Favorite 'Follies" recording?

[Follies]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 9:56am

What is your personal favorite?

While I am a big fan of the complete recording I cannot tear myself away from the OBC recording (as butchered as it is) and the incredible performances of Alexis Smith (Tony Award),Dorothy Collins, John McMartin and Gene Nelson.

[lildogs]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 11:02am

Wow--I could cobble together some kind of ULTIMATE FOLLIES cast album...OBC, London, Concert and Papermill.
I don't think I'd pick anything from the revival.

All in all, I listen to Papermill's most often...

[children&art]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 11:28am

Papermill b/c its so complete, and it has "All Things Bright and Beautiful" and "Little White House" - my two favorite cut tracks. And Ann Miller.

London is good just b/c Diana Rigg is the perfect icy Phyllis, and "Country House" is a swell addition.

The concert CD if only for Carol Burnett's "I'm Still Here" and Barbara Cook's "Losing My Mind".

The original for the nostalgia of a brilliant show in it's original form, but I think we can all agree we want more from the original.

I would like some additional recordings of "Follies" though - the Bway revival (Blythe Danner, Judith Ivey, and Polly Bergen), wasnt there recently a London revival with Henry Goodman, and someone should do a concert album using Bernadette and Mandy....oh yeah, can we get a movie of this PLEASE!

[twogaab2]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 12:33pm

The original Broadway cast. In spite of being heavily cut, it is the only recording with the feeling of creation (and not recreation). The immdiacy is electric.

Just my opinion, I may be wrong.

[Follies]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 12:37pm

We are actually pretty lucky if you think about it. All of the "Follies" recordings are pretty damn good. They could have been a lot worse ("Company" revival).

The original does seem to have the most magic though. Alexis Smith was perfect as Phyllis. Anyone ever gone to see, or ever get to see the video of the OBC? It is amazing!!

[lildogs]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 12:47pm

Really? At Lincoln Center? I had heard their copy was of poor quality...dish!

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 12:55pm

I would like to hear that dishing as well. Although, I would probably love the LC tape no matter how awful the quality.

I lean to the OBC too, the performances are unmatched, but I always imagine them singing the full score.

As far as a "definitive edition" I like the cut and paste idea, Frontrowcenter2 gave this great rundown of what he considers the "best" of each song, I often want to do the same. I don't kknow that I agree on every choice, but I love that he gives such detail.

re: Help me decide which Follies Recording to buy!!!!!!
Posted On: 1/5/06 at 02:45 AM

To assemble a Best of FOLLIES proper I suggest the following for debate:

1. PROLOGUE/OVERTURE - PMP is most complete; Concert cast is best recorded.

2. BEAUTIFUL GIRLS - Concert cast captures what it was like in the theatre with the audience applauding the ladies as they make their entrances. Very exciting.

3. DON'T LOOK AT ME - OBC with Dorothy Collins and John McMartin is best.

4. THE GIRLS UPSTAIRS - The OBC is probably best performance but the record producer should have identified clearly when the ghosts come in. I prefer the concert cast here to PMP as a second choice.

5. RAIN ON THE ROOF/AH PARIS/BRADWAY BABY - The OBC drops the fist number and the first half of the 2nd, so it’s useless. It also changes the ending dropping the montage. This last change is also used for the concert, but Elaine Stritch is having so much fun it doesn't matter. Still this leaves ONLY the PMP recording catching the number as it is performed on stage. The best take of "Broadway baby" is Ethel Shutta re-creating it for the 1973 Sondheim tribute.

6. ROAD YOU DIDN'T TAKE - John McMartin hands down on this one on the OBC.

7. BOLERO D'AMOUR - Only recording is on the PMP set.

8. IN BUDDY'S EYES - Both Dorothy Collins and Barbara Cook are sensational with this but if pushed I would opt for Collins on the OBC.

9. WHO'S THAT WOMAN - OBC is truncated losing the dance music (so you never know when the ghost dancers come in.) The concert cast has the best performance and most excitement, but PMP set is the most complete.

