5 comments about Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album.

1. C'mon Sony! Put at least a little effort into your Christmas reissues! I own this and both Andy Williams Sony titles, and they did the same thing to all three - They sapped the life out of the recordings by filtering out the highest frequencies to reduce the tape hiss. They could have reduced the hiss by utilizing other methods, but that would have required effort. I guess Sony doesn't take their Christmas offerings very seriously.



2. While Tony is one of the best singers of any century, the song selection is not too "christmasy." Actually I found it depressing and annoying. I was disappointed and surprised. ADVICE: Stick with any other Tony album!



3. This was for myself. I like the songs on this album and enjoy the way they are sung by Tony Bennett. It's a classic. Great product.



4. For me, this is my favorite for Christmas time. I like a lot French songs but when I feel to hear something more, more from the south, I put that CD. A classical. When it starts with "My favorite things", I immediately feel being downtown New-York, snow falling, doing the last shopping before Christmas Eve. I really like this "American" beat. It remember me a lot.



5. 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 comments about Wig in a Box.

1. Holy-crap this album is awesome! I mean, how in the world did it happen? How was a show as great as this ever assembled? Frank Black, the Breeders, Cindy Lauper, The Polyphonic Spree and Yoko Ono, just scratch the tip of this tributary ice-berg. Each song on the disc is a loving recreation from the original play/movie Hedwig and the Angry Inch (which is also kinda too amazing for words...)done in the artist's respective styles leaving an eclectic yet truly rock-gasmic experience; and who knew Cindy could still belt it out like that, she puts supernatural demon-banshees to shame.



2. Wig in a Box
   
   I saw a documentary on cable about this CD benefit project for a school. I really enjoyed the music and put my order in. The tops on this CD is "Wig in a Box" performed by The Polyphonic Spree. It is an upbeat, uplifting, slightly silly, what-the-heck, pop tune that gets into your brain and makes you sing along. At the least you will smile while you listen. Another plus is the raucous rock of "Sugar Daddy" performed by Frank Black. Lots of off beat stuff and some big named musical talents like Cyndi Lauper contribute. No matter what your musical tastes you will probably find something on this CD to rip an MP3 and put on your player.



3. As an old Breeders fan, I am completely blown away at their cover of "wicked little town". One of the best songs I've heard in such a long time. Play it over & over - the harmonies are hauntingly beautiful.



4. no it's not a perfect CD, but as it was a benefit for the Harvey Milk School in NYC for gay/lesbian/transgender and other in-need students, it's worth getting it regardless. I just saw the "Follow my Voice" documentary about the making of this CD and the school. It was very moving and interesting to learn about these kids who can really thrive when they get out of the unsafe environments they have at home or in their old schools because of their orientation. Please support this worthwhile program.



5. Yeah, the rumours are true. Hate to say it, since I'm such a huge Hedwig freak. So much that I'll admit to playing the 85-minute "making of" DVD feature in the mornings as I wake up to get me going... And yet... yeah, there's sadly no soul in this CD. I wish it weren't true, but it is. Just mail $10 to Harvey Milk School and buy the sheet music to play yourself. If you'd like to buy it because you MUST own everything Hedwig, go ahead. If you're looking for good music, just stick with the original soundtracks.
   I mean come on! Even "They Might Be Giants" was boring on this album.

5 comments about MacArthur Park.

1. Richard Harris performed the double role of actor and singer triumphing in both features. In the case that worries us, he became of Mac Arthur Park an emblematic song, a true cult theme in 1968. Its powerful expressiveness and the smart musical twists all along the piece (whose running time definitively didn't go according the stipulated; which was 3:00 to 3:45 min) were so admirable that many radio stations were permissive with its duration and that fact allowed that for instance Hey Jude could be emitted without cuts.
   
   Mac Arthur Park was and still is, one of the best achieved ballads of any time.



2. Q. For what song did Waylon Jennings get his first Emmy?
   A. MacArthur Park.
   
   Waylon said that MacArthur Park was his favorite song at the time and wanted to do a cover.
   
   I, too am a lifelong fan of the Webb/Harris albums. The Yard Went On Forever is without a doubt my favorite album. I actually wore two of them (vinyl, that is) out and have the third. Ah, that wonderful foldout album with the mysterious girl.
   
