a chance to not turn away... and the beauty is, and the beauty is, the beauty is.")is a statement about everyone's life and the decisions they make and regret.
   "Say it Somehow" is one of the most beautiful songs about the fact that love transcends language and cultural barriers.
   One reviewer missed the entire point of Clara's tirade scene. Her passion to protect her love is just that, pure passion, not checked by proprieties. It is a reaction that is understood in all languages, a reaction from the heart to someone who is posing as a threat to take her love away from her. We should all be so passionate when our love is threatened.
   Thank you Adam Guettel for a show and album that we will enjoy for the rest of our lives. We need more musicals like this one. I am sure that it will endure the test of time. It is a universal story of love coupled with music for the soul.



5. The only thing more sleep inducing than this cast album is sitting through the actual show. The music is very pretty but too similar and will lull you into a deep coma!

5 comments about Assassins (1991 Original Off-Broadway Cast).

1. When my then-girlfriend (now wife) first played me "Assassins: a little over a decade ago, I really didn't know much about Sondheim. This is the one that really made me a convert. Beyond the intriguing concept, I happen to think it's a great score with possibly the most tuneful bunch of songs Sondheim has ever assembled.
   
   In fact, it puzzles me to no end that the notion persists that Sondheim's work is not melodic. I defy anyone to listen objectively to songs like "The Ballad of Czolgosz", "Unworthy of Your Love" or "Another National Anthem" and tell me that with a straight face. These songs are terrific and tuneful, both fascinating and funny.
   
   I should also say that, the performers in this recording are fantastic and good as the 2004 revival recording is, they give this one the edge. Victor Garber may have gone on to bigger things on TV, but he's an amazing John Wilkes Booth as evidenced not only by his singing but also the dialog scenes included on this recording. Also worthy of singling out, Patrick Cassidy (song of Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy) is terrific as the balladeer that both comments on the action and helps weave the stories together.
   
   But again, the key here is the songs. Ironically, this show may have the darkest subject matter of any Sondheim show except "Sweeney Todd", but the jauntiness of the score will have you humming along as the destiny of our country unfolds in song.



2. Stephen Sondheim has never shied away from difficult topics. In the 1970's he tackled love and relationships with "COMPANY". The 1980's saw murder and canibalism turned into one of the most brilliant operas of all time, namely "SWEENEY TODD." But "ASSASSINS", which premiered off-broadway in 1990, was perhaps Sondheim's most controversial musical- a psychological study of what societal factors create and contribute to assassinations. With main characters such as John Hinkley, Squeaky Fromme, John Wilkes Booth, Gerald Ford and Lee Harvey Oswald, it is no wonder that "ASSASSINS" is not an easy musical to get comfortable with. In fact, ASSASSINS opened off-Broadway on December 18, 1990 and closed less than two months later, only having made the transition to the Great White Way some 15 years later in revival. Its short life is a theatrical shame, since this original cast recording features intense, unsentimental songs and stellar performances, most notably Patrick Cassidy, who recounts the gripping story of the night Lincoln was killed, and a beautiful if not uncomfortable ballad, sung as a duet by Greg Germann (John Hinkley) and Annie Golden (Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme.) Once the listener settles in with the subject matter, it is easy to go along on this musical study of how and why America has been shaped by violence. "ASSASSINS" is not simply one of Sondheim's masterpieces...it is a pivotal sociological look into the heart and mind of violence.



3. No surrey with a fringe on top here, but a lonely room in Dallas where Lee Harvey Oswald contemplates suicide as the ghost of Lincoln's assassin Wilkes Booth materializes and persuades him to shoot JFK... in this spooky, bold and dazzling Sondheim/Weidman semi-revue which gathered enthusiastic audiences since it's initial off-Broadway run --during Bush Sr.'s Gulf War-- through its (post 9/11) Broadway transfer, right under Bush Jr's admin.
   
   'Oklahoma!' might seem the veritable antonymous show to this one, yet Rodgers (collaborator with young Sondheim in "Do I Hear A Waltz") & Hammerstein (Stephen's surrogate father and mentor) are a continual reference to ASSASSINS' bouncy waltzes and cowboy hoedowns, sung by scaffold marching or suicidal presidential assassins. In truth, no immortal R&H love song here, but the cynical "Unworthy of Your Love", which endeavors to recall some period pop-ballad, which definitely sounds a bit less trash/slush in the 2004 album's orchestration, for sure!
   