10. I'M STILL HERE - Yvonne DeCarlo's take (despite losing a verse and a half) is definitive. Nancy Walker on the Sondheim Tribute is more complete (but the live recording does not have the best sound; Carol Burnett starts introspective and builds it to a grad finale but seems to be straining her voice in doing so on the Concert recording. Ann Miller on the PMP disc KNOWS what the song is about and even though her voice is not in the best shape, it is quite possibly her finest recorded performance. (Am I alone in thinking Ethel Merman should have picked this up and used it to close her concerts in the 70s/80s?)

11. TOO MANY MORNINGS - Best recording is John McMartin and Dorothy Collins on the OBC. (On the Sondheim tribute they also restore the cut "Pleasant Little Kingdom" in its best-recorded performance.)

12. THE RIGHT GIRL - Gene Nelson on the OBC is best. It also includes a final verse either cut from the show or created by Sondheim for the recording. Listen to the anguish in Nelson's voice at the end as he trails off and says "ahh SH*T!"

13. ONE MORE KISS - None of the recordings of this is completely satisfactory. The OBC was left ff the first LP release and has been restored for the CD. They should have left it off it is not well done at all. The same performers re-created it for the Sondheim Tribute and that is better. The best of the available is the Concert recording with Lucia Albanese's voice in ruins (she was in her 80s then) wrapped up with Erie Mill's glorious soprano.

14. COULD I LEAVE YOU - Hands down it belongs to Alexis Smith. Listen to her mounting anger, and unlike everyone else she doesn't pause after "Wait a goddamn minute!" - she just hurtles forward into the last part of the number.

15. LOVELAND - Only RCA's concert recording includes the dialogue lead-in even though it does slightly re-routine the middle section.

16. YOU'RE GONNA LOVE TOMORROW/LOVE WILL SEE US THROUGH - Again go with Victor's concert cast. Complete and well sung. OBC is abridged and the PMP is not as well performed.

17. BUDDY'S BLUES - OBC with Gene Nelson is best-recorded performance even if it does change the order of the verses. Mandy is too over-the top and Tony Roberts is too underpowered.

18. LOSING MY MIND - Still belongs to Dorothy Collins (OBC) though Barbara Cook's recording is wonderful as well.

19. STORY OF LUCY AND JESSIE - Alexis Smith's OBC recording is marred by being abridged of all its dance music. Lee Remick is great on the concert cast but the number has been re-routined to eliminate the dance section. Best-recorded version is Dee Hoty on the PMP set, where it is relegated to "bonus track" status.

20. LIVE LAUGH LOVE - George Hearn on the concert cast is the concert recording is the ONLY one to include Ben's spoken lines as he suffers the breakdown. This also leads into a (fabricated for the concert) finale with a reprise of BEAUTUIFUL GIRLS that does put a nice final button on the recording. THE OBC is horribly rushed and truncated and the PMP recording lacks the drams...if you didn't know what was going on you would be lost.

I have avoided mentioning the 1987 London cast because it makes too many changes and none of the performances are spectacular. Cle Laine does the best version of "Ahh But Underneath on her Sondheim recital. "Make the Most of Your Music" is a great song but really has nothing to do with the character of Ben, nor FOLLIES.

I am surprised so many people dislike RCA's FOLLIES In Concert.

Of course I came to it after 14 years of having ONLY the truncated EMI cast album, so the concert allowed a chance to hear virtually the whole score. Yes, Mandy does go way over the top with "Buddy' Blues" but that's what he does best! And the concert generated a level of excitement that comes through beautifully on the recording. I like it a lot and find no one horribly miscast. Minor trims and changes to the text don't really affect the recording at all. But it is live and there is a lot of enthusiastic audience response throughout. Still, I find this the most satisfying listening experience as far as FOLLIES recordings.

The OBC was always a disappointment and the CD release magnifies technical problems with buzzing mics and such that occurred during the rushed recording session. But you find a more irreplaceable cast - even allowing for those who don't sing well and the many irritating cuts in the score plus the missing songs.

