Can I Live [CD-single] [Import]

Product Description
Taken from his 2001 album Return Of Dragon, the explicit album version is backed with 3 non-album versions, Stargate Radio Edit, Radio Edit & the video.

Can I Live,Sisqó,Polygram Int'l,5"CD Singles,Pop,Pop-Rap,Rap & Hip-Hop,Urban

Average customer rating: Great CD Simply the Best Inconsistent, but mostly excellent "Celebration" is not strong enough a word A maginificent evening, a magnificent album

Sondheim - A Celebration at Carnegie Hall (1992 Concert Cast) Stephen Sondheim , Betty Buckley , Paul Gemignani , Patti LuPone , Liza Minnelli , and Bernadette Peters Manufacturer: RCA Victor Broadway ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music 1990s | By Decade | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Hadley, Jerry | ( H ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music 1990s | By Decade | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music 1990-1999 | Decades | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Musicals | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Side By Side By Sondheim (1976 Original London Cast) Sondheim Evening: A Musical Tribute (1973 Concert Cast) Send in the Clowns: The Ballads of Stephen Sondheim Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall / Liza Minnelli, Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, Glenn Close Sondheim, Etc.: Bernadette Peters Live at Carnegie Hall ASIN: B000003FDW Release Date: 1993-02-23

Tracks:

1. Symphonic Sondheim: Sweeney Todd--orchestra, Jerry Hadley ("Johanna"), Eugene Perry,Herbert Perry ("Pretty Women")
2. Evening Introduction--Bill Irwin
3. Loveland/Getting Married Today--Ensemble, Jeanne Lehman, Mark Jacoby, Madeline Kahn
4. Waiting for the Girls Upstairs--George Lee Andrews, Michael Jeter, James Naughton/Love, I Hear--Michael Jeter/Live Alone and Like It--James Naughton
5. Someone Is Waiting--Richard Muenz/Symphonic Sondheim: Barcelona--orchestra
6. Being Alive--Patti LuPone
7. Good Thing Going--The Tonics
8. Losing My Mind/You Could Drive a Person Crazy--Dorothy Loudon
9. Our Time--Boys Choir of Harlem/Children Will Listen--Betty Buckley
10. Anyone Can Whistle--Billy Stritch
11. Water Under the Bridge--Liza Minnellli, Billy Stritch
12. Back in Business--Liza Minnellli, Billy Stritch, Ensemble

Tracks:

1. Symphonic Sondheim: Comedy Tonight--Bill Irwin, orchestra
2. Sooner or Later--Karen Ziemba
3. Pretty Lady--Mark Jacoby, Eugene Perry, Herbert Perry
4. Green Finch and Linnet Bird--Harolyn Blackwell
5. The Ballad of Booth--Patrick Cassidy, Victor Garber
6. Broadway Baby--Daisy Eagan
7. I Never Do Anything Twice--BETTY
8. With So Little to Be Sure Of--Jerry Hadley, Carolann Page
9. Not a Day Goes By--Bernadette Peters
10. Remember?--Ron Baker, Peter Blanchet, Carol Meyer, Bronwyn Thomas, Blythe Walker (Quintet)/A Weekend in the Country--Kevin Anderson, George Lee Andrews, Mark Jacoby, Beverly Lambert, Maureen Moore, Susan Terry, Quintet
11. Send in the Clowns--Glenn Close
12. Old Friends--Liza Minnelli
13. Sunday--Bernadette Peters, Broadway Chorus

Customer Reviews:

Great CD.......2006-08-06

This is a wonderful double CD of fabulous musical numbers performed by theatre greats and directed by a legandary musical director.

Simply the Best.......2005-06-29

First, to the person who criticizes the recording b/c of "Broadway Baby." Daisy Egan (who sings in in this recording) sounds like she's 10 becuase she IS young. She had just appeared on Braodway in Secret Garden and won a Tony for it. It's a joke...Broadway BABY...hello, it's a joke.

In a compilation of songs like this you're always going to have tracks that you prefer over others, but the majority of the renditions in this CD are great. This is simply one of the best collections of Sondheim out there. You get interpretations that span from "classical" (Green Finch), to bordering on insane (Anything Twice). This is to demonstrate how versatile this composer really is.

In my opinion, some of the best renditions are "Not a Day Goes By," "Anyone Can Whistle", "Girls Upstairs Medley," "Losing My Mind/Drive a Person Crazy," and "Weekend inthe Country." Makes me wish I had been there to witness it first hand.

If you love Sondheim and enjoy hearing Broadway performers, get this CD. A great recording.

Inconsistent, but mostly excellent.......2004-03-21

I am sure no knowledgeable person would deny how absolutely perfect all these songs are. However, the performances on this album are extremely inconsistent. It will go from an excellent rendition (Waiting for the Girls medley, Sunday, With So Little To Be Sure Of, Sooner or Later, Green Finch, Send in the Clowns, Pretty Lady) to the weird (I never Do Anything Twice), to the bad (Broadway Baby, Our Time). I still have absolutely no idea how they managed to butcher one of the best songs ever written--Good Thing Going--and turn it into smooth jazz elevator music. Why would they give Broadway Baby to someone who sounds like she's 10? That said, Liza Minelli, Glenn Close, Karen Ziemba, Dorothy Laudon and the "Waiting for the Girls" performers are all very good. And ending with Bernadette Peters and "Sunday" ends the set on a absolutley fabulous note.

"Celebration" is not strong enough a word.......2003-04-30

This review is by Crosley.

