Dracula, The Musical - The Concept Recording

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 2:37pm

it sounds really good. Althought I miss Kelli and Melissa. The singers and the songs sound amazing.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 2:44pm

i know its on this board somewhere ...but i can't find it..WHY wasn't the bway cast used? i remember hearing something about why..but i forget.
i adore each and every single person that did the recording..i know most of them personally.....
don't get nasty with me here..i sincerely want to know what really happened.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 3:05pm

The cost of having the B'Way actors record was just too overwhelming was just too much for Wildhorn and company, what with the severe floppage of the show...

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 3:05pm

The cost of having the B'Way actors record was just too overwhelming was just too much for Wildhorn and company, what with the severe floppage of the show...

[PB ENT.]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 3:16pm

Andrew, this BWW interview I did with Chuck Wagner will shed "some" light on that situation. Also, check you pm, Andrew

Here's the link:
https://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=2101


Pati b

[BSoBW3]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 3:18pm

There's more than just the cost, scary.

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 3:36pm

Wow that was the best I write up about the whole fiasco I have read. He seemed to be putting the blame for not getting a cast recording in the right places. Producers, equity costs, etc.

That being said I cannot wait till April 4th. I am very much looking forward to this concept recording.

[BSoBW3]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 3:42pm

And with that, I doubt you'll see anyone from the Dracula cast in another Wildhorn show. Sad, but true.

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 3:46pm

Frank has always had a large group of actors whom he likes writing for, and who enjoy being in his shows. While this list is changing it is still in existance.

Current actors:
Rob Evan
Douglas Sills
Lauren Kennedy
Christianne Noll
Tracey Miller
...etc etc

So yes sadly there are now few more people will never be in one of his shows again. But there are many more talented actors out there.

[BSoBW3]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 3:47pm

Of course there are.

But actors scorned tell their actor friends.

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 3:48pm

True but I think we could list every actor on broadway being scorned by someone else on broadway.

[BSoBW3]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 3:52pm

Very true.

But, without mentioning names, one actor from the Bway company was left completely sick, unhealthy...because of the drama.

[Jeremy Roberts]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 4:19pm

Chuck told part of the story...

Now that we're more than a year after the bway closing, and less than 2 months form the drop date, lots of semi-truths and full truths are popping up...

Pati, I'd be happy to sit down with you and tell you the WHOLE story -- but I'll bullet point it, for now:

(and for those of you who don't know me yet, I'm Frank Wildhorn's partner in GlobalVision Records, I am one of the producers of this CD, and I am the orchestrator and arranger - my relationship with Frank goes back 18 years, to the original Jekyll demo sessions in my studio).

OK, let me try to summarize some half-truths, in no particular order:

1. Frank wanted a bway cast recording -- but there wasn't a major label that was willing to do it. The producers of the show were told that if they paid for it (as many Broadway producers do), there could be a cast recording. The Bway producers were not going to do this. Due to contracts in place, a cast album was going to cost between $300 and $400k, + marketing costs...

2. Around the same time, I was producing the TV and radio spots for the show.

3. At the same time, Frank and Don and Chris wrote a few new songs for the show, that the producers and director would not/could not put in .

4. About the same time, some revolutionary studio technologies were starting to surface, allowing some AMAZING things to be done, in much smaller studios, such as mine.

5. Once the show producers made it very clear that there was not going to be a cast album, Frank and I came up the idea to record the score, INDEPENDENT of the Broadway production. A concept recording that was more in-line with Frank's vision of how he wanted it, with the new songs that TOLD THE STORY BETTER... (you may ask, what about the Bway orchestrations and arrangements - doesn't the composer have control over that? -- not entirely.... it's the director's show... this topic can be discussed later).

6. We chose to make a concept recording that had nothing to do with any staged version - just a bunch of songs with a studio cast - remember, Broadway is only a very small part of the worldwide theatrical community -- it's a VERY big world out there, and much of Frank's success then and going forward is non-US productions. Just because the Broadway production was failing was no reason to kill the project.

7. We chose singers we love, and made a studio album. The recording is not based on the stage, doesn't service the stage, and is not representative of any staged production, past or future.

8. The issue of the union contracts and the Bway cast -- it's not really an issue... The show's director and producer should have told the company that they were going to let the production sink, and they were not going to put in the new songs that the authors were writing...

9. The authors wanted their score recorded, so using lots of technology, working in a method that is more like making pop records, and (Chuck was mistaken, there are many fine musicians on this recording, just not all playing at the same time) with brand new arrangements, we proceeded. We did not expect the show to close as soon as it did... we wanted to sell these CDs to the audiences... it is a commercial venture...

10. When the show closed before we could ship the CDs, we decided to hold off, and get our business plan in order for GlobalVision... this took a little longer than we expected, but we then made a distribution deal with Koch, and we recorded the Jekyll & Hyde: Resurrection album.

11. The economics of making a profitable bway cast recording requires a massive machine... the record business is going through tumultuous times... companies are failing right and left - and unless you sell upwards of 150,000 units, you are not going to make a profit... let alone recoup your investment.

12. We were able to find a way to make this recording without investing $400,000 -- we can break even at a much lower number, and it is very possible to make this venture a success, so we can continue making more recordings.

