Amazon.com

The one thing you can say about Frank Wildhorn is that he doesn't give up. Like The Scarlet Pimpernel, Jekyll & Hyde , based on R. L. Stevenson's classic depiction of a split personality run amok, went through several rewrites and casts--each show is a work-in-neverending-progress for Wildhorn. This recording immortalizes the show's classic Broadway cast: Robert Cuccioli as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Linda Eder as Lucy, and Christiane Noll as Emma. Appropriately for the show, Wildhorn's score is both tempestuously romantic and unabashedly ominous. While Cuccioli handles both parts with elan, Wildhorn saved his best songs for Lucy and Emma, confirming that he really is the contemporary master of the power ballad. --Elisabeth Vincentelli ... Read more

Reviews (156)

Amazing music!
Written by Frank Wildhorn and Leslie Bricusse, "Jekyll and Hyde" tells the story of Dr. Henry Jekyll and his desire to concoct a formula that will eliminate the evil elements that exist within the human personality. Unable to secure a volunteer for his dangerous experiment, Jekyll decides to secretly inject himself with the mind-altering formula. His medical experiment backfires, however, and gives life to his evil alter ego, Edward Hyde.

Wildhorn's music is amazing, and when you listen to the album, this show is incredible. (I personally don't think the production flows very well on stage, but maybe that's just me.) Robert Cuciolli and Christine Noll are amazing (cuciolli does the best rendition of "Take Me As I Am" that I've ever heard), beut we all know that this is Linda Eder's show. Her voice is incredible, and no one who tries to sing these lyrics can even come close to touching her performance.

My favorite selections on this album are Eder and Noll's duet on "In His Eyes" and Cuciolli's duet with Eder on "Dangerous Game." I think those two songs are better on this album than on the 1994 Concept Cast album, but that version has twice as many songs as the Broadway Cast album, so you'd be wise to get both of them.

WORTH THE PRICE- BUT NOT THE BEST J&H RECORDING
I saw the show twice on it's pre-Broadway tour. I was blown away. Robert Cuccioli performed Jekyll & Hyde superbly. It's a very physically demanding role and he accomplished it wonderfully. Linda Eder was fantastic. What a voice! I have this CD and I have the "Highlights", but the 2-CD set of The Complete Works of Jekyll & Hyde is far superior, plus there are many great additional and better performed songs. If you listen to all three different versions, you'll see what I mean. Anthony Warlow is Jekyll/Hyde. The current tour is as close to the 2-CD set at you can get. The Broadway cast version is great if you've seen the show on Broadway. It takes you back to the stage by visualizing it in the music. But it is very different than the current tour. Please buy the 2-CD set and compare. You won't be sorry.

Makes me want to "Hyde" and (Je)kyll myself.
Dear Frank Wildhorn:
STOP WRITING MUSIC FOR THEATRE. If I wanted to hear your music performed, I would go see a Celine Dion show. Unfortunately for her, I wouldn't pay to see her, either. Why do you insist on writing 90's power ballads and trying to slam them into a show set in another century? I highly doubt Robert Louis Stevenson was singing power ballads while he was writing this. Hunter Foster poops out better songs than you write.

Disappointing Broadway Version!
I can understand people who do not like Jekyll and Hyde. I can also understand people who love it (like me). I think you have to know all of the music before you can find it great. however, the show has a lot of potential for the Broadway. But what's this now? Let's start with the good things on this CD: Linda Eder (great, great, great!), Christiane Noll (the best Lisa (!!!) ever), nice arrangements, ultimate (that means the best) versions of: Someone like you, A New Life, In his Eyes, Once upon a Dream, Prologue. Now the bad things: Where's the originale prologue? I remember some talking... Great Songs like for example Alive were made more short. If you shorten that song, there's no fun about it's reprise! What has happened to I need to know? Lost in the Drakness is ridicoulos against it. Great Songs were cut (Bring on the Men) or replaced by songs which may not be all bad, but which don't fit in in this show at all (Good and Evil). And the worst: Robert Cuccioli!!! Why him? Why God? Sorry Bob, you're a nice singer, but you are NOT Jekyll/Hyde!!! His Performance is terrible and he doesn't give any atmosphere. My Advice: OBC ok ok, but if you like this Musical, buy the 1994 Concept Recording. It may have some very small "Mistakes" too, but it has got Anthony Warlow!!! He is reason enough to buy this and avoid the OBC...

Deserved a longer run
"Jekyll and Hyde" is one of the best musicals I've ever experienced. I never got the opportunity to see it on Broadway, unless you count the DVD with David Hasselhoff, but I did see it twice on tour. Like the popular musicals that emerged in the late '80s, most of the show is sung through. The plot, adapted from the original novel, takes a few liberties with the source material, but ultimately leaves its theme intact (brilliantly illustrated through the big production number "Facade" and its numerous reprises). It introduces not one but two love interests into the good doctor's life: Emma, the upper-class, aristocratic daughter of Sir Danvers Carew, and Lucy, the young prostitute who desperately wants to turn her life around. All of the performers in the leading roles are excellent, the songs are memorable, and will leave you wondering why it didn't stay on Broadway longer. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Never mind the project's odd couple, "He's got a girlfriend; so does she" marketing shuck. This is a musical love affair in all its splendor. Produced by the seemingly chameleonic producer T Bone Burnett (who previously revived traditional bluegrass with spectacular success on O Brother, Where Art Thou?), the septuagenarian legend and his unlikely contemporary foil affectionately court a dozen songs from the Louis Armstrong repertoire with the warmth and natural grace that have been a deceptively effortless Bennett trademark for 50-plus years. The pair kick proceedings off with a playful, irony-free "Exactly Like You," then perform a tender vocal waltz across both the ages and the masterful, sympathetic orchestrations of the late Peter Matz, one of Bennett's longtime collaborators. But it's on the more melancholy performances, like "If We Never Meet Again," "I'm Confessin'," and the Armstrong perennials "Wonderful World" and "Lucky Old Sun," that the pair tap into something akin to timeless musical telepathy. Her own talents hardly in need of burnishing, lang invests the project with some gratifying new smokiness and is rewarded with a postgraduate course in saloon singing for the ages. It's an album that begs the best kind of question: When do we get an encore? --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (46)

"You Can Depend On..." This One
Louis Armstrong is my favorite instrumentalist AND vocalist of all time. So, we have Tony Bennett (the best old style jazz singer still kicking) and K.D. Lang...well, what do you say about K.D. Lang? Just the best voice in so-called country and easily one of the top four vocalists in jazz (with Cassandra Wilson, Diane Reeves and Diana Krall). Now we have these premier singers doing Louie songs. How about that cover of "Exactly Like You". Oh man. I listened to that one four times before I went on the rest of the album. Every song is exquisite. "What a Wonderful World" is my numero uno song on the hit parade of all songs ever written. What a great cover. And dig that cover of "Lucky Old Sun". Whoa. I had to go through that one three times before moving on to "If We Never Meet Again".

So on my fifth listening to this CD, I'd say T-Bone hit another one out of the park...

Lazy Sundays and Lounge ...
Tony Bennett shows no sign on slowing down and when you mix k.d. lang's languid vocals, you have a wonderfully lazy album to enjoy while frittering away a Sunday afternoon. "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" and "That Lucky Old Sun" are wonderful and beautifully done. k.d. lang is a fantastic torch singer, giving us an intimate vocal with the barest hint of jazz accompanimentI believe one reviewer mentioned the absence of a trumpet. This is true. In my humble opinion, I think the artists have paid a great tribute to the source material by using the dusky low notes of a sax to complement their voices instead of having someone emulate Louis' trumpet playing ... which should be left alone as stand alone music, if that makes sense. Give this CD a try and you will be hooked after the first listen, I promise!

If only kd ...
.. would have done this on her own I'd have added the fifth star to my review! Maybe I'm a little partial (I'm a big fan of miss kd) but I think that this project would have been managed so much better by kd alone.
Probably she would have choosen a different kind of production, (by T Bone Burnett) that sometimes is a little... anonymous, flat, to much classicaly jazz.

The highlights of the project are "A kiss to build a dream on", "Exactly like you" and mainly "That luky old sun", probably the most touchy standard version of the album.. and kd is alone. In any case, I recommend this album, unless you really can't bear Tony's voice.
You won't be disappointed by kd's talent.

MOSTLY Agree w/Other Reviewers...
Only complaint is the "mood" of the music is breached a few times when Tony "talks" a line or two at the end of a song ... makes an otherwise lovely duet seem schlocky/variety show-ish.

Bennet is class.......
Thanks to another artist (Michael Bublé) I've learned a lot about the making of good music. Mr. Bennett makes beautiful music.
I really enjoyed this cd. I now know why he is so respected..... ... Read more

Reviews (1)

It would be easy to dismiss this disc as inconsequential
. . . it would also be wrong.

Scott Hamilton, recently described, not unfairly, one supposes, in a recent prominent jazz publication, as a "journeyman saxophonist," here delivers the record of his life.And if he is just slightly overshadowed by the finest straight-ahead jazz rhythm section on the scene--Bill Charlap (piano), Peter Washington (bass), and Kenny Washington (drums)--that is nothing to be embarrassed about; almost anyone alive would be.

Indeed, it is the impossibly deep swinging vibe laid down by these three that vaults this session out of the doldrums of competency into the precincts of gloriousness.How long have Charlap and the Washingtons been together now--five years?Ten?I don't know, but somewhere along the way they've achieved an interactive conversational capability that would be scary if it weren't so wonderful.That they've managed to lure the entirely willing Hamilton into their magical web is not so much a surprise as the level his playing consequently achieves.

I have to confess that this kind of session--a rather straightforward reading of hoary jazz chestnuts--isn't ordinarily my thing; I've enough romantic Houston Person and Fathead Newman sides to paper a small office cubicle, and I find myself seldom listening to them.Not because there isn't a certain level of creativity, even sometimes genius, but because no matter how well such dates come off they leave me wishing for something more adventurous.This set, however, achieves something rare in jazz recordings, a kind of serendipity that blesses certain sessions with what can only be described as jazz fairy dust.Everything just works here: the program, achieving a kind of thrust that although somewhat unlikely eventually arrives at inevitability; perfectly balanced production, where each instrument's voice achieves pure clarity while perfectly blending with its counterparts; top-drawer playing by all; and some kind of je ne sais quois, a visit by the ever-fickle jazz gods deigning to grace this disc with their often-sought-but-seldom-delivered favor.

Very much worth acquiring. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

Plucked from the piano bars of New Orleans, Harry Connick Jr. was an unlikely choice to pen the soundtrack for a major Hollywood release. But everyone concerned hit the jackpot. As with the best of Connick's music, When Harry Met Sally resonates with a whimsical yet sophisticated and urbane energy. That smooth, breathy tenor, combined with some inventive arrangements, brought color and setting to the film, playing a plum supporting role for Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. Beyond the film, this collection of reworked standards stands on its own quite well. A lustrous vocal line bookends the hopping instrumental swing in the middle of "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," playing that song's central melancholy up with a Nelson Riddle-esque big-band sweep. Connick's take on "Love Is Here to Stay" puts a gentle cha-cha behind the familiar verses, slowly working in a lazily wandering tenor sax. By the time the record fades out in a hushed, tender rendition of "Where or When," Connick has managed to thoroughly charm us, whether we'd seen the movie or not. --Matthew Cooke ... Read more

Reviews (38)

I totally agree with "The Music Fan" from L.A. on 12/19/99
This is NOT the Soundtrack. If you liked the first two songs in the movie, "Our Love is Here to Stay", and "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off", then buy the CD "Ella and Louis Again", (Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong). Those are the versions which were played in the movie. If you like good, traditional jazz, then I suggest you stay away from this CD. Although Harry Connick is popular, his music is too much like Chet Baker, which is not my favorite type of jazz.