I have been a major Sondheim fan for quite some time, and I finally obtained a copy of this album. I was blown away by the excellent cast and phenomenal selection of music. It is obvious how much work went into this production, considering that this is the live recording of a one time show, and it's flawless. The songs cover all of his shows with the exception of "Passion," which was released 3 years after this show. Also, the shows for which he wrote only lyrics are ommited, like West Side Story, Gypsy, etc. Thus, you can find material from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Anyone can Whistle, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Merrily we Roll Along, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, and Assassins.

There are two striking things about this CD (besides the music and performers themselves). First of all, some of the songs are completely stylistically reworked. The most obvious are "Good Thing Going" and "I Never do Anything Twice." Both are traditionally very ballady with a piano accompaniment, but here they have been redone as jazzy tunes. The result is excellent. Such reworkings demonstrate that Sondheim writes music for virtually any style, and in these cases, across several styles. It's a great example of his variety. The other interesting thing is how many songs have overlapping melodies of songs from different shows. Case in point, "Our Time" and "No one is Alone" are sung seperately by the Harlem Boys Choir and Betty Buckley (the original Grizabella in Webber's atrocious "CATS," although Buckley was excellent) respectively, and then combined. Putting these two songs together offer different meanings to each, and the music is only enhanced. Another example, the trio of "Waiting for the Girls Upstairs," "Love, I Hear," and "Live Alone and Like It" are sung in that order, and then the latter two are combined. Again, the meanings of the songs change, this time in an almost narrative style, and offering different takes on love in the same montage. Lastly (at least for this review, there are more), Dorothy Laudon's (the original Ms. Hannigan in Annie) combination of "Losing my Mind" and "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" is brilliant. Those who are familiar with these songs will wonder how exactly they fit, but trust me, they do. She swtiches back and forth between melodies to create a number that starts poignant and beautiful, and soon moves to become uproariously funny. Both the song reworkings and overlapping melodies of unrelated songs are all for the better.

I recommend this recording to anyone wanting to get better acquainted with some of Sondheim's best work, or those already familiar who want to hear a tour de force of phenomenal music. It has been said that Sondheim is a masterful lyricist (which he is), but lacks real talent for music. This CD is the final proof that such critics are wrong. His music may take a few listenings to get into, contrary to Webber or Wildhorn, but unlike those two, he doesn't cater to the audience. He challenges them to think outside of traditional musical theater in a glorious repertoise of shows that reach for a smarter, more sophisticated form.

A maginificent evening, a magnificent album.......2001-12-16

There's something to be said for the first concert you ever see at Carnegie Hall. I was fortunate enough to have this be my first. This entire evening was devoted to his genius and the performers did not disappoint.

This wonderful double CD shows off the best and brightest of the musical theatre composer and it is, as one person put it, "an embarassment of riches." With songs from his finest works done in amazing arrangements (listen to that harmony in "We Had a Good Thing Going"!) combined with fabulous performers this is a Sondheim lovers delight.

My favorite song is, without a doubt, Dorothy Louden and her wonderful medley of "Losing My Mind" into "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" followed very closely by the recently departed Madeline Kahn singing "Getting Married Today."

Average customer rating: Jeff As You Probably Never Knew Him Anything William Shatner can do, Jeff Daniels can do better (in a desperate attempt to raise money)

Live and Unplugged to Benefit the Purple Rose Theatre Jeff Daniels Manufacturer: Harvest Productions ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Grandfather's Hat One Meat Ball Escanaba in da Moonlight This Old Road The Squid and the Whale (Special Edition) ASIN: B000CA3564 Release Date: 2004-12-07

Tracks:

1. If William Shatner Can, I Can Too
2. Lifelong Tiger Fan Blues
3. Momma Never Left Her Oldest Boy Alone
4. Dirty Harry Blues
5. Kathy
6. If I Weren't So Stupid, You Wouldn't Be So Smart
7. Blue Valiant
8. You Can Drink an Ugly Girl Pretty
9. State Trooper
10. If You're Comin'
11. Recreational Vehicle
12. Michigan, My Michigan

Customer Reviews:

Jeff As You Probably Never Knew Him.......2007-01-09

I bought this CD about a week after I saw him perform live. No condemnation, but stage presence and audience interaction don't quite make it to a plastic disc. His "whiskey voice" (no aspersions meant), great guitar picking, and subtle humor make for great listening. But listen in the safety of your own abode or a parked motor vehicle (driving and listening to this puts you and others at risk when you can't help laughing). Support for small-town local theater (the Purple Rose) is added incentive.

Anything William Shatner can do, Jeff Daniels can do better (in a desperate attempt to raise money).......2006-08-20

This week I went to see Jeff Daniels in concert at the Big Tent Chautauqua south of Bayfield, Wisconsin. The actor, best known for his roles in "Terms of Endearment" and "Dumb & Dumber" (although the Jeff Daniel's movies on my shelf would be "The Purple Rose of Cairo," "Gettysburg," and "Gods & Generals"), has been writing songs for over thirty years, never professing to be a professional singer-song writer but insisting instead that his songs are his diary. If Jeff Daniels makes a movie where Clint Eastwood blows him away in the end, then he writes a song ("The Dirty Harry Blues"). If he goes out on a first date with the woman who will become his wife, then he writes a song about that too ("Kathy"). You will find that those two examples pretty much encompass the complete spectrum of Daniels' songwriting skills because the first is funny and the second is sweet.

