Fav/Least-Fav Changes in scores on cast albums

[Joshua Rosenthal]

Posted: 1/22/21 at 3:18pm

What are your favorite or least favorite changes in a cast album from its shell? Two albums that come to mind for me are:

1.) Wicked: The taking out of the its meeeee in Defying Gravity,

2.) I really hate how many albums omit/shorten overtures, entr’actes, curtain calls, and exit music. 
 

2.5.) THE FACT THAT THEY MADE THE WIZ’S INCREDIBLE OVERTURE INTO A SMALL PROLOGUE  It’s still good but the full overture in licensed productions and in the Broadway productions is by far superior  

3.) Wonderland: I prefer the later version of the overture, changing the opening number from Worst Day of My Life to Home as well as taking out the harmonies in the end of Through the Looking Glass. Really, I prefer the later version of the show on Broadway (though I prefer either version of Worst Day of My Life (fast rock as well as the slow campy one). More from that show, but I wanna hear yours!

Updated On: 1/23/21 at 03:18 PM

[MattieIce2018]

Posted: 1/22/21 at 3:26pm

Another one from Wicked - I hate that Wicked Witch of the East was omitted, even though I can somewhat understand the rationale that it's very dialogue-driven.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 1/22/21 at 3:42pm

I dislike how most cast albums omit entr'actes and exit music (thank God for the West End Company). Show the darn musicians some love! Also of recent memory:

Hamilton: There is a beautiful string underscore right before "It's Quiet Uptown" that harkens back to "Dear Theodosia" which the OBCR leaves out.

Kinky Boots: The Angels' "Lola... Lola... Lola" intro before "Land of Lola" is missing on the B'way cast album, and that was just powerful to hear live.

Jagged Little Pill: "Predator" resolves to its home key on the OBCR (A minor)- which isn't the case live. "Thank U" is also performed in full (as it was at American Rep), and I like this better than the truncated B'way version. 

Moulin Rouge!: The longer Whitney outro at the end is notably missing from the OBCR's "Shut Up and Raise Your Glass": "Somebody who, somebody who... somebody who loves me..."

 

 

 

 

 

[NameGreg]

Posted: 1/22/21 at 6:30pm

I really wish that the Drood revival recorded Rosa, Neville, and Crisparkle’s versions of “Out on a Limmerick”. I get why they only went with Bazzard and Helena, as they were picked almost every single time that production, but it’s still a shame that Betsy Wolfe, Andy Karl, and Gregg Edelman didn’t get to immortalize their respective solos, especially cause I’m sure, based on their other work in the show, they were all excellent when they actually got to do the number.

I also find it odd that both Broadway revivals of Kiss Me Kate didn’t include “From this Moment On” in their cast albums. I’m not gonna pretend it’s one of the show’s best songs, but it’s still strange for a musical soundtrack to completely ignore an entire full fledged duet featuring the lead actress, and in the first revival’s case, an Tony winning veteran.

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 1/22/21 at 8:32pm

I will never understand why they jumped the gun and made a cast recording of the Chicago version of Spongebob Squarepants. Not only is the Broadway version far stronger, it's also the one that's going to be licensed for amateur and high school performance. Why wouldn't you make that version the one that's readily accessible?

[DiscoCrows]

Posted: 1/22/21 at 9:24pm

I have always had a vendetta against the Mean Girls recording for cutting Gretchen's dance break from Fearless. It's such a fun, upbeat melody and I think it's arguably where the song's energy hits its' peak, right before it slows down to go into Karen's little ribbon dance bit. The fact that it's gone is so annoying.

[NameGreg]

Posted: 1/22/21 at 10:13pm

Alex Kulak2 said: "I will never understand why they jumped the gun and made a cast recording of the Chicago version ofSpongebob Squarepants. Not only is the Broadway version far stronger, it's also the one that's going to be licensed for amateur and high school performance. Why wouldn't you make that version the one that's readily accessible?"

I absolutely agree that this was a mistake. Not only does it not truly reflect the score, which was improved on Broadway, it also means that Wesley Taylor, Brian Ray Norris, and Jailen Josey are completely absent, even though they were far better than the actors that they replaced.