You gotta have it!
It Had to Be You, Love Is Here to Stay, But Not for Me, Don't Get Around Much Anymore, I Could Write a Book, Let's Call the Whole Thing Off and When or When are vocal numbers, others are instrumental. Soundtrack is featuring only covers. Songs are mostly performed by trio Harry Connick, Jr. (piano and vocal), Benjamin Jonah Wolfe (bass) and Jeff 'Tain' Watts (drums), sometimes with Big Band or by Harry alone (Where Or When, Autumn In New York and Winter Wonderland).
Harry Connick Jr.'s interpretation is great.

Harry Connick Jr., Always A Class Act!
I recently purchased this CD and have really enjoyed listening to it. Harry Connick Jr. always lives up to my expectations, and the music from this soundtrack is no exception. Almost single handedly he has managed to create a new fresh awareness to these musical jewels, and even now in 2004 he continues to reacquaint the world to the beautiful songs from the Great American Songbook. His classic interpretations of these timeless songs brings them back to life, and proves once more that these perfectly crafted tunes will last forever. This CD is great for dancing, listening, and especially when you want to be romantic.

If you LOVE listening to GREAT CROONERS and BIG BAND SWING, I would also recommend, Monte Procopio "Swingin' With Style" CD. He is another great crooner that can really SWING and deserves a listen. Buy both these CDs, you can't go wrong!

This one will make your heart sing
This is a heartwarming CD from Harry that is spending a lot of time in my disk spinner. Connick's youthful and delicate, yet rich timbre conveys these romantic songs of love and longing in a way that brings a smile to your face. An then there is his idiosyncratic sense of rhythm and awesome piano playing. Who cares if it is exacly the music from the movie? Get the CD and hear for yourself.

There are four wonderful instrumental tracks Stompin' At The Savoy, Winter Wonderland, Autumn In New York and It Had To Be You, which showcases Harry's amazing piano playing and his signature sense of rhythm and timing.

THIS IS THE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK!!!
Don't listen to the other reviewers this IS the original soundtrack for the film when Harry Met Sally. Buy it and enjoy it. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

The epic sweep of Ragtime is captured in its opening prologue, a nine-minute kaleidoscope of fictional characters mingling with historical figures from the early 20th century as originally captured in E.L. Doctorow's sprawling novel. As the story continues, we meet pianist Coalhouse Walker Jr. (Brian Stokes Mitchell) and his child's mother, Sarah (Audra McDonald), who has been taken in by a respectable family (including Marin Mazzie as Mother). Parallel story lines of the Latvian immigrant Tateh (Peter Friedman), the entertainer Evelyn Nesbit (Lynnette Perry), and even Harry Houdini (Jim Corti) and Emma Goldman (Judy Kaye) eventually mingle and merge. Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (Once on This Island) mix marches, cakewalks, and of course ragtime to create a rich, compelling score, including Sarah's song to her baby, "Your Daddy's Son," her soaring duet with Coalhouse, "Wheels of a Dream," Mother's self-revealing "Back to Before," and numerous set pieces, all performed by a perfect cast. Ragtime was nominated for 12 Tony Awards in 1998, with wins for McDonald, original score, book, and orchestration.The CD also includes an eight-minute symphonic suite conducted by Paul Gemignani and a booklet with photos, full lyrics, and a history of how the score was written. Tragic, touching, and ultimately triumphant, Ragtime is an American classic. --David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (140)

Ragtime shows muiscal theater has a future!
In a time when Sondheim is unfortunatly writing fewer musicals and Lloyd Webber tends to be dominating with his somewhat gratuitous "blockbusters," Ragtime is the glimmer of light through the hopes of the stages resonance. In this musical you have a show with a excellent melodius score and wonderfully resounding lyrics. This proves that the "classic" musical will still be around as longs as Stephen Flaherty is around to composer more music. This is a two cd set with full libretto and a top-notch original cast.

Brian Stokes Mitchell, as Coalhouse Walker, gives a stunning versitile and energetic performance. Marin Mazzie, who is usually superb, soars higher then she ever has as Mother (Although with the revival of Kiss Me Katie now out, that might be a challenged comment). Audra McDonald sings and acts her way to a much deserved Tony. She takes her supporting role and makes it shine, while not distracting from Mr. Mitchell. Peter Friedman is superb in the role of the immigrant, Tateh. He brings such charm and inncocense to the role the listener falls into his grasp. These characters along with wonderful supporting characters help make this show one of the best to come along in nearly a decade.

If you feel like the classic American musical is gone forever buy this cd and Im sure you will feel differently after the first listen. Every song is beautifully resonant of every culture and time period depicted in the show. Ragtime is, indeed, a dream come true.

"Ragtime" Rules!!
WOW! Is no wonder that the songwriting team of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens won the Tony Award for Best Original Score! Always engaging, this soundtrack is a Broadway musical triumph with incedible and moving performances from Brian Stokes Mitchell, Marin Mazzie, and three time Tony winner Audra McDonald. From humerous tracks like "The Crime of the Century", "What a Game!", and "The Show Biz" to emotional tracks like "Your Daddy's Son", "Wheels of a Dream", and "Back to Before", I recommend this CD to any Broadway fan! "Ragtime" rules!!

An Incredible Show
I think this show is amazing. Absolutely point blank amazing. I am in the show right now and I play the role of Sarah and I can't get enough of Audra McDonald. Amazing. What else can I say? And I am also writing in protest, because there is this extremely stupid person who writes negative reviews about every musical ever. I am very frustrated after hearing their opinion about Ragtime, Wicked, Le Miz, Little Shop, The Scarlett Pimpernel, Phantom of the Opera, Urinetown, Once on this Island, and a ton of others. Are you some kind of idiot? Wow you are rediculously dumb. Because honestly, you hate every show in existance. And really, why do you bother to review any of them? We know you hate everything ever written. What's the point. And really its amazing because I have never in my whole life met someone who hates as many of the greatest shows ever as you do. Next you're going to decide to hate Miss Saigon, The Sound of Music, Chicago, Cabaret, Parade, Songs for a New World, oh and wait, everything else EVER. I am very angry right now. VERY. You are the dumbest person that has ever existed and I would just like you to know that. As for everyone else reading this, ignore this person's reviews. Their opinion means absolutely nothing to almost everyone. I think 4 people found any of this person's 12 reviews helpful. REDICULOUS. And who are you exactly to be discussing anyone else's performance, since I doubt you have any talent and I really doubt you have been on broadway. And since you haven't...

I love this CD and this show
This CD was like the best thing I've heard in a while. IF you haven't heard it, go find it because you are missing out on something good. I've heard Audra McDonald sing "Daddy's Son" a billion times and I still get teary. That should tell you something about her performance. Some of Mother's work also makes me teary. I'm serious: GET THIS CD!!

Good also from experience...
I was recently involved in a production of "Ragtime" at my community theater. It is not only one of the best shows we have ever done, it is also an amazing show within itself. I purchased this cd shortly after to get the chance to listen to every song with this cast. I am so amazed by the pure talent shown in every single song. Mind you, it's not one of the usual musicals. This one has more emotion and raw feelings involved, and doesn't have a happy show stopper ever 5 minutes. it does, on the other hand, have mind blowing songs that show the true talent of these performers. My personal favorites are "Wheels of a Dream", "Your Daddy's Son", "Til We Reach That Day", and "He Wanted to Say". I hope you buy this cd and go see the show, it's one of the best shows I have ever seen. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

De-Lovely Soundtrack Ugh! This One Great!
Simply listen to the current film De-Lovely soundtrack then listen
to this one. Based upon the soundtrack CD I don't even plan to see the movie now. It would be great for theater owners to play the Very Best of Cole Porter CD prior to screening De-Lovely & watch them
squirm trying to sit thru the movie sondtrack minutes later. Great songs dserve great singers which the Very Best of Cole Porter delivers!

Better than the DE-LOVELY Soundtrack!!
I really can't say it any better than the notes from inside the CD (read below). This is an incredible collection - just look at the artists on here - Ella, Tony Bennett, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong...not to take anything away from the soundtrack to the film, but this is some real starpower!! I listened to the other collections floating around out there, and THE VERY BEST OF COLE PORTER truly lives up to it's name.

The amazing thing about Cole Porter is that the most sophisticated of all songwriters is also the most passionate. You wouldn't normally expect those two qualities to go together hand in hand. Indeed, one of the essential components of sophistication is coolness-a blasé quality. The most heinous breach of upper-crusty behavior would be to actually show that you care about something. Yet, Cole Porter takes passion to its ultimate extreme: people in Cole Porter songs are always at the end of their rope, they are borderline obsessives who have the object of their obsessions under their skin and can't stop thinking about him or her night and day. They are mystified, hypnotized, and every time their lover leaves them, they die a little.
As one of Porter's progeny, the lyricist and showman Alan J. Lerner put it, "Cole was the only composer lyric writer in the entire musical world who ever knew how to write a passionate song. Everybody else could-when we're fortunate-write a tender song, or romantic song, or a wistful song, or a nostalgic song. But only Cole could write passion." It's in that duality-the contrast between describing the day to day activities of the uber-rich, those who keep their cool at all costs, and those of us who feel love with such a burning passion that they would, nay must, die for it.
Porter himself was, likewise, a mass of contradictions, which began with his birth. How can it be that the Prince of New York sophisticates was actually born in the Midwest- Peru, Indiana no less? He did, however, enter the world exceedingly rich (in 1891), went to Yale and probably never would have had to labor a day in his life had he not wanted to.
All the major songwriters created myths about themselves. For Richard Rodgers, it was his wholesomeness. Rodgers knew more about the dark side of life than he wanted you to know, and the evidence is there in his music. Irving Berlin created the character of a tight-fisted Jewish businessman, but you didn't have to look very far to find the artistic generosity in his music. Cole Porter wanted everyone to think he was a gadabout playboy, a rich dilettante who knocked off bauble-like songs in between cocktail parties and polo matches. The truth was that Cole Porter worked as hard as any coal miner-he wasn't pining over lost loves night and day, he was laboring at his piano. He had an amazingly deep knowledge of music theory. Along with Jerome Kern and George Gershwin, his are some of the most musically advanced songs ever written. And he approached each lyric like an especially intricate crossword puzzle, struggling with the thing for hours and hours until it came out right, finding precisely the right word to fit precisely the right note.
The durability of the songs themselves is proof that he succeeded. A Porter song could tell a whole story, and, like that other great American artform, the blues, Porter could often communicate more with what he leaves out of a song than what he puts in. What exactly is the relationship between the singer of "My Heart Belongs To Daddy" and the individual she refers to only as "Daddy?" Is she her husband, her paramour, her father? Is she somehow challenging expectations and gender roles? Porter could be comically salacious, as he is in "Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)," and Louis Armstrong captures every minute nuance of the mighty man's text when he asks the listener, "What's the use of balls?" At the same time, he could be amazingly sincere, almost naïve. "True Love" is a text that suspends all disbelief and approaches love with a wide-eyed innocence.
Throughout, it's the contradictions that make the songs work. The exuberant declamations of the young swain who has found true love are almost always undercut with an undercurrent of melancholy. "You'd be so easy to love," the song goes, but it ends with a note that "it does seem a shame that you can't see your future with me." "You Do Something To Me" and "I Get A Kick Out Of You" have their protagonists only begrudgingly and not very happily admitting that their own happiness is bound up with, and even controlled by, someone else-rather like Angelo in Measure For Measure. The reality is that all your money and power and social position and intellect and logic or whatever, can not protect you from heartbreak.
Although his songs can be done upbeat and swinging, "I Get A Kick Out Of You" is also potentially one of the saddest songs ever written. There are times when Porter is purely playful, as on "It's De-Lovely" and "Too Darn Hot," where the sonics of the words themselves are everything, cases when Porter the lyricist takes a backseat to Porter the composer. There's a certain kind of rhythm in "A-list" songs, and much of Porter's work is highly rhythm-driven. Other Porter songs are almost operatic in their scope and their range. "In The Still Of The Night," for example, has the sort of soaring, classical melody you might find in Jerome Kern or Giacomo Puccini. At the same time, the masterstroke of "Begin The Beguine" is that it's a virtual symphony in its structure (over 100 bars)-anything but classical in its texture and driven entirely by pan-Caribbean rhythmic modes.
Porter continually finds a note of sadness in the highs and a hint of optimism in the lows. "Love For Sale" and "Just One Of Those Things" are nothing if not arias of resignation, yet there's a haughty hint of defiance in the first and optimism in the second. In Porter's songs, as in his life, nothing is ever exactly what it seems. His melodies and lyrics have inspired great instrumentalists and vocalists and beguiled listeners for nearly a century, and they show no signs of stopping now.