As the title clearly indicates, "Live and Unplugged to Benefit the Purple Rose Theatre" was recorded live at the Purple Rose Theater in Chelsea, Michigan in December and January 2003-2004 with all proceeds from the CD going to the theater. Daniels is the founder and executive director of the not-for-profit regional professional theater company and was coaxed into being pushed on stage with his guitar to see if people would be willing to pay to see what would happen next. Daniels initially dismissed the idea as something William Shatner would do (think "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" rather than "Star Trek"), which engendered the song "If William Shatner Can, I Can Too" that starts off this enjoyable album of a dozen songs.

The most out of date song is obviously "The Lifelong Tiger Fan Blues," seeing as how Detroit has the best record in baseball this season. Daniels sings about his marriage in "If I Weren't So Stupid, You Wouldn't Be So Smart," and was motivated by his objection to a sign in a bar to come up with "You Can Drink An Ugly Girl Pretty." An encounter with a "State Trooper" engenders a song as well. On the more serious side Daniels has a song about his parents ("Momma Never Left Her Oldest Boy Alone"), his first car ("Blue Valiant"), and a cover of a song about the state in which he lives ("Michigan, My Michigan," the unofficial state song of Michigan, with lyrics written to the tune of "Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum" by Winifred Lee Brent after the Battle of Fredericksburg during the Civil War). The one song that does not really fit into those categories would be "If You're Comin'," an anti-war song written in opposition to "those who wrap their reasons for going to war around a higher power."

Vehicle," which makes perfect sense since the true story is clearly inspired by Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant." That is one of the songs that have clearly evolved over the years (Daniels updates "If William Shatner Can, I Can Too" nowadays to make a palatable hit on Paris Hilton, admittedly an easy target but a most deserving one as well). Having catalogued his repertoire, Daniels is also able to tell us when and where he wrote each of these songs, and in the back of the booklet makes some brief comments on each of the songs.

It really is time for Daniels to cut another CD, because his repertoire is considerably more than the dozen tracks presented here. He only did four of these tracks in his concert ("If William Shatner Can, I Can Too," "The Dirty Harry Blues," "If You're Coming," and "Recreational Vehicle"), and there were easily that many songs that I heard Daniels perform live that I would like to be able to hear again whenever I want. There were several times during the evening's performance that my sides hurt I was laughing so hard, and half of the songs that had us in hysterics are not to be found here. I want those songs, Jeff.

Average customer rating: Wow! Everyone Should Whistle An amazing intro to the body of work of a true master Beautiful, moving concert ... and I love Barbara Cook

Barbara Cook Sings Mostly Sondheim (Live at Carnegie Hall 2001) Manufacturer: Drg ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Bernstein | Bernstein, Leonard | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Nostalgia | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Barbara Cook's Broadway! Barbara Cook at the Met with Special Guests Tribute It's Better with a Band The Champion Season: Live at the Cafe Carlyle ASIN: B000059LFF Release Date: 2001-05-08

Tracks:

1. Everybody Says Don't
2. I Wonder What Became of Me?
3. The Eagle and Me
4. I Had Myself a True Love
5. Into the Woods / Giants in the Sky (Malcolm Gets)
6. Another Hundred People / So Many People (Malcolm Gets)
7. Let's Face the Music and Dance / The Song Is You (duet with Malcolm Gets)
8. Happiness
9. Loving You
10. You Could Drive a Person Crazy
11. Not A Day Goes By / Losing My Mind

Tracks:

1. Buds Won't Bud
2. I Got Lost in His Arms
3. West Side Story Segment: Something's Coming / Tonight (Malcolm Gets)
4. Move On (duet with Malcolm Gets)
5. Medley: Hard Hearted Hannah / Waiting for the Robert E. Lee / San Francisco
6. Ice Cream
7. Send in the Clowns
8. The Trolley Song
9. Not While I'm Around (duet with Malcolm Gets)
10. Anyone Can Whistle

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Barbara Cook is one of today's most accomplished song stylists, and if you don't believe us, just listen to this live album. It's a master class in the art of singing. It documents an evening at Carnegie Hall during which Cook proved that she can dissect and extract the substance out of the simplest of lyrics. One of the best surprises is "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" (from Company), which is taken at an amiable trot and allows the singer to display its humor. Cook is not a swinging singer and uptempo is not her pace; give her a ballad, though, and she'll wring the last drop of emotion out of it. Her version of "Losing My Mind" (here paired with "Not a Day Goes By") is simply astonishing. The singer also performs songs that Sondheim has said he wished he had written, an awful lot of them by Harold Arlen. No complaints here. Guest Malcolm Gets solos on a few songs and duets with Cook on others, including "Let's Face the Music and Dance." This is classic material done masterfully by a classic singer. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews:

Wow!.......2004-02-20

Having read the other reviews there is little more for me to add. I have been a Barbara Cook fan for a longtime and for me, this is one of her best concerts ever. I do, however, prefer the DVD. As with some other reviewers, I do not want to hear Malcolm Gets (as much as I like him) when I want to listen to Barbara. Her flawless interpretation of music is a hard act to follow for any singer! I managed to see this concert 4 times over a year and a half. Each time I saw her the voice was stronger and more assured (I would not have thought that possible). I can't help but think we will have the pleasure of hearing Ms Cook for many years to come. For those people who enjoyed his CD I strongly recommend purchasing the DVD. Barabara's rendition of So Many People is breathtaking (literally, I don't think I breathed once during the entire song). If you ever have opportunity to see her live - go! She has an ability to make you feel as if every song she sings and every word she speaks is directed to you alone. She can take a large venue and make it feel as intimate as your own living room. Having had the pleasure of meeting her I can say she is as youthful and pleasurable in person as she is in her performance.

