"Hello, Dolly" 2017 Cast Recording — Page 5

It's Bette Midler. I will love the cast recording.

Updated On: 5/12/17 at 03:23 PM

I just listen to Before The Parade Passes By and Hello, Dolly! from following versions -

Original Broadway Cast Recording - Carol Channing, 1964
London Cast Album - Mary Martin, 1965 *
Broadway Cast Recording - Pearl Bailey, 1967
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Barbra Streisand, 1969
The New 1994 Cast Recording - Carol Channing, 1994
New Broadway Cast Recording - Bette Midler, 2017

Pearl Bailey's version for Before The Parade Passes By is my favorite, followed by Bette's.

Barbra's version of Hello, Dolly! is my favorite, followed by Carol Channing's 1994 version.

Barbra sings it so smooth, I can never quite understand how she makes it work so well. There's affection, but great amount of sexual tension in her take of the song which makes me feel positively drunk.

* - My album's dated 1964, even though the show opened in London in 1965, not sure what's up with this.

Valentina3 said: "I just listen to Before The Parade Passes By and Hello, Dolly! from following versions -

Original Broadway Cast Recording - Carol Channing, 1964
London Cast Album - Mary Martin, 1965 *
Broadway Cast Recording - Pearl Bailey, 1967
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Barbra Streisand, 1969
The New 1994 Cast Recording - Carol Channing, 1994
New Broadway Cast Recording - Bette Midler, 2017

Pearl Bailey's version for Before The Parade Passes By is my favorite, followed by Bette's.

Barbra's version of Hello, Dolly! is my favorite, followed by Carol Channing's 1994 version.

Barbra sings it so smooth, I can never quite understand how she makes it work so well. There's affection, but great amount of sexual tension in her take of the song which makes me feel positively drunk.

* - My album's dated 1964, even though the show opened in London in 1965, not sure what's up with this."

Dollypop can probably state more definitively, but didn't Mary Martin and cast tour internationally before settling in for a London run? I remember a TV special called 'Dolly Tours The World' or something like that. Perhaps the recording was made before the London run.

In 1967, I saw "Dolly" in London with Dora Bryan. She had replaced Mary Martin the previous year. Although not especially well known on this side of the Atlantic, Bryan was a much-loved star in Great Britain. Her "Dolly" was wonderful. When I see Bette later this year, it will mark exactly half a century since first I was introduced to "Dolly". I may have aged, but "Dolly" hasn't.

The one in the 94 recording was added just for that tour. I believe the original production didn't have much of a overture. Dollypop would know.

Updated On: 5/12/17 at 06:33 PM

MichelleCraig said: "DrJekyll wrote: ONE STINKING PICTURE in the booklet. One. The one of Bette that we've all seen a bazillion times.

Agree with you about the lack of pictures, but the booklet seems pretty good. I've only skimmed it but will read in full over the weekend. It is sad that even though the FINALE leads you to believe it's the entire cast recording...it is not...just Bette and David, as on the NPR stream.



"

AGREED! But what is there is really good. So relieved the CD sounds so good. If those streams are always like that then they don't do themselves any advertisement favors.

Found on Instagram...

DAME said: "I am very pleased with it. But I wish that finale was in there."

Me too, Dame. Not sure why there is so much hate for it here. It's not perfect but it is full of wonderful performances and is a delight in spite of some unfortunate omissions to the score.

I love how DAME is deferring to Dollypop, who is totally coming through on this trivia. I always imagine DAME singing "Call... on... Dollypop!" whenever it happens :)

Count me in as someone who loves this album. Does it capture the energy of the full LIVE experience? No. But I'm not sure that it could. I love how clear the orchestrations and vocal arrangements are. That ensemble has some of the most incredible voices I have ever heard together.



my main quibble would be with Sunday Clothes. The ensemble comes in so quietly... but on multiple listenings, there is a hushed intensity that crescendos to the end that i find thrilling.



i'm confused by people complaining about the cut music/ run time? The original album was only 43 minutes long and the last revival was only 56. Is there really that much missing?

Okie doke - I have the CD now. Yes, of course it's better than the low-rez mp3 crap that everyone's been listening to. That said, how anyone can say this is a clear recording is beyond me, other than they know nothing about sound or are just in love with the dry, small sound of cast albums today. Take ANY one of the tracks on this CD and play it back to back with either the OBC or my 94 recording and tell me about clarity. It sounds like it was recorded in a closet because the producers and engineers have added a perfunctory amount of the wrong kind of reverb - the band, which is over twenty, sounds like ten. The singers are kept back in the mix for reasons I cannot fathom and they sound like they have a blanket over them. Cast albums should sound alive and have air and space, you know, just like when you see the show in the theater. Obviously this is what people do these days, but I'll take a Goddard Lieberson cast album any day of the week, even though we have the technology to be even better now - but they don't use it correctly.

I'm gonna also say this - the cast, including Ms. Midler is terrific. The people who think she sounds dull and distant would not be saying that if this were mixed differently and had the presence and life it needs. I could spend three hours with this and make it a whole different thing, but as long as there are people who think the band is "clear" and the vocal arrangements are "clear" then nothing will change. For those who love that sort of thing, I wish you many happy listens. For me, once was more than enough.

If he ever gets me the art, we're planning on doing those private albums he did of his favorite movie music - four volumes. :)