Top 10 Musical Theatre Albums of 2014

[Michael Kras]

Posted: 12/23/14 at 6:51pm

It's here: my list of the Top 10 Musical Theatre Albums of 2014. Some of my choices might surprise you. Check it out!

http://castalbumreview.blogspot.ca/2014/12/top-ten-musical-theatre-albums-of-2014.html

Do you agree? Disagree? What would your Top 10 be?

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/23/14 at 6:54pm

Remove Heathers & substitute Big Fish

[Michael Kras]

Posted: 12/23/14 at 6:56pm

I myself wasn't a big fan of Big Fish. Most of the music was generic and the lyrics border on awful.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/23/14 at 7:00pm

To each his own

Heathers was beyond amateurish & totally unlistenable. One of the few musicals I saw & would not get the cast album.

Add to the list If/Then and remove Hedwig mainly because I saw If & have never seen any production of Hedwig. The bit I saw on the Tonys did not have me rushing to see it.

Updated On: 12/23/14 at 07:00 PM

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 12/23/14 at 7:06pm

Michael, I would say the same about Heathers.

Updated On: 12/23/14 at 07:06 PM

[Michael Kras]

Posted: 12/23/14 at 7:07pm

Funny, I actually took If/Then off of the list. It was the original #10 but I remembered another cast album so If/Then got bumped off.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 12/23/14 at 7:12pm

No way was Heathers amateurish, like the show or not, that music was fantastic

Updated On: 12/23/14 at 07:12 PM

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 12/23/14 at 7:18pm

It's a shame that On the Town hasn't been released yet. It'll probably be my number 1 for 2015 though if they did right by it.

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 12/23/14 at 8:09pm

The Heathers and The Last Ship cast recordings are amazing, but I can't say the same for the show as a whole.

[Michael Kras]

Posted: 12/23/14 at 8:17pm

That raises a great point! Please know that all of these ratings are based on the cast recording alone, and not on the show itself (all of which I haven't seen).

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/23/14 at 8:28pm

To me Heathers was bad all around. If you enjoyed the music, more power to you.

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 12/23/14 at 8:30pm

^it definitely wasn't anything profound or poetic, but it's a fun cast album. It's still no classic.

[macnyc]

Posted: 12/23/14 at 8:47pm

I like a lot of your choices, Michael. I count Fun Home as far and away my personal No. 1. I think Heathers is an excellent score though. Cuts like Dead Girl Walking, Beautiful, Candy Store, and Freeze Your Brain are catchy with clever lyrics that serve the show well. I like The Last Ship too. I'm enjoying August Wind, Got Now't Else, and several others. Michael Espers spunds terrific on all his cuts. I listened to a few of the Ghost Quartet songs and didn't care for them, but maybe I didn't give the score enough of a chance. Edited to add: I did like Great Comet a lot.

Updated On: 12/24/14 at 08:47 PM

[Michael Kras]

Posted: 12/23/14 at 11:45pm

Ghost Quartet is a fascinating beast, but Dave Malloy's music is definitely not for everyone!

[Fantod]

Posted: 12/24/14 at 2:56am

If we're talking original, here's my list:

1. Here Lies Love
2. If/Then
3. A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder
4. Heathers
Updated On: 12/24/14 at 02:56 AM

[homeimp]

Posted: 12/25/14 at 5:54pm

Count me a fan of Big Fish as well. It deserved a better fate.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/25/14 at 6:51pm

Thank you.

[fyeahmaria]

Posted: 12/25/14 at 7:30pm

Personally my most listened to cast recording from this year is Venice. Absolutely loved it.

[Jamminman]

Posted: 12/25/14 at 9:54pm

Miss Saigon Live! Great cast (minus Ellen) and great quality.

Thanks for the list, haven't heard of some of these and will take a listen!