   The Original Off-Broadway Album has a solid, inspired cast: Jonathan Hadary in the grotesque Guiteau aria; Victor Garber as Booth; Patrick Cassidy --son of 'Oklahoma!' movie's Laurie-- as the Balladeer (notwithstanding, Neil Patrick Harris' 2004 revival rendition of Czgolcz's Ballad is unbeatable.) Both Cast Albums offer a mere parcel of the stage show's impact. The amount of gun-shots, most of the profuse spoken (screamed) text included seem redundant.
   
   While US soldiers went to fight in WWII humming the "Oklahoma!" tunes, encouraged and nostalgic of their God-Bless-America big country, soundtracks of any of the 'ASSASSINS' albums might be unlikely included in today's American soldiers in Iraq's iPod rep... (nor the new Lloyd Webber-produced new London production of "The Sound of Music", within any of the withdrawing Brit soldiers') though... who knows? Any of them might be listening, pondering and enjoying this uneven yet biting Jean Genet-like romp featuring a boisterous bunch of black angels recreating the USA's perennial freak-show.



4. This is one of my favorite musicals, used to be my 1st, but that's been replaced by another fantastic musicals, Titanic. But that's another matter in itself. I love it! The only complaint I have about this recording is that you have to listen through the entire "Gun Song" to get to "The Ballad of Czolgosz". I don't mind it, but it would have been better if they had put it on a seperate track. Victor Garber, Patrick Cassidy, and Terrence Mann all did excpetional jobs in this musical. The concept may seem weird to you, but you'll change your mind after you listen to it. I have both of the Assassins cast (this one and the '04 revival) on my iPod. I love it so much!



5. I owned the revival cast recording before this one. Both are excellent. This recording feels much more like a live performance than the revival recording. I highly recommend owning both versions of this show. Both are excellent.

5 comments about Selections From Cats (1982 Original Broadway Cast).

1. I am no Cats fanatic, and I thought that buying the "Selections" CD at a lower price would satisfy me. However, I've watched the Cats movie too many times to count (I have a 4-year old who's obsessed), and was disappointed with the "Selections" CD. It's missing the Grizabella song (although it has a track titled "Grizabella", that's not really it) and other small pieces that I wish were included. The singing is not that great, save for Betty Buckley who sings Grizabella. She does a great job; however they tinkered with the music for "Memory" so it sounds like a really bad hit from the '80s.
   If you want a cheaper CD to share songs with your 4-year old, then this one is great. If you really enjoy the music to Cats, then maybe the other CDs are better. (I haven't listened to them, so I don't know for sure.)



2. The songs and/or singers are different from the versions from the video (CATS the Musical - the Commemorative Edition) but this price beats the other CDs. My kids ask to listen to it every time we're in the car.



3. great music great service easy to buy just plain outstsnding in every resepct



4. As a casual fan, I found this "highlights" disc perfect. I saw the play, and this includes every track that stood-out to me. The music is all top-notch of course. The huge hit "Memory" is here, and basically every song about every cat in the play. I've seen many plays through the years, and I always liked Cats the most because it's fun and catchy, unlike "Les Mis" or some of "Phantom". Anyway, the fanatics can get the double-disc. I'll enjoy this "Selections from" along with my similar collection from "Rent".



5. I'm Jakob Balen,someone obsessed with CATS.Here are the songs.
   
   Jellicle Songs For Jellicle Cats.10/10.
   Solo Dance.8/10.
   Old Gumbie Cat.5/10.
   The Rum Tum Tugger.5/10.
   Mungojerrie And Rumpelteazer.8/10.
   Old Deuteronomy.10/10.
   The Jellicle Ball.8/10.
   Grizabella the Glamour Cat.9/10.
   Gus the Theater Cat.6/10.
   Skimbleshanks The Railway Cat.10/10.
   Macavity The Mystery Cat.10/10.
   Mr.Mistoffelees.10/10.
   The Journey To The Heaviside Layer.10/10.
   The Ad-Dressing of Cats.7/10.

5 comments about The Civil War (1998 Studio Cast).