   I regret that they haven't chosen to put out "Yard" as a CD though it would not be the same for me. For some reason when I first listened to "Yard" I put the B side first and it wasn't till I'd listened to it a dozen times that I realized I had it in the wrong order. My personal version of the album, therefore, ends with the words "damn you, and your dirty joke." Which seemed very appropriate at the time.
   
   By the way, contrary to what another reviewer stated, ALL the songs from "The Yard Went On Forever" are there. "Hymns" contains all three hymns. As I recall that is exactly the way the three songs were listed on the album, simply as "Hymns from Grand Terrace."



3. Richard Harris---yeah, loved him--- still do--- that's maybe the best thing about being an artist--- the work, the empression lives on.... Certainly he's most known as an actor[and deservedly so, he was one of a generation of powerhouse performers whose ranks include his pals Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole and hell-raising equal Oliver Reed] and he has left us a litany of great work in such 'classics as 'Camelot', 'Major Dundee', 'Man In The Wilderness', 'The Molly Maguires'.The Field', 'Unforgiven' and many others....His work, though occasionally flawed, was always, at the very least,distinctive and very often much. much more....So it was, and IS, via his recordings, with his singing,,,,
   'Macarthur Park' is certainly his most well known recording outside of 'Camelot' and is the perfect example of his unusual singing style....Something of a 'metaphysical ballad' it's a perfect match for the poerful, passionate and often contradictory nature of it's singer/protagonist.... The fact that much of the song is a strain on his voice, combines with the 'talk/sing nature of the narrative,makes the song seam both deeply personal and emotionally chargedand effects the listener in the same way.... There is a shared sense of striving between listener[s] and performer and an ultimate sense of satisfaction at the accomplishment of the task, the singing of the song.... 'MacArthur Park', as sung by Harris, is more than the performance of a song--- it's an adventure....
   I strongly recommend the combined cd of both 'My Boy' and 'Slides'.... These are properely matched as they are both 'concept' albums and, again, come across as highly personal.... Indeed, Harris penned some of the songs on 'My Boy' himself and it is something of a 'record' of his life.... I'm a performer myself, locally, here on Cape Cod,and will be performing the song 'Slides' myself next month as part of a local Arts Festival and will be well pleased if I can imbue it with half as much meaning and distinction as the late, GREAT!, Richard Harris....
   Cheers! Doug McKenna



4. Richard Harris is one of my favorites and I was so pleased to find the CD at Amazon.
   I am looking for more of my favorites!! Pat



5. In 1973, I saw Mr. Richard Harris on Stage at The Academy Of Music in Philadelphia. Performing all the Songs that made him a Signing Legend.
   He told stories of his drinking with Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole.
   I hope i spelled his name right. He went through the spectrum of emotions with the songs and stories. He was great. His voice was Richard Harris.
   Just as Johnny Cash used to say about the Music Scale- " I hit a few, I miss a few." Richard Harris Fans' never noticed, I didn't. He was Great, i only wish he stuck to the original line of songs in the movie 'Camelot'. But at the performance i was able to see and hear, he was great. i wished he kept up his singing part of his life.

5 comments about You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (1967 Original Off-Broadway Cast).

1. Some nice songs (the title song, "Snoopy" and "Happiness") make this a charming piece. However, it is a minor musical and somewhat uninteresting for adult listeners unless you've seen and loved the show. It might attract kids since it's inspired in the popular comic strip character. It's a "chamber" musical, without spectacular orchestrations and similar to THE FANTASTICKS in that respect, although the Ton Jones/Harvey Schmidt piece is far more superior. The recording is excellent, considering it's a 1967 show.



2. Outstanding!! My dad has this recording as an LP years ago and we used to listen to it. I was thrilled to find it on CD. The quality is great and the songs are just as fun as I remember.



3. To those who complain about the "quality" of this recording, or lack there of as the case seems to be, I must remind that this was originally released as a record album. And, as it was a TINY, Off-Broadway show, the fact that it was recorded AT ALL is, in itself, miraculous. Though the recording from the recent Broadway production (Which was NOT a revival as the show had NEVER appeared on Broadway before) keeps a good part of the score in tact, the alterations made by Andrew Lippa are in stark contrast to what was originally written and intended. The appeal of the show was its small size, and the intimate charm its size engendered. This is only to be found on this Original recording---



4. This cd will have you humming. I was very excited to find out that Gary Burghoff was in the cast as Charlie Brown. He is an amazing Charlie. Great cd!



