Wanna buy a new cast recording..have a question about Ragtime?

[broadwaygiant19122]

Posted: 12/11/05 at 5:10pm

Hey ,

I usually don't buy cast recordings unless I have seen the show. However, I have heard AMAZING things about Ragtime.. Is the full cast recording similar to that of Caroline , or change- more explicitly, i didnt see caroline, but since the entire show was recorded, i felt like i was there...is Ragtime similar, or do you have to see the show? thanks for advance.

[apdarcey]

Posted: 12/11/05 at 5:13pm

i'm not quite understanding your question. the two shows are nothing alike. but ragtime is my favorite ever. you should definitely buy the full version, not the "songs from ragtime"... it's 2 disc, and almost complete, it just doesn't retain the dialogue.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/11/05 at 5:13pm

You don't have to see Ragtime to see the show. The show is mostly music anyways, and on 2 discs, you get most of the package. It's one of the greatest scores of the last 10 years. Worth every penny.

Make sure you get the OBC and not the concept recording, which is not complete.

[rose&lark]

Posted: 12/11/05 at 5:13pm

I haven't seen or heard Caroline, but I know for Ragtime that they recorded a LOT of the show. There are dialogue bits that they cut out, because it is a cast recording, but if you listened to the CD you'd get the gist. I suppose its like RENT, in that it'll make more sense if you see it in the theatre, but you'll understand it, especially if you listen to the whole CD from beginning to end, and don't skip tracks. It definitely is not like some other, more sparse recordings of shows, where you are left with big gaps with no dialogue to help you. It is amazing. Listen and enjoy

[broadwaygiant19122]

Posted: 12/11/05 at 5:28pm

yeah, thats what i was asking. I was wondering how much of the show had been recorded, what you can infer from the cast recording, etc etc. I referenced Caroline, Or Change because they recorded show , dialogue and all. Somebody mentioned RENT, and it was a similar situation. Looks like ragtime fits the bill too, thanks.

[EvelynNesbit1906]

Posted: 12/11/05 at 5:37pm

You should definitely see the show at some point, but here's another reason to buy the cast recording now: It contains songs that have been (ridiculously) cut from recent productions. "Harry Houdini, Master Escapist" was not in either of the last two Ragtime productions that I saw, and "He Wanted to Say" was abridged in such a way that it was not very compelling.

[apdarcey]

Posted: 12/11/05 at 6:08pm

master escapist has been cut in recent productions and i haven't been able to figure out why... at first i thought maybe the theatre couldn't do a magic trick. but that wasn't right...

i've read that "the composers prefer the show without he wanted to say and to keep it in the highly abridged version." however i find it much more compelling when the full song is included.

[Unmasked05]

Posted: 12/11/05 at 6:13pm

I bought both recordings of RAGTIME...and I listen to them both...the OBC Recording is AWESOME because you here all the complete work and then "Songs From Ragtime" is the show in mostly early stages but still sounds BEAUTIFUL as the OBC..you even get some GREAT songs that arent in the show and longer versions of others.

I would really suggest in saving up and buying both.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 12/11/05 at 7:17pm

Since the major question of this thread has been answered. I offer this: What do you guys think about The Cradle Will Rock? Is it worth it? If so, which recording? Also, which would you recommend of Anyone Can Whistle - OBC or Concert?

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 12/11/05 at 7:31pm

In regards to RAGTIME, I have the "Songs from" recording, and I wish that I'd gotten the two-disc recording and probably will once I get enough money since it's one of my favorite shows. The abridged disc has most of the highlights of the show (except "Sarah Brown Eyes") and has the song "The Show Biz" that was cut from the final production. On the major downside, the title song is chopped up a lot and the character introductions that are important to understanding the story (and are fun to listen to, I think) aren't there.

So really, it depends on what you're looking for.... if you've never seen the show and want to understand the storyline, definitely go for the full recording.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 12/11/05 at 8:38pm

RAGTIME has the best score from the past 10 years. It is essential to any fan of musical theatre. Get it before Avenue Q, Wicked, Spelling Bee, Spamalot, Thoroughly Modern Mille, Urinetown, etc. etc. etc.

(and that was painful to type because I LOVE the score to several shows from the past 10 years.)

[Urban]

Posted: 12/11/05 at 9:29pm

Best Show ever.

Get the full recording. You'll never regret it.