1. I bought this because I thoroughly enjoy Frank Wildhorn's work. It is somewhat true to what one would expect from the creator of The Scarlet Pimpernel and Jekyl and Hyde but mostly it is a completely independent experience. My biggest complaint was that I am not a country music fan and Civil War is full of it. All in all I would say this is a stirring, unique and surprising oratorio from Frank Wildhorn who shows some greater depth in research yet lesser depth in composition.



2. The civil war cd was so amazing, i felt like i was back at the show.thanks Kay



3. After seeing a local performance of this musical, I started looking for a copy of the soundtrack and came upon this version. I loved it. I am not a civil war buff nor do I call myself a music know-it-all but this music is moving and inspirational. The many, varied well known artists only add to the ambiance- out of many walks of life do we share the history of the civil war- it is one of those historical events that bring us all together. I'll listen to this often.



4. I saw the play in Pgh. several yrs. ago and bought both cds. I wish EVERY American could see this show and learn about the Unbelieveable sacrifice of war. Pray for peace!



5. Being both a musical theater fan and an obsessive Civil War nut, I loved seeing the two combined in this great album. I've got to admit, I was a little put off when I saw that they had Hootie and the Blowfish, Travis Tritt, and a dozen other pop artists masquerading as historical figures, but the whole thing works surprisingly well. The music is closer to stuff you'd here on your local pop or country radio station than stuff you'd hear a bunch of Union Army personnel humming around a nineteenth century campfire, but it's very moving at times, and even funny at other times. And the lyrics are awesome! I can really tell the writers did their homework on this. Most of these songs were copied, almost verbatim, from old Civil War era letters and speeches. Bottom line is, this music is beautiful, and you might even learn a few things while you're listening to it.

5 comments about The Pirates of Penzance.

1. This is a wonderful DVD. I got this as a stop gap until the VHS came out on DVD, but now I may not. Yes, the technical aspects are not the best. But it is the filming of an actual performance at the Delacorte Theater. It's not as slick as the production with Angela Landsbury, but Patricia Routledge, later to be Hetty Wainthrop and Hyacinth Bucket, more than holds her own, and the production has those small details that usually are left out of a much-edited and rehearsed film. You really get the feeling you are there watching a live performance. If you are a G&S fan, this is a DVD you must have. It is a gem of a performance, with wonderful actors/singers.



2. Fantastic CDS based on the stageplay and video. I missed Angela Lansbury as Ruth but it is a fanatastic recording and interpretation of Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta.



3. You have to be a muscial fan to love this. This play is very fun and funny. This soundtrack has the songs from this wonderful play that you will want to hear over and over again.



4. The entire "Pirates" score plus much of the dialogue is found in this recording. The voices are extremely appropriate to each of the characters, and the comedy of the score is apparent. The energy is extremely high, which, in turn, excites the listener. I never tire of listening to it.



5. My favourite performance of this classic Gilbert & Sullivan Operetta. Kevin Kline, Linda Ronstat, and the whole cast are perfect.

5 comments about Blues Brothers 2000: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.

1. Now Briefcase Full of Blues is my favorite Blues Brothers album but this soundtrack is 2nd the only thing that really made me mad was that they put the Can't Turn You Loose tune on this album and not on the first movie Blues Brothers soundtrack and it was used more than once on the first Blues Brothers other than that a this is a classic album.



2. With 18 tracks that clock in at a little over one hour, the affinity that Dan Aykroyd has for the blues delivers an outstanding soundtrack.
   
   With a venerable who's who of legends - B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Junior Wells, Aretha Franklin, Bo Diddley, Steve Winwood - this is a collection of the sounds and voices from those who shaped the music industry in the latter half of the 20th century.
   
   The Paul Butterfield Blues Band kick things off by raising the roof with Born in Chicago, but it's the pair of cuts by the all-star band - Louisiana Gator Boys - How Blue Can You Get? and New Orleans (with the Blues Brothers) which clearly demonstrate the premium that was placed on the music.
   
   A great example of a soundtrack that stands on its own merits, Aykroyd opens up the briefcase one last time and lets the music do the talking.



3. The fineness music that I have heard in a long time. Ghost riders was a very refreshing tune done in a realistic beat. Of couse, the rest of the album brought the era of the 70's and 80's back to a tempo which made my big leg to bounce in rhythm.