5. This was fast and easy, and made my brother's surprise 50th party a hit! Thanks!

5 comments about Classic Disney, Vol. 2: 60 Years of Musical Magic.

1. This CD is a wonderful collection of some 25(!) of the most beloved Disney hits. Indeed, the songs on this CD are all songs from the great Disney movies that you remember from your childhood. There's "The Bare Necessities" from The Jungle Book, "Supercalifragilisticexpialdocious" from Mary Poppins, and "So This Is Love" from Cinderella. What's also wonderful is that the hits are from all of the Disney greats like Beauty And The Beast, Aladdin, and The Little Mermaid.
   
   My whole family loves these songs, and often sings along with them. I have several personal favorites from this album, including "So This Is Love" and "Candle On The Water." But, heck, I love them all!
   
   So, what's the final verdict? Buy this CD you won't regret it!



2. We bought this CD to practice my daughter's dance recital number to the "MICKY MOUSE CLUB MARCH"...however after listening to the whole thing over and over and over we are totally in love with classics like "THe Bear Neccessities" and "Supercalifragilistic (SP?)....we love the songs from all our favorite Disney movies, and this CD showcases a lot of them! :) A total bargain for variety music that is appropriate for children and families alike.



3. I purchased this to keep my kids occupied on vacation, and it performed beautifully! I can recommend it fully.



4. I have the classic disney volume 2 audio cassette which is very rare this is a great collection of music. It has a lot of very old peices in it. Disney Did a great job at cleaning them up. It even has a peice from song of the south which most people dont even know what that movie is. I would say yes to by this item on cd or cassette. I give it five stars. Their was only one or two songs i disliked.



5. My kids and I love to pop this into the CD player when we are on road trips together. We sing along and have a great time.

5 comments about Fiorello! (1959 Original Broadway Cast).

1. I first came across this wonderful play after having found a 33 1/3
   record of it which I purchased at a garage sale. The record was in
   very poor shape with many scratches & crayon markings all across it.
   Never the less being a native New Yorker I thoroughly enjoyed the flavor
   of the New York political satire. I found it so familiar and pleasurable
   that I searched all over for a good copy of this recording. It wasn't until
   recently that I was able to get the CD through Amazon. I am looking forward
   to a local college group performing Fiorello here in Missouri. It's not
   Broadway, but they'll do a great job!



2. I love this play so much. It depresses me that it was never made into a movie - I'd trade a million Pippins, Carousels, and Godspells for just one Fiorello.
   
   The music is as good as - if not better than - that of all our favorite big Broadway shows. I think the subject matter is what has prevented this show from becoming an American favorite like The Sound of Music, West Side Story, or The Music Man. I wish people would give it a chance because the words and lyrics are just outstanding.



3. Great music. Only; I wish I had a DVD of the show.....



4. Fiorello is a very dark comedy about the corrupt back-room politics, croneyism, and skulduggery surrounding Fiorello laGuardia's political career. Oh, and there's a romance thrown in. "Politics and Poker" in particular has a timely poignancy in light of the runup to the 2008 elections with Clinton, Obama, and -um - whoever the heck else is on the Democrat wanna-be list. I have to think there are some pretty stark parallels here. But then, that's what this timeless, delightful sleeper of an operetta is all about.



5. This never rose to the level of a 'hit'. At this time (2006) it is dated
   technically and artisticly. It didn't win in '59, there is little hope that it will be remembered fondly in '06.
   In the end I bought it for archival purposes only and I'm being kind.

5 comments about The Sound of Music (1959 Original Broadway Cast).

1. TSOM is a nice score, not R&H's best, but still heads over so much else at the time. Much has been said about Mary Martin's being too old. Apparently R&H didn't think so since they wrote TSOM for her. And audiences loved it! So much so that she won the Tony award that year. (Over Merman in Gypsy. Although, truth be told, Merman was not particularly popular with the theatrical community. From accounts I've read she was a major diva and a total b***h. And since it was her peers who were Tony voters...) Still it's a nice recording of pleasant R & H standards, different in scope than the film soundtrack but pretty good on it's own merit. Enjoyable!



