Hadestown Cast Recording Problems?

I adore Hadestown, and I think the original cast album sounds impeccable, but why does everything they've released on this studio album for the Broadway cast sound so poor? I saw the main cast in London, and Reeve needed work for sure, but the band, De Shields, The Fates etc. They all sound so low energy. Is anyone else noticing this? Me and my partner are genuinely struggling to listen to it. Eva, Patrick and Amber all sound great, but everything else just sounds mediocre and makes them sound lethargic.

CynicalCharmer said: "I adore Hadestown, and I think the original cast album sounds impeccable, but why does everything they've released on this studio album for the Broadway cast sound so poor? I saw the main cast in London, and Reeve needed work for sure, but the band, De Shields, The Fates etc. They all sound so low energy. Is anyone else noticing this? Me and my partner are genuinely struggling to listen to it. Eva, Patrick and Amber all sound great, but everything else just sounds mediocre and makes them sound lethargic."



I actually think the cast recording sounds amazing and CRYSTAL clear. The TOOTSIE cast recording however is recorded at such a LOW volume its annoying

I have to agree with OP here. To be honest I didn't love Hadestown when I saw it, though I do agree that it's a great show and deserved the Best Musical win. But when I was watching it, certain numbers (especially in the first half) just seemed to drag when I felt like they should've been high energy (Livin' It Up On Top comes to mind), but I figured it could've just been an off night with the cast, especially after listening to the live recording off-Broadway. But with the new recording, I feel like it does retain that sort of "plodding along" feeling that I got when I saw the show in person, so I do think they've reworked some of the numbers from before.

I'm assuming this was done deliberately for some reason, but to me it seems like it sucks the life out of the show. But I suppose we'll get a fuller picture once the whole album comes out because my memory can only serve me so far.

uncageg said: "I succumned and downloaded the available tracks.

My thought is that it is a very good recording but what it lacks in soumd is an "openess". It has a very "tight" studio sound. And while you can appreciate the music and the vocals, it takes away from the impact the show has live. Almost sounds "sterile". JMO"

Hello, Dolly! revival cast album got the same criticism. That's kind of a general problem with these electrifying ensemble numbers, the energy of a live performance will not compare to a studio recording*. Hello Dolly title track sometimes sounds like a lullaby on the album compared to watching Bette/Donna do it in person, where you instinctively want to get up and stay up the entire time.

Having said all of this, I think Hadestown album is still pretty fantastic. I wouldn't change a thing on the songs they've released so far.

* there are definitely some non-live performance albums which have gotten this right. I don't know what they're doing. Some experts on the board who work in the recording industry will have better insight.

Sterile cast albums are pretty common these days - people want that super-clean, super-scrubbed pop CD sound, which means the vocals are very close and tight (and autotuned, I'm sure), because that's what pop music sounds like. It's part of what turned me off of DEH for so long - the actual sound of the show was rejected in favor of something more radio-friendly, which obviously worked in terms of album sales, but I'm not here to listen to someone's vocal chords be plugged directly into a mixing booth. I want that big, open sound!

Thomas Z Shepard knew what he was doing! I want to hear the cast in the room, I want to hear a little reverberation, I want that sense of energy that comes from a group of passionate people exploding with the energy of a musical number. The Tootsie cast album is another great example of how a show can be deflated by recording style - in the theater, it was such a fun, gleeful rush of joy, and then the cast album is so low-key that all of that power is just gone.

fiscus1 said: "The TOOTSIE cast recording however is recorded at such a LOW volume its annoying"

Does your copy of the Tootsie cast album cut off the last notes for "Jeff Sums It Up"? My digital download of it does. The YouTube clip does also.

"

It’s a lead-in for the next song on the album, “Gone, Gone, Gone.” Try listening to them back to back.

Charley Kringas Inc said: "Sterile cast albums are pretty common these days - people want that super-clean, super-scrubbed pop CD sound, which means the vocals are very close and tight (and autotuned, I'm sure), because that's what pop music sounds like. It's part of what turned me off of DEH for so long - the actual sound of the show was rejected in favor of something more radio-friendly, which obviously worked in terms of album sales, but I'm not here to listen to someone's vocal chords be plugged directly into a mixing booth. I want that big, open sound!

Thomas Z Shepard knew what he was doing!I want to hear the cast in the room, I want to hear a little reverberation, I want that sense of energy that comes from a group of passionate people exploding with the energy of a musical number. The Tootsie cast album is another great example of how a show can be deflated by recording style - in the theater, it was such a fun, gleeful rush of joy, and then the cast album is so low-key that all of that power is just gone."

I am not sure that is the issue. In the theatre the book was so god that you were more tolerant of the awful music, orchestrations, et al. On the OCR, without benefit of the book, you are forced to focus solely on the music and orchestrations, which are as bad a score as I have listened to in years (and years?).

my main issue with the cast album is that it's not on CD [yet] and they have not announced when it will be !

I got the CD a couple of weeks ago. With one minor exception (the conclusion of Eva's part on the "Wait for Me (Reprise)", I didn't notice anything that felt inferior to performances I've seen (different yes, but not worse). And even that only felt a little disappointing because I'd seen it live. What's gained is a crystalline, layered sound and a reminder of how many terrific songs there are in the cast recording.

The other reminder: Reeve Carney is really terrific.