Henious Cast Recordings

Posted: 12/23/04 at 1:13am

What are some of your LEAST favorite cast recordings. Let it now be said that a cast recording is VERY different from the music written for the show and the performances. Im not talking about that. Im talking about the quality of the actual recordings. What are the worst.

my least favorite recording is easily Wicked. I was so utterly dissapointed. Its just aweful. The score has some flaws, which are all EXTREMELY apparent on this recording. The performances are not that great either. You can hear Kristin Chenoweth crack in her opening number. AND am I the only one that thinks Idina Menzel sounds like a phone sex operater at the beggining of Wizard and I.

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 1:18am

Wow-not like wicked? that's original...That's one of my favorites.

I'm weird in the way that I usually like the revivals and the new casts WAY better than the originals...like 42nd street, Oklahoma! (Hugh's version), Little Shop (omg I love Kerry and Hunter!), etc.

I can't really think of any I hate, but I don't like The other Little Shops (I really can't stand Ellen Greene), and I hate Mame in general, but I haven't heard enough stuff to know what else.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 1:18am

I think FOLLIES is pretty wretched, but supposedly they were having technical issues that day, or something like that.

TABOO isn't a bad recording, I just wish there was a better balance between the musicians and singers in the louder rock songs - often times their voices are lost and muffled by the band.

*update - Stephanie's post reminded me. I actually think the revival LITTLE SHOP recording is absolutely terrible. It's so cheap sounding. It sounds like it was recorded with play microphones. It's just AWFUL. The original is great, actually...

Updated On: 12/23/04 at 01:18 AM

Posted: 12/23/04 at 1:19am

I actualy dont dislike the show or the score that much. But the RECORDING is AWEFUL!!!!!!

[Rose_MacShane]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 1:37am

I'm not happy with the "Urinetown" recording. It's very quiet and you really have to crank your stereo just to be able to hear it. I think it's one of the best scores out there; I'd just like to be able to hear it better.

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 1:39am

I know a LOT of people who hate the new cast...I'm often shunned for saying anything bad about Ellen Greene, so I guess I'm the odd one.

[ChrisLovesShows]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 1:48am

Many times more recent, revival cast recordings are appealing because the sound quality is better than recordings made 20 or 30 or more years ago. The OBC recording of HAIR, even on CD, sounded just awful. I love the show but in the past I could barely listen to the CD. (Last year a re-mastered CD was released and the quality is much better.)

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 2:01am

Stephanie: We're talking about sound quality, not actors. Best recordings, but best singers or best scores - that's the point of this. Even if I liked the revival cast the sound of the CD is still very very poor. It has nothing to do with who's singing.

On that note, SONG AND DANCE with Bernadette is very poor.

[Bal]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 2:11am

OLC and OBC Les Mis. Blech.

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 2:16am

OLC Mamma Mia! made my ears bleed.

[broadway_star_tomorrow]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 2:18am

Bklyn.
waited to pass judgement till i had heard the whole thing, but yeah....didn't like it.

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 3:04am

beauty and the beast because its so damn quiet that i have to blast it....and on mix cd's thats not fun if the next track is normal

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 3:19am

i don't think she cracks at all

Posted: 12/23/04 at 3:54am

The crack is on the "by and BYYYYYYYYCRACKYYYYYYY" its been toned donw wth computers, but its defiently there and audiable.

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 4:01am

Agree completely with Song and Dance, it sounds like it was recorded in a plastic bucket

Beauty and Beast - both the OBC and the OLC are extremely quiet. Same problem with The Fix OLC

Anyone can Whistle in Concert - the orchestra/singers balance is off quite a few times, but that is a risk with live performances I suppose . . .

Taboo OLC - I really don't like the weird production and new arrangements on the CD. I know I'm old fashioned, but I expect a cast album to represent the songs the way they are performed in the show - this sounds nothing like it did in the theatre

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Secret Garden OLC: both produced by Chris Walker, both have a flat, dead kind of quality. I can't describe it, but in the latter 'I Heard Someone Crying' and 'Lily's Eyes' don't soar as they did in the theatre and on the OBC

[AbsolutKnight]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 7:48am

I HATE it when you buy any CD in general and you feel like you have to crank the sound up so much just to get it to a normal volume. That is how I feel about the version of JCS I have (sorry, not sure which version it is off the top of my head)

[BreakingTheCircle07]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 8:24am

Mama Mia!
Merrily We Roll Along revival with Malcom Gets
Not too happy with the newest Gypsy. Too much dialogue.

Updated On: 12/23/04 at 08:24 AM

[zbigner]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 8:34am

Several posts in this thread have mentioned the differences in volume between different recordings. This difference is especially apparent between recordings made before CDs existed and more recent recordings. If you are listening on your computer, check your software. Many applications (I use iTunes) will adjust for the differences, but you might have to turn this feature on.

For making mix CDs or listening to mp3s, I strongly recommend a free program called mp3Gain. It goes through your tracks and evens out the volumes. This is what radio stations do, so you don't have to constantly adjust your volume. The results are well worth the extra time.

I also agree with the criticism of the new Little Shop recording. I wouldn't call it henious, but I don't think it captures the spirit of the show very well.

[AbsolutKnight]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 8:37am

Thanks for the tips zbigner! I will definately have to try that stuff out!

[wildcat]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 9:00am

Wait til you hear COCO with Katherine Hepburn: it sounds like all the microphones were covered with large bales of wool.

[Anne5122]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 9:01am

The first one that popped into my mind was "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change." I couldn't stand it. Sounded bad, the actors sounded like nails on chalkboard to me.

I like Wicked, but the book, score, something needs to change. There are too many songs and some don't move the plot along or rehash the same thing. Like "Thank Goodness". It's at the beginning of Act 2 on the recording and when I first heard it, I had to grab my CD to make sure that it was a different song and not my CD player going funny.

The new recording of Little Shop, I was disappointed. The Doo Wop girls had no oomph, nothing in their recording. And it sounded like they didn't have any fun and that's a fun, campy musical.

Those are the only 2 that come to mind at the moment...

Posted: 12/23/04 at 9:05am

Aspects of Love- you have to turn it up really loud. It seemed they recorded it on "low"

Chess OBC- just awful vocally except for Marcia Mitzman and Judy Kuhn. Endgame is the worst track.

[Justice]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 9:55am

I agree with Anyone Can Whistle concert. I was especially bothered by the fact that Bernadette messed up "There's Always A Woman" (which has a better recording sung by Sally Mayes & Kaye Ballard on Unsung Sondheim.)
The other one is Billy No Name. Talk about recorded at a low volume. You can have your speakers cranked up, and still can't hear it.
Jesus Christ Superstar 20th Anniversary addition. The guy playing Judas (same guy on Miss Saigon as Thuy) kept hocking up a spitter after a few notes. Not very pretty.

[Al Dente]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 10:00am

Funny that the first poster said Wicked. Perhaps it's because the entire ensemble of Wicked, with few exceptions, is made up of the dreaded ensemble of Footloose, minus the few good people that were in Fottloose at the time. I can't stress enough how Gawd awful that recording is. I'm sure Amneris will concur. It's an assault to the ears and the shrill sound you hear on all the high notes on Wicked belong to the same shrill singer from Footloose, who's name escapes me at the moment. The "full-figured" woman. I think she's only ever been in the two shows mentioned...Paging BG2.

[Carl Magnum]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 10:01am

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Into The Woods. Decent enough recording except for when Bernadette goes tottally FLAT on Last Midnight. That just ruins it for me everytime.