Lloyd Webber Must Haves

[chino]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 10:08pm

Hello everyone,

I just heard someone sing "Only You," and just found out that its from "Starlight Express" (such a shame right? I know.) I just want to ask, what are the Lloyd Webber must have cast recordings? I have the basic ones like Phantom of the Opera, Evita and Sunset Blvd. And what are the best ones? Orignal Broadway Cast, London Cast? Studio Cast? etc.

Thanks in advance.
GOD BLESS!
Updated On: 4/1/07 at 10:08 PM

[COOOOLkid]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 10:12pm

I only need London Cast of Sunset Blvd. Maybe Broadway cast of Evita, too. That's it. No more.

[Piazzaslight]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 10:12pm

If you like "I Know Him So Well" so much, buy one of the cast recordings for CHESS. It's not from Starlight Express.

Anyway, I really enjoy the London cast recordings for ASPECTS OF LOVE and THE WOMAN IN WHITE. Two very beautiful shows by ALW, in my opinion.

[MusicalMo]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 10:13pm

"I Know Him So Well" is from a musical called CHESS, not STARLIGHT EXPRESS. I would just buy the CHESS cast recording and forget about the Andrew Lloyd Webber stuff if you ask me. But if you HAVE to have ALW, I would suggest Sunset Boulevard, Aspects of Love, and Evita.

[chino]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 10:15pm

Ooops! I made a mistake, I meant "only you" What was I thinking! Crazy me, I am sorry. Let me correct my first post. ARGH!

[Gothampc]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 10:27pm

"Song & Dance" with Bernadette Peters (especially for the song "Unexpected Song" and "Tell Me On A Sunday").

[jo]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 10:47pm

ASPECTS OF LOVE

ALWebber was once quoted that this musical score was his personal favourite, when the show opened on Broadway.

Interestingly, one of the songs from Phantom ( Music of the Night) first surfaced as a song for Sarah Brightman to be included in Aspects of Love - but Sarah did not originate the musical and ALW thought it sounded better in Phantom of the Opera.

The musical score is "lyrical, achingly romantic, and almost Sondheimesque" ( according to the late Brit theatre critic and historian, Sheridan Morley).

It's a chance to listen to Michael Ball's voice in glorious form!

There is an excellent remastered version recently issued.

Jo

[Fenchurch]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 10:47pm

Aspects of Love, it's his best score.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 10:48pm

REQUIEM
EVITA (any of them, but I prefer the movie soundtrack)
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (original recording, Australian, or 1996 London cast)
SONG AND DANCE (The original British version with Marti Webb)
JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (the movie soundtrack)
WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND
A BEAUTIFUL GAME
ASPECTS OF LOVE
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (original cast recording)
WOMAN IN WHITE

Updated On: 4/2/07 at 10:48 PM

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 10:50pm

one of his best were the beautiful game here in the UK(amazing and very different to his usual stuff)

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 10:51pm

Some of the songs in the beginning are bad, but 95% of it is AMAZING and heart-wrenching. I really wish I could have seen it.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 10:53pm

BG was amazing but it struggled due to the subject matter and the 9/11 killed the show off

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 10:55pm

They need to revive it or send it over here, although, I don't know how well it will do because it relates to Football (Soccer)

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 10:57pm

yeah it does use football but its a lot more about the troubles in ireland with protestants and catholics

i really hope it comes back one day ,its a shame it opened when it did.

im not a fan of webber but that show was good(i watched it 3 times and cried my eyes out)

[jo]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 11:15pm

>>>and cried my eyes out <<<

Me, too - the saddest musical I have ever seen.

It isn't really about football ( but uses it as the backdrop of the story)- it has more to do with social issues such as sectarian violence in Northern Island and the plight of immigrants looking for a future elsewhere ( although the latter one was only a secondary theme).

My favourite song from the show is GOD'S OWN COUNTRY.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 11:17pm

Gods own country is an amazing song

I have a huge framed poster of this show in my hallway

[D2]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 11:22pm

Fen: Well, we agree on something at least.

Jo: On the remastered AOL disk, have they taken care of those annoying differences in sound levels that plague the original recording?

RE: BEAUTIFUL GAME. One of the saddest musicals I've ever seen, and quite a departure for Sir Andy.

[jo]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 11:35pm

D2 - Sorry, I am not sure I'm technically-adept enough to give you a categorical Yes. All I know is that the whole recording is so much more of a pleasure to listen to - it sounds crisper to my layman ears.

But I love this score - maybe that was why the first recorded version sounded perfect to me then

Jo
Updated On: 4/1/07 at 11:35 PM

[D2]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 11:37pm

Thanks, Jo. I love the score too - it's my ALW guilty pleasure.