13. We are NOT trying to capture the Bway show. I said that a few times... we're making a listening experience that we hope people will like. We like it.

I've said more than I should... I'd be happy to answer specific questions that you may have.

I encourage you to visit http://www.globalvisionrecords.com and check out the audio clips if you haven't heard them yet.

The album drops on April 4. I am counting the minutes.

Thanks for reading this far.

Jeremy

[nodaybut2day2007]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 4:37pm

Where will the album be avalable? Will it be a order online thing or I can go to my local Barnes & Noble and pick it up?

[Jeremy Roberts]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 4:46pm

It will be available everywhere! B&N, Amazon, Tower, Borders, etc... Also iTunes, but not to discourage any download sales, the quality of the CD will always be better than download, so my preference is to buy CDs if you want the listening experience, or a download for a single song.

At first, international distribution will be limited to select regions, but we expect to have that sorted out eventually... Also, we're not sure if we'll get in the "big box" retailers, such as WalMart/BestBuy/Target - but we may -- this is all new and we trust our distributor to get it out there.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 4:51pm

my walmart never has any broadway CDs anyway...

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 4:53pm

Jeremy again, congrats on the new company and thank you for explaining this to everyone who was questioning the reasoning behind the making of this cd.

Again, I cant wait till april 4th (5 days before my birthday YAY) for the new cds!

[BSoBW3]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 4:53pm

Thanks, Jeremy, for taking the time to post here (as well as run (?) the Global Vision forums).

I have always, despite its flaws, enjoyed Dracula. Hell, it's what my username refers to.

I guess, what was most dissappointing about the recording, was that - after all the wait, the rumors, etc. - it isn't a recording of the Broadway show. I guess I was expecting something along the lines of the J&H Studio Recording. A recording of the actual show, with extra songs not used...

Even something that was a recording that resembled a theatrical show with Bonus tracks at the end.

Although the songs not included on the recording - like "Forever Young" (or its superior conterpart, "First Taste"), "Modern World," and "How Do You Choose?" (songs that I grew to enjoy a lot) - weren't as good as the other songs, I still hoped to have a professional recording of them. I am glad for "Nosferatu," but nevertheless...

The one thing that I liked about DRACULA was that it really wasn't the typical pop score Wildhorn writes (such as like J&H), although it did occasionally border pop/rock.

Anyway, I guess I was hoping for a more theatrical CD, then a pop CD.

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 4:58pm

Mr. Roberts,

Could you explain this J&H- Resurection album?

[Jeremy Roberts]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 5:04pm

Anyway, I guess I was hoping for a more theatrical CD, then a pop CD

Trust me, there's NOTHING "pop" about our theatrical recordings. What exactly does "pop" mean, anyway?

For those of you getting to know me, for 18.5 years I was musical director for Linda Eder - and you know my first love was always the "dramatic" side of the "pop" genre. Big old power ballads... symphonic rock... my big influences were rock & roll bands that were dramatic -- Zeppelin, Queen, Journey, Styx, Elton, Genesis... yes, I'm an ex-long hair... but the thing that all these bands have in common: DRAMA. That is, dramatic range... their songs tell a story.

When we speak of contemporary theatrical pop - it's not a bad thing! We are telling the story, dramatically... I'm not going to talk about the music anymore - I'm going to let the music speak for itself...

I will be happy to discuss the process though...

Thanks for listening.

Jeremy

[PB ENT.]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 5:16pm

Deal, Jeremy.... as long as it's positive and over some hot wings! Thanks for taking this by the "wildhorns".

Best to you and yours,
Pati

[Jeremy Roberts]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 5:17pm

Mr. Roberts,

Could you explain this J&H- Resurection album?

1. There is no Mr. Roberts -- my name is Jeremy

2. Jekyll & Hyde: Resurrection -- that should be a new thread -- wait about 2 weeks... I have 2 more mixes to complete - we master it on Wednesday, and it also ships on April 4. I will have soundclips on our website soon. It is EVERYTHING that Frank & Leslie & I always wanted Jekyll to sound like - at times, it's a true rock & roll score... but the underlying element here is that it's DRAMATIC. Rob Evan has complete ownership of the character(s) and he has really taken the role(s) to a new level. Forget aout how you remember him on bway -- he has found a new place... and since this is a studio album, we were able to surround him with a cinematic sound - we are not servicing the staging or set changes or anything EXCEPT tell the story... through song. There's a new song for Emma in the first act. Makes her a stronger character. Hyde is simply evil... he-he... I can't wait for you all to hear it... [big grin, because I'm so happy with the work] - let's not hijack the Dracula thread... in about 9-10 days, I'll have sound clips and we can discuss, ok?

[BSoBW3]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 5:23pm

"in about 9-10 days, I'll have sound clips and we can discuss, ok?"

I'm marking my calendar!

Do you think a recording of the Dracula St. Gallen show will ever be made?

(Can I say "Dracula St. Gallen" sounds like some Swiss author. I think I would like to make that my new name!)

[nodaybut2day2007]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 5:31pm

BSoBW3 what exactly does your name refer to in the show. I saw i a couple of times but can't think of anything...

[bryan]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 5:31pm

if they can put this show out as a concept recording they can put out good vibrations and in my life and lennon. right.