Editorial Review

The 2005 revival of Stephen Sondheim's 1979 Grand Guignol masterpiece Read more

Reviews (59)

Best Recording I Have Ever Heard
The orchestrations are breathtaking. The cast members act, sing, and play instruments! What talent! Michael Cerveris is phenomenal! Patti LuPone is amusing and wonderful as always as Sweeney's pie shop sweetie. Manoel Felciano is heartbreaking as Tobey, performing the best rendition of "Not While I'm Around" that i have ever heard. Lauren Molina is equally talented as she brings a delicate, yet exotic soprano to the beautiful character of Joanna. I am so happy that i had the pleasure of seeing this in New York and meeting this ever-so-talented cast. How come they left out some of the dialogue/music towards the end? They did not include the Parlor Songs or Tobey in the bakehouse on this recording. Oh well, the music they do give us is positively spectaculer. I love Sweeney Todd!!!!!

Not quite right
This is a very uneven recording. I have not seen this production, and am a big fan of the original produciton and album. I think a minimalist produciton can work, and I quite like the musical arrangements which tend to allow the voices to stand out. Sweeney himself is remarkable. Most of the rest of the cast does well too. But Lupone disappoints as Mrs. Lovett -- she sounds flat and monotonic. Bamford also sounds like he is on way too strong medication. And what's with a female Pirelli?
Perfect.
Sweeney Todd is the greatest musical that has ever been made, this cast is the best that I've ever heard, Sondheim is the greatest lyricist and composer of musical theatre, and the revival production on Broadway was the single greatest thing I've seen on Broadway in the past 10 years. Cerveris owns the role of Sweeney, it really is going to be the crowning achievment in his impressive career, he's that good in it. Lupone is a goddess of musical theatre as usual, and supporting players like Alex Gemignani and Mano Felciano are standouts among an exceptionally talented cast.
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Subjects:  1. Cast Recordings    2. Music Theater    3. Musical Theater    4. Musicals    5. Pop    6. Show Tunes    7. Showtunes / B'way   

Editorial Review

This recording was produced more than 40 years ago, only in mono, but from the day it was released it was a deserved phenomenon. It out-grossed the mega-hit show for months, and it still holds the record for the most weeks as a Billboard Top 40 album: 292. The reasons are many. Start with the 20-year-old Julie Andrews in peak voice, singing no fewer than eight sensational Lerner and Loewe songs, soaring most memorably to high C in "I Could Have Danced All Night." Rex Harrison perfected the art of talk-singing in a clutch of equally captivating numbers written especially for his voice, of which the most indelibly delivered is "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face." And Stanley Holloway brought the best English music-hall style to an eager American audience with "A Little Bit of Luck" and "Get Me to the Church on Time." There were no scene-changers in Frederick Loewe's best score, and Alan Jay Lerner managed to fashion his libretto and lyrics so close to the language of George Bernard Shaw (on whose play Read more

Features

• Cast Recording

Reviews (39)

I've grown accustomed to this disc.
I really don't like show tunes that much.I listen to rock, blues, some jazz and I have a few classical favorites, but I'm not a show tune person.So, I'm crankin' my vinyl LP version of this very recording right now and I'm loving it (or lovering it) despite myself!
My Fair Lady 1956
My family had this as an LP when I was young.Great performances!Too bad Julie Andrews was not in the movie.

Still the Best
What can you say about MFL that hasn't already been said. Sublime, perfect, classic. This is still the definitive recording of the show, and no one has ever come close to the original cast. Sadly, while the movie is wonderful, had Warner Bros. used Andrew's it might have been one of the greatest film musicals of all time. And while Audrey Hepburn gamely gives it her all, Andrew's had clearly made Eliza Doolittle her own, and she would have been uncomparable on film, and raised the level of the entire movie. Well, the rest is history, Andrews went on to be one of the biggest movie stars of the 60's.
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Subjects:  1. Cast Recordings    2. Music Theater    3. Musical Theater    4. Musicals    5. Original Cast Recordings    6. Pop    7. Show Tunes    8. Showtunes / B'way    9. Traditional Pop    10. Vocal   

Subjects:  1. Box Sets (Audio Only)    2. Pop    3. Rock/Pop Collections    4. Showtunes / B'way   

Editorial Review

On paper, this adaptation of Alice Walker's best-selling novel has all the markings of a hit. It makes Oprah Winfrey's debut as a theater producer, the libretto is by Marsha Norman (Read more

Features

• Cast Recording

Reviews (25)

Too beatiful for words
I'm from the Netherlands, and just got back from my trip to NYC. I saw the show twice, both times at the first row (had to stand in line for six hours both times) and I was totally amazed.
The color purple
I'd seen the show on broadway and just had to have the cd.it's cheaper on amazon than it is to buy it in new york at the production.

