5 comments about Little Shop Of Horrors: Original Cast Album (1982 Off-Broadway Cast).

1. The original production is still kickin' after all these years. Have the revival CD from 2003, but Ellen Green IS Audrey on this 1982 version! If you are a "Little Shop" junkie, get both. If you are doing the show in community theatre and are looking for the CD, this one is in the same vocal key and the instrumental scoring is pretty close.



2. A classic bit of musical theater - this is by far the best recording of the show available. The original cast really is stellar, and the pit is as tight as can be. If this is your first time listening to the show, I high recommend this album. I really enjoy the fact that the tempos are up on this recording, which makes it move much faster, but never so fast that you can't understand what is happening.



3. Ellen Greene blew me away on this c.d.
   I had the cassette and needed to get the cd...so I bought it, and what beautiful memories of the shows came flooding back...she should be doing more broadway....



4. Until just this month, I had never seen "Little Shop" or heard any of its music. But when my kids put on the show at their high school, suddenly I was fascinated by all things Seymour and Audrey. This 1982 cast production of the music is a perfect memento of the play and a capable tribute to the terrific work of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, respectively, the composer and writer. This is one of several versions of "Little Shop" that are in circulation, and adds a layer of campiness to the dark original. Like the original (and unlike the movie) it does shrink from the dealing with the Faustian consequences of its characters' choices.
   
   After listening to them, it's guaranteed that these songs will be running through your head for weeks. I'm especially tickled by "Skid Row," the urban ensemble piece that sets the scene for the action. "Somewhere That's Green," sweetly showcases Audrey's warped dream of a better life in the suburbs -- "a grill out on the patio...and an ironing machine". And everyone loves the "Dentist" piece, sung partially through a gas mask - a risky proposition that works, at least on the album.
   
   The 1982 version of "Little Shop" may not continue to wear well, with its many dated references to 1950s personalities - Donna Reed, Jack Paar and Hedy Lamarr. But no matter, there is plenty of wonderful music to keep your car stereo or IPod busy for weeks.



5. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, best known for their superb songs for the Disney classics Beauty and the Best and The Little Mermaid, were also prominent in the theater. However, the crowning achievement of their work for theater (mostly Off-Broadway) was Little Shop of Horrors. Menken perfectly blends theater music and pop music and Ashman's lyrics are always witty and excellent.
   The small cast has plently of talent. Let's begin with Ellen Greene, an exceptional actress who will be best remembered for this role of Audrey. Although her dialouge reading isn't prominent on this album, her singing certainly is. And what a singer she is! She's perfect.
   Ron Taylor, best known for his role of Bleeding Gums Murphy on The Simpsons, is great as Audrey II. I prefer him to Levi Stubbs in the film and the fellow who played him in the overblown Broadway production.
   Lee Wilkoff, an Off-Broadway veteran (later to star in the original Playwrights Horizons production of Assassins) is a fine Seymour. He sings nicely and pulls the role off well.
   The guy playing Mr. Mushnik is just fine and the man who plays Orin the Dentist among other parts is excellent.
   The Greek Chorus of Urchins, a creation of Mr. Ashman's, make a great musical excellent. These girls are perhaps give the best performances for a recording of this show.
   This is a great musical. It's slowly becoming a modern classic and deserves to become one!

5 comments about The Full Monty: The Broadway Musical.

1. Superb recording of original Broadway cast. Enjoyable listening. Well, more than only listening - you will feel the urge to dance and "Let It Go!"



2. Took a special mother/daughter trip to Chicago last summer which included viewing The Full Monty. My daughter and I are veteran musical theater lovers. Both of us agreed this was the snappiest, most amusing and touching musical we'd seen in a long time. Every song was catchy, singable, funny, moved the plot along and touched the heart. I had to have the soundtrack.
   
   Of course, listening only makes me want to see the show once more. Next time it comes near our area, you can bet I'll be there to celebrate this wonderful piece of American theater again.



3. A departure from standard fare, "The Full Monty" is creative and entertaining. While the "exposure" got a lot of attention, the music is great and the story is touching.



4. When I heard about a musical being made from the movie "The Full Monty" I though that broadway was going down the drain and I didn't give the show any thought after that.
   
