Revival Recordings Better than the Original

If this has been a topic before, it hasn't been for a long time. I was just discussing it with a friend of mine.

What revival recordings do you prefer to the original?

An unpopular opinion, I prefer the 2005 Sweeney recording to the original. An even more unpopular opinion, I think the 2002 Man of La Mancha cast album blows away the Richard Kiley version.

Wonderful Town (Donna Murphy version)

Into the Woods Broadway Revival
Grease 1994 Revival
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown

and I agree about the Sweeney Revival (if only the keys weren't changed!) Although I'm starting to wish they made a recording with Dorothy Loudon!

Anything Goes
Assassins
Company
Sweeney Todd

Updated On: 1/5/08 at 09:21 PM

I don't think there's any Sondheim revival recording that's superior to the original, in my mind. Perhaps because casting for original Sondheim shows was always perfect.

This isn't a revival, per se, but I do prefer the Williams/Stokes/McGillin Spider Woman.

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Sweeney
Assassins
ACL
YAGMCB

I like the completeness of the revival of A Chorus Line and the Papermill Follies but the performances and orchestrations on the originals far surpass the revivals.

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I slightly prefer the revival of "Little Shop of Horrors."

It's rare when a revival album surpases an OBCR but there are a few special cases.

The Encores! recording of Pal Joey is not only more complete, but better than the 1950 Studio Cast Album and the 1952 Revival Cast Album, in my opinion.
Despite the fact that the original cast was superior in many ways to the Papermill revival cast, that recording of Follies surpases the OBCR. I'd gladly listen to the OBCR any day, but the Papermill album is far more complete. We can hear those extra verses and that great dance music finally! The concert album is nice but there's little dance music and we have to hear Elaine Stritch trudge through Broadway Baby at a tempo slower than molases. Sorry Stritchy. You're great, but you take that song TOO slow!
Kiss Me, Kate has a nice OBCR but I prefer the revival album. It's just better. And despite what everyone says, those orchestrations are pretty damned good. I've heard some nasty things about them and I just don't get it. They're not bad.
Assassins' Roundabout revival's recording is better than the OOBCR. I like the cast, sound quality and orchestrations a lot more.
Gypsy with Merman is great, but Angela Lansbury acts the heck out of the part on the London album. I prefer it slightly to the OBCR, though I pine for Ethel sometimes. I don't always like the conductor's tempos on the London album, though.
I like Oklahoma! a heckuva lot more on the '98 London album. The sound quality is better and the performances are too.

Edited because I thought using the word "hell" might be pushing it for the moderators. It is a place, though.

Updated On: 1/5/08 at 11:36 PM

I have to agree with Company and Little Shop.

As Brick inferred, I meant "Better" as the one you prefer, even if you might know it is not really superior to the original in some ways. That's definitely how I feel about Sweeney.

COMPANY? Really???? How?
I mean, Dean Jones, Elaine Stritch, Susan Browning, Pam Myers, Donna McKechnie, Merle Louise... no COMPANY cast has surpassed that. Sorry.
SUNDAY...I disagree, Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin ARE Dot and George, in my mind. The new recording is better in terms of technical aspects though.
SWEENEY TODD is the one I understand the least. There is no way that Lansbury, Gaber, Jennings, Louise, Cariou, Rice, and Lyndeck were surpassed by the revival cast. And Tunick's orchestrations can't be matched by the anemic sound of the revival recording.
I would say that NINE is almost as good as the original yet not as good.
The chemistry and magic of the original cast of A CHORUS LINE can't be matched by the revival recording.
I think the CABARET revival is the only one that I can think comes close, but it still doesn't have Lotte Lenya or Joel Grey.

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company definitely

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Assassins
Kiss Me Kate
Little Shop of Horrors
Sweet Charity
The Pajama Game
Sweeney Todd

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