Favorite "Annie Get Your Gun" Cast Recording

[Urban]

Posted: 9/15/05 at 2:33am

Personally I have always been favourable to Ethel's Lincoln Center Recording. It ironed out a few of the kinks the OBCR plus Ethel just owns that role.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 9/15/05 at 4:41am

My choices in order:

1. 1966 Lincoln Center cast with Merman (RCA Victor)
The best and most theatrical recording available. Ethel Merman recreates her starring role some 20 years after the premiere with the voice as loud and lusty as ever. A perfect supporing cast too! The recording includes almost the entire score laid out in show order and the sound is pretty good despite a bit of harshness/distortion that is evident on most RCA recordings made in Webster Hall.

2. 1991 Studio Cast with Kim Criswell (EMI)
A note-complete recording using the text and orchestrations from the original 1946 Broadway production. Includes "I'll Share it All with You" and "Who Do You love I Hope?" - both of which were cut from the 1966 revivcal. Also has a bonus track of "Old Fashioned wedding" which was added for the revival.

3. 1995 Studio Cast with Judy Kaye & Barry Bostwick (JAY)
A fine studio cast version, this one is a note-complete recording of the 1966 Lincoln centre version on 2 Cd's. All dance music and utility music is included.

4. 1946 original Broadway cast with Ethel Merman (DECCA)
Decca's 78 RPM set preserved just the 12 key songs in "Personality" orchetrations. Ray Middleton recreates his co-starring role as Frank Butler but if you want Ethel Merman in this show go with the 1966 cast album instead. Note that supporting players are Decca studio artists and not from the Broadway show.


5. 1999 Broadway revival cast with Bernadette Peters (EMI)While Bernadette Peters makes a fine Annie, the rest of the show was sabotaged by new orchestrations and some needless book re-writing! Worthwhile for Bernadette's touching performance of "Lost in His Arms."

6. 1957 Studio Cast with Mary Martin & John Raitt (EMI)
Based on the west coast revival which was later broadcast as an NBC TV special for Thanksgiving 1957, this album features the two stars - both in excellent voice - but it is just their numbers with no supporting cast. Not very theatrical.

7. 1986 London revival with Suzi Quatro (First Night)
New orchestrations are also the un-doing of the 1986 London revival starring Suzi Quatro. With so many other versions around you can easily give this a pass.

8. 1950 Movie soundtrack with Betty Hutton (Rhino)
Movie soundtracks are useless as documents of the stage show because Hollywood usually makes changes to the source material. This is a more faithful than usual film version. This CD has the complete movie score plus the pre-recordings made by Judy Garland before M-g-M fired her. Howard Keel makes a great Frank Butler.

9. 1947 London cast excerpts with Dolores Grey (Prism)
This low priced reissue combines the 1946 Broadwy cast and 1947 London cast albums. The London cast recorded four 3-minute medeys of tunes from the show. Dolores Grey and Bill Johnson head the cast. Too short a selection to be of any real use.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 9/15/05 at 9:28am

I prefer Ethel at Lincoln Center.

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 9/15/05 at 9:34am

Don't forget Reba's magnificent mini-disc of "You Can't Get A Man With A Gun" and "I Got Lost In His Arms".

A sin she and Brent didn't get a seperate full cast recording.

[twogaab2]

Posted: 9/15/05 at 9:51am

Merman's Lincoln Center-great cast, nearly, but not entirely, complete. Merman is great (if a bit wobbly-not as bad as later). Dosn't make the disfiguring cuts that the Peter's recording made. (Winnie and Billy (?) numbers best dispensed with, as they are not up to the rest of the score) Although I admit I do have an affection for them.

The Criswell recording is good to have for completeness as a back up.


Just my opinion, etc., etc, etc,

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 9/15/05 at 9:56am

My favorite is Bernadette's. I'm not a fan of Merman and have never been able to get used to her singing.
Ohh Judy's is fan-tabulous too!!!

Updated On: 9/15/05 at 09:56 AM

[Glebb]

Posted: 9/15/05 at 9:57am

JUDY JUDY JUDY!

[makenzimarciano]

Posted: 9/15/05 at 9:59am

I'm afraid to say it, but I prefer Bernadette Peters. I'm not a huge Merman fan.