Updated On: 4/1/07 at 11:37 PM

[ben1986]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 11:45pm

Ok here's my list:

Evita, both the OBC and 2006 London Cast. Regardless of what anyone says LuPone defined and still is defining the role of Eva Peron. The movie was ok but suffered many because of Madonna's vocal inability to carry the score. The movie lacked the energy of the original show and to me that was a big drawback. Nevertheless the OBC still sounds great, and LuPone is a thrill just to hear her say, "Screw the Middle Class."

So far I believe that Elena Roger's is the only actress to come close to being as good as LuPone. I never had the chance to see her but from what everybody says, she was great in the role. I highly recommend both cast albums to anybody who is an ALW fan.

Other Must Haves:

The Phantom of the Opera: OLC because Michael Crawford still defines the role.

Song and Dance: I prefer the live recording with Marti Webb because I loved the way she sounded in the role. Don't get me wrong, I love Bernadette, but she sounded like and American doing a British accent. Another plus about the Webb version is that it has all the variations from Act II, something the OBC lacks.

Cats: OLC, its just a must have because it's a ALW classic.

Aspects of Love: OLC because of Michael Ball

Jesus Christ Superstar: I recommend getting the original recording because I think the orchestrations were the best and did not allow themselves to be constrained by the size of an orchestra pit.

The Woman in White: OLC, I saw this show on Broadway and loved it. I know many people didn't care for it, but I found the score to be lush and full of sounds. It sounds sappy I know, but still.

Sunset Bolulevard: This all depends on what you want to hear. If you want to her a great singer for the role of Norma Desmond, buy LuPone. If you want to hear a great actress play the role of Norma Desmond by Glenn Close. It's as simple as that, both albums are wonderful although I'm alittle bias because I prefer LuPone.

[chino]

Posted: 4/2/07 at 12:24am

Just ordered "Aspects of Love!" and I must say, after hearing the clips from "Beautiful Game," its beautiful. How come I never heard anything about this show before? Really nice.

Thanks for all the help you guys!

[musical_devotee]

Posted: 4/2/07 at 1:30am

I'd just like to add few things:

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (1996 London Cast): the cast is fantastic and the orchestrations have a fresh touch.

EVITA

It can be hard since there are a few good recordings. The 1978 Broadway Cast has Patti LuPone, who will probably remain the definite Eva. On the other hand, Mandy Patinkin's Che on that recording was never my personal favorite. One should also mention the 1976 studio recording with Julie Covington as Eva and Colm Wilkinson as Che. It has a bit more rock orchestrations (the guitar solo during Buenos Aires is amazing) and some lyrics that were omitted when the show reached the stage. The movie soundtrack is also recommendable: here the score is epic and both Madonna and Antonio Banderas did more than well. The latest London revival recording is a good supplement to the existing Evita collection (the orchestrations have a Latin touch here; Elena Roger is excellent...), but it's only a highlights disc.

ASPECTS OF LOVE

When I first heard the cast recording, I didn't like it all that much. But with time, it just grabbed me: despite the fact it may seem the story drags on, the score is beautiful and moving. The remastered recording has a much better sound (the original was awful) and the libretto can actually be read without a magnifying glass.

SUNSET BLVD.

Like someone mentioned here, the two big recordings (1993 London Cast and 1994 LA cast) are quite different. I prefer the 1993 London Cast because both leads (Patti LuPone and Kevin Anderson) are vocally better. LuPone played the role with the subtle vulnerability, while I felt Glenn Close just did an overblown imitation of Gloria Swanson, very similar to her Cruella DeVille character few years later.

WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND

This is often overlooked. It didn't make it to Broadway after its 1998 London premiere and yet it has a great score with witty lyrics. ALW got back to his rock and roll roots and many of the songs are wonderful (A kiss is a terrible thing to waste is my favorite). Be sure to check it.

THE BEAUTIFUL GAME

This one also gets better with repeated listenings. The plot can be a bit difficult to follow, since the recording is not complete.

[FutureAladdinOnB'Way]

Posted: 4/2/07 at 1:35am

EVITA!!! I prefer the 1978 version, Patti LuPone is a beast( In a good way)

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 4/2/07 at 1:44am

The ONLY score by Andrew Lloyd Webber that I consider essential is EVITA. There are many recording to choose from but my preference is for the Broadway cast (Patti LuPone) or for highlights the London cast (Elaine Paige.) The rest of his stuff as far as I'm concerned is garbage. Sometimes garbage with a pleasant melody or two, but still shows unworthy of any major attention.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 4/2/07 at 1:47am

I think THE two essentials are:

Jesus Christ Superstar
Evita

And the majority of his shows are FAR from garbage.

Updated On: 4/2/07 at 01:47 AM