There's one difference that I think is relatively important (aside from the digital booklet).
There are a couple of moments where songs are supposed to lead directly into each other without a break - "Get Closer" into "Falling Into You" and "State Road 21" into "Who We Are And Who We Want To Be" - which it's not possible for the EW version to do because of the way the songs are encoded into the Brightcove playlist thingymajig (also the original files uploaded don't flow seemlessly). This isn't an issue with the iTunes release.
(this issue doesn't affect the lead from "Before and After You" into "One Second and a Million Miles" because the first song ends with silence)
So essentially what I'm saying is BUY THE RECORDING! This cast recording has stopped me doing anything for the past few days; I can't put it on as background music, I have to listen to it properly every time. Worth every penny.
It still says partial album on the actual album page. BUT if you just search The Bridges of Madison Count and click buy from the search page, you're able to buy the complete album for $9.99!
"Oh look at the time, three more intelligent plays just closed and THE ADDAMS FAMILY made another million dollars" -Jackie Hoffman, Broadway.com Audience Awards
It now works. They must have been adding something because the price went from $9.99 to $11.99. Or they just put the wrong price to begin with. But yay, finally!
Finally got it to download. What's up with the jarring cut in the middle of the second song, "Home Before You Know It"?
Updated On: 4/15/14 at 01:31 PM
I just wanted to mention some of my favourite "smaller moments" from this score. We all know that One Second And A Million Miles, or Falling Into You, or Almost Real etc. are glorious numbers - it says something that Look At Me is a minor entry in this score! - but there are a few smaller moments that get me every time I listen to it:
i) The sudden blossom of the orchestration on "Iowa" in To Build A Home. Brantley picks up on this in his review, but the music shimmers with O'Hara's voice there (and it's a great moment on stage as well) - spine-tinglingly good.
ii) The polyphony of Michael and Bud's argument in Home Before You Know It. It doesn't work on stage - there's too much happening - but it's beautifully clear on the album and very effectively written (in fact, I think Derek Klena's performance works a lot better in purely vocal terms than with his exaggerated, stompy teenager acting!). It's an obvious point but the reconfiguration of the "home before you know it" theme to reflect Francesca's discontent is very effective.
iii) I basically paid no attention to the lyrics of Temporarily Lost in the theatre after the opening stanza - more fool me. Not only does it signal Robert's interest in Francesca ("and now it seems to me/that the way you find the key/is to be temporarily lost") but I love the idea of him photographing that waterfall in Cameroon and not really knowing what the point is.
iv) The switch from 3/4 to 7/4 (I think) in The World Inside A Frame - Pasquale's palpable excitement at catching whatever it is he sees in the backdrop reflected in the fragmented lyrics and the section "there! there! it's like all you didn't know that you were waiting for was just outside the frame!" - it's an obvious metaphor for his relationship with Francesca but it's musically so exciting. The return to this staccato pattern when he starts photographing her is also fascinating.
v) The way Something From A Dream just peters out into nothing, as Bud reflects on his own inadequacy.
There's probably more, but I get swept up into the big picture so often - I've just listened to Who We Are And Who We Want To Be and any thoughts of the slightly generic nature of the song get swept away when the theme from State Road 21 starts up again and it builds to the whole cast singing...
I've never read the book, nor seen the film - I actually didn't even know this was on Broadway until - maybe - a month ago. Anyway, I decided to blind buy the album [knowing nothing about it, but the reviews on here] and it's fantastic. Great score. Could choice to buy.
I never saw the movie or read the book, so in preparation for this musical I recently watched the film. I've been listening to the Entertainment Weekly link to the recording on and off for a couple of days (I've preordered the CD but won't have it until May. Rats!!!!)
I am blown away by this musical. JRB has outdone himself. Living in the Los Angeles area, we often hope and pray that a musical will tour so that we can see it here. In this case, I'm almost ready to jump on a plane and get myself to NYC to see the original cast.
Does it sound like I'm gushing here? I rarely gush, but in this case it's well deserved.