   Then this year a wonderful little show called "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" Came out and I fell in live with it and David Yazbek, so I came onto Amazon and looked him up to see if he had done any other shows and lo and behold there was" The Full Monty" so I decided to give it a try.
   
   While this show isn't as polished or as safisticated as DRS it shows that even years ago David Knew what he was doing. the show is wonderful and the songs are truly the potatoes to this show's meat (Pun intended)
   
   Standout Songs include:
   Scrap
   Man
   Big-Ass Rock
   Life With Harold
   Big Black Man
   You Rule my World
   Michael Jordan's Ball
   Jeanette's Showbiz Number
   Breeze off the River
   The Goods
   You Walk with Me
   Let It Go
   
   If you liked Dirty Rotten Scoundrels you will also like The Full Monty.



5. The Full Monty was the second show I saw on Broadway. Right after Phantom and right before Les Mis...nice mix, huh?
   But anyhow, the show was fun, but I wasn't incredibly impressed, and I'll be honest, I went to see the stripping. 80% of it's patrons do, let's be truthful.
   I got this soundtrack from a friend, and I've fallen in love with it. Women think this show is a big sex-fest full of naked men, but it's not. This show is about MANHOOD. Every man in this show is condemned by at least one woman for something that ends up him just being insecure. Dave is fat, and his wife thinks he's just not interested in sex anymore, but he doesn't feel like a man. Jerri doesn't feel like a man cuz he cant pay child support for his kid, and Harolds wife hits him up for money every chance she gets and he doesnt have the heart to tell her hes broke! This show is a great testement to how men have feelings too, and they're not always scumbags....sometimes things are different than they seem...and the women are the sex crazed maniacs forcing their men into uncomfortable positions. It happens. This show is an amazing revelation for men and women alike.
   
   My favorite song was always You Rule My World...Go see this show, the soundtrack's no good til you see it.

5 comments about Romance on Film/Romance on Broadway.

1. Listening to this double album of "American classical music" (which is what I call recitals of Gershwin, Porter, Kern, Rodgers and the like), I'm reminded of Frank Sinatra. And in turn I'm reminded of Bing Crosby's immortal quip regarding Sinatra: "Sinatra was a singer who comes along once in a lifetime. Why did it have to be my lifetime?"
   
   Indeed - but not just Bing's. Since the passing of Sinatra (and Torme, IMO), there just hasn't been a male popular singer really to take up his (their) mantle. In the next generation you had Steve Tyrell and Harry Connick, Jr., but neither made it to that level, IMO. In the generation after that, you have "Jamie Cinsarble" (my moniker for the mix of Jamie Cullum, Peter Cincotti, Tony DeSare, and Michael Buble), but the jury is out.
   
   But after listening to this two-c.d. set, I'm convinced that Michael Feinstein is the one.
   
   I don't mean that the two singers are exactly alike. Sinatra was a bass-baritone, while Feinstein is a lyric baritone. But I would say that Sinatra was to Sherrill Milnes as Feinstein is to Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Which is to say, both popular singers are classically trained in the bel-canto style, both hit every note square on, and both interpret material like nobody's fool.
   
   And, IMO, where Feinstein's brilliance really shines through is on disc #1, the live set. Mr. Feinstein has a naturally light voice; yet, he is perfectly in balance with such great musicians as Marian McPartland, Alan Broadbent, Bucky Pizzarelli and Gary Foster. No studio tricks here. He can sing loudly without singing loudly - much like Fischer-Dieskau, or Caetano Veloso.
   
   But both c.d.'s sound glorious. As I said re. the recent release of Roberta Gambarini and Hank Jones, there is no new ground tread here; but there are plenty of beautiful flowers planted in the ground that is there.
   
   Highly recommended, especially for fans of intelligent-sounding cabaret. RC
   
   (p.s. - My great thanks to my friend and music-lover, Rebecca Preciado, for alerting me to this great set!)



2. This is a 3 album set with a great deal of live material recorded at Feinstein's Regency show. All the great romantic songs from film/broadway with nice commentary by Michael. Is it really necessary to list songs? Favorites of mine are "As Time Goes By", "The Way You Look Tonight" (possibly one of the Top Ten American songs), "I've Never Been In Love Before", "The Song Is You", etc. As far as other musicians in this set, if I mention Marian McPartland and Bucky Pizzarelli, do you really need to know any of the other great names assisting Feinstein? Just pour yourself a pitcher of martinis (or your cocktail of choice), turn on your stereo, put on these discs and be prepared to be entertained.



