Altar Boyz: Opening Song/Cast Recording/News +- Page 2

[magic8ball]

Posted: 4/12/05 at 10:55pm

So... I had my first listen to the full "Altar Boyz" cast recording today. It sounds like it will be a decent translation from the show to the CD... I say this because "Altar Boyz" is a show that relies very heavily on the energy inherent in the LIVE aspect of the performance. I won't lie- I missed the overamplified bass that reverberates the auditorium in the live show. A few of the songs fail to maintain the concert feel that makes the musical so fun and refreshing to watch; rather, the tracks sound synthetic and a bit overproduced. This occurs in one of my favorite songs in the entire show, "Rhythm in Me", which is riddled with odd techno vocoder effects that I'm not particularly fond of. Some of the dance breaks are whittled down, which is disappointing. Also (and this happens with almost all cast recordings, so I wasn't totally taken by surprise), there are bits of dialogue that could have easily been included on the recording that are sadly cut out.

Now, here are the positives: The cast is in terrific form on this album. They all sound great, especially on their solo numbers. One of the biggest disappointments that I had with the album was the cut dialogue before Mark's "Epiphany"; however, Tyler rocks the house during that track, so I've decided not to complain anymore. :) There is some interesting new orchestrations on the album... It is very apparent on tracks like "Something About You", which has an interesting new synth drum loop in the background. Also, I can appreciate the harmonies at the end of the number now that they aren't overshadowed by audience laughter... although it is true that Mark's antics make the song. Andy Karl's fabulous voice really shines through in "Body, Mind, and Soul", and this makes me infinitely happy because I always feel like his performance is very underrated. Finally, I like the fact that songs on the album are clear enough that I can understand all of the lyrics... I've seen the show countless times, and there were some little things that I just picked up on with this first listen to the CD.

On a scale of 1-10, I'd give the album an 8 simply because the energy level that is present in the live show just isn't consistent here. I can watch the show again and again and not get bored whereas I can see myself getting tired of the CD after several listens.

Updated On: 4/12/05 at 10:55 PM

[Juliet2170]

Posted: 4/12/05 at 11:02pm

oh my, did the CDs get mailed?! lol i can't wait for mine to come though i'd have to admit it will be a distraction for me this week i'm so busy! thank you for your review though i will definately be on the look out for them. and i'm also really really excited to hear luke because i agree that his performance is underrated (i think because its not traditional boy-bandy catchy since we can't memorize the lyrics so easily)

since you've had the privilege before me to analyze the lyrics, what does Mark say in the first verse of Rhythm? "God put sinners down in Hell...?" that drives me crazy i can't sing along with him because i'm not sure! lol

Updated On: 4/12/05 at 11:02 PM

[magic8ball]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 3:30pm

Juliet2170,

No, the cast recordings haven't been shipped yet. Sometime soon, though. My review is based on a sneak preview that I got yesterday.

As for your question about the "Rhythm in Me" lyric- Although I don't actually own a copy of the recording yet, the lyric is "God put sinners down in hell because they did not improve".

And, finally, Luke's number- I don't necessarily find the lyrics difficult to understand, but his inflection on the recording is spot-on. And I LOVE his belting at the end of "The Calling". It gives me chills every time.

[Juliet2170]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 4:21pm

aww you got a sneak preview? lucky duck. thank you for the lyrical help!

[Al Dente]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 5:40pm

Magic8 how did you get a sneak listen to this? I think Andy Karl is phenomenal and anything good said about him, all the better, but I have to disagree about him being "underrated". From every review I've read from the festival on, it seems that, second only to Maynard, Karl was the standout. Just a personal observation.

[Che2be]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 6:14pm

THIS SHOW IS- and I am saying it again- THE BEST THING ON AND OFF BROADWAY ... PERIOD. haha

Okay- I am bummed that the Mark Monologue isn't on there, but I am also kind of bummed they didn't record the show with a live audience... Like the BROOKLYN cd.. That would have kepted the LIVE CONCERT feel going, and such....

ANYWAY- just a thought.. I can't wait for my CD in the mail!

[boatsintheghetto]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 7:58pm

ive only heard the opening song from their site and two others from cheyenne jackson's website...but what ive heard ive loved

[Juliet2170]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 8:39pm

darren richie who played Luke for a bit has "the calling" aka "Jesus called me on my cell phone" on his website. its obviously not as good as the recording coming out but it's something to tide you over! :)

Listen! Updated On: 4/13/05 at 08:39 PM

[CattleCall]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 10:09pm

If you want to hear a preview of the CD, you should buy tickets to Altar Boyz. Last night they were playing the cast recording in the lobby before the show -- sounds damn good!

[Crazy4MattMorrison52]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 10:19pm

i think i read somewhere that they take someone out of the audience what seat is it?

[Juliet2170]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 10:33pm

cattlecall you went again?! lol spread the love!!

[TheatreGrl]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 10:37pm

Alittle off topic but I didnt want to create a new thread - anyone know where i can purchase AB merchandise online?
Thanks!

