Best recording for familiarizing with Follies? — Page 2

UrNotAMachine said: "PalJoey said: "Best way to learn it is to read the script and listen to the original cast recording.

 

Except that the OBCR is missing multiple songs and many others are shortened. It's definitely not the best way to hear the complete score. Sondheim himself calls it a "shameful" album. 

 

 

"

At the time of that interview he called it a shameful album and specifically (and actually incorrectly) equates bad EQ with the recording, aside from the cuts.  Then I remixed the album from scratch and his changed tune was, and I quote: "It's a miracle."  So, things change, and the OBC performances will never be topped and they now sound as they should have sounded back then - but in those days they mixed an album like this in a few hours and rushed it into stores.  Until I had my way with it, that's all we had.  Now we have an album that sounds like a Columbia cast album of that era - point being, the recording itself was fantastic.  The original MIX sucked and then they compressed it so much from there it sucked doubly and then they used that master for the previous CDs so they sucked, too.  He's also wrong about One More Kiss - it was recorded but left off the LP - it was restored for the CD, albeit in crappy sound.  For a while, we were going to have to use that version on our CD because they couldn't find the multi-tracks on that one number - just before I sent it to mastering, I asked them to please do one more check and this time they did find it, mis-labeled, so we remixed that and that's what's on our CD.  And our CD is not "remastered."  It is a completely new thing, completely remixed, and then mastered - if something is new it isn't Remastered. :)

 

Updated On: 3/17/16 at 07:13 PM

And I don't find any other recording that interesting, frankly, despite them being more complete.  I understand that some like the 2011 revival recording, but it's not my cup of tea and that has everything to do with the way cast albums are produced these days.  Everything sounds dry as a bone - there's no air around the instruments or the voices - they add a tiny bit during the songs, but when you don't have a natural airy space around voices and instruments it sounds smaller, and while I believe they have the full-sized orchestra it sounds like about half that number thanks to the dry acoustic.  Listen to our remix or any classic Columbia cast album and you'll hear the kind of sound Broadway cast albums always had up until a decade ago.  The dialogue on the album sounds like the actors are in a small closet.  I don't want cast albums to sound like some intimate radio show.  Just my opinion and why I don't listen to many cast albums these days.

imeldasturn said: "Jarethan said: "To me, the London cast recording committed the mortal sin of replacing Lucy and Jessie with A Country  Home.  I assume this is because Diana Rigg could not handle L&J.  There was something else that was changed for the worse, but I can't remember.

Lucy and Jessie was replaced with Ah, But Underneath...

Now,  needs off fire ou  what production A Country House was in.  Any ideas?

"

 

imeldasturn said: "Jarethan said: "To me, the London cast recording committed the mortal sin of replacing Lucy and Jessie with A Country  Home.  I assume this is because Diana Rigg could not handle L&J.  There was something else that was changed for the worse, but I can't remember.

Lucy and Jessie was replaced with Ah, But Underneath...

Now,  needs off fire ou  what production A Country House was in.  Any ideas?

It was indeed the original London production, but it replaced "the road you didn't take", not Phyllis' song.

Updated On: 3/18/16 at 12:23 PM

gcal said: "Bruce, Had you guys brought Victoria Clark in to record "In Buddy's Eyes" and "Losing My Mind" for an album? Am I misremembering? As I've said before, hers is the Sally that comes closest to the brilliance of Dorothy Collins."

 

I never saw Victoria Clark and Donna Murphy as Sally and Phyllis but them on a recording of Follies would have been supreme.

The bk edition is perfection of a sort. He only had what was recorded to work with, but oh what he did with it!

"Bruce, Had you guys brought Victoria Clark in to record "In Buddy's Eyes" and "Losing My Mind" for an album? Am I misremembering? As I've said before, hers is the Sally that comes closest to the brilliance of Dorothy Collins"

No that was Jay Recordings...but in typical Jay Records style the record is no where to be found .
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As far as the question at hand, I only listen to the 2011 recording and bk's recording. Definitely can understand bk's criticisms of the 2011 recording RE: the sound being (like most cast recordings these days) quite 'sterile' - it sounds like everyone is singing 2cm away from a microphone and everything is very carefully recorded and mixed. But the 2011 recording is the only recording that actually feels like the complete show, and I find the performances incredibly energetic and exciting. For example, if we look at "In Buddy's Eyes" - there is only one recording that is played at the right tempo AND keeps the dialogue etc. (the 2011 recording). I think it's pretty important to establish the subtext (i.e., that Sally likes Ben) given it's a major plot point. 

It would be a mistake to start with anything other than the 2011 recording.




 

Updated On: 3/20/16 at 07:44 PM