Everyone Should Whistle.......2003-10-11

After being privileged to attend this concert, I had to own the CD. Once a lyric coloratura and the original Cunegonde in Bernstein's Candide, Ms. Cook has become (in her 70s) a true diva, blessed with a velvety, warm sound. Every note has meaning. Her high B-flat on "Ice Cream" is still the envy of any soprano today. Everyone should whistle after hearing the superb performances on this CD. Even better, though, is the experience of having been in the concert hall for the live performance. Brava, Ms. Cook!

An amazing intro to the body of work of a true master.......2003-06-16

When I first bought tickets for the 'Mostly Sondheim' show on tour (in San Francisco) I figured it couldn't be too bad. Besides, I had only been exposed to a few of his songs (Anyone Can Whistle, Losing My Mind...) and had only seen "A Little Night Music". On the way out of the theater I immediately picked up this recording of the program. It is truly amazing. I immediately began listening to it and have barely put it down in the last few months. Furthermore, my Sondheim CD collection increased in size from an unflattering zero to five (and it's still growing)! This is an amazing introduction to the works of Stephen Sondheim, who is now my favorite modern musical composer). Buy this now if you don't already have it!

Beautiful, moving concert.......2003-04-13

This is a wonderful CD set with a great selection of songs. I do want to express a slight reservation, however. Barbara Cook has been one of my favorite singers for a number of years and the way her voice defies time is extraordinary -- for her to be singing with such bright, beautiful tone in her mid-70s with no wobble or beat in the voice is an amazing achievment.

I do have to say that by 2001, when this concert was recorded, Cook seemed to have a lost a little bit of power and intensity in her singing. This is only natural for someone of her age. Her voice is still lovely, but you can sense her keeping it in reserve a bit. She's as expressive as ever, but compare the rendition of "I got lost in his arms" on this album to the one on her previous album recorded in 1999, "The Champion Season", and there's less urgency and vocal depth in her singing here. That said, the high B at the end of "Ice Cream" is sensational.

So, despite that caveat, this is, again, a wonderful album, a must for Cook fans, especially for the gorgeous renditions of songs I'd never thought I'd get to hear her perform: "Not a Day Goes By", "Happiness/Loving You", "San Francisco", etc. Buy it!

... and I love Barbara Cook.......2003-02-11

This recording is a disappointment for me. It is not her best work, and Malcolm Gets is uninspired. My biggest complaint however is the engineering of the recording. Throughout the speaking was to soft, the singing volumes uneven, and the applause deafening. I will be passing this CD on to friends, and will later donate it to my local library.

Average customer rating: kiri kern Kiri sing Kern is a great experience Lacks Splendor White Glove Kern mildly disappointing

Kiri Sings Kern: Dame Kiri TeKanawa Dame Kiri TeKanawa , Jerome Kern , Jonathan Tunick , and London Sinfonietta Manufacturer: Angel Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Kiri Sings Gershwin Kiri Sings Porter; Dame Kiri TeKanawa Kiri Sings Berlin Kiri Te Kanawa - Greatest Hits ~ 14 Favorites of Opera, Popular & Traditional Song Kiri! Her Greatest Hits Live ASIN: B000002SK3 Release Date: 1993-03-16

Tracks:

1. The Songs Of Jerome Kern: The Folks Who Live on the Hill
2. The Songs Of Jerome Kern: I'm Old Fashioned
3. The Songs Of Jerome Kern: The Way You Look Tonight
4. The Songs Of Jerome Kern: The Song Is You
5. The Songs Of Jerome Kern: Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
6. The Songs Of Jerome Kern: All Through The Day
7. The Songs Of Jerome Kern: The Last Time I Saw Paris
8. The Songs Of Jerome Kern: A Fine Romance
9. The Songs Of Jerome Kern: Yesterdays
10. The Songs Of Jerome Kern: All The Things You Are
11. The Songs Of Jerome Kern: Bill
12. The Songs Of Jerome Kern: Long Ago And Far Away
13. The Songs Of Jerome Kern: Look For The Silver Lining
14. The Songs Of Jerome Kern: Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man

Amazon.com

As Hammerstein writes in the opening song, "Many dames with lofty aims strive for lofty goals"--and Te Kanawa strives for successful crossover. Her beautiful singing exhibits impeccable diction and excellent phrasing; but "A Fine Romance" lacks anger and humor, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" lacks a storyteller, and "All the Things You Are" lacks romanticism. However, happy songs like "All Through the Day," "Look for the Silver Lining," and "The Folks Who Live on the Hill," are successfully interpreted. Jonathan Tunick's orchestrations enhance Kern's beauty through his captivating use of obbligato instruments. A pleasant, if not wholly satisfactory, listening experience. --Barbara Eisner Bayer

Customer Reviews:

kiri kern.......2007-03-29

Kiri is sensational on this CD. Jerome Kern music is stupendous and the arrangements superb. Three top esses.

Kiri sing Kern is a great experience.......2004-01-18

I love the way she sings Kern's songs. Though certainly not opera, Kern's songs benefit from an an operatic approach--not all of them, but certainly ones such Smoke gets in your Eyes, The song is you, All the things you are. I love Kern;s songs sung in many styles but Kiri's way is one of the best.

On the other hand, I did not like Kiri singing Berlin.

Lacks Splendor.......2002-09-01

Though I do enjoy Kiri's interpretation of most music, and this CD was decent, I did not find any piece particularly memorable.

