Best Little Shop Of Horrors Recording

the original cast recording...cause it has the late great Ron Taylor as the plant!

Definitely go for the revival cast album...

I personally prefer Kerry Butler over Ellen Greene, but that's just me. I think a lot of the performances on the revival were better. Plus, you get all those bonus tracks...

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Are you guys absolutely nuts?

The original off-Broadway album with Ellen Greene is unbeatable.

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Revival. For listening purposes, the urchins are amazing and Kerry has a crystal clear voice.

If I had to rank them, it would be

1. Broadway Revival
2. Off Broadway
3. Movie Soundtrack

I don't see how anyone can rate the Revival the best of the three. If anything, the only reason to buy would be for Hunter Foster or Douglas Sills' performance. The urchins have good voices, but they absolutely no attitude. And Kerry Butler? Excuse me? She's one of the biggest faults of that recording. The entire recording just reeks of plastic and sugar. YOu want to hear what Suddenly Seymour SHOULD sound like? Listen to the original off-broadway cast, or go to that site that shan't be named and watch Alice Ripley and Hunter Foster from the out of town Florida production. THOSE are true Audreys

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I know what you mean. And for listening purposes I think that Kerry is still the worst Audrey on a recording. She's not bad, but she doesn't sell any of the songs. Not one.

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I'm conflicted. The Off Broadway has the great songs, but horrible orchestrations. The revival has the entire orchestration, plus bonus tracks. All of which sound beautiful. Unfortunately the cast just doesn't compare to the original.

I'd say the movie. Even though you get less songs, you still get Ellen Greene, and the brilliant Levi Stubbs. Plus, Menkens score if fabulous.

Updated On: 6/3/07 at 11:15 AM

REVIVAL
I rally don't like this OBC

Why does no one like the original orchestration? I love that orchestration! It's much more fun and "cute" than the revival, which sounds like the SNL band playing Little Shop. There's a reason they won't be licensing the revival orchestration anytime soon.

Orchestration aside, the original is the way to go. The performances are tight, incredible, and in the energy with which they were written. It's one of my all-time favorite recordings. The ONLY reason to get the revival, to me, is for Hunter Foster or to hear "Call Back in the Morning" which was deleted from the original cast album, but that song is barely great enough to get that horrible recording for. The urchins better on the revival?? I beg to differ--they could not riff very well and sounded very throaty. The girls who did the revival tour were muuuuch better. Even better are the originals who don't belt their way through those songs since, you know... THEY WERENT INTENDED TO BE SUNG THAT WAY!!! The original girls sing it in the style that music like that is supposed to be sung, so again--stick with the original.

1. Original Cast. You can't beat it.

2. Film version for the orchestrations.

3. Eh, the extras are sorta fun.

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No, because it isn't an American Idol contest (like the revival recording), it's more in tune with the show. And therefore more people like the original.

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