Will Friedwald
New York City
December 2003 ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

Andrew LloydWebber'sadaptation of T.S. Eliot's poems may not have become Broadway's longest-runningmusical without the original cast to begin the raves. Which is why every aficionado ofthis theatrical classic will tell you that this is the one you have to own (although they'llprobably tell you that you need the import Original London Cast album as well,the show having originated on London's West End and all). But this is the one with BettyBuckley singing "Memory"--the song that turned her into a star--and the two discs areappropriate for the musical that helped set off Broadway's "operatic" phase. The show isnow also available--in its entirety--as a home video, but the music still stands on its own,though some cynics have wondered why so much music only produced one hit standard.--Bill Holdship ... Read more

Reviews (87)

THE BEST MUSICAL EVER WRITTEN!!!
CATS is an awesome musical; a lot better than most people realize! It's very upbeat and fun. My favorite songs are The Overture, Prologue: Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats, The Invitation to the Jellicle Ball, The Rum Tum Tugger, Bustopher Jones, Mungojerrie and Rumplteazer, Old Deuteronomy, Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat, Macavity: The Mystery Cat, Mr. Mistoffelees, Memory, and The Journey to the Heaviside Layer.

A lot of the people who don't like this musical is because they don't understand it (they're looking for a non-existent plot). But the thing is is that to understand CATS you have to let go of all reality for two hours and just enjoy the music and the show. The musical is actually about the naming of Jellicle cats and the choosing of what cat will journey to the Heaviside layer (heaven) and will cone back to a new Jellicle life. I definately recommend this CD!! Enjoy!

It was okay, but I wasn't awed by it!
I bought this CD before I saw the musical, well I still haven't seen the play live but I saw it on tape and I didn't really enjoy it and the cast recording just didn't do any thing for me I had bought it because since I loved the Phantom of the Opera I figured (Wrongly) that I would also love Cats. Cats is Ok but it just didn't thrill me as much as Andrew Lloyd Webber's wonderful The Phanom of The Opera did or as much as the non webber musicals Les Miserables and Miss Saigon did and since I didn't enjoy the Cats cast recording I recently gave it away to a relative who loved Cats and will get better use of the CD's. I'm not saying that people shouldn't go see Cats or listen to the cast recording and that they shouldn't like it I'm just saying that I personally didn't care for it.

Not NEARLY as Good as the London Recording
I am Sorry if you like the Broadway Version, but it sucks. I was raised on the London version, may be that is why I prefer it. The Broadway version doesn't even compare. I heard it and I was like, "This is Broadway?" Community Theater is better than that, and more believeable. They just try too hard, and it just sounds stupid. I guess my main problem with this recording is Growltiger's Last Stand. That is my favorite number, and I just HATE it when the Broadway cast sings it. They just make it REALLY stupid. I mean, they start to SING OPERA for crying out loud, OPERA??? What the heck is up with that? I just can't stomach it. If you are looking to buy CATS, and I sincerely hope that you do, buy the London Cast Recording from 1981. It is much better in every which way.

CATS, N&F
This is the first recording (Not counting the video) of CATS I received (And I owe a 57% on a math test to it:-P), and I love it. I must admit I'm prejudiced to other recordings because of it, although there are a few faults about it (What recording is without?) For one, the music seems . . . lame and unenthusiastic. The voices of the singers drown it all out. Which, being that they are wonderful voices, isn't bad, but it sounds weird being almost-a cappella. So the prologue sounds a bit empty and oldie. But it's not bad.
Timothy Scott is on this recording as Mistoffelees/Quaxo, and does a remarkable job at it. His voice may not be the best, but it's just right for the conjuring cat. Oh, for Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer fans, Misto sings all the lyrics.
Terrence Mann as the Rum Tum Tugger wasn't the absolute best choice, but he really does a good job. He really sounds like he's having a good time, and, if you get the book, you can see just how well he got into his part. Don't be fooled, he's a really great actor.
Betty Buckley as Grizabella really isn't thrilling. Her voice just doesn't hold the sadness and despair and hope and hatred that her character is supposed to have. It's too strong. Period.
Ken Page is here as Old Deuteronomy, and, as far as it goes, he is the best Deuteronomy. His voice is deep and kind and stern and old and perfect for this role.
OoH, let me just say something about the Jellicle Ball. In the middle, when the music goes from a soft chime to the CATS theme music . . . it's the best . . . no weak music there!
Let me say that Growltiger's Last Stand is terrific. Bonnie Simmons is the best Jellylorum I have heard, her voice is beautiful. Growltiger (the actor's name escapes me) seems to me a great actor, although he hasn't the greatest voice.
And Macavity . . . Demeter (Wendy Edmead) just didn't seem right, don't ask me why. Bombalurina (the actress's name escapes me) seemed to be too tame to play the fiery, spirited queen.
In this review I have mentioned the aspects that I figured stood out most. If you want the best recording, this wouldn't be my top choice. The original Australian cast is good . . .
Don't let my review make you think that this recording isn't good . . . it *is*, just not the best. (Hey, it's still my favorite). Believe me, if you buy it, you won't regret it.
~~purzz, Mysta =^_^=

CATS IS AWSOME!!!
I ALWAYS HATED CATS. BUT THIS CD WAS HARD NOT TO LIKE. I GUESS THAT THE MUSIC IN CATS IS OK. BUT THE STORY IS AWFUL!I SAY YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO THIS CD AND NOT SEE THE PLAY. THE PLAY IS STUIPED. IT'S ALL ABOUT FREAKS IN COSTUMES TRYING TO BE CATS.
SURE,IT'S A GOOD LAUGH,BUT WEIRD. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In the late '90s, Burt Bacharach--thanks to a boxed set, new collaborations, and numerous reissues--just keeps popping up. And for good reason: his music is nostalgic, filled with great melodies, and instantly recognizable. For many, he's the essence of pop. Promises, Promises, the composer's 1968 Broadway collaboration with lyricist Hal David, is based on the 1960 Billy Wilder film, The Apartment, written by Neil Simon. Jerry Orbach's performance as Chuck Baxter is powerful (it also won him a Tony Award), and though some of the music in Promises, Promises is dated, it's simply infectious. As Fran Kubelik, Jill O'Hara (Hair) performs reflective numbers such as "Whoever You Are" and "I'll Never Fall in Love Again." Bacharach's title theme (a hit for Dionne Warwick) sounds better than ever here--both performed instrumentally and sung by Orbach. At 45 minutes, it's a short listen, but for fans of Bacharach or Broadway, it's highly recommended. --Jason Verlinde ... Read more

Reviews (24)

TheUnsungHeroofPromisesPromises
I'llneverforgettheLondonproductionIsawoftheshowin1969.Itisatransitionmusicalinit'sMichaelBennettdirection(theGrapesofRothchoreographywasfantastic andscenetransitionshadsecretariesbouncingthroughrevolvingdoors)andBurtBacharachhiptunes.ThetransitionwouldleadtoCompanyandA ChorusLine(seeACHORUSLINEANDTHEMUSICALSOFMICHAELBENNETTbyKen Mandelbaum).

TheunsungherooftheshowwasJonathanTunick.Istilltreasurethememoryofseveralofusat show's endgoingdowntotheorchestrapittomarvelathisorchestrationsfortheexitmusic(justtheovertureagain.)Therewassuchanelectricpulsingsensationtothemusic.Anda3girlchoruswhichwasnew.TheJillO'HaraleadwastakenupbyBettyBuckley (whosoundedbetterthan MissO'HaradoesontheCD).TonyRobertswastheleadandhemarriedDonnaMcKechnie duringtheLondonrun.

Therewasaninterestinglightingtrickintheoverture.They dimmedwhenthemedleygottothetitletune.Thatwasveryeffective.

POP! Goes Broadway
The pop/mod sound of the 1960s perfected by the songwriting duo of Bacharach and David made it's way to the Broadway stage in 1968 with "Promises, Promises", a musical adaptation of Billy Wilder's 1961 Oscar winning film "The Apartment".

The plot is simple: It revolves around Chuck Baxter who lends out his apartment to various executives at Consolidated Life hoping for some kind of an advancement in return, the twist comes when Fran, the charming cafeteria hostess he's smitten with turns out to be the mistress of "THE BIG BOSS".

The Overture is one of the best composed for the stage, right up there with the overture from "Gypsy" in that it captures the mood and spirit of the entire show.

Jerry Orbach shines as "Chuck" and he tackles the signature Bacharach meter changes head on with his renditions of "Half as Big as Life", "She Likes Basketball" and "Promises, Promises". Orbach was awarded the Tony for Best Actor for his performance.

Jill O'Hara who made a splash as "Sheila" in the Original Off Broadway production of "Hair" the previous year hit the big time (and scored a Tony nomination) for her turn as "Fran Kubelik". Her voice is perfectly suited for the vulnerability and fragility of her character, especially in the show stopping number "Knowing When To Leave". "Whoever You Are, I Love You" and her duet with Orbach on "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" are also standouts.

"Turkey Lurkey Time" may be weak as far as lyrics go but no one can beat that infectious Bacharach beat that frames the entire song. It became one of the best remembered show stoppers of it's time thanks to the brilliant choreography of the late-great Michael Bennett. The number brought the house down EVERY TIME.

The show has yet to receive a full scale Broadway revival but in 1999 it was given 2 concert stagings: City Center's ENCORES! series did a staging which starred Martin Short and L.A.'s Reprise staged it starring Jason Alexander. There were hopes of transferring the ENCORES! version to Broadway but the plans were scrapped. All we have to remember this great show is this recording. A MUST HAVE FOR ALL THEATRE LOVERS!

Forgotten sixties hit.
This was one of the biggest hits of its time - coming at the very height of the great vogue for Burt Bacharach melodies. Really a must for Broadway collectors, or anyone seriously interested in sixties music - and quite entertaining in its own right, especially for those of us old enough to remember the period.