4. I really enjoyed the movie, and watching it several times, I got into the music as well. I had to have the CD. Normally, I usually don't like buying soundtracks, but this one had a variety of upbeat music, reminding me what was happening throughout this movie.



5. Man this soundtrack rocks! It's got everybody who's anybody in Blues on it.

5 comments about The Producers (2005 Movie Soundtrack).

1. The music is addictive, all of it top notch. The whole cast is so incredibly talented!



2. If you loved the movie version of the Producers, you will love the soundtrack. The music of Mel Brooks as sung by Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Will Ferrell, Uma Thurman is outstanding. This is a wonderful soundtrack, I can listen to it over and over again!



3. This was impossible to find the the UK (where I live) so I was delighted to find it at Amazon.com. It was a present for my teenage son. We had seen the movie and the theatre production in London and THOROUGHLY enjoyed it. It was the funniest show we have seen in years and I thought it would be great to have a permanent momento of our trip by buying the soundtrack.
   
   It is hilarious, even if you haven't seen the movie or the musical BUY IT it is hilarious, non-stop comedy all the way through.
   
   We give it 10/10. Enjoy



4. Okay, so I got The Producers on DVD for my birthday and I was like...amazed. Then, I went out and bought the soundtrack so that I could listen to "Haben Sei Gehurt Das Deutsche Band?" over and over again. This whole CD is fantastic. The lyrics are hilarious, and some of them are actually sincere, like "Til Him" and "That Face". Matthew Broderick's voice is as great as ever and Nathan Lane's energy emenates from this disc. Highlights for this CD are "We Can Do It", "Der Guten Tag Hop-Clop", "Keep it Gay", "Along Came Bialy", "That Face", "Haben Sei Gehurt Das Deutsche Band?", all the "Hitler" songs, and...well...all of them, really. Just...buy it and listen to it...and be happy. The end.



5. If you thought movie musicals had died, you were probably mostly right. However, every once in a while someone tries another one. Some succeed, most fail. However, the quality of the music from these movies is often quite different from the movie itself. Such is the case with this soundtrack. Mel Brooks, the man who brought you the classics "Young Frankenstein," "Blazing Saddles," and "High Anxiety," gives us the music from the movie "The Producers."
   
   The music is classic Hollywood, with a style that dates back to the 50s and 60s. I was also fascinated that Hollywood actors could pull off these songs with such class and style. There are a few hiccups along the way, such as Uma Thurman's weak vocals on "That Face," but so much of this music is original and fresh with its classic inspiration.
   
   Many of the songs deliberately provoke smiles. "Haben Sie Gehort Das Deutsche Band?" sung by Will Ferrell makes you smile, though much of it is in German. Ignore other comments about "Springtime for Hitler." The song is funny and John Barrowman, Uma Thurman and the ensemble pull off a song that owes much inspiration to movie musicals of the 30s. Yes, the war has been over for more than half a century, but if we can still poke fun at Custer, the Pilgrims and the Inquisition, why not poke more fun at Hitler? Admittedly, he is an easy target, but so was Custer. How about "Heil Myself," with the line "...there is no greater dictator in the land..."? This stuff is a riot. Note for Naziphobes: This music pokes fun at Nazis rather than elevating them, so watch this movie with tongue-in-cheek.
   
   Musically there are some awesome moments. "You'll Find Your Happiness in Rio" is musically inspired, even if the lyrics are cheesy.
   
   There are a few moments where Nathan Lane pulls off a song that should have been impossible. "Betrayed" is a riot, and yet Lane manages to sing so dramatically that you believe that he is actually hurt, until he sings lyrics that make you crack up.
   
   Perhaps the best thing about this album is its bombast. The production is explosive and hyper-dramatic, with sound alternately quiet and blasting, the instruments jumping into your face. I am always enthused about a producer who likes to make you jump into the music, particularly if the music is worth jumping into.
   
   I rarely purchase or listen to soundtracks because they are too filled the kind of music that is interesting if you have had three or four drinks, but otherwise it is barely elevator music. This CD has music that may be short of great, but it is enjoyable and frequently funny. If you liked the movie, I suspect you'll love the CD. If you like musicals, most especially funny musicals, then I suspect you will love this CD.
   
   Good luck!
   
   This review is based on a copy of the CD provided to me for review.

5 comments about Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album.