I have a few minor complaints about the Paper mill Playhouse set. I find the tempos too precise and lacking the excitement that Paul Gemignani brought to the concert recording, and I don't think any of the leads are as perfectly matched to the roles as either the original cast or concert cast. Oh they are all fine but none of them are truly outstanding. Both Phyllis Newman and Lilliane Montevecchi have lost vocal power since recording these roles for the concert, 14 years earlier. More troublesome is that the orchestra is recorded very dry and the singers seem to have a lot of reverb added, as is the trend now. I prefer the open sound of Capitol's cast album and RCA' concert recording where everyone is in the same space. From having read many posts from the younger members it seems they DON'T like that open sound and prefer the more intimate mic sound of the modern discs. This of course is just a matter of personal preference.

As others have pointed out with the full score plus the appendix of cut songs this is a very valuable document of the complete FOLLIES score but I must admit I listen to the appendix material more than the show recording.

[Follies]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 12:57pm

I didn't find it to be poor at all. I mean the show is old. I was not expecting anything crazy good quality-wise.

You should go see it. Alexis Smith is fantastic. Especially during "Lucy and Jessie" Hell, look at my avatar! haha

[elmore3003]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 1:28pm

There is no video to my knowledge of the OBC, only excerpts.

[TheBalladeer]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 4:20pm

While I LOVE the OBC recording, and listen to it often, my favorite is the Papermill recording. The recording quality is crisp and clear, and the orchestrations are thrilling in my opinion, because they are fuller, a livlier. I also like the singing more on the Papermill recording as well. Its really hard for me to choose between the two.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 4:25pm

I listen to the Papermill recording the most of the 4 recordings, but some of the performances on the OBC are irreplacable.

[jv92]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 6:26pm

I like the concert recording. (I prefer Lee Remick over Alexis Smith) but I think the majority of the performances on the OBC are better (Dorothy Collins, Gene Nelson, The Young Four) and just as good (Yvone De Carlo, Ethel Shutta, John McMartin) as their concert counterparts.

[justme2]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 8:11pm

Papermill is my choice as well. I love Hoty's renditions of "Ah, but Underneath" and "Could I Leave You?".

[musicalfandukie]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 8:51pm

Papermill is my favorite as well. it's the complete recording it sounds great.

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 2/2/06 at 8:57pm

Papermill!!! Although I like my OBC recording and my Follies in Concert DVD.

Okay, now I know she won the Tony Award and is very respected and was probably quite good on stage, but I Don't Care for Alexis Smith's singing voice really at all, Dee Hoty does a MUCH better good on the Papermill Recording.

A Question: So I've never SEEN Follies or Read a script, I just know the synopsis and the Music VERY WELL.
To Me, it seems like Sally is a MUCH BETTER role than Phyllis. Sally has the better songs, IMO. Yet, it seems that the actress playing Phyllis wins the big award or is nominated and gets more acclaim than the actress playing Sally. What am I missing?

[TheBalladeer]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 4:06am

Hmmmm....its a difficult thing to figure out. I actually prefer the character of Phyllis. Why? Because she is the most relatable and out of the four of the lead characters, I find her to be the most sympathetic. Here is a woman who has spent most of her life trying to please someone who never really loved her completely, if at all, and who chose her for marriage material, as he thought she was the right kind of girl to marry....So of course after years of dealing with this, and forcing yourself to realize that fact, it would make you hardened, bitter, and bitchy. Sally, is not as sympathetic. Every time I see a production of this, I keep thinking to myself, Sally needed to be checked into a psychiatric ward a LOOOOONG time ago. I think she should have gotten over Ben a long time ago, and be happy with a man who loves her unconditionally, anyway. Of course, that was never enough for her, and the grass is always greener on the other side. But anyway, I think that out of all the characters, Phyllis is the only once with a complete story-arc and backstory that completely lets us know more about her, and how she thinks. I think "Lucy and Jessie" is the most telling, and is a great number by the way. Plus, I think Sally just comes across as a whiner, while Phyllis takes a more "pro-active" solution to dealing with the sadness and let-downs her life and marriage.

Just my 2 cents.

Cheers,

The Balladeer

[BwayBaby18]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 4:15am

i wish they would have recorded the revival

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 2/3/06 at 11:28am

Thank You Balladeer!