Has some great music
I saw "The Color Purple" on a recommendation of a friend and I was presently surprised with the show. The show has some great music (I am here, The Color Purple, Our Prayer, What About Love) but it lacks something. The show feels slow at times and has a tough time picking up steam. The cast is wonderful and extrememy talented but I don't think that the CD really captures the experience of the show in the theater.
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Subjects:  1. Cast Recordings    2. Music Theater    3. Musical Theater    4. Musicals    5. Pop    6. Show Tunes    7. Showtunes / B'way   

Editorial Review

With this giddily entertaining show, David Yazbek confirms that Read more

Features

• Cast Recording

Reviews (59)

DULL DULL DULL
I haven't seen the show, but I certainly hope it works better on stage with visuals than it does listening to this tepid CD. Not a memorable note of music in the entire score.

Such an awesome musical, but it wasn't the cast I saw, but a great soundtrack!
I loved this musical when I went to see it in late March of 2006. But unforutunately the only reason why I didn't give this 5 stars is because this soundtrack doesn't have exactly what I saw on stage, and I loved that better. This is an awesome soundtrack though.
Good old dirty rotten fun
At first, I borrowed this from the library because I love Norbert Leo Butz. He was very good in Wicked, but the part of Freddy Benson seems made for him. I can't wait to see the show; the entire cast is amazing. Some of my favorite tracks:
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Subjects:  1. Cast Recordings    2. Music Theater    3. Musical Theater    4. Pop    5. Showtunes / B'way   

Editorial Review

In light of all the hit Broadway musicals that have stumbled in their translation to the big screen, Read more

Features

• Soundtrack

Reviews (31)

Poor sound mars this otherwise fine recording
If you can get past that flat "boxy" Warner Bros soundstage sound, this is a highly enjoyable performance.
Trouble in River City
The album is quite faithful to the film but loses some of the effect since you cannot see the beautiful Shirley Jones or the engaging Robert Preston. The voices however are true and many of the songs are classics. The album is well worth the money.

Perfect Film Musical
They got it exactly right when they transferred The Music Man to the screen. One can quibble about minor aspects, Shirley Jones replacing Barbara Cook for example, and Buddy Hackett? First of all while I love Cook, Shirley Jones fits the role beautifully and certainly can sing it. Hackett actually comes of pretty well, no Borscht Belt humor there. The rest of the cast are perfect.And Robert Preston, well, this is film history, one of a handful of truly great musical comedy roles, performed magnificently!!
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Subjects:  1. Musicals    2. Pop    3. Show Tunes    4. Soundtrack    5. Soundtracks    6. Soundtracks & Film Scores   

Editorial Review

Although it's based on the 1967 movie of the same name, Read more

Features

• Cast Recording

Reviews (94)

Delightful
The music takes a little bit to grow on you, but boy, does it!It's wonderful, charming, romantic, funny--just like the play itself.I loved almost every song and I was really impressed with "Long As I'm Here With You"-- I thought it was an old song written back in the twenties, because it so sounded like one. The cast is absolutely energetic and endearing, and Sutton Foster just *rocks*.Definitely worth the money.

YOU WILL LOVE IT
If you like musicals, you will NOT REGRET purchasing this musical soundtrack. JUST DO IT. It's so great, you will be listening to it forever. I also saw the show at the Kennedy Center in D.C. and it's one of the best I've ever seen. (And I've seen A LOT.)
Stellar cast in a first rate musical
A sparkling Broadway lead debut from Sutton Foster (run, don't walk to any live performances given by Ms. Sutton) with superb comedic support given by Mark Kudisch and Harriet Harris (who won the Tony Award for this performance) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Showtunes / B'Way    3. Cast Recordings    4. Music Theater    5. Musical Theater    6. Original Cast Recordings    7. Vocal    8. Vocal Music   

Editorial Review

What is there left to say about this musical, deservedly one of the most famous in the canon? Created by what lyricist Stephen Sondheim described as "a unique concatenation of people" (Leonard Bernstein, Sondheim, Arthur Laurents, Jerome Robbins), the show remains as explosively vibrant, daring, and modern as it was decades ago. Bernstein integrated Latin percussion and jazz into his electrifying score, dazzlingly translating New York's unique vitality into a musical idiom. Read more

Features

• Cast Recording
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (33)

