cast recordings you have to listen to a lot to like them??- Page 2

[jessica0414]

Posted: 12/13/08 at 2:45am

""Sunday In The Park With George" took a few listens for me. But it became one of my favorites."

^ Same here, but then a little bird took me when I went to NY and it's one of my faves now too :)

[binau]

Posted: 12/13/08 at 8:06am

Probably Pacific Overtures but it, and other Sondheim shows are only harder to listen to if you haven't seen the show IMO. I still can't enjoy Follies for what I assume is this very reason. "A little night music" sounded uniform to me until I saw it - then I couldn't believe I was listening to the same cast album, it just makes so much sense. I had no issues with "Sunday in the park with George" since I saw it first from the DVD.

The only Sondheim show I've liked just from listening the cast recording, straight away, with knowing nothing of the show in "Sweeney Todd".

[kover22]

Posted: 12/13/08 at 12:18pm

I'll probably get skewered for this one but I could not stand Phantom of the Opera for the longest time. Until I heard a clip of Michael Ball sing it lol. That man can make me listen to anything!!

[dg22894]

Posted: 12/13/08 at 12:41pm

A Chorus Line
13

[me2]

Posted: 12/13/08 at 2:37pm

With a few exceptions (perhaps SWEENEY and ASSASSINS), the Sondheim shows you almost have to be familiar with to appreciate. I didn't care for A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC until I read the libretto, and I can see why you wouldn't like SUNDAY or PASSION until you saw the DVDs (I saw the DVDs first).

LaChuisa's WILD PARTY took me one or two listens, and now I love it.
Broadway Mouth: 10 Broadway CDs: I [Don’t] Get a Kick Out of You

[lakezurich]

Posted: 12/13/08 at 3:05pm

Yeah, I'm still trying to work my way into A Little Night Music, and Follies.

[philly03]

Posted: 12/13/08 at 3:58pm

Jane Eyre ~ The Musical for me.

Honestly, I don't love it, but I can certainly now appreciate and understand the "Eyreheads" I believe they called themselves, and also see a lot of the charm in the music. Hopefully something will come of it again someday!

[Theatreboy49]

Posted: 12/13/08 at 4:43pm

At first I listened to Passing Strange I was like WTF is this?!? And then I listened again and again and now its one of my favorites.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/13/08 at 5:08pm

I am still getting through "A Little Night Music". I trasferred Audra McDonald's PBS special at Lincoln Center to CD and I tend to listen to her version of "The Glamorous Life" a lot more than I listen to the OBCR. I need to put the OBCR in this evening while cooking and listen!

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 12/13/08 at 6:36pm

Almost any of the Sondheim oevure took me 3-4 listens to love. Now the only one I don't like is Passion.

Seesaw and the LaChuisa Wild Party took me a while, too...now I can't imagine life without one, and the other doesn't send me screaming from a room.

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/13/08 at 6:55pm

A lot of Sondheim actually gets me on the first listen.

But It took a long time to get into PACIFIC OVERTURES.

[log13124]

Posted: 12/13/08 at 7:19pm

This thread is going to get me to dust off some CDs as Adding Machine and Light in the Piazza have been gathering dust in my collection for a little while now.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/13/08 at 8:21pm

I have been cooking for the past 45 minutes and A Little Night Music has been playing. Enjoying it! About to eat in 10 minutes or so, and am up to "Send in the Clowns".

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:01am

Marie Christine was a bit of struggle but well worth the repeated playing it took to finally sink in. Never had much of a problem with Sondheim apart from Passion (I discovered Pacific Overtures around the time I was studying Japanese music at school, so was immediately hooked on the weird fusion of Western and Far Eastern sounds in the score).

I'm sorry to say that I still don't get [title of show]...

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/16/08 at 11:57am

The verson Audra sings of The Glamorous Life wasnt' in the original show. Is that what you mean? It's a brilliant song, isn't it?

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 12/16/08 at 12:02pm

Legally Blonde. I saw it on MTV, and I hated it, as did my entire chorus class. Then my sister became obsessed, and at first it really irritated me, but after awhile, I started to see the charm and start liking some of the tunes. I still don't love Legally Blonde-- at best, I think it's cute-- but I don't hate it anymore.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/16/08 at 12:04pm

Pacific Overtures was a tough one when I first listened to it but now I want to do it at my theater company. (I'm an artistic director.)

Sunday in the Park With George took several listenings. It was a challenge at first but now it's one of my favorites.

I still don't like maybe a third of the score of Piazza (what's up with all the"ah"ing? Did Guettel forget to write words or what?)

I had a hard time with Threepenny Opera, the Raul Julia/Lincoln Center version and currently out of print. But then it's not a "musical" in the sense that it was written in the 1920's by Weill and Brecht in Germany so it's not a "TRADITIONAL" Broadway show.

Billy Elliott didn't grab my interest and still doesn't. Neither did/does Rent.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 12/16/08 at 12:09pm

I still can't get into Pacific Overtures, sorry.

Anyway, probably The Last Five Years and Assassins. Passion and LitP I both fell in love with pretty much right away.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 12/16/08 at 12:43pm

It took a few listens to Little Fish for me to really get a lot of the songs.

Actually most of Michael John LaChiusa's stuff typically takes a few listens for me, but then I love it.

[MrSweetNAwful]

Posted: 12/16/08 at 6:15pm

Well I just watched the DVD of Passion in hopes that visuals might help me with the score. I found it kinda "meh", it had great moments but overall it left me indifferent. I guess if I listen to the cast recording a couple more times I might find something in it.

[goldenstate5]

Posted: 12/16/08 at 6:20pm

A lot of them. In fact, the only albums I really fell for on first listen was Avenue Q, Producers and Assassins. The rest takes me a while. Unless it's anything by Webber or Tesori...
Updated On: 12/16/08 at 06:20 PM

[jejr]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 12:12am

Can't get into any Sondheim and really dislike the tuneless Tesori scores -BORING

One of the hardest to like is Light in the Piazza. I only like one or two numbers. I really just want to junk the album.

[binau]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 3:28pm

Jejr, you've seen the show or at least a video recording right (of Sondheim shows+ LITP).

It just doesn't make much sense without seeing it first, then it just 'hits' IMO and you might start liking it.

[jennamajig]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 3:51pm

[title of show]. I got the recording and listening, thinking "what? I don't get it." Then I saw the show in July. Everything became clear and I enjoy listening now because I "get" it. I do think it's a show that you need to see before you can truly appreciate the cast recording.

And I've tried, but still can't enjoy The Producers. Oh, I *love* the show and think the numbers work very well within it, but without the visual, the score doesn't translate on well listening to it on my ipod. I just guess I need to see chorus guy and gals forming a swastika on stage to get the full effect...

[jejr]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 7:07pm

Yes, I've seen the shows or the videos and I still do not care for Sondheim or "Light".