Add HIGH BUTTON SHOES to the list of sadly incomplete recordings. Victor released it on 4 10-inch 78s covering only 8 of the songs and it really gives no idea of what the show was like. Same thing with their ALLEGRO and even Victor's BRIGADOON is bsted by Columbia's later studio version with Shirley Jones. And, since I'm picking on RCA Victor, THE GOLDEN APPLE. How is it the awful SAINT OF BLEEKER STREET got a 2-LP set while the wonderful GOLDEN APPLE was a sing LP heavily truncated and (for the first LP edition) speeded up so the voices sounded higher than normal!
Decca's AGYG is also not great but Merman re-recorded it when she did the Lincoln Center revival so that gap is filled. It is too bad Decca only recorded 2 songs from WHERE'S CHARLEY. The London cast is ok but when I hear Ray Bolger and Allyn McLerie on the Decca single I wonder what the whole show would have sounde with American leads.
Cast albums are NOT "soundtracks."
Live theatre does not use a "soundtrack." If it did, it wouldn't be live theatre!
I host a weekly one-hour radio program featuring cast album selections as well as songs by cabaret, jazz and theatre artists. The program, FRONT ROW CENTRE is heard Sundays 9 to 10 am and also Saturdays from 8 to 9 am (eastern times) on www.proudfm.com