Problem With Disc?
I have noticed on the Rumble Track - at the 12/13 s mark, what appears to bea high pitched click - Might have to turn up the volume to hear clearly. Is this a manufacturing defect that was never rectified

Still Going Strong After All These Years
First of all, I bought the CD of WSS from BMG not sure if it was the Broadway or Movie cast since they didn't include the cast or a list of the tracks. I love the songs in this musical, from the camaraderie of Jet Song to the romantic Tonight, to the hilarious Gee, Officer Krupke, to the sad Finale. I have always compared the feeling of Tonight to We Kiss in the Shadows from The King and I. Still, however wonderfully these performers sound, I don't feel Chita Rivera's America can touch the vibrancy of Rita Moreno. I also preferred the way the guys and gals traded verses in the movie version of America, like when Bernardo's listing of unpleasant things in America was countered by Anita's "You forget I'M in America!" I never saw the play so I was puzzled at hearing I Feel Pretty so late on the disk, Gee, Officer Krupke sung after, not before, the rumble, and Cool sung before rather than after the same rumble. Good as the Broadway cast sounds, I still much prefer the movie soundtrack.
Better than the Movie
To anyone considering buying the music of West Side Story, I would strongly recommend the original Broadway Cast over the movie sound track.
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Subjects:  1. Cast Recordings    2. Classical    3. Film Music    4. Musicals    5. Original Cast Recordings    6. Original Score    7. Show Tunes    8. Showtunes / B'way   

Editorial Review

There's a popular movie trivia game called Six Degrees of KevinBacon whose rough hypothesis is that the actor is somehow the center ofthe cinematic universe. One doesn't get very far into the game withoutencountering Read more

Features

• Original recording reissued
• Original recording remastered
• Soundtrack

Reviews (46)

FOOTLOOSE ~ A little too loose for me.
A great CD! However, it cannot compete with the hits from "FLASHDANCE".

Almost? It IS Paradise
This has got to be one of the #1 best all around soundtracks of all time. There is not one throw away track; there isn't one song I have to skip. This movie was such a huge turning point for me as a child, I begged my mom to let me take dance classes other than ballet and she let me take a freeform dance class and I was obsessed with the song "dancing in the sheets" so that was my song of choice, I tore those mats up.
My Favorite Collection
I love it, I love it, I love It!!!!I've had this from Vinyl, to Tape and now to CD and I have never gotten tired of the music.It is my standard that always gets played at least once a month. "I Want a Hero" has always been my theme song.
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Subjects:  1. Cast Recordings    2. Pop    3. Pop/Rock    4. Soundtrack    5. Soundtracks    6. Soundtracks & Film Scores   

Editorial Review

Highlight versions of cast recordings are by definition a compromise, and this reduction of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Read more

Features

• Cast Recording

Reviews (87)

A long time favorite
This is one of my most treasured CDs. The voices of the cast are incredible!"Think of Me" and "All I Ask of You" are 2 of my favorites. If you enjoy the story behind Phantom, yu will like this soundtrack.

The Best Recording of this Show Available
I think that this is the best PHANTOM soundtrack out there:
Great CD
I bought this CD as a birthday gift for my boyfriend.We had misplaced the one that we had and needed a new one.This is one of our favorite cd's.Such beautiful music. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cast Recordings    2. Musicals    3. Original Cast Recordings    4. Pop    5. Show Tunes    6. Showtunes / B'way    7. Soundtrack    8. Soundtracks   

Editorial Review

Sarah Brightman's career was launched by her success in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Read more

Reviews (86)

The Best You'll See from Sarah
This CD is - wow!I have so much to say about it and so little time!This album features three pieces from "The Phantom of the Opera" - Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, The Music of the Night, and The Phantom of the Opera theme.They're all beautiful.The second piece on the album is "Unexpected Song".It has beautiful octaves and orchastrations.Chanson d'Efance is an amazing French piece with vibrato - and then some.I forgot to mention that there is another piece from The Phantom of the Opera - All I Ask of You - except that the song is not sung by the original cast from the musical.The next few pieces are fairly decent, until you get to Memory from Cats.WOW - is it spectacular!Then we get to two other pieces from Cats - Gus: The Theater Cat and Macavity: The Mystery Cat.Gus is a song that just tells about a cat and his history.A man speaks the lines that Gus would say in the actual musical - and it makes the song interesting.Macavity is AWESOME!I know that I said that I didn't prefer this song for Brightman on her album "Surrender". I finally listened to it more carefully, and found that it's really interesting to listen to!My favorite song on the whole entire album - however - has to be "Tell Me on a Sunday".Beautiful lyrics, orchestrations, and overall spectacular voice talent ties the whole song together.Pie Jesu is a fairly nice piece from both Brightman and Paul Miles-Kingston - the 16 year old boy soprano.His voice is pure and straight with minimal vibrato.However, Brightman's voice shows a little bit TOO much vibrato!Overally, it's a good piece from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Requium.THIS CD IS AMAZING!If you love Sarah from the Phantom of the Opera, then this collection of Lloyd Webber's work is just for you.
The Angel of Music
This is the third copy of this I've purchased. I wear them out listening to them. Awesome, Awesome music. Sarah's range and depth is so powerful!