2. Though, I saw SOUND OF MUSIC on film at an early age, I also heard the original Broadway Cast recording, with Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel, as a young person, too. Mary Martin has a great stage presence and was a wonderful singer, in my opinion, and she is nothing but great in this production of Captain & Maria Von Trapp and their brood of singing children. Yes, the Maria (Martin) and Captain (Bikel) are significantly older than the version we see in the film (with Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer), but they are still very, very good actors and they sing the songs with feeling. There are songs in the original recording that were cut for the film ("How Can Love Survive," "Laendler," "No Way To Stop It," and "An Ordinary Couple"), and I think they are actually far superior to those that were added to the movie ("I Have Confidence," "Something Good"). The kids are adorable, here, and it's nothing short of great musical theater.



3. This is the original version of The Sound of Music starring Mary Martin.. She does a wonderful job, I especially like the Lonely Goatherd.
   A real difference from the Julie Andrews version. With extra songs left out of the film and one changed song. I thrououghly recommend this title.



4. This is the Sound of Music of my childhood. I never saw the show, but the music was all over when I was growing up. I have seen the movie many times, and went on the Sound of Music tour in Salzburg recently. So I got the original soundtrack. The movie is wonderful, but the music from the stage musical is much better. For one thing, they got the singers for their musical ability. No offense to Julie Andrews, a great actor and singer, but the music was written for Mary Martin, and it does show. The stage show did not have the benfit of the scenery of the movie, so the music in the stage show makes up for that. It's more about music, and less an accompaniment to the beautiful scenery around Salzburg. So watch the movie, and listen to this soundtrack



5. Although the recording techniques were not as advanced as today, this recording is a wonderful reproduction of the original version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC. The digital sizzle of today's recordings is missing---but it sure beats vinyl. It's hard to believe that the first time audiences heard this music was not Julie Andrews in the 1956 movie version. Mary Martin was considered one of the musical theatre's first ladies and for students and fans of the art form, hearing her unique approach to the music should be very enlightening. Since Oscar Hammerstein died in 1960, one can assume that he had a good deal of input into the production of this recording. In effect we are listening to the musical, as the creators wanted us to hear it.

5 comments about The Catherine Wheel.

1. This album contains a lot of experimental music, with a few early Talking Heads type songs sprinkled in. If you like Brian Eno's experimental music, you will like this album.



2. I find the phrasing of the amazon product review rather odd: "Sounding more like a missing Talking Heads session than anything remotely like David Byrne's 1990s-era work [...]"... the implication seemingly that that's odd, as if he did it in the 90's so we should expect it to sound like some of his 90's work... I mean, this was done in 1981, why would it sound like his Byrne's 90's work? Regardless, the album sounds amazingly fresh, 25 years later... too bad about the missing tracks and the censored track... there was some material where quotes from the Koran were sampled, and that was removed out of fear that it might give offence... sad, how our freedom-of-expression culture of the West abandons principle at a drop of the hat, bidden or unbidden... oh well... I bought this when it first came out and loved it from the first time I put it on... of course, Eno's influence is quite apparent, and the result is outstanding... it seems to me, Byrne has yet to match the brilliance of this record in the past 20 years... here's hoping for another one like this from Mr. Byrne...



3. Another reviewer called this the "lost Talking Heads album," which I think is accurate and also hints at a faint yearning, among many of Byrne's most ardent fans (of which I am one), to hear more of the sound that got them hooked in the first place. For Byrne, Talking Heads has become an albatross, and he seems resentful of his fans' unwillingness to accept his exploration of other avenues.
   
   Well, okay; fair enough. But Byrne's persona within the context of Talking Heads is arguably one of the most intriguing in rock music, and it's only natural for followers to crave access to more. The Talking Heads catalogue has never been friendly to the completist mentality, as there's not a wealth of unreleased material surfacing -- not even with the recent "Once in a Lifetime" and "Brick" box sets. However, what Byrne seems to be doing with his solo career, or wanting to do, is to demystify himself, and he's tried doing this through a variety of measures: with his "unplugged" stint; with his "personal" work on his self-titled album and recent 'Grown Backwards'; with his down-to-earth collaborations with artists such as Richard Thompson; and with the folksy conversational style he's adopted in his solo concerts. But the overarching impression still is of a man awkwardly inhabiting a physical body within the physical world, and these attempts to convey a reaching of comfort within these two spaces seem largely calculated. Additionally, it remains unclear as to whether the vitality and energy the man once radiated is being suppressed or has simply dissipated.
   
