Why is the original Chicago soundtrack abridged?

A lot of material that is on the revival cast album is not on the original soundtrack. What's up with that?

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What's left out?

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"I Know a Girl" and "Hot Honey Rag," specifically, and some verses and dance music elsewhere. Chita, especially, loses quite a bit, including one verse of "I Can't Do It Alone" and the Velma solo "He had it coming" in "Cell Block Tango".

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ironically the original does feature the roxie soliloque (i think thats what its called, don't feel like checking) that leads into the song, which is inexplicably missing from the revival recording. In terms of completeness the london cast is the best bet

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ruthie isn't half as bothersome as henry goodwin's billy, to me at least

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i think Chita Rivera made some unflattering vocal choices in the obc recording maybe that's what she was going for but i dont understand why she didn't want to sound so good at times..i know she has the pipes cause sounds great in all her other recordings.

As I was trying to say earlier.

I love how Chita sounds on the recording. She belts the sh*t out of the ATJ endings, and no Velma has ever topped her ending. The ending belongs to Chita, point blank.

She always sounds amazing on the end of MY OWN BEST FRIEND overpowering Gwen and making up for Gwen's vocal problems. The recording would've been great if they just included "I Know A Girl" and the dance version of "Me And My Baby." Though it is interesting and cute to hear Gwen trying to squeak out the ballad version of MAMB.

I just feel some people have a misconception that Chita can't sing. But on her early cast recordings, man that woman sounded great. Especially on WSS, and Birdie. She could do a lot with her voice, and could indeed belt. Nowadays she does not hav the range she did have, but she still can sing wonderfully ("Spiderwoman.")
Not to mention she has a flawless vibrato, love love love her vibrato.

I wish you all could have heard Chita sing way back when she was performing her nightclub acts. I remember after Fosse had his heart attack right before "Chicago" went into rehearsals, Chita decided to use the unexpected free time touring with a new nightclub act while waiting for Fosse to recover. It was during this act in particular that she introduced two new songs no one in the audience had yet heard. One was "All That Jazz" and the other one was "How Lucky Can You Get?" which Kander and Ebb allowed her to introduce since neither the soundtrack or film version of "Funny Lady" had yet been released. Her vocals on these two numbers were incredible...yep she hit the ball out of the park on "How Lucky". I also recall hearing her sing a wonderful rendition of a song from another Kander and Ebb show called "I Don't Remember You" from "The Happy Time". I've always felt Chita was one of a handful of Broadway entertainers who could sing as well as she danced...now if she only wasn't past her prime (ONLY KIDDING!)

Mainly because not all of the songs in the show made it into the movie, and therefore not on the soundtrack. One song (Class) was cut from the movie before release and it is on the soundtrack Cd.

Much as I like the movie I much prefer the original 1965 Broadway cast recording (Arista) or even the 1997 London cast (RCA Victor.)

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I have never heard the OBC.

I think my parents own it at home - But I have only heard the Movie SOUNDTRACK and the Revival. I only listen (frequent, if you will) the Russian version with Philip Kirkorov...the weirdest man in Russia...but a GREAT Flynn, IMO.

He is pictured on the Chicago Poster with all the cast members...3 row down, or so, on the far left...

He produced the show in Russia! Thank G-d!

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Updated On: 1/24/06 at 04:18 PM