Cast Album CD reissues. Worth the upgrade? Pippin, Merrily..., etc.

[twinbelters]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 2:59pm

I have seen this topic around, and have gotten little concrete information from people who own or have experienced both the original releases of various Columbia, Decca, and RCA remastered reissues. What remastered reissues are worth the upgrade and what reissues are not an improvement?

I would love to hear about bonus tracks, and liner notes, especially in regards to the Decca and RCA remasters. I've gotten a sense that all the Columbia reissues are well worth and I've acquired many of them and agree. Although, I have heard the South Pacific OBC is better in the original CD.

Thanks!



VS.



GO!

[tazber]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 3:12pm

I assume you're talking about the Merrily OBCR re-issue from a couple of years ago.

I of course bought all those Sondheim reissues and honestly they were not worth the money.
The sound quality didn't strike me as being all that improved.
(Granted I'm not a audiophile like bk or frontrowcenter so perhaps they heard improvements.)

The single biggest drawback was that none of the Sondheim reissues included booklets. No lyrics, nothing. The originals had such lavish liner notes.

Haven't heard Pippin.

Which leads me to another question:

What are some re-issues that are absolutely superior to the originals?

The only one I can name off the top of my head is the OBCR of A Chorus Line for the extended "Hello Twelve..." sequence.

The bonus tracks were Sondheim singing "It's A Hit" which was great to have. And then there was version of Not A Day Goes By sung by Bernadette Peters which was nice but I think came from one of her albums.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 3:26pm

Well the Decca CD of PIPPIN is much much better than the old Motown issue sound wise. Decca used the original mster tapes. Motown dubbed teh heavily compressed LP master. Decca also includes some interesting bonus tracks.

As a general rule the Decca Broadway reissues are almost always improvements sound-wise (but be careful that some - LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS and BIG ROVER come to mind) are repackages of the original releases with the Decca Broadway emblem added to the sleeve. (These editions retain the original Geffen and MCA catalog numbers.)

The 5 "deluxe" editions that RCA put out in a last gasp before Sony took control are worth getting for the bonus material. While I do not like the cardboard packaging, the booklets do include updated notes. The remastering doesn't seem to be much of a jump over the originals but they sounded fine. The bonus material is interesting but you don't generally play it every time you play the disc.

HELLO DOLLY is essential because it includes Ether Merman's privately made recording of "her" two songs from the score (released as a 45--rpm single during the run of the show.) It also samples the Pearl Baily and Mary Martin albums and includes an interview with Carol Channing being her irresistibly scatterbrained self.

HOW TO SUCCEED... has bonus tracks: Walter Cronkite's narration and a couple of reprises from the revival (H2$), a few demos by Loesser and interviews with Robert Morse and Charles Nelson Reilly.

HAIR is a 2CD set, One disc is the Broadway cast (with all the additional material added for the first CD release) while the 2nd disc has the somewhat rarer off-Broadway cast recording so you can track the changes. (It isn't a very good recording however.) The 2nd disc is filled out with an interview with Galt MacDermot.

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF has the same bonus material from the first CD release and adds an interview with Sheldon Harnick plus segments from AN EVENING WITH SHELDON HARNICK in which he performs a couple of cut songs, and Vladimir Spivakov's violin rendition of "If I Were a Rich Man."

OLIVER adds some tracks from the original London cast album (including "That's Your Funeral" which was cut from teh Broadway version) and Patti Lupone singing "As Long As He Needs Me" which she sang in the (unrecorded) flop 1984 revival. (The track comes from her 1993 disc Patti Lupone - Live.) There is also an interview with Donald Pippin.

The recent eco-pack reissues from Masterworks Broadway are the original releases, not the deluxe editions.

You can easily go broke buying reissues, so the question is is it a score you like and listen to enough to warrant an upgrade? And is the bonus material something you can't live without? Or would borrowing a copy from the local library just to hear once suffice.

[newintown]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 3:28pm

The re-issue of Nine OBCR was terrific - it had a lot more material than the original.

I remember, strangely, that the cassette release of the original even had more music (for the "Grand Canal" segment) than the original CD.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 3:39pm

That was because Columbia Records did now want the OCR of NINE to be issued as a 2 LP set, so they crammed 66 minutes onto one LP but also issued the cassette with 80 minutes of music. It was a compromise (though 2 of my cassettes fell apart rather quickly!), but not entirely satisfactory to collectors who valued their vinyl. (Cassettes were ignored by collectors until the convenience of the Walkman made them useful.)

The first CD release could have been more complete but in the early days 75 minutes was deemed the maximum a CD could hold, and the only extra track on the disc was "Movie Themes."

The remaster is a huge improvement both in content and sound quality.

[tazber]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 3:51pm

Oh yes! Nine was a great re-issue!

[twinbelters]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 4:35pm

Yes! The NINE reissue is amazing. I didn't fully appreciate the score until I heard it.

I'm definitely going to get Pippin, and I've been thinking about getting Wonderful Town and Annie Get Your Gun OBC.

I think the Columbia reissues of Company and A Little Night Music are such an upgrade it's like a whole new listening experience. Much like the Kritzerland Promises, Promises remaster, one hears so many details and such gorgeous clarity--amazing.

Thank you all for your input. I think I have a better direction. Not going to bother with the Sondheim RCA reissues that's for sure. The bonus tracks do not necessarily entice.