The voice is undeniably beautiful, and Kiri has managed to keep her maturing voice sounding somewhat young, yet I find that I much prefer her rendition of "The Laughing Song" to that of "Smoke Gets in YOur Eyes."

If you love Kern, and couldn't care less who performs it, than purchase this CD. If you are a fan of Kiris', then perhaps it would be best to avoid this purchase...for it is not a shining star in her vast collection of CDs. All in all, it was a disappointment.

White Glove Kern.......2001-05-20

I am the first to admit that most "crossover" albums, be they of classical performers singing pop or vice versa never quite cross over. This album does splendidly. Kern's music is the most related to classical operetta , and therefore the least jazziest. Operatic soprano Kiri Te Kanawa gives luscious, heartfelt readings of these wonderful songs, backed by glamorous orchestrations. Hearing a voice of such opulence and beauty in this music is a rare treat. Just listen to "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" ,"Long Ago and Far Away" or "The Song is You" and prepare to be swept away to another, more elegant time.

mildly disappointing.......2000-09-30

Sometimes cross-over works, sometimes not. While Kiri te Kanawa has a beautiful voice, she never gets into the idiom of these Jerome Kern masterpieces sufficiently to convey their stories or their subtleties. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes especially stands out, she sings it with none of the pathos the song demands and her version pales compared to the Platters. The orchestral arrangements are decent and in many of the songs the purity of her voice is enough to carry them, but overall I would say this is a disappointing example of a crossover record. Ms. te Kanawa should stick to what she does best.

Average customer rating: Musical Wit in an Orchestral Setting A Cabaret Singer Grows Up This cd is about average, it could have been better Fabulously Fantastic! Michael has done it again

Michael Feinstein with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Michael Feinstein , and Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Manufacturer: Concord Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Bernstein | Bernstein, Leonard | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gershwin | Gershwin, George | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music Israel | Middle East | International | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Traditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Nostalgia | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Romance on Film/Romance on Broadway Isn't It Romantic Michael & George (Feinstein Sings Gershwin) Hopeless Romantics Pure Gershwin ASIN: B00005Q6LL Release Date: 2002-05-07

Tracks:

1. The Folks Who Live On The Hill
2. The Best Is Yet To Come
3. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry
4. By Myself
5. Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year
6. Stormy Weather
7. Laura
8. On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever)
9. Love Is Here To Stay
10. How Deep is The Ocean?
11. Somewhere
12. I Won't Send Roses

Amazon.com

If there's a precious tone to Michael Feinstein's interpretations of the American songbook, it probably stems from a fervent dedication to preserving the original context of his material. This is, after all, a musician who spent many of his formative years in personal service to the late Ira Gershwin. This collection further underscores that commitment, with the lush sound of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (augmented by the piano trio of Alan Broadbent, who also provides all but one of the arrangements here) adding considerable dramatic resonance to Feinstein's performances.

While singers from Sinatra and Streisand to Fitzgerald and Bennett have imbued many of these songs with considerable dollops of jazz, blues, and their own strong personas, Feinstein mines melancholy jewels like "Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year," "How Deep Is the Ocean," and "By Myself" for all their introspective emotion. "Somewhere" pays tribute to Bernstein with glorious, unabashed melodrama, while "Laura" (one of the most recorded songs of all time) gets recast in something approaching its original intent via an arrangement written for this recording by composer David Raksin. Feinstein himself penned the album's notes, paying careful tribute to each composer represented and noting that all were Jews, yet their music came to represent a richly American spectrum that included black and white and encompassed jazz, the theater, and even classics in its scope. There's a lesson herein, and one that spans more than mere history and musical archaeology. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Musical Wit in an Orchestral Setting.......2004-01-04

The one problem a record collector encounters when he has an album too many of one artist, is the tendency of the artist to sing the same songs in succeeding albums/settings. Feinstein, who I consider as the leading proponent in reviving the American Popular Song standards to its unfettered glory is backed by a philharmonic orchestra in this album with the musical direction of conductor Alan Broadbent. And yes, he sang some songs that were sung in sparse and acoustic settings in his previous albums. As usual, just like any cabaret singer who never really sings the same song twice (listen to the grand old dames of cabaret like Julie Wilson and Mabel Mercer), Feinstein delights in the varied ways he can see a song in different contexts. Having said that, I thought he was a bit overly cautious in exploring his rich bari-tenor (sorry for this oxymoron but that is the word to apply to his voice) in soaring the vocal lines of Kern's The Folks Who Live on the Hill. Other than that, he was at his wittiest and conversational (not to mention just plain beautiful) voice when singing I Won't Send Roses and he can revisit the Bernstein/Sondheim Somewhere without evoking the famous version of uber diva Barbra Streisand. If you like good crooning vocals in a grand and orchestral setting, this is the album to listen or give as a gift -- you/they won't regret it.

A Cabaret Singer Grows Up.......2003-03-14

"Extraordinary how potent cheap music is." -Noel Coward

Like Coward, Mr. Feinstein seems to understand the power of popular, romantic song when flung into the void of an apparently cold universe by an all too human, understated voice...I first heard Michael Feinstein sing and play the piano umpteen years ago in the mad, bad '80s. At that time, I found his choice of material from the great 20th Century American composers refreshing & interesting, his skills as a pianist were good, and his diction to be above average. Yet his voice at that time was a bit weak--there was too much bravura nonsense, too much vibrato and he may have been too young for some of the songs that he sang at the time.