BUT the only individual song that is up to Bacharach's best standard is "What do you get when you fall in love", possibly the catchiest thing he ever wrote. In the last analysis one is more surprised that the show ran so long, than the fact that is has been more or less forgotten ever since.

There is no plot synopsis in the liner notes - while I was able to rustle one up in my library this is a strange deficiency for a re-release.

Happy to secure my copy at last - but I want to forget what I paid for it as quickly as I can!

Contrary to another review
Promises, Promises is a fantastic score and (contrary to what another review says) there were concert revivals on both coasts in the late 90s (with Martin Short for Encores and Jason Alexander for Reprise). In fact, Bacharach and David wrote a new song for the Encore version. Also, Jill Haworth NEVER appeared in Promises.

It is amazing that Promises was so popular but remains unique and unimitated. Even if it was revived again and recorded again, the OBC would remain important since it establishes the sound of this piece in its time. Today someone would be imitating that 60s-70s sound. This is the actual idiomatic thing.

This so far is the only Broadway production!
It is a complete mystery to me why this musical has never been revived on Broadway or Off-Broadway, and not even in a concert version.I mean, other "dated" musicals have been successfully revived in recent years ("How To Succeed" and "Dreamgirls" spring to mind immediately), but even with the recent resurgence of interest in Bacharach's music, no one has seen fit to re-do "Promises, Promises."This is a great pity, as anyone who saw the energetic teen performance of "Turkey Lurkey Time" in the indie film "Camp" can attest.The score is great; the book, not so much (terribly sexist and mysoginistic, but then, so was "How To Succeed") -- still, this musical cries out for someone to re-invent it.

At any rate, it's lovely to hear the late Jerry Orbach's performance on this CD, which is great, and even the folky Jill Haworth does a good job on songs later elevated to pop perfection by Dionne Warwicke. This musical is an undiscovered gem. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

This Disk Captures the Energy
I was present at Feinstein's at the Regency in New York City for the show that is recorded here.This disk captures the energy that pervaded the room.Keely was in great voice and had a great rapport with the audience.This disk has it all: high energy Louis Prima arrangements tightly played by great New York sidemen (including saxman Jerry Vivino playing the Sam Butera parts and drummer Joe Cocuzzo), luscious sweetly-sung ballads, and nice-as-can-be Keely interacting with the audience. Sitting inches away from Keely and just feet from a band that blew the roof off, this was one of the great musical nights of my life.Amazingly, this disk captures the experience.The only things missing are the delicious lamb chops I ordered that night.

What a wonderful album
She is still the best. Sorry Louie couldn't be here to sing with her but I'm sure he is wherever he may be.
Keely's voice has never changed.
If you want 54 minutes of pure delight buy this album ... Read more

Amazon.com

In 1855, Walt Whitman--arguably the greatest poet the United States ever produced--first published his magnum opus,Leaves of Grass. Now 150 years later, jazz pianist Fred Hersch has skillfully adapted Whitman's work to music.With a mid-sized ensemble featuring cellist Erik Friedlander, saxophonist Tony Malaby, and vocalists Kate McGarry and Kurt Elling, Hersch, himself a fluid and finessed pianist, takes a back seat to his wonderful arrangements, which encompass martial cadences, hymn-like timbres, Latin rhythms, and ballads. Part VII and Part X of "Song of Myself," the longest work on the disc, range from Charles Mingus, Scenes in the City-style effects to a bluesy, down-home slow drag. Clearly, Elling's majestic baritone voice is the centerpiece of this work. He scats like a bop improviser, narrates like a Shakespearean actor, and sings like an opera star. It is fitting that that the elasticity of jazz truly captures the timeless essence of Whitman's words. --Eugene Holley, Jr. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

nice music, but not really Whitmanian
I greatly admire both Hersch and Whitman--the former is my favorite living jazz pianist and the latter one of my favorite poets--but this CD doesn't add much, in my mind, to the legacy of either. Hersch has recorded some of the most beautiful jazz piano music you'll ever hear (especially in a solo setting--I highly recommend Let Yourself Go and especially Songs Without Words) but I'm not sure he's the right musician/composer (if anyone is, and I'm somewhat skeptical) to set Whitman's words to music. That is indeed an ambitious project, and the unfortunate irony here is that Hersch does not seem to have approached it with sufficient ambition: his Leaves of Grass is ultimately too pretty, too timid, too neatly trimmed around the edges to come across as convincingly Whitmanian.

One wonders how such a project would have turned out in the hands of a Mingus or an Ellington--but then again, one could argue that their work, at its most ambitious, was (and is) already Whitmanian in spirit and scope: which is to say, perhaps, that the connection between Whitman and jazz doesn't need to have been made explicitly as Hersch has tried to make it here. That connection has already been made, much more profoundly, through an extraordinary tradition of improvisers who have made music in the same celebratory spirit of individuality, multiplicity, freedom, democracy, sensuality, complexity, contradiction, and community that informs Whitman's work. (Hersch, I'm sure, recognizes this--and without a doubt much more intimately and deeply than I do--so it's somewhat puzzling and unfortunate that, in his liner notes, he reduces the Whitman-jazz connection to something having vaguely to do with the Beat poets.)

All of that said, the music is lovely, as one always expects from Hersch (though fans of his should be aware that his piano playing is not the focal point of most of the program); that alone earns Leaves of Grass a three-star rating. The shortcoming is simply that Whitman's words serve as little more than distraction: all in all, the whole ends up being less than the sum of the parts. The trick is to simply try to enjoy the music, and not think of it as an interpretation of Whitman.

And by all means check out Hersch's other recordings--this just isn't the place to start.

Syncopated Poetry
As Fred Hersch points out in his liner notes, since the syncopated rhythms of Walt Whitman's poems led directly to the bebop of the Beat Poets, why not set Leaves of Grass to jazz? Selecting 17 passages from Whitman -- 11 of them from Song of Myself -- Hersch adds four horn players, a cellist and two vocalists to his trio to create "a small-scale oratorio." Kate McGarry caresses the spiritual lyrics in "Song of the Universal"; in "The Mystic Trumpeter," she scats with Ralph Alessi, who in turn contributes a cutesy trill on flugelhorn at the outset of "I Celebrate Myself." On "The Sleepers," Whitman's fantasy of universal brotherhood, Tony Malaby's tenor sax complements Kurt Elling's falsetto, with the rhythm section providing a sleepy, minimalist drone. In "A Child Said, `What Is the Grass?'" Hersch's orchestration soars from tenderness to ecstasy.
Most people, perhaps understandably, will browse over jazz-piano-guy-with-nerdy-name-plus-some-poet and walk on by. But if the Venn diagrams of your interests include Whitman and jazz, why not have them intersect? What I assume, you shall assume; we contain multitudes. So does Leaves of Grass. ... Read more

Amazon.com

On May 3, 1960, a chamber-sized variation on Romeo and Juliet by composer Harvey Schmidt and writer-lyricist Tom Jones opened off-off-Broadway at the Sullivan Street Playhouse. On May 3, 2000, The Fantasticks opened again at the Sullivan Street Playhouse, celebrating 40 continuous years of performances and having long since become the longest-running musical in the history of the world. And while many cast members have come and gone, it's the original cast recording that has become an indelible part of our memory, from the dual pianos dotting the overture and Jerry Orbach's rich reading of "Try to Remember" to the fathers' lament "Never Say No" and the gorgeous duet "Soon It's Gonna Rain." Even better, this anniversary edition CD benefits from remastered sound (you can now hear the harp strum in the opening bars) and a new booklet that includes a note from Jones, an introductory essay, and (drumroll, please) full lyrics. Yes, it's still true that the voices may not have the sheer beauty some modern ears might expect, and the pit band (augmented from two players to five for this recording) sounds a bit dated, but who cares? It's The Fantasticks, an essential piece of musical theater history. Long may it run. --David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (14)

This is more than any metaphor will ever ever be.
From the first staccato notes of the solo piano to Jerry Orbach and company urging us to "Try to Remember" this is a classic CD. The music and lyrics, though possibly a little odd at first, is witty, whimisical, clever, smart, and beautiful. This is one of the few cast albums of a show in which there is not a single bad song. The performances do nothing but enhance the music. This simple little show, which has been running off-Broadway for over thirty years, is well represented with this CD. Thirty years of audiences can't be wrong, and they aren't. This is a wonderful recording of a wonderful show. I gureente you will not be dissapointed.

When less gives more
If a show opens in 1960 and is still running after about 16,000 performances, one can reasonably assume it is a good show in every sense of the words. Standing on the other pole (so to speak) from the current run of Broadway's visually rich/musically barren spectacles, is a charming little work designed for a basement production and so perfect that many have seen it several times, especially when friends come in from out of state. In fact, when they wanted to close it at last, the neighborhood would not let them!

So I don't have to sing the praises of this classic, which has been available for many years on the original cast LP. Now the Good News is that it has been made available in a "re-mastered, completely repackaged edition," as the press release expresses it on the Decca Broadway label (314 543 665-2). So sit back and enjoy once more the voices of Jerry Orbach, Kenneth Leson, Rita Gardner, William Larsen, Hugh Thomas, and all the others in this anti-spectacular with good dialogue, decent lyrics, and (Heaven be praised) lovely melodies. (And give the Rostand play, "The Romantiques," a read too. It is lovely.)

Try to Remember...
It was the spring of 1960. Dwight D. Eisenhower was the President, and Senator John F. Kennedy had yet to squeak by VP Richard Nixon in a to become President. Elvis Presley had recently been discharged from the U.S. Army. The average American's annual salary was around $4800, and minimum wage was $1.00 per hour. Cadillac had lowered their high tail fins. Elizabeth Taylor won an Oscar for her performance in Butterfield 8. The first manned space flight wouldn't take place for another year. The formation of the Peace Corps was a year away as well. Gary Powers was shot down in a U2 spy plane over the Soviet Union. Barbie dolls had just been introduced the year before. The Flintstones were almost five months away from their premiere. The Beatles hadn't even cut their first single record, and there were no Russian missiles in Cuba. Osama bin Laden was only three years old. The World Trade Center wasn't even on the drawing board yet.

But in early May, a small band of actors entered the Sullivan Street Playhouse, a tiny 150-seat theater in Greenwich Village, to perform a beautiful, romantic little musical about a boy, a girl and the pains of young love.

The week that The Fantasticks opened on its sparse stage, it was suggested to producer Lore Noto that he close the show. It suffered from mixed reviews, and the ticket sales could have been better. He decided to try and keep the show running for awhile, to the relief of the relatively unknown cast members. One of these was a young actor with a rich baritone voice named Jerry Orbach, who played the role of El Gallo, the narrator. He imagined that the show could well succeed if it had time to develop a following.

"I thought it could run for like five years," Mr. Orbach recently recalled.

It ran for thirty-seven years beyond that then-optimistic estimate.

The Fantasticks featured music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones, who began writing musicals together when they were students at the University of Texas. It became the longest running musical in the world and the longest running show of any kind in the history of the American theater.

But on Sunday evening, January 13th, 2002, after 17,162 performances, The Fantasticks did what few thought possible: it made its final bow.

Lyricist Tom Jones told those who offered their sympathies, "You can't be sad for a show that has run forty-two years, " as he and composer Harvey Schmidt greeted the closing night crowd. The final performance was delayed for nearly a half hour late as the show's former cast members, many who hadn't seen each other in years, held tearful reunions in the aisles and largely disregarded the ushers' attempts to get them to stay seated. Among the attendees were the original "Girl" Rita Gardner, original "Mortimer" George Curley, Oscar-winner F. Murray Abraham, who had played one of many El Gallos throughout the run, and set/costume designer Ed Wittstein.