3. This wonderful 2-CD set is an absolute musical gold mine filled with the most romantic songs from motion picture films and Broadway productions and penned by the finest songwriters: Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Sammy Cahn, Jim Van Heusen, Johnny Mercer, Harry Warren, Mack Gordon, Dorothy Fields, Victor Young, Michel Legrand, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Vernon Duke, among many others.
   
   According to the liner notes: "I've always been a sucker for a love song. My favorite kinds of songs to sing are romantic songs, so it seemed a natural idea to put together a collection of songs of the heart." Yes, indeed, he did a fantastic job not only in selecting the most beautiful love songs from early 1920s to the '80s, but also interpreting them in his own unique style with some help from his talented musician friends namely: Marian McPartland (piano), John Oddo (piano/arranger), Alan Broadbent (piano/arranger), Bucky Pizzareli (guitar), Page Cavanaugh (piano/arranger), George Rabbai (flugelhorn/trumpet), Mark Vinci (sax/clarinet/flute), Dan Block (sax), Jay Leonhart and Chuck Berghofer (bass), Joe Cacuzzo and Peter Erkstine (drums). Warren Vaché played the solo cornet (I just love the sound of this trumpet-like brass band instrument) with Bucky Piazzarelli on guitar on "Darn That Dream," one of the nicest tracks on Disc 2.
   
   For me, the most ear-catching track on Disc 1- "Romance On Film" is Harry Warren and Mack Gordon's "The More I See You," which Mr. Feinstein thinks (and I do, too) as the pair's most famous song. This is also one of my all time favorites. Warren's style was greatly influenced by his idol, Giacomo Puccini, the creator of famous operas, "La Boheme" and "Madame Butterfly." Warren and Puccini are two great composers in my long list of favorites. Alan Broadbent superbly arranged this track and he also played the piano. Great piano playing! I must admit I listen to this song repeatedly before I listen to the rest of the tracks.
   
   On "Romance On Broadway" - Disc 2, the standout in my opinion, is a very old song with very nice melody and lyrics written in 1930s by two of my favorite great composers, Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II, "The Song Is You." I've been hearing it from my father's record (Frank Sinatra with Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra) when I was growing up and considering the music in my soul, this beautiful song never left me since then. It's like a haunting refrain to me. This is one of the main reasons why I bought this lovely set of CDs. I know of only few recordings of this song, those of Oscar Peterson, Joe Pass, Doris Day and The Andrews Sisters. It's so nice a song to be completely forgotten! I'm so glad that Mr. Feinstein included it in his repertoire. Accompanying Michael in this performance is one remarkable pianist, Alan Broadbent.
   
   All the performances in this 2-CD set are equally superb and outstanding. You'll never skip any track, and you'll get a double delight with his great voice and exceptional piano playing skills on the last track of Disc 2 "Every Time We Say Goodbye." The credit also goes to the exceptional line-up of back-up musicians who have helped Mr. Feinstein in making these recordings great that everyone, not only his fans, can truly enjoy listening to.



4. Mr. Feinstein used to delight us with his renditions of the music he loved. Alas, he's found a new love - his own voice. The lyrics are way too slow, the album is over orchestrated, and the 14 "featured" presentations serve as a further distraction. It's the auditory equivalent of watching someone viewing themselves in a mirror.



5. Before you get all worked up, let me say that he has a voice, but he really doesn't have a style. he sings songs way too straight, he makes even Bobby Short sound like an improviser! He also doesn't seem to be in touch with his masculine side, his vocie is very, well if ying is male, and yang is female, he sounds very yang. He needs to take some liberties with the songs he sings and then he won't sound so obnoxious, then he needs to take some vocal lessons and try to bring out the ying(masculine side) in his voice. He needs to hear a few Billy Eckstine lp's. I don't think he can change but here's hoping he'll take my advice. As far as you buying this cd it is your decision, this is just my honest opinion.

5 comments about Gigi: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.

