Joseph... Dreamcoat Question

[teatime2]

Posted: 8/13/21 at 1:52pm

Odd question... I know Joseph is mostly sung-through, but are the 1990's albums the full show, or are there cuts? Specifically asking about the 90's recordings as I know there were definitely cuts on the older recordings. If there were cuts, what was cut? 

[SeanD2]

Posted: 8/13/21 at 1:55pm

The Donny Osmond recording is essentially complete. All the lyrics are there but there are trims to dance and incidental music.

[joevitus]

Posted: 8/13/21 at 3:50pm

SeanD2 said: "The Donny Osmond recording is essentially complete. All the lyrics are there but there are trims to dance and incidental music."

I wonder what you mean by cuts? The show has been reshaped and had additional songs added to it any number of times. The original recording on Decca (London here in the States) records isn't cut, but by no means does it run the length of a Broadway/West End show, because it was just a cantata written for  school performance that point. In fact, not only was nothing cut, the recording runs longer that the production that inspired the recording (which was only 15 minutes long). I'm not sure very many of the recordings are cut, as much as they are represent productions with less accumulated material, though I couldn't verify that absolutely. 

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 8/13/21 at 4:10pm

The 90s cast albums feature nearly all of the sung material but are missing the Overture, Entr'acte, Journey to Egypt sequence and the dance music in One More Angel in Heaven and Canaan Days. There's also a verse cut from Go, Go, Go Joseph. Surprisingly, as far as I know, in spite of the numerous recordings of the score not one has preserved the show in its entirety.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 8/13/21 at 5:10pm

CATSNYrevival said: "The 90s cast albums feature nearly allof the sung material but are missing the Overture, Entr'acte, Journey to Egypt sequence and the dance music in One More Angel in Heaven and Canaan Days. There's also a verse cut from Go, Go, Go Joseph.Surprisingly, as far as I know, in spite of the numerous recordings of the score not one has preserved the show in its entirety."

I would assume that is because the show is just too long to fit on one CD without those cuts you listed, but not long enough to justify two CDs to capture the full thing

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 8/13/21 at 5:18pm

AEA AGMA SM said: "I would assume that is because the show is just too long to fit on one CD without those cuts you listed, but not long enough to justify two CDs to capture the full thing"

This is true. The complete show would not fit on one CD. Had they left out the 9 minute megamix and released it as a single instead there would have been more space on disc to include some of that cut material.

[tourboi]

Posted: 8/14/21 at 9:55pm

CATSNYrevival said: "The 90s cast albums feature nearly allof the sung material but are missing the Overture, Entr'acte, Journey to Egypt sequence and the dance music in One More Angel in Heaven and Canaan Days. There's also a verse cut from Go, Go, Go Joseph.Surprisingly, as far as I know, in spite of the numerous recordings of the score not one has preserved the show in its entirety."

The revival recordings also omit the transitional music from Prologue into Any Dream Will Do (where on stage Joseph would 'float' down to the stage, though that transition and music was cut for the RUG produced US Tour - it was featured in the Livent Canada/US Tour with Osmond), and Pharoah Story uses a different instrumental backing than the one used in the show. The one exception is the German recording of the revival which does include the Prologue/ADWD transition, and the One More Angel hoedown, and has the actual accompaniment for Pharaoh Story. but still omits the Journey to Egypt, Overture, and Entr'acte. Of them all, the Canadian/Osmond one is my fav, but the German one gets a lot of listens from me simply because it's more complete. I wish we could get an album with the whole thing, and even more so I wish we'd get a recording of the current London revival. Jac Yarrow by all accounts is marvelous.