The timing of its closing is particularly moving, given the horrible deaths of other lasting New York City monuments in the past few months. The message of The Fantasticks proved to be dissonantly significant in the days after the September 11th terrorist attacks. The opening words of Tom Jones' lyrics could have been written that very week:

Try to remember the kind of September
when life was slow and oh, so mellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
when grass was green and grain was yellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
when you were a tender and callow fellow.
Try to remember and if you remember
then follow...

It's been noted often that there were quite a few handkerchiefs wiping tears from the eyes of the patrons in the theater when this song was performed during those performances last September and into the fall.

On Sunday night, there probably wasn't a dry eye in the house, either.

Don't miss this excellent remastering of the 1960 off-off Broadway original cast recording. Simply put, it's superb.

My wife and daugters love this musical
A classic that needs to be brought back

Fantastck!!!!
I have seen the play, i actually work in the crew, i was the stage manager and i loved this show, it's amazing! the romanticism, the moods, enough to make you cry. And it is a pleasure to hear it over and over again... Try to remember... Understand and feel the joy and sadness of those two lovers... Amazing! ... Read more

Reviews (40)

Menken's Masterpiece
This is the one. If there was one Menken soundtrack I would recomend above all others, it would be this one. It's easily the best in both score and songs

The CD starts off with 'Prologue'. The music is here is wonderful, and while there is a storyteller on top, it's still a beautiful piece of music that I wouldn't want to live without. 'Belle' is probably one of the best songs I've ever heard. Great melody, great orestrations, great lyrics, great everything. The rest of the songs are wonderful too, from the humorous waltz of 'Gaston', to the playful Can-Can of 'Be My Guest', to the wonderful ballade 'Beauty and the Beast'. Every one of the songs has everything that makes a good song.

And what of the score? Well, it's great as well. 'West Wing' even contains more of the wonderful 'Prologue' music, and 'Transformation' is a wonderful choral version of 'Beauty and the Beast', and makes for a grand finale. As usual with Menken, the songs are all integrated nicely into the score, which makes for a highly coherent listening experiance.

The final track is the pop version of 'Beauty and the Beast'. It's done very well as far as pop songs go. And unlike the later Lion King pop songs, the lyrics are actually the same.

Overall, you can't go wrong with this. The singing is great, the instrumentations are great, wonderful melodies, and there's just a certain spark to it that makes you put a smile on your face.

A wonderful mix of romance and comedy
For many years, I have thought of "Beauty and the Beast" as the standard by which all Walt Disney animated musicals should be measured. The music by Alan Menken, the lyrics by Howard Ashman, and the performances of a superb cast combine to create one of the greatest movie song scores of all time.

The story is based on the timeless tale of a handsome prince who is changed into a monstrous beast, and who then must earn the love of a beautiful maiden. Robby Benson brings a touching mixture of pain and hope to his performance as the Beast. Paige O'Hara is a revelation as Belle ("Beauty"): she possesses a voice of great power and purity. The leads are well complemented by a superb supporting cast: Angela Lansbury, Jesse Corti, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers, and Richard White. Each performer brings something special to both the songs and the occasional bits of spoken dialogue on the CD.

The CD begins with a wonderful spoken prologue, and then moves into the excellent Menken-Ashman songs. The first song, "Belle," quickly establishes the rich, stirring "Broadway musical" tone of the CD. As a whole, the collection of songs attains an effective blend of humor, romance, and drama. The title song appears in two versions: the character version by Angela Lansbury (as Mrs. Potts), and the "pop" version, a duet between Peabo Bryson and Celine Dion. Both versions are excellent, but I'm somewhat partial to Lansbury's emotional performance.

The movie is a beloved classic, and so is the soundtrack. This CD is essential for fans of Disney music, and of film music in general.

Best of Disney!
This is a wonderful album. With all the fun lyrics, and lovely instrumentals. Whenever I hear the song "Beauty and the Beast" sung by Angela Lansbury, it makes me feel great.
The songs that are the most fun are "Be our Guest" and "Something There". The loveliest instrumental is "Transformation" and the most lively is "Battle on the tower". The only thing I don't like about this album is the pop version of "Beauty and the Beast" by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson. It's really sappy (too many ooooo's and aaaaaa's). Buy this album and listen to all the songs except that one.

Where is the rest of the Score??????
Do not get me wrong, this is my favorite movie of all time! I can watch the movie over and over and over again! BUT!!!!!

The soundtrack is missing so much! The original version of Prologue and MOST OF THE SCORE IN THE MOVIE! We only get 25% of the score! WHERE IS THE REST? Why not put the rest on the Special Edition Soundtrack?

Overall you still get all the songs! :)

Perhaps the best Disney soundtrack ever
We all have heard the songs in "Beauty and the Beast" and not one of them is bad. They are all great. As a matter of fact, they are all flawless. The musical themes also resonate in the score, which is composed by Menken in his best work ever. The special edition contains a few extra tracks, and definitely buy it if you can, but even the cheaper version is great too and contains all of the original album. Even if you are someone who (like me) dislikes sappy Disney songs, you will still probably like Beauty and the Beast, for there are none of them in it. This soundtrack is highly recommended. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Peter Allen was an Australian gay man who was once married to Liza Minnelli and was still officially in the closet when he died of AIDS in 1992. It's obvious that when it comes to sheer drama, Allen's life is pretty hard to beat, and Hugh Jackman's portrayal in this bio-show terrifically brings home the music man's energy and inner contradictions. Too bad his life's intensity wasn't reflected in Allen's milquetoast songs, which are generously sprinkled throughout the show. Technically, Jackman's not the best singer (Brian Stokes Mitchell continues to rule Broadway in that regard), but his charisma is undeniable. His take on "I Go to Rio" is appropriately high octane, for instance, while "I Still Call Australia Home" (Oz's unofficial anthem) is rather poignant. As Judy and Liza, respectively, Isabel Keating and Stephanie J. Block try hard to emulate their models' vocal styles, which can be really distracting. Overall, though, this album is mostly for serious fans of either Allen and Jackman. --Elisabeth Vincentelli ... Read more

Reviews (52)

Hugh Jackman Channels the Spirit of Peter Allen
As a longtime fan of Peter Allen's music, and someone lucky to have experienced the legendary stage performer in person three times, I was ecstatic when "The Boy From Oz" came to Broadway. The show itself is a basic pain-by-numbers affair that never fully mines the pathos and brilliance of its subject, with shoddy sets and awkward designs that feel better suited to a high school production than a stage on the Great White Way. But all of the incidentals of this show are completely forgotten and take a much needed back seat to Allen's inspired music and the glorious star-making performance of Hugh Jackman in the title role. I haven't experienced anything quite like the feelings that came up for me as I watched this talented Aussie pin-up and actor literally transcend definition and BECOME Peter Allen - mind, body and spirit. Whereas supporting cast members are given fine opportunities to embody the likes of Liza Minelli (Allen's ex wife) and Judy Garland - and do so admirably despite the obvious challenges that come with playing a well known entertainer - it's Jackman who astonishes in a role that ideally suits his tenuous but forceful voice and his gentle, though complete grasp of character. Watching Jackman on stage was at times like watching the original Allen, who whipped his audiences (and myself) into a frenzy with boundless stage energy, costumes galore and a quick witted manner that was both adorable and dismissive at once. Funny, light, abrasive and ultimately sad, Jackman captures the human qualities of the late great singer-songwriter, whose "DOn't Cry Out Loud" and "I Honestly Love You" became staples for the brokenhearted. This cast recording seems blessed - if that's possible - by Allen's spirit. It's a fitting tribute to a vocalist whose singing ability was secondary to his phrasing and showmanship, and an eerie reminder that when you find huge new musical theater talent like Hugh Jackman, you RUN (do not pass GO, do not stop at the light) to get tickets. A stratling once-in-a-lifetime stage performance, reserved here for eternity. Let's all pray for an eventual DVD of the show! Jackman is TONY and GRAMMY bound!

WOW!!!!
Fabulous! After being disappointed in so many Broadway recordings of late, this is the real deal. I had a show me attitude toward this one, but I loved it from the very first listen. A high octane, high energy show full of great tunes and numbers. I was never a big Peter Allen fan during his heyday, but I was only exposed to a few of his songs. I was surprised at the breadth and depth of his work on here. (Granted, he often worked with other lyricists). Havent seen the show, but if its as good as this recording, it has to be specactular. Isabel Keating sounds so much like Judy Garland its a little creepy. The whole cast, led by Hugh Jackman, is great. If you've only known Jackman from his movie roles, prepare to be bowled over. His version of Once Before I Go, alone is worth the price of the CD. Dont Miss This!! Tony, here we come!

Simply Amazing
Hugh Jackman has truly outdone himself with the hit Broadway show, 'The Boy From Oz'. This CD is proof of that.

It includes the 26 broadway songs, all of them sung wonderfully. Those songs include--The Lives of Me--My Name in Lights--Love Crazy--All I Wanted was a Dream--Older Woman--The Best That You Can Do--Don't Wish too Hard--Come Save Me--Continental American--I Love to Hear the Music--Quiet Please, There's a Lady on Stage--I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love--Not the Boy Next Door--Bi-Costal--If You Were Wondering--Everything Old is New Again--Love Don't Need a Reason--I Honestly Love You-- You and Me--I Still Call Australia Home--Don't Cry Out Loud--Once Before I Go--Rio--Tenterfield Saddler.

Hugh Jackman is refreshingly different from his previous roles [X-Men (Wolverine) and Van Helsing], and puts his heart and soul into every note he sings. I recently saw the Broadway Show, and his performance was truly hilarious. He would interact wth the crowd and get everyone riled up for the next scene. Every motion he did was part of his character, and truly made it a worthwhile experiance. I highly reccomend seeing the show and buying this CD.

Wish I hadn't bought it
I was raised on show music, normally can't get enough. This one is too loud, tuneless, with pretentious pronunciation and annoying vocalists. Yuck.

Peter Allen (the Boy) is NEW Again
I have seen the "The Boy From Oz" twice on Broadway and believe it is definitely the most fabulous Broadway show in years. Hugh Jackman's performance in the role of the late Peter Allen (songwriter, cabaret singer and recording artist) is clearly one of the most outstanding in Broadway history. Part of that performance is captured on this CD (ie, the vocal part). So, I bought the CD. While the CD brings back great memories of the show, I have learned to value the CD for its own merits. Firstly, the music of Peter Allen is incredible (the most amazing feat of this show is that the late Peter Allen's music is used to tell the story of his life). Each song on this CD is either moving, rhythmic, melodic and/or plain fun to listen to. Secondly, Hugh Jackman and the other cast members all give competent performances of the many classics contained on the CD. Thirdly, the arrangers outdid themselves refreshing and modifying some of the old arrangements (some are totally reinvented). As the song goes, everything old is new again. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

A Classic Musical and an Essential Recording
Meredith Wilson's THE MUSIC MAN is one of the most beloved of all Broadway musicals. The story is charming and endearing, while the score is tuneful and very inventive. There are rhythm numbers ("Rock Island" and "Ya Got Trouble"), ballads ("Goodnight My Someone" and "Till There Was You"), barbershop numbers ("Sincere," "It's You," "Lida Rose"), quirky comedy songs ("The Sadder but Wiser Girl," "Marian the Librarian," "Shipoopi") a march ("Seventy-Six Trombones"), and even an aria ("My White Knight"), as well as other wonderful songs for the ensemble ("Iowa Stubborn," "The Wells Fargo Wagon"). The original Broadway cast recording, starring Robert Preston as the fast-talking con man Harold Hill and Barbara Cook as the skeptical young librarian and music teacher, Marian Paroo, is the finest recording of THE MUSIC MAN. Preston's charisma seems to leap right out of the speakers; his patter in "Ya Got Trouble" is a marvel, absolutely clear and precise. Cook's pure, golden soprano and heartfelt phrasing are a joy to hear. Add the famous barbershop quartet The Buffalo Bills and the rousing orchestrations of the legendary Don Walker, and you have a truly fabulous show album. This original Broadway cast recording of THE MUSIC MAN is a must-have for anyone who loves musicals.