1. Though there were elements of GIGI that bothered me greatly, even as a little girl, before I knew what a courtesan was, the soundtrack is undoubtedly beautiful and the partnership of singer/songwriter duo Lerner and Loewe really succeeds in capturing the mood of this novella. Young Gigi (Leslie Caron) comes to live with her aunt (Hermione Gingold), a courtesan (definition: high-class prostitute or mistress, especially one associated with rich, powerful, or upper-class men who provided luxuries and status in exchange for her services. In Renaissance Europe, courtesans played an important role in upper-class society, sometimes taking the place of wives at social functions.). The hope is that Gigi will be trained in the fine art and tradition of this craft. But, fate may have other plans, when the man she is groomed for (Louis Jordan) finds himself falling for her.
   
   Some of the most beautiful (and sweet) songs are featured here. They include "Gigi," "Say A Prayer For Me Tonight," and "She Is Not Thinking of Me." I couldn't end this review without mentioning the wonderful and incomparable Maurice Chevalier, who plays an old flame of Gigi's aunt, who sings "Thank Heaven For Little Girls" with such gusto and enthusiasm, that it's hard not to smile, even if you have only heard this soundtrack on vinyl, like I did, before ever seeing the movie from whence it was inspired.



2. As we approach the 50th anniversary of the movie - winner of more Academy Awards than any other musical - a new generation deserves an opportunity to hear Hollywood at its best. This cd set includes not only the many well-known hits from the show - The Night They Invented Champagne, Thank Heaven for Little Girls, I Remember it Well, and of course the title song - but also the incidental music so integral to the movie, and a couple of surprises (demo recordings by Leslie Caron.) Fritz Lowe is possibly the best unremembered composer of the 20th century, and Alan J. Lerner's gift with words here is surpassed only by his work on My Fair Lady.



3. GIGI is for me the ultimate movie musical from M-G-M. So many wonderful characters, and so many classic moments. The soundtrack album (newly-expanded and restored from the fine people at TCM), is a great new way to remember this fine film.
   
   Based on the novella by Colette, the story centers around a headstrong young tomboy called Gigi (Leslie Caron), whose childhood friendship with eligible bachelor Gaston (Louis Jourdan) takes an unexpected twist. Tired of the constant stream of gold-diggers and debutantes who want to marry him, Gaston decides to ask Gigi. Her grandmother and aunt (Hermione Gingold and Isabel Jeans), two of the most noteworthy of courtesans in their youth, insist that Gigi shouldn't be tied down by marriage. Gigi is faced with the task of becoming a glamorous courtesan, but Gaston wants a wife...
   
   The gilded, sweeping score of GIGI was provided by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, still riding high on the success of "My Fair Lady" on Broadway. With such wonderful, character-driven numbers like "She is Not Thinking of Me" (a devilish waltz for Gaston and his latest feather-brained partner); "The Parisians" (Gigi's plea for understanding the ways of love); and "I Remember It Well" (a comical duet for Maurice Chevalier and Hermione Gingold).
   
   This soundtrack album features the entire score, newly-restored in true stereo for the very first time, plus extensive incidental music and background scoring. Leslie Caron was never a good singer, and her vocals were dubbed here by Betty Wand. Included are three bonus tracks of Caron in rehearsals, performing her own renditions of "The Parisians", "The Night They Invented Champagne", and "Say a Prayer for Me Tonight". While the songs of Gigi aren't especially demanding, listening to Caron on these tracks gives you a clear understanding of why she was later dubbed (despite the fact that she gives Gigi the youthful innocence so befitting of the character).
   
   GIGI was the final hurrah for the M-G-M movie musicals. It won the 'Best Picture' Oscar plus nods for the composers, and 'Best Song' for "Gigi" sung by Louis Jourdan. It remains to this day one of the most enjoyable - and joyous - movies of all time. The soundtrack album is a must for all fans, and the overall quality and standard here is superb.
   
   [TCM/Rhino 7243 8 38115 2 6]



4. If you like My Fair Lady you probably will like Gigi. The songs have the same magic as the songs from My Fair Lady. Both of these shows are written by the same authors. Some recommended tracks are "Thank Heaven For Little Girls", "The Night They Invented Champagne" and "Say A Prayer For Me Tonight". But I think everybody's favorite is the title tune "Gigi".



