RARE CDs — Page 2

Happy Rosh Hashanah! I thought I'd celebrate the first day of 5773 with a show for my people. A special "hello" to those of you who are sitting in temple and reading this on your iPhone.

Bar Mitzvah Boy originated as a 1976 BAFTA award-winning BBC1 television play by the late Jack Rosenthal. Rosenthal, whose widow is actress Maureen Lipman, also won a BAFTA in 1977 for writing the teleplay for Saturday's "Disc of the Day" Spend Spend Spend.

The musical version of Bar Mitzvah Boy, which follows the events leading up to the Bar Mitzvah of Eliot Green, opened in 1978 at Her Majesty's Theatre where it ran for only 77 (or 78 depending on the source) performances. In a day and age where it can now take a decade for a musical to make it to the stage, it's interesting to note that the teleplay was broadcast on September 14, 1976, and the musical opened just over two years later on October 31, 1978. A revised version resetting the story in Brooklyn via an American Adaptation by Martin Gottfried and featuring some new songs played briefly in 1978 at off-Broadway's American Jewish Theatre.

With a book by Rosenthal and lyrics by Don Black, the show features a score by Jule Styne. THE LEGENDARY JULE STYNE! This alone makes this disc a must-have. Direction was by Martin Charnin in the window between the original productions of Annie & the musical version of I Remember Mama.

Pye released two singles from the show, I've Just Begun and This Time Tomorrow. Both featuring star Barry Angel, these singles are not included on this disc, but can be found on a collection of singles cleverly titled A Slice of Pye.

This recording, another one from the rare Sony West End series, has 17 tracks and a running time of 47.3 minutes.

As the ad said, the show will "be on the stage for a long time...the album will be on your turntable even longer."

My Amazon listing for this album:

http://www.amazon.com/Bar-Mitzvah-Boy-Jack-Rosenthal/dp/B001EFEV3C/ref=?ie=UTF8&m=A2CBRI5F6XRI96

Lol, I have this LP. I almost gave it away last week, but it was hiding in a box and I didn't see it when I posted the list.



ETA: I actually did list it! No one wanted it.

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Updated On: 9/17/12 at 12:03 PM

I had two copies, thought I lost my first and then bought another one when it first came out- I sold my extra one on ebay a few years back for $125.00

Hi, castlestreet: Hope you're enjoying those discs!!!

longtimelurker- they are both great- very interesting to hear the Aussie take on 42nd Street

Cast CDs have gone back and forth as to how much the rare ones get online- I remember when eBay first got started the Buckley 4 track Sunset CD was selling for $200 & $300 dollars. A few years ago I snagged a copy on Amazon for a friend for $25.00.

I don't think I paid more then 10-15 for the Buckley Sunset at the theatre. I do know that was one of the ones I sold for a little over $100.00 on ebay a few years back.

I could never figure out how I ended up with two copies of King David. Thanks for the info. :)

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Since yesterday's discussion segued into Sunset Boulevard, I thought I'd look at two discs of Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals. First, if you'll allow me a moment of pedantry, I feel the need to reiterate that the composer's surname is Lloyd Webber (not Webber or, worse yet, Weber) and the names are hyphenated only when he is referred to as Baron Lloyd-Webber. Sorry, pet peeve.

Starting with a trip down Sunset Boulevard, the disc for sale is the three-song recording featuring the Norma of Petula Clark. Running 11.1 minutes, it includes With One Luck, The Perfect Year and As If We Never Said Goodbye. Unlike Betty Buckley's disc which features a little Alan Campbell or Faith Brown's disc which has Earl Carpenter on two of its four tracks, this recording is 100% Clark.

"Pet" Clark first played the role of Norma Desmond when she subbed for Elaine Paige for 6 weeks in the Fall of 1995. She later took over the role and played it at the Adelphi from January 1996 to April 1997 and then toured the US from November 1998 to April 2000. In 2004, she played the role in Ireland. She has been called "the longest running Norma" and at over 2,500 performances, is said to have played the role more than any other actress. Her fame crosses all mediums, and is truly international with recordings in English, French, Spanish, Italian & German. Not to mention "Downtown," "I Know A Place" and "Don't Sleep In The Subway."

My Amazon listing for this album:

http://www.amazon.com/With-One-Look-Songs-Sunset/dp/B00000DX6G/ref=?ie=UTF8&m=A2CBRI5F6XRI96

Our second Lloyd Webber Diva is Marti Webb in Tell Me On A Sunday.

Before Bernadette Peters (who opened Song & Dance on Broadway 27 years ago tonight), before Betty Buckley, Melissa Manchester, Lulu, Gemma Craven, Liz Robertson, Sarah Brightman or Denise Van Outen tackled the first act of Song & Dance, there was Marti Webb in a song-cycle entitled Tell Me On A Sunday. Originally intended as a post-Evita piece that Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice were going to write for Elaine Paige, it became a piece with lyrics by Don Black written for the then matinee Eva, Marti Webb. This piece was written specifically for her voice. Webb sang the show at Sydmonton in 1979 and with the London Philharmonic Orchestra for the BBC in 1980. The album reached #2 in the UK charts and the single "Take That Look Off Your Face" reached #3.

In 1982, Tell Me On A Sunday was combined with Variations to form Song & Dance. Marti Webb was nominated for an Olivier award for Actress of the Year in a Musical but lost to the Adelaide of Julia McKenzie. Subsequently, Song & Dance has gone through many permutations, eventually reverting back to its original one-act, stand-alone format, and in 2004, at the age of 59, Webb briefly reprised her role in the production that had been opened by Denise Van Outen.

This 17 track disc is 40.9 minutes long. The cellist on the recording is Lloyd Webber's brother Julian for whom Variations was created, and special mention must go to the actress with a cameo as the answering service in 'Capped Teeth and Caesar Salad." You may have heard of her. It's a little known actress by the name of... Elaine Stritch.

Please note: Since I originally listed this item, I've found some cheaper copies so I've just lowered the price considerably. Even if you've looked before, you may want to look again!

My Amazon listing for this album:

http://www.amazon.com/Tell-Me-Sunday-Marti-Webb/dp/B0000256Y6/ref=?ie=UTF8&m=A2CBRI5F6XRI96

Updated On: 9/18/12 at 10:19 AM

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aag/main?ie=UTF8&asin=B00000DBV7&isAmazonFulfilled=0&isCBA=&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&seller=A2CBRI5F6XRI96

Once again, courtesy of the great Theatre Aficionado at Large

http://theatreaficionado.tumblr.com/post/31745084307/obscure-ear-worm-for-today-i-have-the-bouncy-vamp

Don't buy it until it goes on sale tomorrow!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aag/main?ie=UTF8&asin=B0000020EQ&isAmazonFulfilled=0&isCBA=&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&seller=A2CBRI5F6XRI96

Barbara Dickson sings The Scars of Love:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYBk7yQG56o

Clips from Spend Spend Spend plus Michael Ball presenting Barbara Dickson with her Olivier Award live onstage following a performance. Imagine if the Tonys were presented this way...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4udqGJcmq0

Luke Evans - I Stayed Behind & The Battle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SZ0R_-42y8

The recording for sale features Helen Morgan and Paul Robeson. Clips below are from the 1936 movie.

Helen Morgan - Bill

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HeasqkO1Ko

Paul Robeson - Ol' Man River

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcQ9l1wl8NU

Here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aag/main?ie=UTF8&asin=B001EFEV3C&isAmazonFulfilled=0&isCBA=&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&seller=A2CBRI5F6XRI96