Updated On: 9/15/05 at 09:59 AM

[twogaab2]

Posted: 9/15/05 at 10:10am

"You are young, You will learn"

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 9/15/05 at 10:27am

Clarify your statement please.

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 9/15/05 at 10:31am

It's very funny...even though you feel Judy really isn't 100% connected all the time in her AGYG prerecording, she completely blows Betty Hutton away (and I love Betty). Betty is trying too hard and boy, does it show.

[hushpuppy]

Posted: 9/15/05 at 10:48am

Now here's a topic I can get excited about! I agree that my favorite is the 1966 Lincoln Center recording. I prefer the LP version without the reprise of 'Old Fashioned Wedding'. For some reason Ethel sounds even more nasally to me in the CD version of that song. Go figure. Frontrowcentre2: you forgot to mention EM's 1970's London studio recording version. Truly awful. Neilson Taylor's Frank Butler has some sort of European accent which is laughably bad. They didn't even newly record 'I Got Lost in His Arms' and 'They Say That Falling in Love is Wonderful'. They're the same tracks from 'Merman Sings Merman'. If you listen closely, you can hear them splice in 'caint' for 'can't'. With all the unrecorded cast albums from Merman's early years, why they chose to record another version of AGYG was beyond me.

[Urban]

Posted: 9/15/05 at 10:55am

Ohh.. hushpuppy, I was waiting for you to show up, since I just love reading about you and Merman and always get excited when I see you post because I know what you say is going to be GOOD (second only to anything Margo writes).

So the LP was better? Wow. Not that it suprises me, I love listening to the handful of Cast Recordings I have on record. Old fan of vinyl myself.

[hushpuppy]

Posted: 9/15/05 at 11:13am

(blush)

[seymour krelborn]

Posted: 9/15/05 at 11:24am

I'm gonna have to go with merman on this ine, althought I love the Reba sampler.

[Jon]

Posted: 9/15/05 at 2:08pm

I like the Merman revival because of Jerry Orbach as Charlie.

[Urban]

Posted: 9/16/05 at 3:18am

I just pulled out my Lincoln Center Cast Recording the other day and when I heard Jerry Orbach sing, well it was really sad.

I often feel sorry for Bernie in her production. She is pretty good in my opinion, but the arrangements are just horrid. I mean Ethel herself couldn't save the show from all those nasty cuts and rearrangements.

I have a soft spot for the movie recording. Yes, it is not good, but Betty Hutton does pour her dear little heart into it and I just feel for her.

Oh, I am offically jealous to anybody that has the Reba sampler.
Updated On: 9/16/05 at 03:18 AM

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 9/16/05 at 5:58am

The Ethel Merman Lincoln Center cast, without a doubt.

[LaCageAuxFollesFan2]

Posted: 9/16/05 at 9:16am

Not much of a Merman fan myself...I much prefer the Grammy Award winning Bernadette/Tom Wopat version with the new and in my opinion, wonderful, new orchestrations. This is the only version that actually breaths exciting life into the songs, imho.

[tthomas76]

Posted: 9/16/05 at 9:49am

My favorite would have to be Bernadettes. She was perfect for the role...

[Patronus]

Posted: 9/16/05 at 10:08am

Absolutely no question in my mind that it's Ethel Merman at Lincoln Center.

The Bernadette version is okay, but like a lot of revivals it focused more on unnecessary changes than highlighting some of the better aspects of the recording.

I think I am going to take Ethel to work with me today.

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 9/16/05 at 11:10am

The Merm at Lincoln Center hands down!!!

I love Bernie but she was wrong, wrong, wrong for that role not to mention all of the cuts and additions they made. Reba was the best thing about that revival! I love "I'm An Indian Too" and the fact that it was cut killed me. It's un-PC but isn't that kinda the point?

[Urban]

Posted: 9/16/05 at 12:38pm

"I'm An Indian Too" could've so worked if they played off its un-PCness - like wink-wink-nudge-nudge - throw the 4th wall open for that song. Alot of not-so-PC songs and been retool for modern sensibilities - and I don't mean changing offending lyrics, but played to a comic value instead or playing it straight.

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 9/16/05 at 1:26pm

I agree 100% Urban. I think that is another reason I didn't care for the re-tooled FLOWER DRUM SONG.

[AngusN]

Posted: 9/16/05 at 1:30pm

Gotta be Bernie. You can't beat it! She was made for the role.