Encores! Merrily cast recording available for pre-order- Page 2

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 3/27/12 at 12:59am

I am glad to have a 4th MERRILY CD available especially one that uses a full orchestra. the highly synthesized sound on the York Theatre cast album was not pleasing to my ears, and the performances on the TER/JAY 2 CD set are less than satisfactory.

I too would love a new recording of PIPE DREAM or at least a remaster of the 1955 OBCR which I believe is currently out-of-print. But that seems less likely. Maybe next season Encores will do ME AND JULIET ... THAT show needs a new and more complete recording.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/27/12 at 1:03am

Did anyone want this cast to be recorded? None of the vocals were great or memorable.

[jv92]

Posted: 3/27/12 at 2:23pm

I love Steve Sondheim, but I have my doubts about him funding this. MTI maybe.

[tazber]

Posted: 3/27/12 at 2:30pm

The 1955 obcr of Pipe Dream is still in print, frontrow.

amazon has it for $10.55

(awful sound quality though)

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 3/27/12 at 2:43pm

Pipe Dream was remastered I'm nearly sure--it came out mid 90s after cast CDs were remastered (unlike Me and Juliet and Allegro I believe iut's still in print in its current edition and not a cheaper reissue on another label). The sound is far from great but most cast albums immediately before the switch to stereo sound like that it seems (it's amazing what a change the switchover made--I mean the still great sounding Candide and WSS albums were only two years later).

[newintown]

Posted: 3/27/12 at 3:25pm

I liked Elizabeth Stanley and Betsy Wolfe, but I wouldn't listen much to a recording of this version. Not only were the three leads vocally uninteresting (at best), the ridiculous changes to the Opening of Act II (a lazy rip-off of "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend") are just awful, compared to what that number was written to be.

Updated On: 3/27/12 at 03:25 PM

[dave1606]

Posted: 3/27/12 at 4:08pm

Can I add at least one voice to say that I am thrilled this is being recorded! I know it isn't Anyone Can Whistle, but I am very excited for this. I was fortunate enough to see it twice during it's run and can say that everyone really did grow into their parts.

I have basically worn my OBC of this out. (I won't tell you how many of the songs on this cast album are on my top played list.)

I am especially excited for the full orchestra, and really hope and pray that the new entr'acte is recorded!

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 3/27/12 at 8:20pm

The 1955 obcr of Pipe Dream is still in print, frontrow.
amazon has it for $10.55

Thanks for the update. Hope that Sony makes copies available after the concerts.

Yes the sound quality is not great. In fact all the pre-stereo RCA Victor albums have a flat "boxy" sound that doesn't faltter the singers at all.

When you listen to enough of the early cast albums you can usually tell the period as well as the recording company just by the sound. Decca's albums have a metallic sound, Capitol's have a a bright reverberant sound (With little bottom end), and Columbia's have a lush warm concert-hall feel.

Eric, the big complaint when RCA reissued ALLEGRO, ME AND JULIET and PIPE DREAM on CD in 1993 was that the label had done no remastering and the CD's did not achieve as good a sound as was believed possible. ALLEGRO was obviously dubbed from 78-rpm discs (you can hear telltale clicks at certain points, notably the opening half of "You Are Never Away.") This may have happened when the first LP of ALLEGRO was made in 1965 (prior to then it was a very rare item as a set of 5 ten-inch 78's from 1947/48. There was no demand or interest in transferring the album to LP in the early 1950s because the 78 set had sold very poorly. That is why it was so hard to find!)

[choitoy]

Posted: 3/30/12 at 7:55pm

With the news on Playbill that Broadway producers are eyeing the John Doyle "Merrily" in Cincinnati, I'm am glad that it has already been decided to record the Encores version of "Merrily". I'd much rather have so-so singers (according to some opinions out there) but a large orchestra, rather than a reduced orchestra where the instruments are being played (so-so) by the actors.

No disrespect for anyone working on the Doyle production, but I'm kinda tired of listening to reduced orcestrations on cast recordings.

Let's face it. We can sweeten the vocals on a recording, but we can't make an orchestra of 10-12 sound like a 30 piece orchestra.

[castlestreet]

Posted: 6/4/12 at 10:36am

Just got an email from PS Classics- the CD is getting pushed back 2 weeks because of the delay with the Porgy & Bess release...

