Follies Recording: 1985 Concert or 1998 Paper Mill?

[James2]

Posted: 6/20/09 at 10:00pm

Which of the more complete Follies recordings do you recommend for one who has not experienced the show: the 1985 concert or the 1998 Paper Mill production?

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/20/09 at 10:01pm

1998 for sure. It's considered "the complete recording." If you enjoy that, then get the 1985 recording.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/20/09 at 10:07pm

Stay away from the DVD of the concert. The numbers are chopped to hell. "Im Still Here" was painful to watch after they cut the heart out of it. I have the DVD & after watching that I never went back to it again.

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 12:17am

The '85 concert is one of my favorite albums ever.

[Plum]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 12:23am

The "completeness" factor is about the only thing the Paper Mill recording has going for it, IMO. It's a limp, turgid recording overall. Now, the concert does sometimes take its tempos too fast, I'm pretty sure Barbara Cook had her songs transposed up a bit, and Mandy Patinkin's "Buddy's Blues" is a love-it-or-hate-it affair, but the concert is infinitely more lively than the Paper Mill recording and does a far better job of selling the show.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 12:35am

The concert recording has the "it" factor. Although Dee Hoty is probably the best Phyllis on recording, and she's with on the Papermill album. You can't go wrong with either, but the concert recording is probably the best. I mean, it has an unbeatable cast, with Liz Callaway, Daisy Prince, Howard McGillan, and Jim Walton doing the best recorded version of "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow/Love Will See Us Through."

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 12:39am

The chopped up Overture and sound quality takes away points from the concert recording, in my opinion.

[tellybox]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 2:07am

I agree with ljay889. The Prologue on the Papermill is worth the price alone, IMO. Not to mention Donna McKechnie's tragic rendition of Losing My Mind.
Updated On: 6/21/09 at 02:07 AM

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 2:09am

Agreed. Donna's Sally is divine.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 2:19am

While I found Judith Ivey's Sally as close to perfection as possible in the Roundabout revival, Donna McKechnie was absolutely stunning in the role.

I agree with everyone who praises the '85 concert recording as superior. It's definitely worth owning, although the Paper Mill version also has many things I enjoy as well.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 8:49am

Not to get it off topic but it is really a shame that there was no recording done of the Encores Follies a few years ago. I own every recording of the show, and have seen countless productions, and Encores was truly magical. Victoria Clark and Donna Murphy could not have been more perfect in the roles of Sally and Phyllis.

Back to the matter at hand-you can't really judge which total recording is best. In some perfect world you would be able to take tracks from every single recording (all though right now I can't think of what would come from the London recording...but there must be something good in there) and turn it into the perfect Follies recording.

The concert has the BEST I'm Still Here done by Carol Burnette-and is worth the price alone. The Papermill is so complete that it is hard to not say that is the one to get. If you can swing it-get both.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 9:20am

Do a search here for Follies--there are many great discussions. Here are the links to some footage from the original production:


Who's That Woman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhQeVQ6677A


The Right Girl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p5J5CmG-_M


Lucy/Jesse

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TxLGIdv85I

Updated On: 6/21/09 at 09:20 AM

[explorer]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 9:48am

Both good but Papermill is my favorite.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 10:37am

The 1985 concert recording served a purpose at the time, but now I find it a pretty tough listen. The tempos are really way too fast and the Overture sounds like circus music. I don't like the transposed keys for Sally's songs, Stritch's Broadway Baby is tiresome, I don't think Burnett is ideally matched with "I'm Still Here" (Yvonne De Carlo, Nancy Walker and Ann Miller all bring more to the table), and Mandy Patinkin is excruciating. For a concert version, there are still lots of cuts to the material.

I'd absolutely go with the Paper Mill recording.

Updated On: 6/21/09 at 10:37 AM

[brightredday]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 11:12am

Smaxie, maybe I'm blanking, but when did Nancy Walker do "I'm Still Here"?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 11:15am

It's pretty definitive.


Sondheim Evening: A Musical Tribute (1973 Concert Cast) [CAST RECORDING] [LIVE]

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 11:34am

I completely agree that the concert served its purpose for the time but honestly I haven't given it a listen in years, so I would go with the Papermill recording.

To me though, the definitive FOLLIES recording is the OBC soundboard recording and it's the only recording of the show I ever listen to. I know, against the rules here (Blah blah blah) but the quality is so brilliant that there's no reason on earth almost 40 years after it was recorded that is shouldn't be remastered and released for sale along with the other stunning Sondheim soundboards (NIGHT MUSIC, SWEENEY, COMPANY etc)

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 11:38am

Although it is off topic, I would like to recommend the London Cast recording. I saw the London production in 1987 (my only time of seeing FOLLIES) and just loved it. Daniel Massey, Julia McKenzie, Diana Rigg, and Dennis Healey were superb as the leads IMO. And Dolores Gray, who was loved by Londoners over the years,gave a superb reading of "I'm Still Here". A special plus was the excellent sound design in the theatre--there were no harsh crescendos from the orchestra or cast. I know I am in the minority in my views of the London cast album, but there it is. If you are a "completeness" person, you should include this CD.

[tellybox]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 5:21pm

Nancy Walker singing "I'm Still Here" sounds pretty amazing. I really should get around to picking up the Scrabble album.

And how would one go about getting this soundboard recording? lol