1. From Rodgers and Hammerstein's "My Favorite Things" down to a previously unreleased track, "I'll Be Home For Christmas," this stellar album offers an array of Christmas songs that you'll greatly enjoy and will add a glow to your holidays. It boasts of some of the greatest musical moments of the bright career of Tony Bennett, who believes that his key to success is "making music that lasts." He is backed by an orchestra and a choir conducted by none other than a fine arranger/orchestrator, Robert Farnon, whose body of work has greatly influenced Johnny Mandel, Henry Mancini, Quincy Jones, John Williams and André Previn. In this album, he brings a wealth of experience in the field of creative chart arrangements and gleaming orchestrations to Tony Bennett's unique vocal artistry and timeless style.
   
   Some of my favorites are the spectacular tracks that were recorded in London - "The Christmas Song," "White Christmas," "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town." The medley of "I Love The Winter Weather/I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" is an absolute beauty! His takes on "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," "Winter Wonderland" and the title track, "Snowfall" are such delights and so remarkable. The inclusion of "Where Is Love," an achingly beautiful theme song from the musical "Oliver" is such a surprise, but it blended harmoniously with the rest of the Christmas carols from the medley. A previously unreleased track "I'll Be Home For Christmas" was sung in a jazzy fashion and this was taken from "The Jon Stewart Show."
   
   "Christmasland" composed by Brian Farnon and Dennis Farnon is a sentimental Christmas song that brings to mind fond memories of childhood. It is so melodious and Tony Bennett gives a heartfelt reading of the lyric making it one of the highlights from this collection.
   
   With Tony Bennett and Robert Farnon teaming-up artistically in this album, I guarantee there's not a single dull moment and there's nothing to whine about. This is Christmas music that can warm your hearts even on the coldest winter day. So give it your welcoming ears and enjoy it with your Christmas celebrations.
   
   Have the Merriest Christmas ever and Good Cheers for the New Year!



2. If you enjoy the cool and uptown Christmas sounds from Tony Bennett, then I know you will enjoy this C.D. from the artist Frank Sinatra enjoyed listening to. There are some great tracks including "Snowfall", "Winter Wonderland" and the track that appeared on an MTV program, "I'll Be Home For Christmas". It's great to listen to!



3. Each year, I pick up a new Christmas CD or two to add to my very diverse Christmas music collection and make my own compilation CDs of favorites to listen to in the car and around the house. I always search for something that stands out above the other music I usually hear. This year, I've heard this CD's version of "I'll be home for Christmas" many times on a local radio station that's playing all Christmas and Holiday music throughout the season. It really has a great swing to it and it stands out among many great versions of this song. Tony's voice has a really cool warmth and slight edge to it in these recent years and it really adds a lot to this performance, which is making this CD a definite need for my collection. The other songs sound good in the audio samples too, although I prefer his upbeat stuff with the voice of recent years best.



4. During the most recent heat wave, I actually thought it might help to drag out a few of my favorite Christmas recordings and, at least, chill out mentally. It was worth a try, I suppose--not that it actually worked. In fact, all it really did for me was load Christmas anxiety on top of my already burdensome heat exhaustion.
   
   But then I figured, hey, before you know it, the clime will have shifted and we'll be hankering for chestnusts roasted on an open fire--instead of feeling like WE'RE being roasted on an open fire. And since, I never think to post reviews of actual Christmas product until, I dunno, maybe Christmas Eve, at least this year, I get a jump on the gun and maybe even garner a couple of "helpful" votes by Thanksgiving weekend.
   
   Tony Bennett's SNOWFALL is arguably as much a "winter" record as a purely holiday one. It's always seemed something of a shame to me that all the joyful Christmas music gets put away well before winter has really set in. (At least the Russians are smart enough to celebrate it in January, which can help forestall the winter doldrums for a short while at least.) The fact that the title song on this seasonal album is "Snowfall" and not "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" at least gives you some kind of excuse to play it well into January, heck, maybe even February. Or as in my little experiment, in July.
   
   And, of course, "Winter Wonderland" and "I've Got Our Love to Keep Me Warm" are good for the whole calendar season too. "My Favorite Things," is a canny choice for an opener too. It's seasonal the way its source film THE SOUND OF MUSIC is seasonal: it evokes familial warmth and good times, even if the packages are in brown paper and "tied up with string" rather than ribbons.
   