   One thing that hasn't changed about Byrne is that he's still what detractors would call a dilettant or a tourist, and what friendlier followers would call versatile. Objectively, it's fair to say that he's always had his hands in many pies, working in and adopting as many mediums as his talents will allow. One of the most compelling results of this dilettantism/versatility was his collaboration with choreographer Twyla Tharp for the Broadway ballet "The Catherine Wheel." They don't do stuff like this on Broadway anymore. Current Broadway, safe and posh, is to early '80s Broadway what current Hollywood is to 1970s Hollywood, before Michael Cimino killed it for everyone. Listening to "The Catherine Wheel" evokes this and, among many other things, the excitement of a gifted and vital artist (Byrne) in great demand. Byrne dove into this as though it were the important task that it was, taking complete command of his assignment without a shred of unease. "His Wife Refused," "Big Blue Plymouth (Eyes Wide Open), "What a Day That Was," and "Big Business" are practically Talking Heads songs and rank among the best of the Heads' work, while "Ade," "The Red House," "Black Flag," and others, create soundscapes that are at once exotic, exciting, and comforting. This album, next to (and slightly surpassing) 'Rei Momo,' remains Byrne's best and most assured solo album.



4. Best of meat. Of his remarkable unseen and unrated, one to keep forever.



5. I bought this cassette back in junior high school when I was truly obsessed with TALKING HEADS - they had just made the brave leap forward with the ENO-helmed REMAIN IN LIGHT, which remains in my TOP 10 of all time albums - but THIS original score for Twyla Tharp's dance production is in many ways even more mind-blowing, ground-breaking, and seminal - here Byrne is given free reign to do his thang and explore the very limits of music, percussion, vocals, and song structure, or lack thereof...truly truly SPELL-BINDING stuff! But here's the rub: my original long OOP cassette version that WB released (BLUE cover, not RED) contains the COMPLETE score, with many tracks/sections NOT found on the sadly abbreviated CD - I guess they couldn't fit all of its BRILLIANCE on one CD, so they chose to edit - now that it's legendary, why not re-issue an expanded, double-CD with the entire score for posterity?! And why not include some of the 12" MIXES of BIG BUSINESS, etc released on 12" only singles at the time?! Trust me, once you buy this and start listening, you will come back to it over & over again - this is over two decades and I still come back to it every few months - WAY AHEAD OF ITS TIME, NEVER GROWS OLD! Sadly, Byrne would never top this...I find all of this later TALKING HEADS (post-Speaking In Tongues) and solo projects dry, brittle, flat, and dull - that tired "world music" white man's burden trap. Oh well. At least we have THIS to cherish.

5 comments about The Wild Party (Original Off-Broadway Cast).

1. I am in love with this CD and recording of The Wild Party. I've only heard the LaChiusa version once, so I can't really judge them against one another.
   
   Lippa's score is simply amazing, and you can't help but wanna tap your foot and get up and dance when some of the songs are playing. You can tell he has a love of the brass as he just lets them loose on some of the numbers, particularly "The Juggernaut". True, the setting of the show is the twenties and almost the entire show isn't twenties (save "Let Me Drown", D'Arcy's AMAZING number) but I feel that doesn't take away from the show whatsoever. Lippa's not the first to do this (Pippin anyone?) and I find that it makes the music so much more fascinating and fun. The other great thing about the album is that the songs can be taken out of the context of the show, and used in cabarets and auditions.
   
   The CD has an all-star cast that really help to bring the songs home. Julia Murney as Queenie can really belt(mix) the crap out of the songs, and while sometimes her vibrato is a little intense, she still works it. Brian d'Arcy James is the real standout vocalist on the CD as Burrs and proves he can still provide real emotional depth while singing a musically challening song. I also think this is Idina Menzel's finest vocal work on a recording, versus Wicked, Rent, and See What I Wanna See. She provides some real flair to the vocals of Kate, and brings it home. Personally I don't know why Taye Diggs got the role of Black (oh wait...he's married to Idina) because he really is just NOT good. The songs he sings are beautiful, but he does weird things with his voice and tends to go flat or just riff instead of emote. Alix Korey as Madeline the lesbian singing "Old-Fashioned Love Story" really nails the character and knows how to make someone laugh just by listening to her sing. The ensemble provides an amazing vocal accompaniment and helps to bring the songs to life.
   