Brava, Barbara Cook!
Robert Preston IS Harold Hill. Pert Kelton, Eddie Hodges, the Buffalo Bills, the women's chorus, and Don Walker's orchestrations are all perfect. But it is the singing of Barbara Cook as Marian that makes this MUSIC MAN a great recording. Cook's golden renditions of "Goodnight, My Someone," "My White Knight," "Will I Ever Tell You?," and "Till There Was You" make it clear that she is one of the best female singers in the history of Broadway.

Magnificent!
Any lover of American theater should own the original cast recording of THE MUSIC MAN. For me, the high point of this recording is Preston's intoxicating performance of the speak-song number, "Trouble". His performance here is cool and rhythmically precise, unlike his "white hot", vitriolic performance in the 1962 movie. But the whole CD is a lot of fun. Enjoy!

The recording that all others are measured by!!
What a great recording! This is aimed more toward for families, but anyone with taste in music can enjoy it. The sound is crystal clear. The voices are the best. Barbra Cook is Excellent as Marian Paroo, and should have playd her in the film, although Shirley Jones does a good job. Robert Preston IS the Music Man. I perfer this version to the other versions because of the little dialouge. These songs are meant to be heard un-adulterated, and pure. The soundtrack has too much talking, and Buddy Hacketts not so great vocals.
You may have noticed that I enjoy Sondheim. But sometimes I need to take a break from the complex scores and return to Broadways roots. Without shows like these, there may NOT have been a broadway today. These are the tunes that I grew up with, and they will never die, thanks to great recordngs like this. This is a must for anyone who enjoys musical theater!!!!!!

Never Gets Old
The Music Man has always been one of my very favorite musicals. This cd is well worth owning. Barbara Cook is the perfect Marian Paroo. Way better than Shirley Jones and Kristen Chenoweth put together. There's even a song on the cd "My White Knight," which doesn't appear in the movie. Just in stage versions. In the film they sing "Being in Love." But some of the lyrics in the two songs are the same. Both songs have the following verse somewhere in them.

ALL I WANT IS A PLAIN MAN, ALL I WANT IS A MODEST MAN
A QUIET MAN, A GENTLE MAN, A STRAIGHT FORWARD AND HONEST MAN
TO SIT WITH ME IN A COTTAGE SOMEWHERE IN THE STATE OF IOWA
AND I WOULD LIKE HIM TO BE MORE INTERESTED IN ME THAN HE IS IN HIMSELF AN MORE INTERESTED IN US THAN IN ME. AND IF OCCASIONALLY HE'D PONDER, WHAT MAKES SHAKESPEARE AND BEETHOVEN GREAT. HIM I COULD LOVE TILL I DIE, HIM I COULD LOVE TILL I DIE.

Another interesting fact is that after Barbara Cook retired from acting, she became a singer. She's still singing as far as I know. I also reccomend her "All I ask of You," album. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

Culled from the Columbia Records reissue packages, variously released under the multivolume Quintessential Billie Holiday umbrella, this package goes straight for the love songs, the heart of Holiday. Ranging from such playful lyrics as "Let's Do It" and "Them There Eyes" to such essential Holiday as "You Go to My Head," "The Very Thought of You," and "Easy Living," this set is guaranteed to keep the home fires burning brightly. Lay this one on your lover next Valentine's Day. As was so frequently the case with Holiday, the ensemble support is impeccable, including many of the swingers from Columbia's Greatest Hits package. The bonus here is Count Basie on piano, leading his swinging big band on "They Can't Take That Away from Me." --Willard Jenkins ... Read more

Reviews (18)

You ain't heard these songs 'til you hear Billie singin' em
It's one of those names that e'ybody's heard, but lotsa people, 'specially my age group (the under-25 category), have yet to truly embrace. But, lemme tell y'all that Lady Day was one of a kind. There's been certain vocalists over the past century that have an alluring quality about them and who's impact has etched them into history, allowing them to constantly be re-discovered by a new generation. It's when music becomes more than music. It's when it becomes a part of our collective conscious and everyday lives. Billie Holiday is an artist that my ol' grandmother used to listen to, and she probably woulda never thought that I would be comin' home from work, sittin' back in my easy chair, and listenin' to these old songs from the 30s and 40s crackle out of my stereo speakers. As with all the great singers, I feel every word she sings. While there are many legendary jazz musicians that are providing her with her backdrop, including Duke Ellington, Ben Webster, Lester Young, and others, Holiday's delivery is the real showcase. She sang straight from her gut. Her voice is smooth and rough, rich and gritty, raw and lovely, all at the same time. These are all sweet, romantic and cherishable love songs that are absolutely timeless in appeal. The story of her life is certainly a tragic one, but hearing her sing these wistful and almost-innocent numbers you'd never know it. If you've never listened to Ms. Holiday, don't deprive yourself of such great music any longer. This is a great place to get started. Chances are, once you hear this, you'll want to hear more. As for me, I think I'm gonna go crack a few brews, sit in my easy chair, put my feet up, and put this in my stereo. Ahhh, yeah, it doesn't get much better than this.

Excellent Billie Holiday primer w/best sound possible
This compilation collects the very love songs from what is probably Billie's best records, the early Columbia (Brunswick/Vocalion) records. Those records do not equal her later records in terms of recording quality nor does it match the nuanced phrasing of her Verve records. What they have going is a young and fresh sounding Billie fronting unbeatable arrangements and performances. They also have some great upbeat material that would become increasingly absent towards the end of Billie's recording career, showing just how much she could do (as her voice faded, she became less capable of handling such material convincingly).

All the Columbia material was collected on the 9 volume "Quintessential" set, but unfortunately, while half of the stuff is pure gold, there's also a lot of dreck. Furthermore, all 9 volumes have poor, compressed sound, and some great stuff comes off limp and lifeless. "Love Songs" rectifies this, and it's just amazing how much better everything is once it's been put through Sony's 20-bit fairy dust. Now if they would only go back and re-do it all in a tightly packaged 6 CD set...

Some of the finest from Billie Holiday 1935-1941
"Love Songs" is, along with "Lady Day Swings", the best compilation of Billie Holiday's recordings. This is one of those definate essential CDs that everyone must have. These recordings date from 1935-1941.

The best songs on this disc for me are: "The Very Thought of You", which is one of the all time great Billie Holiday recordings, "All of Me", "Me, Myself And I", "Them There Eyes", "The Way You Look Tonight". The songs on this album, are absolutely the best, and it does not include a single bad one here. This is absolutely classic Billie Holiday.

Then just look at the great musicians that are here to accompany her on these recordings. Leslie Johnakins, Eddie Barefield, Hymie Schertzer (alto saxophone), Lester Young (tenor saxophone, clarinet), Ben Webster, Chu Berry, Babe Russin, Vido Musso (tenor saxophone), Roy Eldridge, Buck Clayton, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Jonah Jones, Charlie Shavers, Shad Collins, Emmet Berry (trumpet), George Hunt, Benny Morton (trombone), Buster Bailey, Jimmy Hamilton, Prince Robinson (clarinet), Count Basie, Teddy Wilson, Claude Thornhill, Eddie Heywood, Margaret Johnson (piano), Freddie Green, John Collins, Al Casey, Allan Reuss (guitar), Walter Page, Milt Hinton, John Kirby, Ted Sturgis, John Williams (bass), Jo Jones, Gene Krupa, Cozy Cole, Kenny Clarke, J.C. Heard (drums).

The recordings have been digitally remastered by Mark Wilder, and he has done such an excellent job at it. These recordings sound brilliant. There are also good liner notes by Delfeayo Marsalis. I always think a CD should come with liner notes. Billie Holiday beats all of the other jazz singers by far, and this CD is a great choice to add to the collection. This is one of my most listened to CDs. Its a must own. Very highly recommended.

Billie is Wonderful BY DARA TILLERY
BILLIE WAS AN INSPIRATIONAL AND CONTREVERSIAL SINGER.Her singing is beautiful when she sings she touches others heart. this c.d is most definetely beautiful.

My favorite single album.
When my boyfriend bought this for me I was so happy and I remember I would play this music and sing for him in the car on cool dark, starry nights and I would be mesmerized not only by the intensity of those nights, but by the music she sang and how she deeply, richly portrayed those songs. She really knew how to set the mood for any lover or lonely lover as well. I totally recommend this CD to start if you have not heard much of her music...SHe truly is addicting once you hear these songs...These songs will definetly put you in an enchanting and romantic journey. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This is one of the three all-ballad albums that John Coltrane recorded in late 1962 and early 1963. Johnny Hartman was apparently Coltrane's suggestion, and his deep, dark voice meshes perfectly here with Coltrane's tenor. The material is well-chosen, including definitive readings of "My One and Only Love" and "Lush Life." McCoy Tyner fills out the chords, augmenting the harmonies and keeping the tone of these ballads respectful but not overly sentimental. All the players get to the deep structure of the songs and are not afraid to play in the most essential and elegant manner. This is beautiful jazz. --Michael Monhart ... Read more

Reviews (101)

Hartman and Coltrane:Masters in Concert
Of all the CDs in my jazz collection, this is one of those I treasure most. John Coltrane's tender and sensitive accompaniments are a refreshing contrast to the "sheets of sound" reputation for which he is better known. However, for all of Coltrane's greatness, make no mistake:Johnny Hartman is THE star of this recording. His warm baritone is enthralling and irresistible throughout. The highlight of this outing is Lush Life, and Hartman gives THE definitive version of that timeless standard. It is absolute perfection. Hartman's version never has been, and never will be surpassed. We can only speculate why Hartman did not enjoy greater acclaim while he lived. I only know that since I first heard him on the radio in 1993, my life has been richer as a result. As an aspiring singer myself, this CD is a must for anyone who wants to hear it done at the highest, most intimate level.

Arrestingly Gorgeous
As so many of these excellent reviews have said, this disc is an incredible experience. The warmth & tenderness of these songs convey the experiences of romantic love so well that it's pointless for me to try describing it with mere words. All of the emotions that make up romantic love: tenderness, passion, perhaps some tinges of sadness and regret, along with tremendous longing are present in these songs in ways both subtle and provacative.

I agree completely with one of the excellent reviewers who stated that it is incorrect to consider John Coltrane as a "sideman" to Johnny Hartman. This is truly an artistic collaboration that entailed one of the musical giants of the twentieth-century working with a woefully underated vocalist. With the wonderfully understated piano of McCoy Tyner, whispering bass by Jimmy Garrison and immaculate jazz drumming by Elvin Jones, this is sublime music.

The best ever? Well, here's an argument for that....
Many jazzophiles opine that this is the best vocal jazz album ever made. I don't know that I'd necessarily agree; but I wouldn't argue vociferously for another alternative. And, I would agree that it's one of the most remarkable ones ever made.

