Show most poorly represented by the cast recording...

[jigblob]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 3:35pm

ok i couldn't find any earlier threads about this (maybe because i just suck with this sites stupid search feature), but i just wanted to hear what you guys thought about this.

we all know that the cast recording can NEVER live up to how good the show is live, but imo some shows are better represented than others.

I think the jersey boys obc recording is pretty good, as well as wicked (minus defying gravity nothing can match seeing that live), but for shows like Spring Awakening the recording doesn't do any justice for how good the show is.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 3:44pm

DREAMGIRLS. The cast recording doesn't represent that sung-thru show in any way.

[Pippin]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 3:46pm

the pacific overtures OBCR.

the show is so wonderful, but I don't think many people think that upon listening to this cd.

[bobby_luvs_bway]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 3:48pm

I have the cast album for "Nick & Nora" and the liner notes indicate it isn't a fair representaion of the show as most songs were broken up with dialogue. I like the cd, but i can see why it probably didn't work on stage.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 3:48pm

"DREAMGIRLS. The cast recording doesn't represent that sung-thru show in any way."

I remember getting this when it first came out and thinking "What's so great about this?"

[fnyboi88]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 3:55pm

I'll probably get killed for this.

Hairspray. Love the show to death. After seeing it live, I never really have listened to the recording again. I like the musical film's soundtrack much better.

[BlueWindSadness]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 3:57pm

you know what..I agree- as much as I love and adore Spring Awakening...the cast recording doesnt do it justice...it certainly needs to be seen live and in person....

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 4:54pm

Definitely Spring Awakening. The producers made a terrible choice to have it recorded before the music was set in stone.

A lot of the songs have many different words, and some sound completely different.

[perfectliar]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 4:57pm

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I prefer the Spring Awakening recording to the actual show. The music is the best thing about it, and I'd sit through the cast album for a week on repeat before I'd go back and see the show live...

[SNLMedia]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 4:58pm

I wholeheartedly agree on both Hairspray and Spring Awakening. I haven't listened to tracks on the Hairspray OBCR in a long time. Like fnyboi88, I much prefer the musical soundtrack, or some acquired footwear.

[Mark_E]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 5:06pm

I Agree on Hairspray. But then the energy of the show is what makes that so good and it gets lost on the recording.

[seaweedjstubbs]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 5:20pm

I disagree about Hairspray. I think the energy found on the cast recording is lost in the film soundtrack. Just listen to The Nicesy Kids in Town. The "oooo's" in the background on the OBCR sound much more energetic than they do on the film soundtrack. I don't know, maybe it's just me.

In terms of seeing the show live and listening to the recording, I think RENT is poorly represented. When I first saw the tour in November, it was like I was hearing a totally different show.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 5:59pm

Xanadu.

There, I said it.

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 6:03pm

Personally I thought that the Spelling Bee cast recording was stupid and weird. But when I finally saw the show (the tour) the score made so much more sense.

So I guess thats just an example of something you have to see first before a listen.

[fnyboi88]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 6:08pm

I didn't want to start another thread, and i don't know if there has been a thread about it.

But I thought it would be interesting what people think. So along with your answer, would you prefer a cast recording recorded in a studio or live?

Updated On: 1/23/08 at 06:08 PM

[musicalmaster703]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 6:17pm

young frankenstein

[carolineorchange]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 6:21pm

@ IdinaBellFoster

Amen. I could not listen to Spelling Bee. But after seeing it I fell in love with it.

As far as a Live Vs Studio... I almost always prefer studio. A live performance is so disturbing sometimes. Hearing an audience clap when it's just you and your ipod is weird.

Although I think live recordings capture the essence of a show more. Look at Dreamgirls OBC vs the Live Concert Recording.

[snl89]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 6:25pm

Spring Awakening, for sure.

Just like.. it does NOT capture the raw emotion of the live show. And plus for songs like Mama Who Bore Me Reprise and stuff, it just isn't the same. at ALL. The live show is soooo much more full of energy! Plus Song of Purple Summer is a million gazillion times better and more powerful now than it was when they recorded it

[perfectliar]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 6:33pm

I agree with Yankeefan. As much as I love both the recording and the show, Xanadu is SO MUCH better live than on disc. There is so little life in, ironically, "I'm Alive" and the other big numbers.

[AC126748]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 6:39pm

The Tyne Daly Gyspy.

[logan0215]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 6:41pm

When I saw the thread title I thought of the 2005 Sweeney Todd revival.

I don't think any of the performances on that cast recording sound remotely like the performances I saw twice live. Updated On: 1/23/08 at 06:41 PM

[sondhead]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 6:48pm

"Although I think live recordings capture the essence of a show more. Look at Dreamgirls OBC vs the Live Concert Recording."

Ya but that's because everyone sounds terrible on that recording, not because it's live.

I wish every show was recorded live. I also wish they would go back to how cast recordings in the early 90s and 80s before they started making them ridiculously over produced like they are now.

[Jade]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 6:50pm

I think the Rent cast recording does it no favours at all.

When I first heard the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels cast recording I really didn't like it, but loved the show when I saw it live (maybe because the jokes are lost on the cast recording) - another example of a show you have to see before listening to the cast recording.

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 6:52pm

Two albums because not even half of the score was recorded and you can't get an true grasp of how brilliant they are:

The original "Follies"

"The Golden Apple"

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 6:54pm

I actually liked SPRING AWAKENING as a CD, but loathe and despise the show. (it's a long personal story)

MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG come off better on CD than it does live...at least the original cast did.