   Overall I think it's amazing CD for anyone who appreciates Broadway, and even for those who don't. The songs are fun, original, really catchy, and beautifully done.



2. Yes, I will admit there are a few weird lyrics.
   
   How amazing are the vocals on this, though? Idina and Julia just shine, both are so mind-blowing with their voices...seriously, I'm speechless at how amazing they are. How lucky are we to have a CD with two amazing talented ladies performing together? I am so disappointed I missed the show...so very disappointed, but at least I have this CD to at least envision it my own way.



3. I'm an admitted musical-theatre geek. But I like knowing about the "underground" shows.. the ones that never QUITE made it. This came to me from a friend who was running a basement theatre at a college, and I forgot his mentioning it for close to a year. When it finally came back to me, I bought it.. and was AH-MAZED. There are simply not words for this music, and the talent brought the show is phenomenal. I strongly recommend taking a chance on this one.. if you sing, there's something for every range; if you dance, there's TONS of great, high-energy dance numbers; and if you love theatre, this is as good as it gets.



4. I bought this album because I am a fan of Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs, and may I just say that it blew me away! Some of the songs are so beautiful, with amazing harmonies. Others have you wanting to jump up and celebrate like the characters. My favorite songs include: Look at me Now, Poor Child (really beautiful), Life of the Party, Let Me Drown and How Did We Come to This?. If you are considering purchasing this I uge you do so, you won't be disappointed.



5. I was hesitant to buy this album because I was told it was a bit raunchy and not well done. I'm still kicking myself for not buying it sooner.
   
   Lippa's "The Wild Party" has quickly risen to my top five favorite shows. The score is outstanding (who CARES if it doesn't consistently fit the time period), the lyrics are entertaining, and the cast...oh, the cast. I admit I bought it for the Idina Menzel factor, but after listening through it, Idina takes a backseat to the outstanding vocal performance of Julia Murney.
   
   Julia Murney, as others have said, is a POWERHOUSE. Not just in the heavy-hitting songs like "Raise the Roof", but in every song she sings. It's dumbfounding. Since then I've seen her perform live, and I must say that the woman is a superb actress- you can tell even by her singing.
   
   It is unfortunate that this show released the same year as LaChuisa's "The Wild Party" on Broadway, but that doesn't mean it's lower caliber by any scale. In fact, I prefer this show. The reviewer who compared Sondheim to Lachuisa and Larson to Lippa was on the right track. Though I would suggest that if you like "Chicago" or "Wicked" at all, you'll probably like this version. It is a lot more fun and the songs are top-notch.
   
   All I can say is BUY THIS ALBUM. I can't imagine anyone regretting it.

5 comments about Brigadoon (1947 Original Broadway Cast).

1. This is the best version of Brigadoon. The story and music are so romantic and charming, and the original cast always delivers the most heartfelt performance. The voices of David Brooks and Lee Sullivan are sincerely warm, and the ladies hold their own when it comes to the vocals. A lot of other reviewers complain about the poor sound, but quite frankly, it didn't bother me at all. I didn't even think about the sound quality....I was so delighted by the enchanting music. Skip the movie version....many of the best songs are omitted (including my favorite, "Come to Me, Bend to Me".)



2. Granted, most of all of the reviews written here pertaining to this original BDWY cast recording just isn't fair. Remember, in 1947, all we had was 78rpm phonographs (the LP wasn't invented until the next year by Columbia, and RCA didn't go to LP until 1950), and who ever heard of "High Fidelity" sound back then? Granted, there was "Orthophonic Recordings" (electrical recordings), but this process was still limited to the quality of the electronics in the control room (one microphone usage, and of limited quality being a condensor mic) and of the pressings of using the shellac material-not vinyl as we know of today. The "LP" release of this recording (the LOC-1001) was made transferring the audio from the 78RPM metal masters-why of the 5 cuts per each side on the LP(or a 5 record set for the 78rpm release). Also, back then, the recording sessions were not recorded on tape, but was actually cut directly on the wax masters, then processed to metal masters for stamper manufacturing. Recording technology was still using the direct cut method from the early days of accoustical phonograph recording. We have to give the bygone eras a chance of being proven innocent with the technology that they had back then. We must realize that what we have now wasn't back then and cannot make sound judgements on what is with us now and expect that to be the same of yesteryear. This recording is quite a tribute of such a production and written piece and it deems the rightful place in the history books as such.