5. This CD fulfilled my needs. I'm in the show and needed to hear the music.

5 comments about Beyond the Sea.

1. Beyond the Sea is a great soundtrack. Kevin Spacey has a great voice and the music takes me back to my youth.



2. Great soundtrack. There are songs that weren't in the movie on this CD. It's great... for the most part.
   
   I really like the song "As Long As I'm Singing" and was looking forward to hearing Kevin Spacey's version - but they just used the version from the film, with him in a duet with the kid who plays the younger version of himself. I was very disappointed. Also, "Up The Lazy River" was the same version from the film, with the actress who plays his mother singing the main part, the young Bobby singing and conversing along with her. And what's worse, there is dialog from the film included. I was irritated because I was looking forward to hearing these two songs sung by Kevin Spacey.
   
   I only got it because it used and was about $4.99. If you really want to get it, buy it used... that way, you won't feel gypped.



3. This will be brief becuase, simply put, Kevin Spacey makes the movie by actually singing the hits rather than miming to some other talent.
   
   IT was quite a surprise and is a wonderful sound track. Highly recommended.



4. Kevin Spacey has done a marvelous job singing the songs made popular by the late Bobby Darin...That he should sound somewhat like Darin should come as no surprise,inasmuchas these songs were recorded for a film in which Spacey portrays Darin..
   Much has been said about how "this music"is different than the sort of drivel that is popular today..I would imagine this sort of warning is aimed at the MTV generation and/or the people who have no musical tastes and subject themselves to rap and other forms of musical offal...How sad it is to think that most young listeners are so devoid of any broad appreciation that they must be cautioned about how this music is old,and therefore different than the sort of drek that they are currently listening to...I wonder,do these same cretins have to be told that the music of Mozart is"old","different"and therefore unlike the rap garbage they usually listen to?
   Which brings me to the few voices who say that rather than buy this album one should instead buy the original sides by Darin himself..Why not buy both?Most of Darin's catalouge consists of songs that were originally made famous by other artists...This is especially true of the pop tunes Darin borrowed from the likes of Frank Sinatra,when Darin had it in his mind to become a Sinatra-like lounge crooner..Should we avoid buying Darin's versions of these sides because not only did Darin borrow the songs and the singing style from Sinatra,but made an effort to sound like Sinatra as well?
   This album is an homage to Bobby Darin,in all of his many guises...Kevin Spacy does a very good job on these sides,and deserves your attention...



5. This might be heresy, but Kevin Spacey is a better singer than Bobby Darin!

5 comments about 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Burl Ives.

1. This brought back memories from my childhood.
   
   The quality of the recording was superb



2. I have to agree with those other reviewers who point to the obvious shortcomings of this release in the vast 20th Century Masters Series. I mean, if you are going to honour a legend like Burl Ives in a 12-track release, a man who had some 19 hit singles from 1948 to 1968, wouldn't it be prudent to put in 12 of those hits?
   
   The last three here, while perhaps familiar to his many fans, cannot be considered among his "best" - not if you concede that "best" means those songs of his that made national charts. The remaining nine are bona fide hit singles, some among them indeed his very best, such as A Little Bitty Tear (# 1 Adult Contemporary [AC]/# 2 Country/# 9 Billboard Pop Hot 100 in late 1961/early 1962), Funny Way Of Laughing (# 3 AC/# 9 Country/# 10 Hot 100 in May 1962), Call Me Mr. In-Between (# 3 Country/# 6 AC/# 19 Hot 100 in August 1962), and Mary Ann Regrets (# 12 Country/# 13 AC/# 39 Hot 100 in December 1962). Not many artists were able to score such big hits on all three of those charts.
   
   Before that, way back in th 1940s, he teamed up with The Andrews Sisters on Blue Tail Fly (# 24 Pop in summer 1948), and in February 1949 got together with Captain Stubby & The Buccaneers to take Lavender Blue (Dilly Dilly) to # 13 C&W and # 16 Pop. From the early 1950s period come The Wild Side Of Life which, with Grady Martin & His Slew Foot Five, made it to # 6 C&W and # 30 Pop in the summer of 1952.
   
