Anything Goes

I'm attacking Anything Goes today. There are 3 different casts singing on the cd, and much of the same material on the Smithsonian record. I'll listen to the record as well because I like the sound better on the record player. The notes in these Smithsonian releases (Oh Kay, Lady Be Good) are just incredible Of course, when you have Richard Norton writing them you can't go wrong.

The London recording is first up on the CD. It's ok. I'm not surprised that the sound quality is just incredible. Musical Theater my have been 'invented' stateside, but recording show tunes for pleasure was definitely something that the Brits started before us. There are so many cast albums from original London productions- many of which started on Broadway then transfered. I have chosen not to include London recordings simply because it would make it impossible to listen to it all. The line is drawn. I listen to this London recording only because it's included on the CD with the (somewhat) original broadway cast. Jeanne Aubert sings everything in her head voice. What is up with that? She has that cliche 30's vibrato tone. It kinda bores me. There is no theatricality in her voice. I can't help but compare her to Merman. Of particular note on this recording is some of the dialogue from the show included before the song 'Be Like the Bluebird'. The Foursome songs are particularly fun.

As for the US recordings with Ethel Merman: what a gem. I think the best part is hearing the original orchestrations. So full, so rich, so classic. Ethel sounds great. It's fun to hear her at the start (ish) of her career. I just wish there was a more complete recording of the entire NYC cast. It would be fun.

Also on the CD is Cole Porter singing some of his songs. He seems like a pedophile. I don't know what a pedophile sounds like, but I have a hunch it sounds a lot like the singing of Cole Porter.

Overall... B+ the record which has everything on the CD gives it the '+'.

Blackbirds of 1928

This was an interesting listen. I'm not sure if it was the recording, the record, or my record player but the sound quality on this album was not great. Everything sounded a bit muddy. I have a feeling it was the record itself. I'd be curious to listen to one of the newer releases of this recording. I bet it's better. Regardless, it has some pretty charming music. It has the standard, 'I Can't Give You Anything But Love", which is just lovely. Of particular interest is Duke Ellington's Band playing on all of the tracks. I wish I could hear the orchestrations better- saxes, reeds, strings all sounding fun and original. Ethel Waters sounds good enough. I'm excited to listen to her on At Home Abroad (coming up next). Overall, I'd probably listen to this recording much more if the quality were better. It will be fun to listen to the 1953 studio version though. I wonder when I'll get to that? Maybe when I'm 50.

C+

4 more shows...

Ok. It took over a year for me to add 4 shows to the Showtunes Project. At this rate, I need like 4 life times to listen to everything in the past and keep up to date with the present. I really need to get on it. Here we go:

Oh Kay!

Great songs. Most of these are classics, the melody of which everyone can hum at least some part. Of particular interest on the album are the tracks that Gershwin himself plays. This is another one of the albums in the Smithsonian Collection, so there is an extensive plot summary, vintage pictures, and a historic summary of the original production. This may not quite be an original cast album, but it's close enough for me. These songs sound just as fresh from this period as they would sound live today. B

Die Dreigroschenoper (The Threepenny Opera)

So. I'm a big Kurt Weill fan. I like Street Scene. I like One Touch of Venus. 'Speak Low' is one of my favorite songs EVER. But here's the thing. I really don't like Threepenny Opera. I've seen it a couple times. I've listened to it. I just don't get it. I mean, I get why it became popular. I get that it is sorta "out of the box". I just don't like it much. That being said, I vastly prefer hearing the songs sung on this semi-original album state more than hearing them in a more contemporary arrangement/orchestration. This recording is from the Kurt Weill from Berlin to Broadway. A plus is hearing a younger Lotte Lenya really singing in her element. The rest of the album is fantastic with a slew of other Weill songs including some sung by the composer himself. C+

The Band Wagon

Now we are starting to get into some real good stuff. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this cd (which also has Inside U.S.A. on it). There are some great liner notes about both shows. Band Wagon has some awesome songs in it- High and Low being my favorite. But what's not to like about Dancing in the Dark? It's a classic. This is the last show Adele Astaire performed in- she got hitched and left show business. Thank God Fred kept at it. It's fun to hear both of them singing the songs from the show on the album. Like the last other albums, this isn't technically an original cast album. Since the Astaire's are on it singing their songs I think it's close enough. I'd listen to this again for sure. A

Show Boat

Show Boat must be one of the most recorded shows ever. This is the earliest trace of an original cast album that you can get. It still isn't the real thing, but none were made of the original in 1927. What we do have is OBC member Helen Morgan (original Julie) singing her songs for this 1932 recording among others. Paul Robeson is there with his famous rendition of Ol' Man River, a role which in fact, he did not originate. Also on the album is a song 'Joe' sings from the '36 movie, as well as songs from the 1946 revival. All in all, a nice historic package of this production. There have been so many incarnations over the decades, this is the closest to the original that we can get. A-