In general, I also don’t like when shoes cut down dance breaks. I like hearing the instrumentals, and I think the average person listening to these albums does as well.

[bwaylvsong1]

Posted: 1/23/21 at 12:33am

One of my favorite moments on the “Light in the Piazza” OBCR was created by cutting some dialogue- in the song “Octet”, there’s a moment of silence after Clara’s outburst (which replaced dialogue in the show) that I find incredibly powerful.

[MollyJeanneMusic]

Posted: 1/23/21 at 9:45am

Favorite:

1. I love the lyric change for the movie adaptation of The Last Five Years where Jamie talks about Cathy being disappointed about "going again to Ohio" instead of "touring again for the summer."  We've already seen how much Cathy hates the summer theatre in Ohio, and we know she'll be stuck there up until at least "See, I'm Smiling" - so it gives Cathy way more of a reason to be upset and vindicates her throughout this argument/song.

2. The playoff of "Alyssa Greene" from The Prom is cut from the album, and it leaves you in the mood of the scene much more effectively than the sorta-upbeat playoff.  They even kept the album end for the movie adaptation.

3. The transition between "Ready, Set - Reprise" and "No Reason" on the Beetlejuice cast album is one of my favorite parts of the album!  I understand why it's not in the musical, since there's a book scene in between, but it's so cool to listen to.

4. I do agree with the person who mentioned the SpongeBob album, but I do miss some of the lyrics from Chicago's "Chop to the Top" and I'm glad they were preserved somewhere.  (Also, as someone who's a big fan of the band Lady A, Lilli and Ethan are really pulling double duty in that song by doing impressions of both the characters they're playing and also the lead singers of the band.)

5. On the Anastasia album, they turned "Still" into a standalone song without the short "A Rumor in St. Petersburg" reprise immediately before it, and I think the song is better for it - it becomes less about the chase that's about to ensue and more the inner struggles of Gleb's character.

6. I like the end of "You Will Still Be Mine" from Waitress better on the album than in the show proper.  It gives the performer a button for the song and allows the audience to sit in the dramatic moment of the song. Also, it gave Nick Cordero a few more lines to sing on an album that did not feature him nearly enough, and for that I will forever be grateful.

7. The overture on the newest My Fair Lady cast album resolves into the final chord of "I Could Have Danced All Night," while the show itself transitioned immediately into the trumpets of the opening.  I very much prefer the album's way of doing things, and I would love to know if this difference is a common thing within productions.

Now least-favorite:

1. I agree with the person who mentioned the string section leading into "It's Quiet Uptown" in Hamilton, and I also miss the "My Shot" playoff into "The Story of Tonight."  It's so much fun, and otherwise, the next song seems to come out of nowhere.

2. There are maybe four measures missing from the lead-in to the "Seize the Day" dance break on the Newsies album, and it drives me a little bit up the wall every time I listen to it.  Thank goodness for the proshot!

3. In the Broadway and licensed production of Matilda, there's a children's chorus that sings underneath the final chorus of "The Smell of Rebellion," and I really miss that when listening to the cast album.

4. I could speak at length about how weirdly inappropriate the fade-out of the Pippin finale into Theo's "Corner of the Sky" reprise is on the 2013 album.  There are so many better ways to do that part of the song, and it cuts out Pippin and Catherine's a cappella singing in between, which is one of the best parts of the show.

5. I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Spring Awakening cast album.  Was it recorded and/or released before the show was frozen?  I remember reading that the show changed some lyrics and added some harmonies, especially in "The Song of Purple Summer," right before previews ended, and I much prefer those versions of the songs.

6. Again, I agree with the person who mentioned the Chicago recording for SpongeBob, although I do think the three actors who left the production (especially Emmy Raver-Lampman) were still incredible performers and brought their own energy to their roles.  The thing I miss the most is the end of "Bikini Bottom Day," which was expanded into an incredible finale to the song and provides the audience so much wonderful energy - and it has one of my favorite lines in the show, which is, "I will always vow and pledge allegiance to/This town that I hold dear/For all are welcome here."