Love makes blind, but....... deaf as well???
Andrew Lloyd Webber's music is excellent, but here it's wrapped up in a voice that doesn't do the music any justice at all. There are so many great sopranos out there, but perhaps he chose his wife out of duty or like I suggested before, because love makes deaf as well as blind....?
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Subjects:  1. Adult Contemporary    2. Choral    3. Classical Vocal Crossover    4. Easy Listening/Vocal    5. Miscellaneous    6. Miscellaneous Music    7. Music Theater    8. Musical Theater    9. Musicals    10. Pop    11. Pop Vocals    12. Popular Music    13. Requiem/Requiem Section    14. Show Tunes   

Features

• Cast Recording

Reviews (39)

dreamgirls (1982 original b'way cast)
it is a great piece of work and haven't seen anything that came close to it yet, to date. the cd put you back as if you are still watching the live preformance back in '82.

Not what I expected...
I was disappointed with this CD.If you're looking for ALL the music from the show, this is NOT the CD you want.Get the concert version.6 or 7 of the songs aren't even on the CD!However, some of the vocals on this CD were a lot better than those on the concert version.

Awesome Cast Recording.
This is one of the Best Cast Recordings EVER! You definately get a feel of the actual show by listening to this CD. Jennifer Holliday deserved two Tony Awards for "And I Am Telling You...." alone. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cast Recordings    2. Musicals    3. Original Cast Recordings    4. Pop    5. Show Tunes    6. Showtunes / B'way   

Editorial Review

Jesus was a pretty popular guy in New York in 1971; as the ersatz star of both Read more

Features

• Cast Recording

Reviews (52)

It's Grrrrrrrrrrrreat!!!!!
This recording is vintage early 70s... Schwartz is compositionally at the top of his game... Day by Day is one of the best songs in my mind ever written.... it's a beautiful musical.... it's Jesus hippie, Jesus freak gospel.... can't top it!!!

DIVINELY INSPIRED PRODUCTION
just listening to this album once was like having someone read the new testament to me out loud, only in song. also, thecatalog on this record is able to intellectualy teach ofspiritual things - as well as inspire the soul- via thecertainly celestial vocal and instrumental arrangements of these lessons and truths, as reported from the gospels .

godspell-original recording
i was very happy to purchase this from amazon.com because i am a musician and i have to perform this play. what a great selection you have. i really was not knocked out by the play. i liked jesus christ superstar much more, but thanks for keeping such a great selection.thomas ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cast Recordings    2. Musicals    3. Original Cast Recordings    4. Pop    5. Religious / Contemp. Christian    6. Show Tunes    7. Showtunes / B'way   

Editorial Review

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Features

• Cast Recording

Reviews (5)

Flying into Broadway Soon...
Now well established in London, this Cameron Mackintosh produced musical is soon to land on Broadway. So is it worth seeing? And is this worth buying?
Mary Poppins is Super-cali-fragi-listic-expi-ali-docious !!!
I heard the Mary Poppins was making it's way to Broadway and taking over the Lion King's theater (The Lion King is moving to another theater, not closing) I knew it had to be amazing so I bought the cast album and I am extremly happy with my purchase.
Mary Poppins is PERFECT!
I am a a huge broadway fan so when I heard the Mary Poppins was making it's way to the Great White Way I knew I had to hear it.When I did I was completly blown away!Not only are all of the old and beloved songs there and complete the are a host of all new ones that still hold up the magic of the show.
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Subjects:  1. Music Theater    2. Musical Theater    3. Pop    4. Showtunes / B'way    5. Soundtrack   

Editorial Review

Although Robert Preston and Barbara Cook put in stellar performances, it's the music that's the star of this hugely successful document of the 1958 Broadway smash. Written entirely by Meredith Willson, it drew from memories of his childhood in a small Midwestern town. Preston plays a traveling salesman/con artist, while Cook is the dull spinster "Marian the Librarian," whose love for Preston's character makes her come alive. "Seventy-Six Trombones" has become a marching band standard, while "Ya Got Trouble" (featuring dizzying fast-talk from Preston) and "'Til There Was You" (with a gorgeous vocal from Cook) remain well known even among those who have never seen the show. The latter was also a favorite of the Beatles, who covered it on their first album. Read more

