Newspaper article re: new Gypsy CD

This was in the Bergen Record today.

http://www.northjersey.com/betterliving/stage/27165749.html

I don't think it's fair to call it the most complete. There's nothing on the commercial CD that wasn't included on the Bernadette Peters CD except for "Seattle to Washington". Even with that the Peters CD included the Entr'acte and the act two finale. To get those for the new CD you have to buy the Barns and Noble version and even then it still doesn't have the "Small World" reprise which though cut from the production is still part of the licensed score and therefor incomplete. If they wanted it to be the most complete they should have actually tried to record everything. The cut songs are a nice addition, but even some of those have been previously recorded.

Updated On: 8/20/08 at 08:53 AM

I'm not certain it would have been quite fair to have Patti Lupone perform the "Small World" reprise. It's a couple of tearful incomplete phrases. She would have had to come up with a performance in the recording studio of something she does not perform every night. Her talents were put to much better use on "Small World/Momma's Talking Soft," "Smile, Girls" and "Who Needs Him".

None of the cut songs have been recorded in anything quite like how they appear on the new recording. Here, they are in the original Sid Ramin/Robert Ginzler arrangements for "Small World/Momma's Talking Soft" and in Jonathan Tunick's orchestrations for the rest, echoing the style of the original orchestrations (and his mentor, Ginzler). That's a significant factor. Other recordings of those songs (and I think "Nice She Ain't" and "Momma's Talking Soft" are the only two that were previously recorded) have either used a small jazz combo or a completely different arrangement. Hearing the luscious string work in "Momma's Talking Soft" was a revelation for me.

Yes, the Bernadette Peters CD had the Entr'acte and Finale music and didn't require a second disc. But it didn't have "Seattle to LA," or all of the dance music for "Dainty June and Her Farm Boys," and "Broadway," the complete "Together" and the seven bonus cut songs. Given the packed 79 minutes on the main Time-Life disc, only an imbecile would complain about having to purchase the Barnes & Noble version to get the rest of the material. Is it REALLY that much of an inconvenience to purchase the Barnes & Noble version if you really want the Entr'acte and Exit Music? The completists who want those tracks know where they need to order their copy.

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Updated On: 8/20/08 at 09:35 AM

even then it still doesn't have the "Small World" reprise which though cut from the production is still part of the licensed score and therefor incomplete. If they wanted it to be the most complete they should have actually tried to record everything.

I think we have a winner for the most idiotic complaint of the year!

This so-called "reprise" is barely even that. A couple lines haltingly, tearfully delivered.

The ONLY way this would make sense on a recording is if you recorded all the dialogue that both precedes and follows it, and like it or not recordings are for music primarily.

What else do you want on this disc? The pre-show announcement? The orchestra tuning up?

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That's funny, they also had a tiny article about the new Gypsy recording in the LA Times Calendar section. It mentioned how it was the most complete recording ever.
I thought it was funny that it would even be in the LA Times, we're so far away from NY! I enjoyed it though.