Revival Recordings Better than the Original — Page 2

SWEET CHARITY?!!!

Okay, I wanna argue that! :o) Hopefully you mean the 86 revival, and I almost put that.

Ok i have to be on the Company OBC side. Which is funny because I LOVED the revival. I thought it sounded amazing in person. But when I'm at home listening I miss the super cool orchestrations on "Another hundred People", Stritch of course, and "Tick Tock" too much.

I'll vote for the Sunday London Revival also. And thats probably because, though I've seen the DVD, I don't own the original cast recording so i don;t have Mandy and Bernadette programmed in my head. But the new recording is absolutely wonderful and what got me into the show so I love it.

And I'll also agree with the Into the Woods Revival. If for nothing else for Laura Benanti's Cinderella vocals. Chills every time.

EDIT: Oh and about Company I love the speed on "Getting Married Today" on the revival disc, but the orchestrations, especially at the end, are just so lame compared to the original. That song has one of the most dynamic, exciting endings musically on the original and on the revival it just kind of putters out. It drives me insane.

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Updated On: 1/6/08 at 06:30 AM

I am in the school that thinks that it extremely difficult to top any OCR, especially all Sondheim. I know, personal opinions and all, but nothing in my mind can ever top any of Sondheim's OCR's because each role basically was created around those who sung it.

Now there are a few exceptions (purely subjective of course):

CABERET ('98 revival - only because I loved the darkness - and the pineapple subplot always left me cold).
FLORA THE RED MENACE ('87 off-broadway)
ANNIE GET YOUR GUN ('66 Lincoln Center - but does it count really since the Merm is still in it?)

Now I love alot of revivals I tend to love equally (mainly, yes, because of there completeness), but I wouldn't say they are 'better' just 'equal'. ie;

CAROUSEL
KISS ME KATE
CHICAGO
YOU'RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN

Updated On: 1/6/08 at 09:02 AM

The 1998 Revival of CABARET is superior to the original.

And sorry, I'm on the bandwagon who thinks the SWEENEY OBCR is unbeatable.

ChristiElphaJoSally, I know exactly what you mean. I even have no problem going back earlier than that, to the 50's and 60's, but something about the recordings of that era genearally makes my skin crawl. They always sound so canned and weird.

Man of la Mancha 2002
Company 2006
Grease 1994

The only ones that come to mind for me as "better" are:
Annie Get Your Gun (Lincoln Center revival with Merman)
The King and I (revival with Yul Brynner)
Oklahoma! (revival with Christine Andreas and Laurence Guittard)

and some of the Encores! recordings, particuarly Boys from Syracuse.

Smaxie - Cripes. I guess that is what I get for writing in the wee hours of the morning. Obviously I didn't actually explain myself correctly!

Anyway I just never like the ICPMM/Pineapple subplot in any version of the show they kept it in BUT it annoyed me alot less in the revival cast recording (where as I don't tend to skip over the song). And yes, I know I am being heretical considering Lotte Lenya sings the song - but I guess even great artists do occasionally sing stuff you just are not into).

I guess it harks back to having seen way to many amature/regional theatre versions of the show that have absolutely no idea what to do with it since 'it wasn't in the movie' and thus make it an annoying pimple on the show.

Rocky Horror Show
Company (2006)
Sweeney Todd
Chicago
Cabaret
Evita (I love my Patti, but there's just something about the new recording...)
Sweet Charity (2005)

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I don't really get the comment "something about the recordings of that era (50s, 60s) genearally makes my skin crawl. They always sound so canned and weird."

Can you name some specifics? In general I find Columbia's cast albums (MY FAIR LADY - 1956 version, MOST HAPPY FELLA, KISMET, FLOWER DRUM SONG, GYPSY) have exceptional sound..bright highs and solid lows.

Capitol's albums (MUISC MAN, CAN CAN, FUNNY GIRL) don't have quite the same dynamic range but souud bright and brassy which seems to suit those shows.

RCA Victor's mono albums (CALL ME MADAM, DAMN YANKEES, THE GOLDEN APPLE) have a flat sound that concentrates in the mid range without any highs or lows. Their early stereo discs (HOW TO SUCCEED, 110 IN TEH SHADE, HELLO DOLLY) seem to be recorded at very high levels and yield a lot of harsh distortion but by teh 1970s they even eclipsed Columbia with oustanding sound on PACIFIC OVERTURES, SWEENEY TODD and teh revival of KING AND I. So I wonder if teh "Canned and weird" comment refers to soem of the early Victor Lps.

BTW the 1977 KING AND I Is my hands down favourite version of the score.

I also prefer the 1966 ANNIE GET YOUR GUN to the 1946 original.

Although it is not a revival cast I do prefer Columbia's studio recording of BRIGADOON over Victor's OCR.

But the best revival cast album of them all is NO NO NANETTE (1971). There was no cast album made in 1925, although the London cast did record 8 songs...and the performances are as dreadful as the sound quality. But the 1971 cast album has so much sparkle it's like premium champagne.

I am glad that the revival casts got made and it is great to have alternate versions of COMPANY, SWEET CHARITY and SWEENEY to compare but the originals wer pretty unbeatable. (I do NOT like the 1995 COMPANY on Angel, and I hate the 1996 London cast on RCA Victor.)

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Updated On: 1/17/08 at 12:16 AM

Assassins
Cabaret

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apalled that someone said Into the Woods. almost went into an epileptic fit.

YAGMCB
Once Upon a Mattress
110 in the Shade
Kiss Me Kate
Little Shop of Horrors
Gypsy w/ Bernadette Peters

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