   And then there's the almost bizarre medley of actual Christmas songs that concludes with a conventional romantic ballad ("Where Is Love?"). Musically, it fits just fine, but thematically, it's a bit strange--almost as if Tony's saying, "Hey, I'm down with the holiday stuff, but THIS is what I really do..."
   
   As an interpretive singer, Bennett has the unique ability to be warm and a little breezy at the same time. When I read somewhere recently that "I'll Be Home For Christmas" was actually a WWII song, and meant to be sung with at least a hint of melancholy, I thought of the live version included here(from a JON STEWART SHOW broadcast), which is certainly more breezy than reverential. But, of course, by this point in that song's history, it has lost much of its sombreness, and, hey, it really does lend itself nicely to a little jazz pizzazz.
   
   That track, by the way, is the album's closer, and it is really the only new entry on this collection, most of which is culled from material released in Bennett's 60s heyday. It's certainly interesting to hear how his voiced has changed and how he's learned to compensate in warmth and wit for what he may have lost in vocal technique.
   
   Bennett was and is a singer for all seasons.



5. Frank Sinatra once remarked that for his money, there was no singer he'd rather hear than Tony Bennett.
   
   As one of the last surviving crooners of his generation, Tony has become a swingin' elder statesman of the music world, and has even enjoyed the unlikely honor of a buzz clip on MTV in the 90's. When it comes to tunes with a holiday flavor, you will not be disappointed by his velvety vocals, and Snowfall certainly delivers quality material.
   
   It is decidedly commonplace to repackage gifts for the holidays, and Snowfall neatly fits that idea. Many of these tracks are original recordings from around '64, during Tony's peak, and showcase his pleasant, smooth warbling. This album was originally released to CD in 1994, and comes back to the forefront again in 2004 with the added bonus of a previously unavailable performance of "I'll Be Home for Christmas".
   
   The new track (recorded live on the Jon Stewart Show) is worth the re-release, and easily this reviewer's favorite for its up-tempo swinging bounce. Fans who own either of the previous two versions of this album may be a little skeptical on purchasing it again for one new song, glorious CD packaging notwithstanding.
   
   The body of this album has some really nice pieces, including Bennett's elegant, fast-waltz interpretation of "My Favorite Things" and a moving, emotive "The Christmas Song" that would make Nat "King" Cole proud. There's a great well-arranged medley of "I Love the Winter Weather" and "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" that does something fresh for both songs, particularly when you consider how often they get recorded.
   
   "Snowfall" and "White Christmas" both serve the purpose off stimulating reflection by way of Tony's clear, intoxicating vocals. "Christmasland", "Winter Wonderland" and a medley packed with traditional standards like "Silent Night" and "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" create a sense of nostalgia for classics-and that's no surprise, Tony Bennett is a classic himself.

5 comments about Footloose.

1. While I never got to see it on Broadway, I did see and quite enjoy a
   performance of Footloose: the Musical by my high school a few years back. This show is perhaps one instance where amateur productions are preferable to professional ones, inasmuch as most of the characters
   are teenagers.
   
   My nostalgia aside, Footloose the Musical is a generally solid take on
   the beloved 1984 film which made Kevin Bacon a house-hold name and gave us some of the most memorable tunes of the last fifty years. The cast is generally talented, particularly Jennifer Laura Thompson (Ariel), Stacey Francis (Rusty), and Dee Hoty (Vi Moore) who easily steal the show. It's arguably better than the original film soundtrack, and certainly lacks the '80s cheese that pervades the former.
   
   First off: we must acknowledge that whatever one thinks of the original
   film, the soundtrack at least is an icon of pop culture. So the musical
   had a lot to live up to. For the most part, they do a great job with the
   material, adding new layers to it, with better orchestration, and fleshing out characters. It's still very slight material for a Broadway show, but its to the credit of Tom Snow and Dean Pitchford that they make it work, and arguably improve on the material.
   
   The re-arrangements of old favorites aren't bad: indeed, extra credit should go to Jeremy Kushnier and JLT for making the VERY gag-worthy "Almost Paradise" at least tolerable. The reworkings of "Footloose", "I'm Free", and "The Girl Gets Around" are pretty darn good, although this rendition of "Holding Out For a Hero" proves for the umpteenth time that no one other than Bonnie Tyler should go near that old standard.
   
