You will notice the list gets shorter every year. MAGGIE FLYNN is finally coming out on CD later this year (from DRG) although the promised ILLYA DARLING has still not happened.
That is a problem with most of the titles on Bryan's wish list. The shows were all undistinguished flops. I have the Lp's of many of them and rarely play them. JIMMY is a bore. LET IT RIDE had a good story (from the play THREE MEN ON A HORSE) but never worked as a musical. INNER CITY is an empty score. None of these shows are ever staged now, and without that to spur interest, the core collectors who would purchase the CD’s are a small (and shrinking) bunch.
The big sellers make profits for the labels year after year but (and this is odd0 after two years those profits go to general corporate revenues. If a cast album pays off within tow years fine (WICKED and JERSEY BOYS both did) but after two years the costs are written off.
Decca/UMG is still making a mint from the OKLAHOMA! album(s) they recorded in 1943/44 as are Columbia/Sony from MY FAIR LADY and RCA/Sony from FIDDLER ON THE ROOF and HELLO DOLLY! But these shows are constantly being revived which spurs interest in the CD’s. How many revivals do you see of AIN’T SUPPOSED TO DIE A NATURAL DEATH or DONNYBROOK? These shows did not yield any songs that became pop standards.
As for Bryan’s wish for GOOD VIBRRATIONS and CRY BABY, as I have told him (and everyone else has told him) the former is not ever going to happen now and interest in recording the latter has cooled with time although the demo does cover most of the score. Funny how everyone wanted HIGH FIDELITY to be recorded, but how many members here actually bought it? I’d be very surprised if it sold 1,000 units – and that isn’t enough to pay for cast album.
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