Features

• Cast Recording

Reviews (28)

Accept no substitutes!
This the best version of "The Music Man" available, especially if you're looking for the Broadway cast.The performances here are all terrific, the recording and mastering are great, and the liner notes are informative and thorough."The Music Man" isavailable in several other versions and forms, including other releases of the same original cast recording, but without the good mastering or liner notes found here.My wife and I, hoping to listen to this great show with our kids, first purchased other versions that were easier to find (e.g., on iTunes) and those were major disappointments.Buy this CD (Broadway Classics from Angel) and accept no substitutes.

Preston and Cook are the best ever
Yes, the film is a delight, and Shirley Jones is certainly good as Marian. But the original cast album of this wonderful musical remains the best version ever, mostly thanks to Barbara Cook, whose voice was and remains a miracle of rare device to listen to.
GREAT MUSIC-GOOD SERVICE
THE MUSIC MAN CD IS GREAT. ENJOY THE MUSIC AND TALENT OF MANY PERSONS.DELIVERY WAS ON TIME AND ALL IS WELL. THANK YOU. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cast Recordings    2. Music Theater    3. Musical Theater    4. Musicals    5. Pop    6. Show Tunes    7. Showtunes / B'way    8. Soundtrack   

Editorial Review

It's easy to see why Read more

Features

• Cast Recording

Reviews (120)

A really cute show
This is a fantastic score, and though the original cast recording may be more authentic/true to the Peanuts cartoon, a clearer sound and a bigger orchestra does nothing but good for this CD. Anthony Rapp is a fantastic charlie brown and shows his distress perfectly. the song that was written for kristin chenoweth is laugh-out-loud funny and a great addition.
Great Broadway show for families
As a long-time Broadway junkie, I've made it my mission to introduce my 2 young daughters to as many age-appropriate musicals as possible.Charlie Brown is fun with a basic, life-affirming message without being sugary and melodramatic.The multicultural casting on this version was a nice touch, and the cast vocals blend nicely as well as standing out on their own.It's no surprise that Kristin Chenoweth won the Tony for this performance-just listen to My New Philosophy and you'll see why.Great to hear Anthony Rapp apart from Rent, and BD Wong's My Blanket and Me is sweet and charming.
A Cute Show
I recently directed a production of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown. The show is really sweet, though it is hard to make sure that it is not overly "cutzy". I like the vocalist in this updated version, though some of the modernization of the songs are overdone.
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Subjects:  1. Original Cast Recordings    2. Pop    3. Showtunes / B'way    4. Soundtrack   

Editorial Review

Based on James Michener's Read more

Features

• Cast Recording

Reviews (27)

Sterling-quality SOUTH PACIFIC with some minor demerits
This world-premiere recording of South Pacific is justly regarded as one of the best recordings of this classic Rodgers & Hammerstein score. Although it was recorded in 1949, way before today's digital technology, it still sounds magical, seductive and wonderful, until it allows other performances to pale in comparison. The score is wonderfully served by the original Broadway cast, still immersed in the glowing reviews that were given for the show and the score. And, the Sony recording, deapite being a constricted and rough-sounding mono recording, sounds much better than ever before thanks to a sparkling 20-bit remastering of the original source tapes. SOUTH TERRIFIC!
A first-rate score by Rodgers & Hammerstein; four sensational and perfectly cast leads; and an ensemble (orchestra and chorus) that does more than just support the stars.The album always has been a joy from start to finish! In just under 46 minutes you get all the key musical moments from the score. The Cd includes 4 bonus tracks: Mary Martin's solo recordings of the cut songs "His Girl Back Home" (Originally to be sung by Cable as "My Girl Back Home") and "Loneliness of Evenng"; Ezio Pinza's solo recording of "Bali Ha'i" and a Symphonic Scenario for Concert orchestra conducted by Andre Kostelanetz. Best of all the CD re-produces the original artworked that was on the first LP issue in 1949. The original is still the greatest
Growing up in the musical wasteland of the 1980s, I often raided my parents' record collection out of sheer desperation for songs with meaningful lyrics and real instruments.Among the many wonderful discoveries I made that way was an exotically titled soundtrack album with a pretty yellow and green cover, which my grandfather had apparently bought new in 1949.Perhaps intrigued by the record's vintage, or maybe by the vague familiarity of some of the song titles, I brought it back to my room...and it hasn't left my collection since.