Well, we've both matured, (I hope), and Mr. Feinstein has delivered a remarkably smooth, yet heartfelt performance on this album. I'm particularly impressed by his vocal smoothness and emotional restraint, especially on "Love is Here to Stay", "How Deep Is the Ocean", "Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year" & "I Won't Send Roses". Mr. Feinstein appears to really understand the depth of feeling that these words and music evoke in him and us. The vibrato is there when needed, but the ripeness of a mature singer is beginning to be heard on his recordings and the Israeli Philharmonic simply gives his singing wings. The only song that doesn't seem to fit is "Stormy Weather"--I kept hearing Lena Horne in my mind's ear, rather than a polished cabaret singer. I hope that Feinstein continues to grow in vocal power and subtlety as he does here. A lovely album for sophisticated romantics.

This cd is about average, it could have been better.......2002-08-18

First I would like to say i'm a Michael fan. I own all his catalog. Even though i'm a fan there are some things about this cd that I find in bad taste. Please let me explain!

I know it is hard to always be creative. There are just so many ideas to go around and then you have to start duplicating others. This is known as copying what others have done.

For this cd I felt like some of the arrangements were too long. For example, Laura as it was performed hear is a six minute song. It really should have been done in two minutes. I'm an engineer and I edited this version of Laura to run two minutes and it is just perfect. Sometimes less is really more. Also, I felt that some of the other songs didn't really have top notch arrangements attached to them. If the arrangements would have been better I whould have had no choice but to bring out the 5 star rating for this project.

To talk a little bit about the voice of Michael is my pleasure. His voice seems to be getting better with age. I have always liked Michael's voice and will continue to do so.

I will give this cd a favorable recommendation!

Fabulously Fantastic!.......2002-07-21

Feinstein has outdone himself with this collection!! He is in fine fettle with songs that only He can do justice! His interpretations and stylings are beyond compare and trust you will not be disappointed with this recording!! Feinstein is simply fabulously fantastic!

Michael has done it again.......2002-07-12

S'Wonderful, S'Marvelous.

If there is one thing you can say about Michael Feinstein it's that he knows how to put over a song. His new cd is absolutely magnificent, these are the only words to describe it.

Somewhere, By Myself, Stormy Weather and the rest of the songs are beyond compare. Do yourself a big, big favour and don't miss out on this cd; you'll love it.

Average customer rating:

Life Upon the Wicked Stage Carole Cook , Jerome Kern , Grant Geissman , David Stout [trombone] , Dan Fornero , John Fumo , Brock Peters , James Anderson , Jane Lanier , Lauren Kennedy , Linda Michele , Marissa Jaret Winokur , Melissa Errico , Reece Holland , Robert Morse , Rod McKuen , Roger Rees , Ronnie Franklin , and Steve Orich Manufacturer: Lml Music ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Traditional Vocalists | Compilations | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Broadway & Vocalists | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Tap Your Troubles Away - The Words and Music of Jerry Herman (Historic All-Star Tribute) Kurt Weill: The Centennial ABC (Adler, Bock, Coleman) Over The Rainbow: The Music Of Harold Arlen (1995 Benefit Concert Cast) Dream: The Lyrics and Music of Johnny Mercer ASIN: B0000658H9 Release Date: 2002-05-07

Tracks:

1. The Song Is You - Jamie Anderson
2. How'd You like To Spoon With Me? - Jane Lanier
3. The Land Where The Good Songs Go - Pamela Myers
4. All The Things You Are - Alan Campbell
5. The Folks Who Live On The Hill - Lee Lessack
6. She Didn't Say Yes - Marissa Jaret Winokur
7. Pick Yourself Up - Street Sounds
8. You Couldn't Be Cuter - Marsha Kramer
9. Shimmy With Me - Lea Thompson
10. They All Look Alike - Bruce Vilanch
11. There It Is Again - David Holladay
12. Remind Me - Ron Rifkin
13. In Love In Vain - Melissa Errico
14. Make Believe - Linda Michele
15. Ol' Man River - Brock Peters
16. You Are Love - Dale Kristien
17. I Won't Dance - Bonnie Franklin

Tracks:

1. The Last Time I Saw Paris - Charles Busch
2. Long Ago (And Far Away) - Pam Dawber
3. They Didn't Believe Me - Pat Marshall
4. Look For The Silver Lining - Rod McKuen
5. A Fine Romance - Jane Carr
6. Sure Thing - Sally Kellerman
7. Don't Ever Leave Me/Why Was I Born - Joely Fisher
8. I'm Old Fashioned - Robert Morse
9. Yesterdays - Joan Ryan
10. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes - Dorian Harewood
11. In The Heart Of The Dark - Dale Kristien
12. Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man - Valarie Pettiford
13. The Way You Look Tonight - Hugh Panaro
14. Life On The Wicked Stage - Carole Cook
15. I've Told Every Little Star - Carole Cook
16. Till The Clouds Roll By - The Company

Average customer rating: ISSUE RESOLVED ON THE EUPHRATES Enjoiyable, but lacking, too.