3. Although I am only familiar with BRIGADOON from its MGM film version and its several cast recordings (have never seen the stage show), it is one of my favorite musicals. The Lerner and Loewe score is one of the most enchanting and beautiful ever written for the stage. The monaural sound on this original cast album is not great, but is also not as bad as some would like us to believe. Several of the numbers had to be truncated to fit the limited playing time of a 78-RPM side, and much of the dance music was a casualty of this. BRIGADOON was originally recorded in March 1947 on 5 78-RPM records (10 sides) but has been nicely remastered for this CD release. This was one of the first original cast albums by RCA--sound quality on early RCA cast albums can't compare with the superior recording technology used by Columbia at the time, which itself had only been doing cast recordings since the previous year or two.
   
   Most of the cast has long been forgotten (as has happened with too many musicals of this time period) but the best performances are still had on the original cast album. "Waitin' for my Dearie" and "Almost like Being in Love" have never been sung better. When Brigadoon went to Hollywood and MGM in 1954, a good chunk of the score was scrapped in favor of more dance music to highlight Gene Kelly's and Cyd Charisse's dancing talent (the soundtrack album does feature the outtakes, though). There are obviously holes in the score as heard here, but all the important songs are there. I usually believe that a show sounds its best when sung by its original stars. No exception here. This is the one to start with.
   
   FLASH: Out of print for years, the glorious 1950s Columbia studio cast album starring Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy, arguably the best recorded and best sung BRIGADOON recording, is finally slated for CD release on March 22. Stay tuned! Have the LP, but I'll be first in line to get a copy of the CD!



4. One of the other reviewers has stated that BRIGADOON was a failure. It most certainly was not! It ran well over a year, turned a healthy profit and toured for several seasons. The movie version, though not a success with critics, was an audience favourite and was profitable for M-g-M. There were successful revivals at City Centre throughout the 1950s and 1960s. The 1980 Broadway revival was not well recieved but many regional and community theatres continue to revive the show and the New York City Opera had a good production in the 1980s. It's fine if you don't like the show, but don't try to rewrite history to prove your point!
   
   This Cd offers a short selection, due to the time limits of the original 78s. The cast s good but not sensational. The score, however, is one of Lerner and Loewe's best and every song is a gem.
   
   A 1954 Columbia album with Shirley Jones, Jack Cassidy and the wonderful Susan Johnson sounds much more theatrical and is more complete. It is now out on CD from DRG and I suggest getting in instead of this edition.
   
   This was RCA's first original Broadway cast album. Six months later they recorded ALLEGRO and HIGH BUTTON SHOES. They also recorded BONANZA BOUND during its pre-Broadway try-out but when that show folded on the road the records were never released.
   The label was obviously struggling to master the techniques of translating shows from stage to records and they did not really succeed until the late 1950s.



5. BRIGADOON failed in its 1947 Broadway debut. The 1954 screen version died a slow death at the box office. Significant revivals in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s lost money. And it is easy to see why: even by 1940s standards, the show is incredibly simpering in its tale of two hunters who happen across a village that appears only day every century. Even so, producers have been drawn to it again and again and again--and again it is easy to see why: the story may be distastefully sweet, but the music is wonderful.

   The 1947 recording is very much of its era. Broadway musical recordings were then a very small niche market, and record companies were not interested in knocking themselves out to produce an album that would appeal only to the few; moreover, technology limitations forced significant cuts in the material that it might be released as a single album. The result is a murky-sounding recording of a truncated score. But still--

   The music shines through the quality issues just as it shines through the syrupy show itself, a charming collection of Scottish-tinged ballads and bouncy ensemble pieces. And the vocals are quite as charming as the Lerner-Loewe music and lyrics, with Marion Bell's "Waitin' for My Dearie," Lee Sullivan's "Come to Me, Bend to Me," and Pamela Britton's "My Mother's Wedding Day" particularly well done. And although the score is truncated, it includes such classics and near classics as "Go Home With Bonnie Jean," "Heather on the Hill," "There But For You Go I," and the famous "Almost Like Being In Love."

   This is a "must own" recording for Learner and Lowe fans who long to hear the original performers of the original production. Still, the content and quality issues will limit the recording's appeal to hardcore fans and theatre buffs. Recommended nonetheless.

   --GFT (Amazon reviewer)--