[NameGreg]

Posted: 1/23/21 at 11:10am

Another example that I didn’t like was removing the train whistle near the beginning of Chant II in Hadestown’s Broadway album. To me, that took away such a feeling of dread from the number. I also disliked that same song’s recording removing the sound effect of lights shutting down after Hades’ “electric city” line. It’s still a great moment regardless cause Patrick Page kills his line, but it doesn’t have the same oomph without it.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 1/23/21 at 12:51pm

The cast recording of Spring Awakening was made between Off-Broadway and Broadway (I believe), so none of the Broadway lyric changes (so many), orchestrations (Broadway added piano/harmonium, violin, and viola, all of which appear on the recording but not in their finalized version), or the game-changing new vocal arrangements were preserved. The cutoffs and vocal textures were all fixed by the time it hit Broadway, but you’ll hear it’s a bit of a mess on record. What we have is not representative of how the frozen show sounds. It’s absolutely criminal we don’t have a proper recording of “The Song of Purple Summer.”

Someone mentioned Kinky Boots. I wish we had the runway presentation in between the intro and first verse of “Raise You Up.” You can hear it on the London recording.

Updated On: 1/23/21 at 12:51 PM

[Joshua Rosenthal]

Posted: 1/23/21 at 11:34pm

Jordan Levinson said: "I dislike how most cast albums omit entr'actes and exit music (thank God for the West EndCompany). Show the darn musicians some love!”

YES! I have ALWAYS thought this! Also some overtures (will never forgive the people who decided to cut tThe Wiz’s magical overture to the small prologue on the album), even if they’re short, like in Hairspray or Gettin’ the Band Back Together just to name a few. Also I much prefer the triumphant later Broadway Wonderland overture to the album one. I feel as though Wonderland in it’s later forms is better in many ways. 

[MattieIce2018]

Posted: 1/24/21 at 6:09pm

The Beauty and the Beast overture is one of my favorites (and I love the way it segues into the Prologue). I always wish it had been included on the album, especially since the entr'acte and quite a bit of underscore were included. Updated On: 1/24/21 at 06:09 PM

[JuneJune]

Posted: 1/24/21 at 6:36pm

DiscoCrows said: "I have always had a vendetta against the Mean Girls recording for cutting Gretchen's dance break from Fearless. It's such a fun, upbeatmelody and I think it's arguably where the song'senergy hits its' peak, right before it slows down to go into Karen's little ribbon dance bit. The fact that it's gone is so annoying."

Seconding this. I always thought the same. 

On that note, even if it's short, I always wished that the Fearless Reprise was recorded.

[cliffordbradshaw2]

Posted: 1/25/21 at 1:07am

"Funny Girl," "The Music That Makes Me Dance"

In the theater, following the conclusion of the verse with "If I've been burned, I haven't learned," a voice was heard over the loudspeaker saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, Florenz Ziegfeld presents the one and only--Fanny Brice!"

Then Fanny, now performing for an audience, resumes with "I know he's around when the sky and the ground start in ringing...."

Updated On: 1/25/21 at 01:07 AM

[Philly Theater Girl]

Posted: 1/25/21 at 7:05am

Least Favorite Change

Moulin Rouge - Roxanne. This song is amazing live. Aaron Tveit really shines when performing this live but on the cast album, the song is so overproduced (all of the echo effects) that you can't really appreciate how powerful his voice is.

[copskid949]

Posted: 1/25/21 at 7:18am

Going off of Spring Awakening, I actually quite love Moritz’s “And Then There Were None” section where he went:

“They freak or won’t, you toe the line

You tell your soul just kill some time

Will it quit, it will until they don’t”

I actually really prefer it instead of heading straight into “They’re not my home...” like they did on Broadway. The musical moment just feels a lot more complete here. Plus the rest of the song is so fast and frantic, it’s nice to have a slower, more loaded section where Moritz doesn’t avoid talking about the issue and actually does take a moment to develop his thoughts. It’s a small detail, but I feel like it really does connect him closer to the Moritz we see in “Don’t Do Sadness” by (spoilers?) directly establishing the inevitability he feels comes with being suicidal, and the reason he rejects Ilse’s advances.