   Easily the two best songs of the album are "Somebody's Eyes" and "Let's Hear It For The Boy". This version of "Somebody's Eyes" is a VERY loose re-working of a song from the film. Its paranoid lyrics and dark tone make it one of the few songs with real meat on the album, and it's brilliantly performed as well. It really stands out from the other mostly fluff songs, and most certainly in a good way. "Let's Hear It For the Boy" stands out in an entirely different way: allowing the extremely talented Stacey Francis to stop the show with an amazing rendition of an already great song. It's a pity that she hasn't (yet at least) gone on to bigger things.
   
   In addition to the above, there are also a slew of new songs. And these are a lot more shakey in quality: most of them are plot/character-driven, which leads to dead-spots in the show. The best is the hilarious "Mama Says", where Tom Plotkin (Willard) gives an hysterically redneck guide to life. There's also real heart in Dee Hoty's "Can You Find it in Your Heart?" and Stephen Lee Anderson's rendition of "I Confess". Otherwise... we have an amusing but disposable rap piece in "Dancing is Not a Crime", a potentially-interesting but poorly written "Learning to Be Silent", "On Any Sunday", a decent but unremarkable character intro song, and "I Can't Stand Still", "Heaven Help Me" and "Let's Make Believe We're in Love" aren't worth mentioning.
   
   Still, on the whole, Footloose the Musical is a fun album and arguably
   better than the original film soundtrack. It's hard to think of a more
   fun CD to listen to offhand.



2. The Broadway musical based on a hit movie of the same title from 1984 as a soundtrack! One of the most frequently performed school plays in recent years in English-speaking countries, the music from "Footloose" will be sure to sweep you off your feet and dance, just like as if you were in the cast of the show!
   
   Everybody cut Footloose!



3. Ever since working on this show 2 years ago, I've tried to get a copy of this disk. I waited patiently for someone to start selling it again, to no avail. I wish they'd either start marketing this Original Broadway disk again, or else stage a revival! It is a fun show.
   Finally, I had to go and copy this from a friend because I couldn't buy it anywhere... its definitely worth listening to!
   
   I didn't give it 5 stars because sometimes it seems a little toooo over the top Broadway and because some of the slower songs don't quite hold my attention. However, the CD mostly makes up for this with high energy, high fun tunes that make you want to dance.



4. This is my absolute favorite CD ever!!!!!! My school just did a production 2 weeks ago and i was in it, it was so cool listening to the music over and over. I have every song stuck in my head. My favorite songs are Footloose/on any Sunday, Holding out for a hero The girl gets around, I'm Free, Lets hear it for the boy, Almost Paradise, and MAMA SAYS



5. I am middle school student in a small town outside of Boston, and this past November, Coop Theatre did a production of Footloose. After barely snatching the main role as Ariel Moore, I was flustered with the lines and the tough music. The CD was amazing. The songs were hits that I still listen to. The songs I love the most were definitely:
   Mama Says, Holding Out For A Hero, and Dancing is Not a Crime
   If there is any CD that I recommend buying, this is it! I continued to do the show, and it turned out to be an amazing success. Enjoy!

5 comments about Disney's Greatest, Vol. 1.

1. Save money and just get the 5 set. Its all the best songs I remember from the movies. Brings back alot of memories.



2. I bought this for a friend and I just MUST get it for myself. Call me a kid but I love this stuff!



3. Excellent music for young children in the car. I pick up my 4 year old and 1 year old granddaughters from day care once a week and they look forward to this Disney music on the ride home. We all sing along.



4. I would hardly call songs from Hercules, Hunchback, and Mulan "Disney's Greatest." I had forgotten they'd even made a Hunchback movie and I doubt my son will ever watch it. But he loves listening to the songs he recognizes, and hearing Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious made him want to watch Mary Poppins.
   
   We bought this CD because he loves the song "Cruella de Vil" although I was a little disappointed because it's about 3 1/2 minutes of piano and only about a minute of actual singing. At least it's the original version from the movie and not some Disney pop tart.



5. I'm a music lover, I bought this CD's mainly for the childrens, weekend's the childrens will visit me. And I want them to enjoy good music especially the Disney movie music and songs. I'm a great fans of Walt Disney's and of course he's talented and gifted. Well, last but not least this CD's is good and I have no regret bought it.