Normally, an album with nothing but slow, romantic ballads gets 4 stars from me, no matter what else. I make an exception here, for these reasons:

First, I know that the three principal musicians--Mr. Coltrane, Mr. Hartman and Mr. Tyner--had humongous voices, and when they wanted to, could cause a volcano to begin erupting. But here, each trades off volume for musicianship. Every note is caressed and burnished with beauty. By each musician. Every note, I tell you. No voice breaks, no squeaks, no dissonant chords. Everything in this album is just gorgeous.

Second, they did this in one day. Yes, Trane went in later and added some overdubbing; but the fact that Johnny Hartman could knock out what he knocked out in one day is just mind-boggling.

Third, this album just now is getting its due. When you think of Trane, you think of more spectacular efforts ("Favorite Things", "Giant Steps", "Love Supreme" and "Ascension"); but his playing was never more beautiful and controlled than here. And when you think of a big-voiced bass-baritone who could take his instrument anywhere in his range without straining, pinching, or losing pitch, you think of Billy Eckstine or Earl Coleman. Here, Johnny Hartman was every bit their equal.

This album should be in every wedding d.j.'s "Playlist" in the country. Though "You Are Too Beautiful" is my personal favorite, any one of the 6 would do. This is one of the very few albums I can remember that brought a tear to my eye, the very first time I heard it.

A love sublime
I love "A love supreme", but I can understand how some people find that one and even perhaps "My Favourite Things" kinda hard to get and artsy-fartsy. This one here, on the other hand, serves it straight and smooth. Standards, great playing, great vocals. That's that.

What have you been missing?
OK, what have you missed if you haven't heard this album? The first time I ever played this cd, my wife came in and started slow dancing with me. This is easily one of the most romantic cds ever recorded. John Coltrane is inspired beyond belief, not in a fiery Blue Train way, but in a I am touching the romantic muse where she lives kind of way. The supporting players all contribute so heavily> I am sitting here listening lush life, written by a 19 year old Billy Strayhorn(who at 19 knows more about love and loss than most men will know at their retirement).
And the words are, "you are still burning inside my brain". This easily is the way I feel about the voice of Johnny Hartman. I could listen to this guy sing Barry Manilow. He has a voice that cuts through all sadness to create a sadness all its own. Your emotions disappear, and you are left adrift in the phenomenal voice of a master interpreter. I guess he found a resurgence because of "The Bridges of Madison County", but this stuff is beyond Iowa sentimentality. This, to me, is beyond hearts, flowers, lust, heartbreak, walks in a park at sunset, the seven wonders of the world. It is music that leaves you thinking,"Where has this been all my life".

and the answer is "It's been here> Floating in the ehads of all of us who have ever walked on this planet, in love, heartbroken, or both.
Check it out. ... Read more

Amazon.com

On a cool February night in 1971, entertainer Bobby Darin gathered the friends, associates, and VIPs he'd flown in for the occasion to a sort of summit meeting in the Crystal Room of Las Vegas' Desert Inn. There and then, Darin again staked his claim as one of the most accomplished, versatile, and creatively unpredictable pop singers ever. Despite having traded his early teen idol incarnation for that of mature and ambitious saloon singer a decade earlier, Darin displays his uncanny knack for recasting contemporary rock and pop in his own image repeatedly here. The show may feature a loose, swinging rendition of "Mack the Knife" near the top of the set, and close with the spare, jazzy bonus version of "Beyond the Sea," but they bookend masterful takes on everything from James Taylor (a blues-charged "Fire and Rain") and BS&T's "Hi De Ho" to the Beatles (a medley of "Hey Jude"/"Eleanor Rigby"/"Blackbird"/"A Day in the Life" whose drama shames most contemporary pop covers) and a warm, elegant version of Dylan's "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight." His hit version of Tim Hardin's "If I Were A Carpenter" is shrewdly paired here with the poignant, Darin-penned anti-war anthem "Sing a Simple Song of Freedom" (which Hardin covered successfully), underscoring the willful genre-bending that made Darin so intriguing. -- Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (2)

WOW!
Sit back, pretend you were in Las Vegas during its glory days, and listen to a master vocalist and his orchestra in total sync. After hearing this album, you'll throw away all your "It's Vegas, Baby" compilations. This album is truly Bobby Darin and Sin City at its best.

MustHave
This is it folks! According to the CD notes, his manager Steve Blauner, who attended this performance, considers it "to be Bobby's most brilliant work and perhaps one of the best performances of his career..." Darin is in absolute top form, the voice ranging from full throttle hard rock in the encore medley of Chain of Fools/Respect/Splish Splash/Johnny B. Goode to throaty tender in Hey Jude and I'll Be Your Baby Tonight to sexy swing in Mack the Knife and Beyond the Sea to plaintive clarity in the folk tunes. And the humor, and the heat! ... Read more

Amazon.com

One of the leaders in the trend of big splashy revivals in the late 1980s and early '90s, Lincoln Center's 1987 production of Anything Goes was the perfect evocation of the 1930s, from the period pit band to James McMullan's striking poster art to the large photograph of Cole Porter that smiled over the stage like an approving spirit. While the score earns its share of authenticity by resurrecting numerous songs from the original score, it also tosses in a few ringers such as "Friendship" and "It's De-Lovely." (Porter himself did not mind when people staging his shows borrowed songs from his other shows.) Then-rising star Howard McGillin sings sweet ballads and the ensemble numbers are excellent, but the show belongs to Patti LuPone, who in the role of Reno Sweeney grabs the baton from Ethel Merman and never lets go. Her "I Get a Kick Out of You" is one of the great performances of her generation, and the title tune and "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" make almost every other song sound like filler. LuPone was upset in the Tony race by Joanna Gleason, but the show did win for Best Revival. The booklet includes full lyrics, synopsis, production notes, and photos.--David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (32)

"Anything Goes" for a new generation!
The 1987 Broadway revival of ANYTHING GOES was a fabulous success, starring the incomparable Patti LuPone as well as an excellent supporting cast.

Howard McGillin (THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA's longest-serving Broadway 'Phantom') lends his resonant voice and boyish good-looks to the character of Billy Crocker, with a supporting cast led by Linda Hart (GYPSY, HAIRSPRAY) as the flirty Erma.

Patti LuPone (LES MISERABLES, SUNSET BOULEVARD) is ideally cast as the singing chaunteuse-turned evangelist Reno Sweeney, belting out the Cole Porter standards "Anything Goes", "I Kick a Kick Out of You" and "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" in her own formidable style.

The musical later re-opened in London's West End starring Elaine Paige as Reno Sweeney and Howard McGillin reprising his role of Billy Crocker. I highly recommend both of these cast albums.

divine Patti LuPone sings Cole Porter
ANYTHING GOES came back to Broadway in 1987 via a revival from the Lincoln Center Theatre. Patti LuPone (EVITA, LES MISERABLES) let her hair down to play Reno Sweeney, with charming Howard McGillin as Billy Crocker. This revival featured a new book co-authored by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman, and interpolated songs from other Cole Porter shows into the score.

The story recounts Reno as she boards the ship SS American, bound for England. She manages to convince old pal Billy to stow away and join her. Billy discovers his old flame Hope Harcourt (Kathleen Mahony-Bennett) is also on board and is travelling with her fiancee, Lord Evelyn Oakleigh (Anthony Heald) whom she will marry on arrival. Also on board is Billy's employer Elisha Whitney (Rex Everhart), as well as 'Public Enemy 13' Moonface Martin (Bill McCutcheon) and sexy gun-moll Erma (Linda Hart). Also adding complications is Hope's battle-axe mother Evangeline (Anne Francine). It's up to Reno and Moonface to stir up the mix, do a little meddling and match up lovers...

Patti LuPone and the entire cast are superb. The production was a huge success, running 800 performances and later moving to London in 1989.

This cast album is a real delight.

really wonderful cast album
"Anything Goes," is a great musical and this version is updated and really in tune. I'd reocmmend it to any musical theatre fan. Howard McGillan has a great voice really, strong and perfect for broadway. The rest of the cast is good too.
It feature some great Cole Porter songs, and really a vibrent and beautiful score.

A Knock-Out In Every Possible Way
Although the 1987 revival of Cole Porter's legendary ANYTHING GOES plays fast and loose with both the original score and book, it's hard to be anything but enchanted with the show or the this cast recording--particularly when it includes the talents of Patti LuPone, Bill McCutcheon, Anne Francine, and many other Broadway notables.

The story of romantic follies aboard a transatlantic liner, the show opens with a scratchy recording of Cole Porter himself singing the title tune before the soundtrack segues into a dazzling overture by an excellent orchestra--and then proceeds to bounce out one great Porter tune after another: "I Get A Kick Out of You," "You're The Top," "Easy to Love," "Friendship," "It's De-Lovely," the title cut, "Blow Gabriel Blow," and "All Through the Night," to name but the most obvious titles.

While the entire cast is nothing short of brilliant, the show clearly belongs to Patti LuPone in the role of Reno Sweeney, an evangelist who does a little nightclub act on the side. LuPone hasn't been in better form since she dazzled New York audiences in EVITA, and her knock-you-flat vocal style is perfectly suited to both the role and the complex Porter tunes originally written for Broadway powerhouse Ethel Merman... and indeed, even Merman's memorable renditions seem to pale a bit in comparison.

Purists may complain about fiddling with the score, and it is true that this revival drops as many Porter classics from the original score as it adds from other sources; "Let's Misbehave" is particularly missed. But it's hard to argue with the addition of "De-Lovely" and "Easy to Love" (the latter of which Porter originally gave to Jimmy Stewart, of all people, to perform in the memorable 1936 film BORN TO DANCE.) And when Patti LuPone launches into "Anything Goes," you'll know it really does. Recommended as a knock-out in every possible way!

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

The '87 Revival Cast Is Great!
A few years ago, I saw this revival version in my hometown and was amazed at how good it was. I have never been a huge Cole Porter Fan, but this show really changed my mind. I have heard (and own)all of the CDs of the different revival versions, but this is easily my favorite. The sound quality is very good and Patti LuPone is actually very good in this difficult role as Reno Sweeney. It is a very fun disk to listen to if you like Cole Porter or if you just like "Anything Goes!" ... Read more

Album Details

20bit Digitally Remastered Edition of the First of the All-star Soundtracks for Soundtrack's Sake. Featured Players Include the Late Richard Burton, the Late Phil Lynott and the Moody Blues'justin Hayward, Whose "Forever Autumn" from this Album Became his Biggest Solo Hit. This Collection also Includes Four Bonus Tracks:a Remix and Dub of 'forever Autumn' and a Remix of 'eve of the War' and a Dub of 'spirit of Man". ... Read more

Reviews (126)

Thrilling and Beautiful...
I first discovered this masterpiece over 20 years ago in a record store and thought its cover was quite unique. Started playing it and my family sat in and listened as well. The music was quite haunting especially "Forever Autumn". Needless to say WOTW was played a great deal. Fast forward to this past July, I again found the CD in a Book/Record store and immediately purchased it. The young man who worked at the cash register was quite impressed with the names behind WOTW's production. I encouraged him to buy a copy and listen seriously. Two days later my sister, her seven-year-old daughter and I were on a 2-hour road trip to participate a 5K race. What better way to pump ourselves up than to "imagine" the Martians chasing us!

Hearing the opening lines of "Thunder Child" brought tears to my eyes. You cannot help but imagine seeing the tripod figures striding through the Thames bearing down upon a lone ironclad vessel which had no hope of winning such an ill balanced battle. This is a wonderful CD. I highly recommend it to everyone.