   Lesser hits represented here include The Same Old Hurt (# 91 Hot 100 in February 1963) and Pearly Shells (Popo O Ewa), which finished at # 60 Hot 100 in late summer 1964.
   
   All of the foregoing hits were on the Decca (MCA) label, which probably accounts for the absence of these Columbia hits: Riders In The Sky (Cowboy Legend), which was a # 8 C&W/# 21 Pop hit in June 1949; On Top Of Old Smoky, a # 10 Pop in June 1951 with Percy Faith's orchestra, and his last hit from 1968, the Dylan-penned I'll Be Your Baby Tonight, which peaked at # 35 AC and # 133 Hot 100 "Bubble Under" in July.
   
   But that still leaves these overlooked Decca hits, any three of which would have been better choices than the last three tracks: This Is All I Ask (# 67 Hot 100 in August 1963); True Loves Goes On And On (# 66 Hot 100 in late 1963/early 1964); Evil On My Mind (# 47 Country in September 1966); and Lonesome 7-7203 (# 72 Country in February 1967). Then, of course, there's also A Holly Jolly Christmas from the animated TV show in 1964, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, which made it to # 13 on the Billboard Christmas charts that year, and charted again in 1997 at # 30 AC.
   
   Not a very thorough job by compilers Joseph F. Laredo (who also wrote the two pages of liner notes) and Andy McKale.



3. Burl Ives' music is legendary. He's a legend in the folk genre. His music has inspired many artists. And, his years on Decca were his best by a long shot. And, in 2001, he was given an installment in UMG's '20th Century Masters' series.
   
   How does this measure up?
   
   Positives
   -EVERY MAJOR BURL IVES HIT IS HERE. 'A Little Bitty Tear,' 'Wild Side Of Life,' and 'Pearly Shells' all appear on here.
   -The sound quality is excellent, as always.
   
   Negatives
   -I wouldn't mind seeing a song like 'This Is All I Ask' or 'On Top Of Ol' Smokey' on this collection.
   
   Overall, this is a nice Burl Ives set. Highly recommended for the new or casual Burl Ives fan. ENJOY!!!



4. I never really likes Burl's songs in movies like Summer Magic, but I heard this CD at a friend's house, and I found it pretty good. It's actually very good for this type of music. Although Burl's classic folk style is not exactly my cup of tea, some of these songs are quite good. Some of them are almost jokes, but some are really fun and good. Buy it, it's not too bad.



5. This is simply not a good selection of Ives' songs. Several of the versions are grossly inferior earlier cuts with poor sound quality. I refer particularly to the incomparably lovely "Lavender Blue" and "Goober Peas." The versions included here were recorded in the late 1940's and later versions by Burl are infinitely superior. The only stellar cuts are "A Little Bitty Tear" and "Maryann Regrets." The rest of the songs were not big hits and are poor filler material.

   Burl Ives was an American treasure and his best work has aged well and is still wonderful music. However, you won't find it on this weak compilation.

5 comments about Only Broadway CD You'll Ever Need.

1. Okay all of those songs are great but I have a question. Where is Andrew LLoyd Webber on this CD? Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat, Evita and CATS? How can you manage to make a CD of Broadway with out Andrew Lloyd Webber? They need to re-do this cd.



2. The CD only had one problem. Where's Annie? It's one of the best musicals out there with some of the best songs. Where's TOMORROW or HARD KNOCK LIFE? Other than that, it's a great CD



3. This CD (and her new one THE ONLY OTHER BROADWAY CD YOU'LL EVER NEED) contains some of the the greatest hits of the broadway musicals, from the very beguinning to this years smash hits. If you want a great collection of songs, this collection is for you. The recordings are all very good and nothing is fake. You won't be sorry for buying this CD! I knew very little of the songs when I got it, and now I know them all by heart! Enjoy!



4. This CD may not be the only Broadway CD you'll ever need because it leaves out songs from many high profile and popular musicals, but it does have a wide variety from what RCA Victor produced. It is a nice CD with some sound choices of music ... I enjoy listening to it.