Handel: Belshazzar Manufacturer: Archiv Produktion ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Minuets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Pinnock, Trevor | ( P ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Samson Handel: Alexander's Feast Handel - Joshua / Kirkby, Bowman, Oliver, Ainsley, George, The King's Consort Handel - Deborah / Y. Kenny · Gritton · Denley · Bowman · M. George · The King's Consort · King Handel: Solomon ASIN: B0001ZWGHY Release Date: 2004-06-15

Tracks:

1. Overture
2. Vain, Fluctuating State Of Human Empire!
3. Thou, God Most High, And Thou Alone
4. The Fate Of Babylon, I Fear, Is Nigh
5. Lament Not Thus, Oh Queen, In Vain!
6. Behold, By Persia's Hero Made
7. Well May They Laugh/Oh Memory! Still Bitter To My Soul
8. Opprest With Never-Ceasing Grief
9. Dry Thoes Unavailing Tears
10. Be Comforted: Safe Though The Tyrant Seem/Methought, As On The Bank Of Deep Euphrates
11. Now, Tell Me, Gobrias
12. Behold The Monstrous Human Beast
13. Can You Then Think It Strange
14. Great God! Who, Yet But Darkly Known
15. My Friends, Be Confident
16. All Empires Upon God Depend
17. Oh Sacred Oracles Of Truth!
18. Rejoyce, My Countrymen
19. Sing, Oh Ye Heav'ns!

Tracks:

1. Let Festal Joy Triumphant Reign!
2. For You, My Friends
3. The Leafy Honours Of The Field
4. It Is The Custom, I May Say, The Law
5. Recall, Oh King! Thy Rash Command
6. They Tell You True
7. Oh Dearer Than My Life, Forebear!
8. By Slow Degrees The Wrath Of God
9. See, From His Post Euphrates Flies!
10. You See, My Friends, A Path
11. Amaz'd To Find The Foe So Near
12. To Arms, To Arms! No More Delay!
13. Ye Tutelar Gods Of Our Empire
14. Let The Deep Bowl Thy Praise Confess
15. Where Is The God Of Judah's Boasted Pow'r?
16. Call All My Wise Men

Tracks:

1. A Singony (Allegro Postillions)
2. Ye Sages! Welcome Always To Your King/Alas! Too Hard A Task The King Imposes
3. Oh Misery! - Oh Terror! - Hopeless Grief!
4. Oh King, Live For Ever!
5. No! To Thyself Thy Trifles Be
6. Yet, To Obey His Dread Command
7. Oh Sentence To Severe!
8. Oh God Of Truth! Oh Faithful Guide!
9. You, Gobrias, Lead Directly To The Palace
10. Oh Glorious Prince!
11. Alternate Hopes And Fears
12. Fain Would I Hope
13. Can The Black Aethiop Change His Skin?
14. My Hopes Revive
15. Bel Boweth Down!
16. I Thank, Thee, Sesach
17. A Martial Symphony
18. To Pow'e Immortal My First Thanks
19. Be It Thy Care, Good Gobrias
20. Great Victor, At Your Feet I Bow
21. Say, Venerable Prophet
22. Tell It Out Among The Heathen
23. Yes, I Will Build Thy City
24. I Will Magnify Thee

Customer Reviews:

ISSUE RESOLVED ON THE EUPHRATES.......2005-06-19

One question I might find among the more difficult in my life would be - which is my favourite Handel oratorio? I suspect that my answer would generally be 'the one I heard most recently', and that, as I write this, is Belshazzar. It is a magnificent thing, a heavenly thing. It has taken me longer than it should have to come to an appreciation of what makes Handel the phenomenon - as a genius, as an artist, as a craftsman - that he is, but I am comforted to reflect that no less a genius than Haydn, at the age of nearly 70 gaining a more thorough knowledge of Handel in performance, was driven to say that he felt a mere apprentice. In his sense of how to pace a dramatic narrative, in his instinct for how to use the human voice in song and above all in chorus, in the matchless flexibility and adroitness he displays at word-setting and in the audacity of his melodic and harmonic effects I can think of nobody who can approach Handel on his own terms.

Belshazzar was not a great success at the box-office, although this may have had more to do with difficulties in the casting than because it was deemed insufficiently biblical for oratorio, which seems to have been the fate of Hercules. It seems to me to be perfectly well described as oratorio in other ways too, with (for one thing) the extensive use of the chorus that we find in, say, Samson but not in Hercules. The one passage that cries out for visual effects is of course the apparition of the moving finger itself. Even here the composer can go a long way with sheer power of suggestion, by the strange unaccompanied violin figure creeping upwards and the frightened brevity of the vocal numbers. Otherwise for me Belshazzar is as much an oratorio as Samson is. It has the same librettist too, the crusty and formidable Jennens, who had also collaborated with Handel on Saul and on Messiah itself. Jennens' full text is not provided, but I think if you read the synopsis first and then follow the work from the headlines to each number you will have no difficulty in catching the words, so clear is the enunciation by soloists and chorus alike. As usual, Handel was driven to make alterations to the score for practical reasons. He had been a little concerned about its length, roughly 2 hours and 50 minutes in this performance, but where he wishes to be expansive he gives us full measure - two arias in Act I scene 4 take well over 7 minutes each. The liner-essay (a good one, by Anthony Hicks) goes into the issue of the version of the score used here, and I personally have no problem with it.

I have no faults to find with the performance in any way. Pinnock is an established specialist, the instruments are period instruments and vocal cadenzas at the end of the arias are kept minimal. Anthony Rolfe Johnson, James Bowman and David Wilson-Johnson are tried and trusted Handel singers and at their best here, and Nicolas Robertson and Richard Wistreich in the smaller parts are every bit as good. The part of Cyrus is a soprano part, taken by Catherine Robbin, and when I thought I heard just one touch of strain in `Destructive War' in the final scene she makes up for it instantly in her superb duet with Arleen Auger in the following number. Auger as Nitocris the mother of Belshazzar has the biggest part, and she covers herself with glory all the way through.