Timeless Interpretation of a Timeless Story
Like another reviewer, my introduction to Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds was on Halloween night, probably on WNOR-FM (Norfolk, VA), in the late 1970's. War of the Worlds is one of those incredible performances that should not be limited to the memories of the "70's generation".

Like Tommy, The Wall and even Thick as a Brick, it is a timeless piece of theatrical work. I've always felt that WOTW is highly worthy or reintroduction every few years so that up and coming generations can experience Richard Burton's evocative storytelling, the haunting vocals of Julie Covington as Beth, the madness of Parson Nathaniel (the late Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy) and the Artillary Man (David "Rock On" Essex), and can once and for all hear Justin Hayward's lyrical Forever Autumn in its proper context.

I have even dreamed of a WOTW revival with new artists performing - Patrick Stewart as the Journalist, and some more contemporary vocalists in the key roles - suggestions anyone?

Needed some work
Jeff Wayne's War Of The Worlds is one of those albums whose legend far surpasses it's content. This album is well known and well recieved within prog rock circles, but not well known outside of them. I remember being very taken by it upon first listen as a young man (the artwork accompanying the album is priceless). It was quite the novelty hearing a rock opera with Sir Richard Burton narrating. But beyond the novelty, there isn't much substance.

In 1978 this album had what seemed to be a stellar cast. But in hind-sight, most of these performers had passed through the apex of their popularity and rellevance. Most all the muscial performers had spoken dialog as well as singing parts, except Heyward, who does most of the vocals. And of course there is Richard Burton, whose classically trained, stacatto voice is perfect for this style of recording. His performance carries the show, which doesn't say much for a rock album. Most of the dialog using Lynott, Essex and Covington ranges from banal to over-rought (Lynott's 'parson' is played way over the top and is somewhat embarrising given how big a Thin Lizzy fan I am).

That is not to say that there isn't some fine moments here and there. Heyward's Forever Autumn and Thunder Child are the only two songs that really stand out musically speaking. Forever Autumn is a wistful lament expressing seperation and loss, and while not directly related to the story, it does serve the plot well. Thunder Child is a minor masterpiece, melding story line lyrics and Burton's impecible narration with pop/rock hooks. If most of the album resembled this work, it might actually be the classic everyone thinks it is. But the people behind the console have to take a hit here as well. A superb, etherial instrumental like The Red Weed is marred by narration instead of being a stand alone song, save for the lead-in by Burton. The mixing job as a whole is somewhat clumsy. The goofy dialog (along with the disco trappings) should have been scrapped and more attention paid to the quality of the music.

Jeff Wayne may have had the vision and the ambition, but lacked the chops and flair of a Rick Wakeman, nor did he have the composition skills of an Alan Parsons. And I'm afraid that time hasn't been kind to this release. Instead of being a period as it was intended to, it's sound is inexorably linked to the year in which it was recorded. Maybe an updated version of this story is in order-((hello Rick Wakeman...)) It was a good idea that never was realized to it's best potential.

CLASSIC
I am still only 15, but I heard this when I was nine, and thought it was the best thing since chocolate. It introduced me to many, many other albums and bands. I owe it all to Jeff Wayne, and also to Rick Wakeman as I soon after heard his Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
This is a very powerful album in many respects, not only for it's famous narration by Richard Burton and its even more famous DUM DUM DUMMM, DUM DUM DUMMM, you get the picture. (I hope!) I truly believe that anyone who likes any form of music from the 70's will like this. I wont pretend that todays younger generation will appreciate it as the masterpiece it is, but all the rest of us should proudly own a copy of 'JEFF WAYNES MUSICAL VERSION OF THE WAR OF THE WORLDS.' It's a true classic, up their with Mozart and Haydn, well done Jeff! H.G. Wells would be proud.

a life long LOVE!
I was introduced to, "War of the Worlds," in 1978, by my older brother who had been introduced to it through his 8th grade math teacher. This album is one i still play quite often. My kids have grown up with this musical and know every line and all the changes in the music, and i plan on sharing this album with my grandkids. Yes, to me, its a classic. What can i say, Richard Burton, if i had the awful chance of not being familar with this ablum, and i was told Richard Burton was the narrator, i would flip! Richard Burton has a way pulling our mind strings, alerting to us that every word he will say is one to cling onto. The music: I have always been a huge disco fan. The guitar wah wah sounds OUTSTANDING!!! The crys (leads) of the guitar in the background of the second song, "Horsell Common and The Heat Ray", creap me out and prepare the listener for the evil that is coming upon the earth. The chills i get with the quiet solemn sadness of, "The Red Weed", pt1 and 2., and "Dead London", how tired and fightened the journalist was and the music protrayed the uncontrolling desire for death. I feel Jeff Wayne was ahead of his time with his ideas, yet still stayed within his own era, where he can be appreciated within his own gerneration and many to come. I loved everything that was done in this album. So, for me this album has been one i grew up with and am very parcial too, but in a small part in the back of mind i dream of a modern version of this classic, but i worry of how it may come out. I would hope nothing would change at all, and the feel of the orginal would come through. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Pop this on, close your eyes, and you'll be instantly transported back to the Vegas of 1966. The Sands Hotel was still the "class joint" where Sinatra and his Rat Pack buddies partied, held court, and occasionally even performed. This priceless document (Sinatra's first official live album) captures the Chairman of the Board in performance mode, ably supported by conductor-arranger Quincy Jones and Count Basie and his Orchestra. The set list comprises 16 Sinatra classics--including "Come Fly with Me," "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)," "It Was a Very Good Year," and "Angel Eyes"--along with two Basie instrumentals and some seriously un-P.C. stage banter. Essential. --Dan Epstein ... Read more

Reviews (84)

'Frank' and 'Splank' Live!
"Sinatra at the Sands" (originally released in mid 1966) was actually the first commercial issue of a live Sinatra performance.

The "Sands" album was recorded over a 10 day series of performances at the Sand's famous Copa Room and features Sinatra in his primed backed by the Basie band with most arrangements written by Quincy Jones.

However, not all of Sinatra's material and arrangements are successfully "Basie-ized"

"It Was A Very Good Year" and "September of My Years," for example, still need the lush string arrangements of the original recordings; Billy May's chart on "Luck Be A Lady" with the tempo rushed seems awkward as performed here ("Luck", by the way, was not released on the original LP), and even Frank and Basie can't save "Get Me To The Church On Time".

But enough carping.

"Sinatra At The Sands" is Frank in the mid 60's, backed by the great Basie band, performing in Vegas before it was turned into a family-themed amusement park.

What more need be said?

Get This On "DVD-Audio" If You Can Find It! Amazing Sound!
I couldn't find a specific Amazon webpage for the "DVD-Audio" version of this fabulous Frank Sinatra album, so I'm putting this review in here for the "Audio CD" version.

But, if you can locate a copy of the DVD-Audio edition of "Sinatra At The Sands", I'd highly recommend going with that alternative. Because the Surround Sound is terrific and full on the DVD-Audio. You are literally smothered in sound via this excellent disc, as Old Blue Eyes belts out more than a dozen top tunes, as only he can do.

From "Come Fly With Me" to "My Kind Of Town" (and a whole bunch more in between), Frank gives the "Sands" audience (and us) a top-notch musical experience, which comes complete with that tremendous-sounding Count Basie Orchestra. There are also two "Monologue" tracks presented on the DVD, with Frank keeping his Las Vegas audience in stitches with many memorable quips. Plus, we also get three separate "Count Basie Instrumentals" during the concert.

This "Sinatra At The Sands" disc (which has a total running time of 76 minutes) was actually recorded over a period of several nights, culling many different Sinatra performances from his appearances at "The Sands Hotel" in late January and February 1, 1966. This was just shortly after Frank's 50th birthday (which he celebrated on December 12, 1965).

I play this DVD-Audio disc on a "standard" DVD-Video Player, which means if you've got a "DVD-Audio Player" this disc will sound even *better* (with two "Advanced Resolution" soundtracks being offered). But, on regular DVD-Video Players, you can still get tremendous sound via the TWO separate Dolby Digital Tracks that are included (a 5.1 Surround track and one with 2.0 Stereo).

A sizeable "Photo Gallery" is provided as a bonus "video" feature on the DVD-Audio edition of this album, with many behind-the-scenes and on-stage images, displayed in super-clear resolution. A great Gallery!

A 16-page booklet comes in this package, with a track listing and extensive liner notes, including a surplus of behind-the-scenes information regarding Mr. Sinatra and his appearances at "The Sands".

If you have an intense desire to be "Surrounded" by one of the greatest entertainers in history (specifically a fellow by the name of Frank), then I'd recommend running out and securing a DVD-Audio copy of this very enjoyable concert. Your ears will thank you. (At the very least, get the CD version.)

A Compelling Live Performance That Only Sinatra Can Provide
By 1966, Frank Sinatra had already established himself as a worldclass superstar. He was also an amazing showman. So imagine how great it was that his magnificent stage show was captured on tape and released to the public in 1966. The record was "Sinatra At The Sands", recorded at the famous Las Vegas showroom with the Count Basie orchestra.

On this cd, Sinatra swings through 16 of his classics, including lively versions of "Come Fly With Me", "Fly Me To The Moon", "I've Got You Under My Skin" (best veresion of the song, studio or live), "Get Me To The Church On Time", "Luck Be A Lady", "Where Or When" and "My Kind Of Town". Some of the best moments, however, are the mellow balads he does, including exceptional versions of "It Was A Very Good Year" and the haunting "September Of My Years". Also, there's some of his hilarious yet eyebrow - raising stage banter that would have raised controversy today.

Count Basie and his fabulous orchestra shine on their two solo spots, "One O'Clock Jump" and a delightful "Makin' Woopee". They also provide scorching backup for a Sinatra's performance. Just listen to the intro to "Come Fly With Me" and how Basie gently attackss the piano keys on "Fly Me To The Moon". This is what a live show should be. I reco,mmen this cd annd only wish live shows could be more like this today.

Simply one of the very best albums I own from any era
I've been a Sinatra fan since my early 20's (about fifteen years now) and I've searched far and wide for an album that compares to this one. I haven't found one yet. Whether you are a big Frank Sintra fan or you just want to have a collection that includes The Chairman (everyone should own at least one Frank CD) this album is a must. While I don't love every song on this, there are many songs that are just breathtakingly splendid to make this an 5 Star CD. Sinatra, who was 50 when this was recorded was at the top of his game. Songs like "Come fly with me" and "In other words" are simply incredible. Every time I listen to this it puts me in a good mood.

This album takes you back and gives you an idea just how special it must have been to be in the audience back in 1966. I shouldn't forget Count Basie and his band as a part of this album. They, and Quincy Jones make it great just as Sinatra does. I would say this album is a must for almost anybody's collection. You will love it.

Francis always shines as always.
This is a great Frank Live album. I don't know where to begin. Not only does he sound great singing these wonderful songs such as The Shadow of Your Smile, The September of My Years, One For My Baby (And One More For The Road),You Make Me Feel So Young, Don't Worry 'bout Me, Luck Be A Lady, which are my favourite on the album. He puts 100% his heart and soul into the entire album. Also, it doesn't hurt, to hear his voice which I love. The man is so charming. You can tell Frank really enjoyed his time with the audience. His cracking up jokes, and being the cool and charming man he always is. Ol' Blue eyes fans you won't be disappointed with this purchase. It's one of my favourite Live albums of his. ... Read more