Rarer musicals CDs

[jmark3]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 9:50am

These are some of my favorite "rarer" musical CDs:
THE APPLE TREE, 1968, Harris, Blyden, Alda (Sony)
CLOSER THAN EVER (Maltby & Shire) 1990, Barrett, Mayes, Muenz (RCA)
ERNEST IN LOVE, 1960, Martin, Irving, Raphael (Columbia)
THE GAY LIFE, 1961, Barbara Cook et al (EMI/Angel)
THE GOLDEN APPLE, 1954, Gillette, Douglass, Ballard (RCA)
THE GRASS HARP, 1971, Barbara Cook, Morrow, Brice (Painted Smiles)
THE HARVEY MILK SHOW, 1996, Coleman, Barnett (Actor's Express)
I HAD A BALL, 1964, Hackett, Morrow Lisa (Decca)
LUCKY IN THE RAIN, 2000 (studio cast), Book, Gets, Gravitte (DRG)
MAGDALENA, 1988, Kaye, Rose, Esham, Hadley (CBS)
PAL JOEY, (London) 1981, Sian Phillips, Denis Lawson (TER)
PRETTYBELLE, 1974, Angela Lansbury (Varese Sarabande)
PROMISES, PROMISES, Orbach, O'Hara, Winter (UAS)
SAIL AWAY (London cast), 1962. Stritch, Holliday (Fynsworth)
Most of these are long out of print and, in my mind, bear serious reconsideration for reissue! "Once is not enough" for these wonderful recordings!

Updated On: 6/21/05 at 09:50 AM

[mallardo]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 9:55am

Promises, Promises has been reissued. I've seen it in several stores. The Apple Tree was available in those same stores.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 10:13am

didn't the gay life just get rereleased like a few months ago?

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 5:39pm

Does anyone know where I can get a copy of DOWN RIVER?

[BroadwayBound06]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 6:11pm

I want the 1991 London version of Children Of Eden

[dano]

Posted: 6/22/05 at 9:47am

Yeah - I accidentally bought the "new" Promises, Promises CD. I already had the first one, but the cover art changed, and I mistakenly thought I didn't have it when I saw it in the store. Oops! (Anybody want to trade for it?)

Also, I've seen I Had A Ball in the stores recently. I haven't gotten it yet. Is it good?

[magruder]

Posted: 6/22/05 at 10:13am

I Had a Ball is terrible. You must buy it right away!!

(The score is the very definition of '60s cheese, but then there's Karen Morrow belting her numbers out of the park, and the utter conviction that Richard Kiley brings to the ludicrous "Fickle Finger of Fate".)

[jmark3]

Posted: 6/22/05 at 10:20am

Regarding I HAD A BALL (which I saw!), Karen Morrow is a much underused talent --she's a real "belter" from the Ethel Merman school. Richard Kiley, of course, went on to MAN OF LA MANCHA fame; Rosetta LeNoire had a good career in feature roles. Buddy Hackett is the least interesting cast member, mostly because you need to see him to appreciate him so the humor doesn't come across on record. But definitely a good CD to have in your collection.
Updated On: 6/22/05 at 10:20 AM

[jmark3]

Posted: 6/22/05 at 10:35am

The following is a movie soundtrack, but still may be of interest. For anyone who loves Cole Porter, the absolute worst travesty of his music occurs in the movie musical AT LONG LAST LOVE. Burt Reynolds, Cybill Shepherd, Madeline Kahn, Eileen Brennan (Little Mary Sunshine), John Hillerman (Magnum PI), Mildred Natwick, all conducted by Lionel Newman. RCA issued the 2-LP set in 1975, but it only totals 65 minutes so it fit onto one CD. Ya gotta hear it to believe it! Only Kahn and Brennan had any true musical theatre training. But Peter Bogdanovich was "allied" with Shepherd at the time, and they produced a movie-baby.
Updated On: 6/22/05 at 10:35 AM

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 6/25/05 at 4:33am

This movie popped up on TTV just the other night and it is an unholy mess. There is no plot and the songs have liitle to do with what goes on. The 2 LP set you mentioned went into release and was deleted almost immediately. I doubt we will ever see it on CD. (A good thing... though John Hillerman and Eileen Brennan duet nicely on the FILTHY "But in the Morning ....No!")

[wildcat]

Posted: 6/25/05 at 11:21am

I finally saw it for the first time last year and didn't think it was as terrible as I'd been led to believe. In fact I rather enjoyed it.

[hyperchet]

Posted: 6/25/05 at 11:56am

I want Miss Spectacular (checks amazon...)