[Emmaloucbway]

Posted: 6/4/12 at 10:43am

I thought I read that Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Pipe Dream were also getting recordings. I'll find the link on BWW.

Here's the GPB announcement: https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Encores-GENTLEMEN-PREFER-BLONDES-Cast-Album-in-the-Works-20120522

And here's the Pipe Dream announcement: https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Encores-PIPE-DREAM-to-Be-Recorded-Live-Release-Set-for-This-Summer-20120329

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/4/12 at 8:13pm

Samples are on PS Classics site!

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 6/4/12 at 9:01pm

Where's all the dialogue tracks? I guess Tommy Krasker doesn't like the book for Merrily?

[Kad]

Posted: 6/4/12 at 11:12pm

I didn't get an email about the delay, and I had pre-ordered.

[choitoy]

Posted: 6/5/12 at 2:52am

Is anyone else a tiny bit upset that it looks like they changed the cover art from something that reflected the show poster (it was all black and blue colored), to something that looks like the background to the "25th Anniversary Les Miz" color scheme?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 6/5/12 at 2:57am

^That was my first thought too. Not only is the artwork boring and amateur, but now it's on a Les Miz background.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/5/12 at 9:43am

I don't really mind too much. I wasn't too fond of the artwork to begin with. So it was really a sideways move for me.

But the clips sound fantastic.

Like, really fantastic.

[lizabombs]

Posted: 6/5/12 at 10:03am

I wish, again, they could have eased up on the enunciation by about 5%.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 6/5/12 at 5:26pm

I'm with Kad and his channeling of Liza--the clips *do* sound fantastic, really fantastic. It still throws me hearing the overture in the clip, and expecting it to go into that swinging take of Rich and Happy, but instead it just skipping ahead, but otherwise... I'm pretty excited to get this.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 6/5/12 at 5:30pm

Oh and I can't wait to read the booklet, a bit to my surprise. That excerpt on PSClassics website from Tunick about his new orchestrations explains a lot, actually (I don't think he was the only one involved with the original production who thought they were doing a zany, updated Judy and Mickey show and instead got a pretty dark and even depressing piece--also interesting about him originally expecting a more rock sound and so using the amplified instruments).

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/27/12 at 2:03pm

My CD shipped today!

[tazber]

Posted: 6/28/12 at 11:06am

I never got the usual email about it being shipped, but my copy arrived today!

Can not wait to go home and hear. I love this score so much!!!

[lizabombs]

Posted: 6/28/12 at 12:03pm

Anyone know why, when Tunick was reorchestrating, why he didn't replace the "Rich & Happy" portion of the overture with similar portions of "That Frank" instead of just cutting the portion entirely? My ears still think something's missing.

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/30/12 at 9:12pm

So what is everyone thinking?

I think it's a great recording. The orchestrations sound amazing, definitely the best sounding of any of the show's recordings. There is just enough dialogue; the most out of any Merrily recording.

The performers sound great, especially Donnell, Wolfe, and Stanley. Miranda does a great job. Keenan-bolger comes off the weakest. Her voice just doesn't sound strong and unique enough to make an impression as Mary.

Some observations:
They cut the new dance break in Gussie's GOOD THING GOING. But it's still awesome that the number finally has an ending! Stanley nails it.
For the recording, they've reverted back to the original dialogue in OUR TIME, as opposed to Frank and Charley meeting for the first time, as Lapine had written for the production/concert.
I could swear that I hear some lyric changes here and there, but I'll have to listen more closely.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 6/30/12 at 9:46pm

I thought it was kind of lame that they cut the dance break since that was one of the things that made this production unique and gave them reason to record the show again, but with that and the dialogue change I sort of feel like they were going for more of a reference recording for the current MTI libretto which is a bit of a shame.

I'm also confused as to why Tunick didn't change the instrumentation for the "Good Thing Going" part of the Overture since I thought he mentioned regretting that change.

Still, the performances are great. I, personally, LOVE Lin as Charlie and I don't mind Colin Donnell joining him on "Good Thing Going." I'm so glad that they recorded the "sputnik" dialogue at the end! That's my favorite scene in the entire show and it sounds great here, although I think it would have felt a little more authentic if they had added a faint sound effect of the busy New York streets below them. Otherwise, the recording is fantastic! I can't stop listening to it.