Re-enjoying Favorite Cast Albums

[qazdannywsx]

Posted: 6/17/13 at 7:42am

I find that I no longer find cast albums that I love as much fun to listen to. The experience isn't as thrilling as the first 100 times you listen to them. So I turn my iPod on and there's nothing I really wanna listen to, although it's full of cast albums I love. Have either of you had this problem..? Can you make yourself enjoy something again, after you've listened to it a thousand times...?

[John Adams]

Posted: 6/17/13 at 7:46am

Change your setting to "Shuffle". It makes a surprising difference when you're not bound to listening to an entire show at once.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 6/17/13 at 9:42am

I divide my cast album collection into unique playlists. One playlist is dedicated only to Broadway love songs, another only leading men, yet another consists entirely of overtures and entr'actes and of course there is one that features just Broadway divas and one just features showstoppers...it keeps things fresh and interesting for me.

Updated On: 6/17/13 at 09:42 AM

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 6/17/13 at 9:54am

This happens all the time to me. I get burnt out of my favorite albums, but all you have to do is avoid an OBCR for a few months and you will be surprised what you hear when you revisit it.

[Amalia Balash]

Posted: 6/17/13 at 10:06am

I second the recommendation for Shuffle. I have a smart playlist set up in iTunes for Musicals, Broadway, Showtunes, Soundtracks, and any other tag iTunes has assigned to Broadway musicals over the years. Click on Shuffle and I'm constantly surprised. If something grabs my ear, I switch to listening to the whole OBCR.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 6/17/13 at 10:14am

I have listened to the obc of HELLO, DOLLY! thousands, maybe even millions of times. In fact, it's playing right now. It NEVER fails to delight me.

[all that jazz]

Posted: 6/17/13 at 10:31am

I also second the motion about shuffling and playlists. I often have the same problem, I get hooked on a particular cast recording, (at the moment is Oliver) and then I go through a stage that I only want to listen to that show. Eventually I grow tired of it, and get hooked on another one and after going through maybe 6 or 7 different shows I'm able to come back to it again. The obsessing stage is also usually accompanied by watching the respective film or clips and directing my research towards that particular show.

[Brian07663NJ]

Posted: 6/17/13 at 10:35am

currently back to the 1994 revival of Damn Yankees and loving it as much as I did when I saw it back then!

[qazdannywsx]

Posted: 6/17/13 at 10:43am

Thanks for all the advice! AllThatJazz- I think I'm only having this problem because I haven't purchased a new album for a while, so I'm not excited about anything new..
I'll try the shuffle trick.. I do tend to listen to chunks of albums at a time, so I guess random songs might be a fun change.

[JudyDenmark]

Posted: 6/17/13 at 11:12am

I have this issue from time to time and solve it by either a) listening to an entirely different genre for a few months (might I recommend the band Delta Rae for harmony-loving Bway people?), or b) making thematic playlists of my Bway stuff (all production numbers, diva solos, comedy songs, etc.). Forcing myself to browse my library more thoroughly inevitably makes me discover something I once loved and haven't listen to in ages. Happened with the London Snoopy recording a few days ago... I put "I Know Now" on a playlist and instantly remembered how much I love that whole show. It's been on repeat since Friday.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 6/17/13 at 11:39am

This happens all the time to me. I get burnt out of my favorite albums, but all you have to do is avoid an OBCR for a few months and you will be surprised what you hear when you revisit it.

Agreed. After not hearing a cast recording for a few months (even one that I had been playing incessantly before that), it is extremely rewarding to come back to. For me, musicals stand the test of time more than any other albums in my collection.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 6/17/13 at 8:53pm

There are a handful that I never tire of... CAROUSEL, FLOWER DRUM SONG, GYPSY. MOST HAPPY FELLA, CALL ME MADAM (film ST), ON YOUR TOES, BABES IN ARMS, MY FAIR LADY, MUSIC MAN, MAME, SUBWAYS ARE FOR SLEEPING, THE HAPPIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD, COMPANY, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, and RAGTIME. These are all permanently installed on my MP3 player. Others come and go getting a lot of listens for a while then retired for several months: ANYTHING GOES, TAKE ME ALONG, SOUND OF MUSIC, EVITA, PIPPIN, WH0OP-UP, MILK AND HONEY, HAPPY HUNTING. Then there are recnt OCR's that went onto the player got a few listens when they were new and then fell out of rotation: SPAMALOT, LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, CURTAINS, WICKED, BOOK OF MORMON, JERSEY BOYS, GREY GARDENS. My player will only hold about 40 full OCR's so the list gets revised with some regularity. I actually bought second one and use the older (smaller capacity) player for Christmas music exclusively. I had a thought of having several players in rotation each with a different mix of cast albums. So far I haven't purchased the extra units.

[LuminousBeing]

Posted: 6/17/13 at 10:06pm

I have "mood" playlists comprised of a mix of theater and other music. For example, I have a "Caffeine" playlist, on which I put songs that get my blood going. (Examples: "30/90" from "tick...tick...BOOM," "Guttersnipe" from "Taboo") That list on Shuffle is great for long early-morning commutes or all-nighters. I also have a "Valium" playlist that contains relaxing music (e.g. "Falling Slowly" from "Once," "Pretty Lady" from "Pacific Overtures"). Shuffling that list is great for plane/long bus trips, insomnia, or background when I'm stressed. You could try something similar: pick the top moods or emotions you most enjoy/aim for, and have fun going through your collection picking the individual songs that fit them. Hope that gives you some inspiration!

[Fan123]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 4:53am

I find that unrelated stories help me get back into cast albums. If I really enjoy a non-musical movie/TV show/book, I'll sometimes look through my albums to find songs that *could* be reinterpreted as being about that unrelated story, to help prolong my enjoyment. It can make the songs fresh again. And even if the reinterpretation strains or distorts the song or the new plotline I'm forcing onto it, that can be entertaining in itself.

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 6/18/13 at 7:56am

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