More OCR reissues fromSony/BMG

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 2:39am

After the merger between Sony (Columbia Records) and BMG (RCA Victor) a few years ago, Broadway reissues from both labels stopped.

Well on August 29 we will get reissues of 4 cast albums - all of them getting their first CD release:

THE KING AND I - RCA Victor's 1964 Music Theatre of Lincoln Center cast album with Rise Stevens and Darren McGavin. This was the first time the Uncle Thomas ballet was included on a KING AND I cast album. Even now it is usually left out...maybe producers deem it too visual. For the recording it was abridged to 8 1/2 minutes but this was always the high point of the album for me. The CD will also include the previously unissued "Western People Funny." This was the first major revival at Lincoln Centre. Richard Rodgers was assigned the task of keeping the newly build state theatre open in the summer so he proposed a series of full-scare revivals of classic musicals. In the summer of 1964 he chose KING AND I
and MERRY WIDOW with RCA Victor doing cast albums of both. (MERRY WIDOW has still not turned up on Cd.)

The following summer he did a 20th anniversary revival of CAROUSEL with John Raitt and a lavish 12th anniversary revival of KISMET with Alfred Drake. Both were well-received and again recorded by RCA Victor. (These two are out on CD, although the KISMET is now deleted.)

Then in 1966 came the famous 20th anniversary ANNIE GET YOUR GUN with Merman (and a new Irving Berlin song) and SHOW BOAT with Barbara Cook. These were also recorded by Victor and have been out on CD for years.

SOUTH PACIFIC - Columbia's 1967 Music Theatre of Lincoln Center cast album starring Florence Henderson and Giorgio Tozzi. Columbia recorded SOUTH PACIFIC in 1967 but nobody recorded the revivals of WEST SIDE STORY in '68 or OKLAHOMA! in '69. The last two lost money and the series was discontinued.

Also coming from Sony/BMG are the 1974 Broadway production of CANDIDE - complete on 2 Cd's - and the 1976 20th anniversary revival of MY FAIR LADY.

All 4 albums are ones collectors have been begging for and Sony/BMG is offering these as a test: IF sales are encouraging, they will bring out more new-to-Cd reissues.


The other big news is a 4 CD boxed set covering Stephen Sondheim's career (to sate) and including many rare demo and previously un-released tracks as well as selections from all Sondheim original cast albums (except ONE...see below) even those not owned by Sony/BMG. They got co-operation from Nonesuch to include BOUNCE and from EMI to include FORUM and PASSION.

The one title EMI would not grant permission to use was FOLLIES so that show will be represented by Victor's recording of the 1985 concert.

Among the gems are the original TV soundtrack recording of EVENING PRIMROSE (never commercially released) and "Love Takes Time" the vocal version of the Night Waltz from the film of ALNM.

Still no word on when the reissues of SWEENEY TODD, SUNDAY, MERRILY and WOODS will happen though.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 3:34am

It will be nice to have all of those on remastered CDs instead of listening to my old LPs or old LPs transferred to CD.

I only wish that they had discovered a complete Darren McGavin "A Puzzlement" on the master tapes. And a longer "Small House of Uncle Thomas" because Allers conducts what there is of it so well.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 5:30am

Boy, oh boy... Can't wait for the discussions about Maureen Brennan's "Glitter and Be Gay".

[philcrosby]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 8:30am

It is really critical that those who say they love cast albums buy these releases. Sony/BMG has listened and ponied up the $$ to produce four CDs collectors have been saying they have wanted for years. If the sales are disappointing, you can bet this will be the last new-to-CD reissues we will see from this major label.

Maureen Brennan (while no Barbara Cook, for sure) made an absolutely delightful Cunegonde when I saw that revival lo those many years ago. She clearly knew she was out of her league vocally, played the comedy for all it was worth and was terrific. Sadly, that doesn't come across as well on the recording.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 8:33am

To be fair, I did hear Brennan sing it again years later at a benefit. And she was indeed, wildly funny with the number AND sang it much better than in '74. But those who have never heard the recording are in for a tough listen.

Updated On: 7/6/06 at 08:33 AM

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 8:46am

nobodyhome, I know what you mean. I went looking for the Man of Man Mancha London CR for my dad the other day, but they don't even have it available on CD. It's the best recording of the show there is, but they haven't bothered upgrading the media since the original release.

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 11:41am

WESTERN PEOPLE FUNNY is on the Barbara Cook KING AND I cast recording. What a great song, shame it's usually cut from the show, recordings, etc.


UNCLE TOM'S CABIN is included on the re-issue of the film soundtrack. And it's the full version heard in the film. It'll be nice to hear it on here too.

I can't wait for this reissue.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 11:45am

"Western People Funny" is on the generally excellent '77 revival recording...and in its original orchestrations, instead of the rather lackluster orchestrations on the Barbara Cook recording.

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 11:51am

I forgot it's on the 77 revival recording!

Some of the Cook orchestrations I like. But why did they re-do them?

And the Donna Murphy revival cut Western People Funny all together right?

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 2:05pm

New orchestrations: In the early 1960s Columbia produced new studio casts of OKLAHOMA!, ANNIE GET YOUR GUN and KING AND I subjecting all 3 to new orchestrations by Phillip J. Lang which are horrible.

THE KING AND I has Barbara Cook but its not a good recording of the show. It was released on CD in 1993 and is still in print.

OKLAHOMA! is terrible despite having John Raitt as Curly. This came out on CD in 2002.

The ANNIE GET YOUR GUN has Doris Day and Robert Goulet. You'd think after playing Calamity Jane Day would know what to do with Annie but she doesn't and sings the songs in straightforward style without any character. Goulet is even more low-key than usual and sounds bored. Its easily the worst of the three. It was scheduled for release on CD by Sony a few years back but they changed their minds. (Maybe someone listened to it.)

CANDIDE: Since this was the production that made the show popular (if not quite a financial hit) the recording is important. No, its not terribly well-sung and the orchestra reduced to 13 players sounds skimpy but with all the dialogue recorded you get a real sense of the fun of this production. (June Gable is the Old Lady. If you watched FRIENDS you saw her as Joey's agent Estelle.) Also, Sondheim collectors will want it for the few new lyrics he wrote. Still, there are already many other CANDIDE recordings available.

[jasonf]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 2:30pm

Just remind us when we can order them and I'll be all over this :)

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 2:36pm

That Sondheim CD set sounds nice!

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 2:50pm

I wish I could get excited about these releases, because I want to see more released. The EVENING PRIMROSE release holds special interest to me. Although, I wish they were releasing it on DVD, intead of CD!

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 3:09pm

Apparently the John Collier estate is the hold up on getting EVENING PRIMROSE released commercially, although they did allow a limited London staging of the piece about a year ago. Those curious, can see the program at the Museum of Broadcasting.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 6:05pm

I am waiting for some of the RCA Victor LP'S to make it to cd

Jimmy
Inner City

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 7/6/06 at 7:41pm

I have "Small House" complete on the JAY recording. (It's also complete on the London revival recording with Paige.) I just particularly like what we can hear of Franz Allers's conducting of it on the Lincoln Center recording so I wish the piece wasn't so greatly cut. And, of course, "Western People Funny" is on a few recordings, but it will be nice to have Neway.

I only saw the 1974 Candide at matinees. My memory is that the matinee Cunegonde sang the role very well. Brennan's "Glitter" high notes on the recording are pretty painful, yeah.