1. Original Broadway Cast (RCA Victor) - The sound is better balanced than some early stereo RCA cast albums, but it does have a fuzziness and slight distortion due to the label's penchant for "hot-mic-ing" the singers. Of course the role belongs to Robert Morse and ONLY Rudy Vallee makes any sense with the perfectly awful "Love from a Heart of Gold" that was (I think - whether Vallee was aware of it or not) Loesser's parody of a typical Rudy Valee hit of the 1920s. (Those curious should seek out a Pro-Arte CD Rudy Valee: Vagabond Lover which collects 20 of his tracks recorded c. 1929-30) The song was dropped from the film and only the intervention of Jo Sullivan Loesser kept it from being cut from the 1995 revival.
2. 1966 Movie Soundtrack - A good deal of the score was cut from the film. Gone are "Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm", "Paris Original", "Cinderella Darling" and "Love from a Heart of Gold." ("Coffee Break" was cut from the release version of the film but was filed and recorded and is on the soundtrack.) Morse and Vallee are back along with Michelle Lee who was a replacement Rosemary on Broadway. Sound quality is typical Hollywood soundtage: boxy and flat. The larger Orchestra is good but the new orchestrations are not. This CD is now out-of-print and not really worth a hunt unless you are a collector who must have EVERY version of every show.
3. 1995 Broadway revival cast - The production itself was uneven. It was saved by Broderick's winning (and Tony winning) performance, and by Lillias White's "brotherhood of Man" which really did blow the roof off the theatre and gave the sagging second act such a lift right near the end that many people believed the show was better than it actualy was. (There were good moments along the way but quite a few - especially the re-concieved "Coffee Break that just did not work. The show didn't really catch fire until late in Act One and as I said after a strong first act finale, Act Two took its own sweet time getting up to speed again!)Overall sound quality is better and the CD gives a more complete represenattion of the show but with changes to the orchestrations and a revised song line-up. Despite its flaws I think I have enjoyed listening to the revival cast more than I have the OBC, but maybe because I saw this production just after it opened.
-----WARNING: Cast record vs. Soundtrack commentary------
I have always been a stickler for using the correct terms. "Cast recording" for stage and studio casts, soundtracks for "movie soundtrack" albums.
I don't think it necessary to be mean or nasty especially to newcomers who probably have encountered stores where all show albums and movie soundtracks are lumped together and the staff are too busy comparing the latest piercings to know or care.
I do think the matter should be corrected and it clearly spelled out to the originator why the differentiations are important. It is not done - nor sould it be done - to make the poster feel inadequate or to make the person replying appear superior. We are just correcting a minor mistake.
That said. if the people are Broadway World are the true "Theatre Fans", and for the most part they are, it is expected that everyone should know the difference between a film "soundtrack" (ST for short) and a stage production's "original cast recording" (OCR) just as we know the difference between a live stage performance and a movie. At least I hope we do!
Cast albums are NOT "soundtracks."
Live theatre does not use a "soundtrack." If it did, it wouldn't be live theatre!
I host a weekly one-hour radio program featuring cast album selections as well as songs by cabaret, jazz and theatre artists. The program, FRONT ROW CENTRE is heard Sundays 9 to 10 am and also Saturdays from 8 to 9 am (eastern times) on www.proudfm.com