5. How can you even think that this could be "the only broadway CD you will even need" or want. All I can say is that while this has a great variety of selections, how can you leave out CATS, Les Misarables, Phantom of the Opera, Rent, Miss Saigon, Tommy, Little Shop of Horrors, My Fair Lady, Evita, Side Show... all of which contain at least one memorable and recognizable song...I guess they'll just have to make a "The Only Broadway CD You Will Ever Need II"...is that an oxy moron?

1 comments about Judy Garland Christmas Album.

1. Judy is Judy. I am glad now I have some Christmas holiday music of hers to play. What can I say? It is a bonus to my Judy collection and it will be worth every penny to add it to yours. Go ahead and buy it. You won't be sorry you did. You will wish you had more to buy.

5 comments about Sweeney Todd Live at the New York Philharmonic.

1. I ordered this CD with great anticipation since I so ardently admire George Hearn's performance as Sweeney Todd. Unfortunately, the CD is marred by Patti Lupone's over-acting. Maybe it was too much for her to do Mrs. Lovett after only 3-4 days of frantic rehearsal (according to the included CD booklet). In particular, if you listen to songs like "The Worst Pies in London" and "A Little Priest", her voice jumps from singing to screeching. It's almost like she doesn't have control of her voice. Fortunately, Patti Lupone is much better on the DVD with the San Francisco Symphony (a year after the New York Philharmonic concerts). She sounds more comfortable with the role and tones down the acting. Both the New York Philharmonic and the San Francisco Symphony concerts have pretty much the same cast, so get the DVD and if you want, you can rip the audio off the DVD. I feel like I wasted my money on this recording, but at least I got a nice booklet (130+ pages) with commentary, full libretto, and comments from the cast and production staff.



2. This Sweeney Todd Broadway Cast live from at the New York Philharmonic is excellent! I have the dvd of this at home. I'm a little upset that they replaced three people which are Johanna, Beggar Woman and Judge Turpin. I'm happy they kept George Hearn becuase he's my favorite Sweeney. We'll now I'm confuessed because I just saw this show in New York city with Michael Cerveris. Davis Gains as Anthony Hope is amazing. He played Phantom for sevral years. Patti Lupone is back as Mrs.Lovett in the new one. This is my favorite version of this show. It's amazing I love it.



3. I am not sure whether I like this recording better or the Original Broadway Cast recording better, to be perfectly honest. They've both got their strong points and their weak points, and they're both more strong than they are weak.
   
   I certainly don't like Patti LuPone as much as I like Angela Lansbury, but I actually found LuPone quite tolerable on this recording (which is odd because I didn't like her on the DVD at all).
   
   As far as I'm concerned, George Hearn makes this recording worth the price. To me, he *is* Sweeney Todd. No one before or after has captured the role so well. The rest of the cast is very good, as well, and I really can think of nothing of any significance to complain about here, except perhaps the cutting of the complete Parlor Songs, but that's entirely forgivable, given the quality of the rest of what's here.
   
   Personally I would recommend this recording wholeheartedly to any Sweeney Todd fan, and I wouldn't hesitate to introduce someone to the musical with this recording, either. As I said earlier, I can't decide between this one or the Original Broadway Cast. Both are wonderful recordings.



4. While the Original Broadway Cast Album has many advocates, my vote for the definitive Sweeny recording is this amazing concert. Len Cariou's Sweeny on the OBC sounds tired and strained; Hearn's classic performance, preserved here, suffers not from these ailments, sounding nearly as good he did 20 years earlier when he first played the role as Cariou's replacement. While no one will ever match Angela Lansbury in role of Mrs. Lovett, LuPone is a better for a recording given her unbelievable vocal pyrotechnics, which Lansbury could never dream of duplicating. The rest of the cast is wonderful (Audra McDonald! Neil Patrick Harris! Davis Gaines! All superb.) and usually vocally more assured than in any other version. While I find the Judge Turpin a bit too operatic for the role, he hardly throws off the balance of this amazing cast. The orchestrations have never sounded more lush (the philharmonic helps out there) and the chorus is massively large, something financially impossible for a Broadway production. This recording plus the DVD of the original Hal Prince production (which is still the hands-down must have Sweeny purchase) will give even the most devoted Sondheim devotee his fill....if such a thing is ever possible for us Sondheim nuts.