Updated On: 8/23/10 at 04:35 PM

[BDrischBDemented]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 5:40pm

I wouldn't say the re-released "Into the Woods" is better than the original, but the three bonus tracks are nice from a completist point of view if that's your thing. If you own the first release, I would just try to get the demos on iTunes or someplace (assuming they have them for individual sale and not as "album only" things).

I second "Nine" and I'm surprised no one (I think) mentioned the "Dreamgirls" OBCR re-release that came out around the same time of the movie. It's still far from complete, but the inclusion of "It's All Over" and the finale make it worth it ("Driving Down the Strip" is nice to have, but not that essential, it's a shame "Heavy" couldn't be included). The second disc is pretty irrelevant IMO, but it's worth it just for the first one.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 6:25pm

Inner City is worth a reissue if for no other reason than Linda Hopkins "Deep in The Night" There was enough music for 2 LP's but it was only a single. I doubt the cut stuff was even recorded.

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 6:43pm

Twinbelters, the Merrily Reissue is a must. There is a signifigant difference and many of the instruments (especially the horns) are brighter on the remaster. If you are a huge fan of that sparkling score (as I am) recommend investing in it (I recently got it on deepdiscout for 10 bucks). I used to swear by the Gets revival, but since purchasing the new edition of the OBCR, it's my new favorite reading of that score.

I think the levels on the Into the Woods reissue make the new purchase worth getting. Though, I also recommend keeping that beautiful booklet from the original issue.

Some say the Sweeney remaster isn't worth the buy but Bruce Kimmel recently said it is, so I'm leaning towards getting that too (though keeping the booklet).

[sondheimfan2]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 7:57pm

Thanks MP, now I have to get the MERRILY reissue.

[uncageg]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 8:59pm

I like the "Merrily..." re-issue and the "Sunday in the Park" re-issue. I like the bonus tracks and even though there are no lyrics, the small booklets that came with them were enough for me.

Updated On: 8/25/10 at 08:59 PM

[twinbelters]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 9:00pm

Hmmm, I'll consider that Mildred, but it's not at the top of my list. Thanks!

I'm sure Inner City will get a Arkiv release or be available digitally in the near future.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 9:35pm

Actually, I have both the original ITW and Merrily and then bought the re-issues when they came out. I quickly re-sold the re-issues.

I found them to sound (particularly in the car where I have things coming out of different speakers) to be hollow and distant sounding. I don't have that issue with any of the other CDs I own, just the Sony Remasters (and the new ones they've made like the revivals of ACL, South Pacific and WSS) have that issue.

Also, they took out the librettos and made the photos black and white. Sure, it means that ITW and Sweeney will fit into a standard case...but the libretto and color photos were worth having them not fit standard cases.

[morosco]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 9:36pm

The NINE reissue is a must. I've been listening to it fairly often lately and I think Raul Julia's performance is remarkable! Such a perfect Guido. And the rest of the cast is perfection. If I could go back and time the original production would be at the top of my list to experience just one more time.

[backwoodsbarbie]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 10:57pm

Which would you suggest for the Sunday in the Park with George OBCR? Original or re-mastered version?

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 11:00pm

I'd go with the original.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 8/24/10 at 4:54am

There is no great rush on getting the re-releases of the Sondheim cast albums as the current editions will be around for a long time. It's not like they will be soon deleted. Better to go for titles that may not have a long catalog life (at least as CD's ... most back catalog albums will probably stay around as downloads.)

[tazber]

Posted: 8/24/10 at 8:55am

I would say go with OBCR for Sunday.

But again, that's b/c I honestly didn't hear that significant an improvement in the re-issue.

However, it is clear that some people have found those same reissues to be priceless.

Are you able to hear a sample from both the original and the reissue to compare? That would be the best thing of at all possible.

(side-note - as mentioned earlier the Columbia reissues on Night Music and Company are definitely worth investing in. I'm referring strictly to the Sony reissues when I say I didn't hear that much of a difference)

[twinbelters]

Posted: 8/24/10 at 6:47pm

frontrow: I completely agree. I am not jumping at this at all, but I've just been curious if I should have them on my mind as possible purchases. FYI, I'm only buying them used on Amazon Marketplace and eBay so I wait patiently until I find one that's dirt cheap. Thanks wish list!

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 8/25/10 at 1:57am

Good idea! Also if/when in New York make regular checks of the cast album section at Academy Records. I have filled many gaps in my collection at prices far below retail. (Also Princeton Record Exchange has hundreds of cast albums priced $1.99 - $4.99)

[[tos]fan999]

Posted: 8/25/10 at 3:24am

After reading this thread, I realized that I never heard the original cast recording of Nine. I saw the revival and have loved that cast recording, it just never occurred to me to get the original, so I finally did last night, and I'm glad I did. I heard the score like never before and the performances can't be beat!

[uncageg]

Posted: 8/25/10 at 4:13am

frontrow, wasn't "Merrily..." out of print for a while? I was told that it was until the re-issue. I realize I actually have a copy of the original along with the re-issue I purchased. I have a copy of the original because I couldn't find it in a store. I could be wrong though.

[backwoodsbarbie]

Posted: 8/25/10 at 10:03am

I just purchased the original Sunday in the Park with George and I am very happy with it!

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 8/25/10 at 10:08am

uncageg-
Yes, "Merrily" was one of the insanely OOP titles until they reissued it.