Help Historians: When Has This Happened Before? (Jonas H2$)- Page 2

[temms]

Posted: 4/18/12 at 1:18pm

The difference with Kiss Of The SpiderWoman was that the three main leads were included, not just the "star", like the Brooke Shields recordings.

Many of the keys changed for the new performers (definitely the Aurora/Spiderwoman stuff, and I think for McGillin and Stokes as well) so at least some of the second Spiderwoman album was entirely newly recorded, not just with new lead vocals overdubbed onto the old tracks. That would include any ensemble vocals, too.

I haven't listened to either album in years, so I can't say if the tracks that don't feature the three new leads were merely dropped in from the old recording as opposed to being newly recorded. I imagine they used the old tracks, but someone else may know differently.

[greensgreens]

Posted: 4/18/12 at 2:46pm

The quality and orchestrations on the Spider Woman recordings are a dead giveaway that the entire Vanessa Williams recording is new. I much prefer that recording for the reasons others have mentioned, but also for the quality and orchestrations - they have a MUCH more "live" sound to them. IMHO, the recording captures perfectly what the show really was like in the theatre. The Chita recording, while fabulous in its own way, is very glossy, "sweetened" with extra instruments and engineered with such precision that it - like so many other cast recordings of modern times - feels fake and loses a lot of that great "liveness" that captures the theatre-going experience.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/18/12 at 4:50pm

My one and only quibble with the Williams Spider Woman is her stylized vocals where she slides down at the end of every phrase. I don't mind a bit of personal style, but it happens so much, it really starts being grating after a while and then it's all I hear. Same thing with Into the Woods. It's almost as if she simply doesn't know how to finish a phrase, so she just drops it off.