[Juliet2170]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 10:40pm

i think as of this moment you can only buy at the theatre but the new ABz site is being updated all the time.



p.s. wow this thread reached 1000 views! hoorah Altar BOyz (lol anyone noticed that from earlier? )
Updated On: 4/13/05 at 10:40 PM

[magic8ball]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 10:46pm

"From every review I've read from the festival on, it seems that, second only to Maynard, Karl was the standout. Just a personal observation."

Oh, yes- he got great reviews. What I meant by "underrated" is that people don't talk about his performance nearly as often as they should.

Crazy4Matt..., the girl that Matthew picks is random. She is usually sitting house right in the first three or four rows, though.

Updated On: 4/13/05 at 10:46 PM

[TabooWickedFan]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 10:47pm

so excited about this CD! new avatar me and andy karl from monday night. such a sweet man.

[Juliet2170]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 10:50pm

i think the magic seat is pretty much 2nd seat in the aisle, front row, right side, A4 or A6. Second best bet is B4 or B6 but you never know there might be all guys sitting there and Matthew will pick more randomly. (Watch someone tell Scott about this and he switches gears!) Also i believe Matthew will look for a young lady/teenager instead of an older woman if all the seats have women so if you have braces and pig tails sitting in A6 and an older woman's sitting in either A4 or B4 you'll still get picked. LOL you can also wear something bright to catch his eye :)

i love your pic taboowickedfan!!

Andy is so handsome...*sigh* and utterly photographic! lol





Updated On: 4/15/05 at 10:50 PM

[Trisky]

Posted: 4/13/05 at 10:54pm

What I meant by "underrated" is that people don't talk about his performance nearly as often as they should.

Funny you should say that. In all the times I've seen the show, I never noticed how unbelievably rich Andy's voice was until this past Sunday. I'm usually caught up laughing at something or the music is just too loud that I don't tend to hear him. Well that and I feel, musically speaking, that Luke's number is the weakest. So when he hits some of those notes on other songs, it's a bit of a shock. And what a dancer he is...

[magic8ball]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 4:23pm

Well, since this is the thread in which we were originally discussing the size of the house for "Altar Boyz", I figured that I would post my interesting bit of news here. It turns out that we may get to see how "Altar Boyz" would fare in a larger venue. Apparently, "Altar Boyz" is looking to move from Stage 2 (360 seats) into Stage 3 (499 seats with a mezzanine) of the Dodger complex when "Modern Orthodox" moves out in May. There's nothing set it stone yet, but it's a definitely possibility.

Updated On: 4/20/05 at 04:23 PM

[Juliet2170]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 5:19pm

well i'll be...

"here we are, in dodger stages theatre number 3!" *holds up 3 fingers*

[Meg March]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 9:55pm

I don't know if 499 seats is really a "larger venue." It will probably make more money, but I don't think that a house of 500 or under can really be indicative of how the show would fare in a Broadway theater.

[magic8ball]

Posted: 4/21/05 at 12:58am

"I don't think that a house of 500 or under can really be indicative of how the show would fare in a Broadway theater."

I never said that it was. But it WILL be a different atmosphere than that of Stage 4. The layouts of the theatres are completely different.

Updated On: 4/21/05 at 12:58 AM

[boatsintheghetto]

Posted: 4/21/05 at 12:04pm

when is the next song gonna be released on the website?

also...are there enough tix available to just go and buy them on the day? cuz my mom and some other teachers at her school are doing a mother daughter day in the spring, but they're taking forever to plan it and my friend who will be my honorary "Sister" for the day is gonna come with and we're planning to see altar boyz, but i need to know ticket demand, so if they dont decide soon i can know we'll still be able to get tickets. It'll be on a Saturday, so that'll prolly make some difference.

[MadeofGold]

Posted: 4/21/05 at 12:38pm

My sister bought a first row ticket at 7:45 P.M last night and got pulled up on stage. I guess it depends on the day you try though.

[Juliet2170]

Posted: 4/21/05 at 1:20pm

next song released on website will be end of april. you can vote for which one if you go to the forum linked from the main site. usually there are always seats during the rush days (tues-thurs). the weekend nights are harder to get tickets than the matinees. there are usually always some seats you can purchase for full price on the non-rush days whenever you go i feel like.

mmmm i'm still kinda against ABz moving to stage 3(or moving anywhere)...with mezz? i guess more tickets will be sold and i'm all for everyone's increase in salaries but i want the show to be as cozy as it is right now. i guess the change wont really affect their soul sensor DX12 numbers... i wonder if the mezz seats will make the audience feel more disconnected or not. the Boyz do look up a lot though, well in a "heavenly" kind of way but i guess you can make eye contact with them in the mezz seats that way! lol

MadeofGold, your sister got to go up with Scott? awww so adorable! did you see the pics of him in my other thread? were you there at the Easter Bonnet Competition?

Little bit of news: the song 918 has a clip added on the altarboyz.com site if you listen through the clip medley. Daniel Torres also has a new feature, "Confession of the week" you can read in his journal at danieltorres.net
Updated On: 4/21/05 at 01:20 PM