5. Let's face it... despite what anyone says, SWEENEY TODD is the most prominate member of the "Broadway Opera". It can be performed so sucessfully by Opera Singers (As Heidi Grant Murphy and Strafford Olsen prove) or By Broadway belters (such as Neil Patrick Harris and Angela Lansbury, on the origonal cast albulm)This recording, starring both opera stars and Broadway's best, is how Sweeney should be heard.
   
   First off, it includes most of the dialouge, and what is prunned is not really missed. The entire score is not performed here (as it is on the origonal cast albulm) but all that is missing are the usual cuts: the second Half of Pirelli's shaving/tooth-pulling aria and the majority of the Beadle and Mrs. Lovett's Parlour songs. The NY Phil are practicly perfect for this score, and the New York Choral Artists are excellent as one of Opera's most complicated and interactive chorus (compare with the cardboard choruses of Mozart) Andrew Litton does not know the score as well as Gemignani, but he does an excellent job.
   
   The cast is steller. Neil Patrick Harris, aka "Doogie Hoswer", is the definete Tobias, so touching and energetic. Heidi Grant Murphy is a Luxurios Johanna, and Davis Gains is excellent as Anthony, if not as good as Chris Groendal on the Lansbury Video. Audra McDonnell is her usual astounding, scrumptious self, a haunting, pathetic Begger Woman. John Aler and Stafford Olsen toss off their tenor roles with aplomb, even if Olsen isn't as good as his counterpart on the origonal cast recording. Paul Plashika as the Judge is the recording's one major letdown. He provide's strong support in "Pretty Women" but falls flat in his "Johanna" and in dialouge scenes.
   
   Patti Lupone is nothing else but excellent as Mrs. Lovett. Her impecable comic timing and quick-change vocals (beautiful and haunting one moment, belting, brassy, and funny the next) serve hear Lovett well. Unfortunetly for Ms. LuPone, nobody, I repeat NOBODY can beat Angela Lansbury's landmark interpretation of the role. However, LuPone provides a nice alternative with a prettier voice than Lansbury, but without Lansbury's natural character skills.
   
   As far as the title role goes, George Hern IS Sweeney Todd. Len Cariou's voice was not in great voice for the origonal recording, and Hern is far more impressive vocall. However, Cariou does have a better Todd acting-wise. Hern's Sweeney is not the dark, brooding pyschotic that was Cariou's, but an explocive maniac seconds away from madness throughout.
   
   All in all, there is no way to go wrong with either recording of Sweeney Todd. You may want to consider The Lansbury recording, but this offers more impressive performances from most of the cast. My advice: get both.

5 comments about Fiddler on the Roof (2004 Broadway Revival Cast).

1. I watched the movie when I was very young and fell in love with the musical almost immediately. I started to search for the soundtrack just this year, when I have already watched the movie several times (it never gets old). By this time I knew what I wanted; a recording that was very musical. I felt that, although the most expressive, the movie recording wasn't as musical as I wanted it to be. The singers (besides Tevye, of course) in the original cast didn't suit my style. So when I found this recording of my favorite musical, I was estatic. Although I believe that Tevye in this one is not as expressive in his other couter-parts, he does suit the role well (well, I like him at any rate). I also love the singers in this recording, and the orchestra is to DIE for (especially the fiddle solos). If you're looking for the most musical of all the recordings, get this one. It's definitely worth it.



2. This is the best recording of Fiddler I've found yet. Everyone sounds great. You can feel the pain, excitement, and all the emotions of the actor through their singing. If you're going to buy a cd of Fiddler, make it this one. You won't be sorry. I know I'm not.



3. I used this recording to practice for a Presentation of Fiddler of the Roof. It was great music to listen to and work from. I found it to be the best recording of Fiddler available



4. No question about it. THIS is the fiddler soundtrack to get.



5. This is a great musical. Although I have not seen it on stage, but I have seen the movie, and love it. So I bought the new cast recording, and love it as well!!
   
   It's about a Jewish Russian Family and their "traditions" that they will NEVER go against, until his daughters go to him and say they want to marry the person they want to marry instead of having an arranged marriage. then they are forced out of their little town an d sing a heart-wrenching (spelling?) song about them leaving.
   
   All and all, it is a GREAT musical!!!