Updated On: 1/25/21 at 07:18 AM

[copskid949]

Posted: 1/25/21 at 7:18am

Oops, double post!

Updated On: 1/25/21 at 07:18 AM

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 1/25/21 at 12:05pm

The fact that the original production couldn't fund a true recording of the Dreamgirls score. The original Broadway cast recording is beyond truncated with important cut songs, and makes you think the show was a regular book musical as opposed one that was almost fully musical with music nearly happening throughout. They also cut "Heavy" and took out the bridge to "And I Am Telling You".

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 1/25/21 at 12:14pm

ScottyDoesn'tKnow2 said: "The fact that the original production couldn't fund a true recording of the Dreamgirls score. The original Broadway cast recording is beyond truncated with important cut songs, and makes you think the show was a regular book musical as opposed one that was almost fully musical with music nearly happening throughout. They also cut "Heavy" and took out the bridge to "And I Am Telling You"."

At least they DID record “It’s All Over” but it was left off the 1982 release of the cast album.  It was included on the 2006 reissue.

 

 

Updated On: 1/25/21 at 12:14 PM

[Joshua Rosenthal]

Posted: 1/25/21 at 12:50pm

ScottyDoesn'tKnow2 said: "The fact that the original production couldn't fund a true recording of the Dreamgirls score. The original Broadway cast recording is beyond truncated with important cut songs, and makes you think the show was a regular book musical as opposed one that was almost fully musical with music nearly happening throughout. They also cut "Heavy" and took out the bridge to "And I Am Telling You"."

I also don’t like how in the original (not the OBC Special edition) album, they don’t include the Dreamgirls reprise finale, thus “Hard to Say Goodbye” being the final song. When I listened to the original album initially, I thought that was the finale. While I like “Hard to Say Goodbye”, I felt underwhelmed having thought that that was the finale to the entire show, it being a fade out of the three singing, thinking that there must be more, only to find Dreamgirls Reprise, which is One of my favorite songs. Love the whole show and songs. 

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 1/25/21 at 3:20pm

The ones that come to mind are as follows (some of which have already been said):

-Wicked: why they haven't released an album with "Wicked Witch of the East", and more of the complete score kind of surprises me. They have been able to rerelease the album with cover tracks, twice, why not the full score? 

-Beauty and the Beast: I want that overture! Also, surprised they never released a commercial version of "A Change in Me", seeing as it is now in the license material/productions.

-Legally Blonde: another missing overture! Also, they cut some of the dance break moments in "What You Want". There was a promo cd with 3 tracks on it, where they included the whole number as it appears in the show.

-Follies and Dreamgirls: the usual suspects being cut for time, due to LP's.

[MattieIce2018]

Posted: 1/25/21 at 4:02pm

fashionguru_23 said: "-Legally Blonde: another missing overture! Also, they cut some of the dance break moments in "What You Want". There was a promo cd with 3 tracks on it, where they included the whole number as it appears in the show."



Speaking of Legally Blonde, I know it's a lot of dialogue but I wish they had found a way to include some version of the Scene of the Crime sequence. The jump from the Legally Blonde Remix to the Finale on the album is so jarring because of how much happens in between.

[7thbighero]

Posted: 1/25/21 at 8:10pm

The Original Off Broadway cast recording of Little Shop is borderline unlistenable. Another victim of LP cuts. Cutting Audrey’s death, placing Closed For Renovations after Now (It’s Just the Gas) just to name a few issues. Fortunately the 2019 revival recording is superb.

 

i agree about the Fearless dance cut, and my disappointment at the World Burn fight break being cut was strong,

 

 

[David10086]

Posted: 1/25/21 at 11:51pm

My least favorite changes are the rewritten lyrics to “ With One Look” in SUNSET BOULEVARD from Sydmonton to the final song in the production.

Also, the change at the end of “ New Ways to Dream” from London to LA/ NY by dropping “ They can’t see where the future lies....They don’t recognize a star. “ Such a mistake.

On the flip side, I like most of the other changes from London to LA / NY.