The recording is perfect, and when I saw an aria entitled `Destructive War, thy limits know' near the end I felt a sharp sense of irony in the year 2005. Cyrus, Handel, Jennens, you should all have been living at this hour.

Enjoiyable, but lacking, too........2004-08-16

This 3CD set of George Frederic Handel's (1685-1759) "Belshazzar", from Archiv Production, a division of Universal Music, is proof again that transfer from vinyl to tape to disc brings with it improvements in listening that make the purchase a worthwhile addition to anyone's listening library. Written in 1744, "Belshazzar" is an oratorio in the operatic style that is wonderful oratorio, but lacking the true depth one expects to hear in an opera. London opera audiences of Handel's day agreed, as both "Belshazzar" and Handel's other offering of the period in the same style, "Hercules", were not terribly successful. Instead of the scheduled 24 performances only 16 were given and Handel never offered a full season of oratorio again. The Libretto by Charles Jennens (1700-1773) is, as the production notes say, meant "not only to show the fall of Babylon but to show it as a fulfillment of divine prediction and to confirm the biblical testimony by reference to classical history." There's only one problem, as good a quality as the CDs are, it is not possible to follow the full libretto and the accompanying booklet includes no text, which is a shame. I think the listening experience would have been increased immeasurably if one was able to follow the text of what is being sung. Nonetheless the dramatic narrative is fluid and even, and the English Concert and Choir provide nice balance to the less full vocal passages, as in Disc 3s "Oh Glorious prince", cut 10. There is enough of this throughout to keep one's interest, but disappointing if what one expects is another ""Messiah".

Average customer rating: Precise, pointed and peerless !!! the "Fair Lady" in London... My Fair Lady again? Broadway vs London vs Movie It's good but,..

My Fair Lady (1959 Original London Cast) Alan Jay Lerner Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Musicals | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: My Fair Lady (1956 Original Broadway Cast) Camelot (1960 Original Broadway Cast) South Pacific (Original 1949 Broadway Cast) Oklahoma! (1955 Film Soundtrack) The Sound of Music (1965 Film Soundtrack - 40th Anniversary Special Edition) ASIN: B000007OHU Release Date: 1998-06-02

Tracks:

1. Act I: Overture
2. Act I: Why Can't The English?
3. Act I: Wouldn't It Be Loverly
4. Act I: With A Little Bit Of Luck
5. Act I: I'm An Ordinary Man
6. Act I: Just You Wait
7. Act I: The Rain In Spain
8. Act I: I Could Have Danced All Night
9. Act I: Ascot Gavotte
10. Act I: On The Street Where You Live
11. Act II: You Did It
12. Act II: Show Me
13. Act II: Get Me To The Church On Time
14. Act II: A Hymn To Him
15. Act II: Without You
16. Act II: I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face
17. The Embassy Waltz

Amazon.com

My Fair Lady is without question one of the greatest shows ever created for the musical theater. It's a charming, hilarious, and touching adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, pitting flower girl Eliza Doolittle against Prof. Henry Higgins, the self-absorbed and ill-tempered linguist who bets that he can turn her into a lady by improving her diction. Lerner and Loewe's score includes some of the best-loved songs in the canon: "Why Can't the English," "Wouldn't It Be Loverly," "The Rain in Spain," "I Could Have Danced All Night," "On the Street Where You Live," "Get Me to the Church on Time," and "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face," among others. The 1959 London-cast stereo recording is generally held in lower regard than its Broadway counterpart, recorded three years earlier in mono. But why quibble? The principals are all the same--Rex Harrison as Higgins, Julie Andrews as Eliza, Stanley Holloway as her dad, and Robert Coote as Col. Pickering (Leonard Weir replaced Michael King as Freddy Einsford-Hill)--and it's still a classic recording in its own right that you'll treasure for years. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

Precise, pointed and peerless !!!.......2007-01-03

One listen to the London original cast recording of My Fair Lady and you know why this CD still sells. Despite the decades, the recording sounds fresh, clear and crisp. There is no background noise on this CD! Moreover, the songs by Lerner and Loewe are brilliantly composed and the lyrics are clever, witty and poignant. This CD proves it.

The CD opens with the overture to the musical stage play and then goes right into the first song entitled "Why Can't The English?" More spoken than sung by Rex Harrison, "Why Can't The English" fleshes out his character's lament that too many British people don't speak English well. The melody is catchy and the lyrics are funny at times even if some of the humor is dated.

The lesser educated British have their say in the next number, "Wouldn't It Be Loverly." In this song, sung by Julie Andrews as Eliza Doolittle with male backup singers and a chorus of whistlers, demonstrates how these persons really do want to lead a much more sophisticated life with more luxuries.

Other great songs on this CD include the rousing "Get Me To The Church On Time" sung by the memorable Stanley Holloway; the beautiful love ballad "On The Street Where You Live" performed by Leonard Weir; "I Could Have Danced All Night" which is performed flawlessly by Julie Andrews who belts out those incredibly high notes; and "The Rain In Spain" delivered by Julie Andrews, Rex Harrison and Robert Coote. Excellent!

One especially amusing song is entitled "A Hymn To Him" performed mostly by Rex Harrison with some assistance from Robert Coote. The violins at the beginning of this number are beautiful in the musical arrangement.

The CD concludes with a extra bonus monophonic track of the waltz music for the scene in which Henry Higgins takes Eliza Doolittle to the Embassy ball. "The Embassy Waltz," conducted by Percy Faith, offers a beautiful musical arrangement that leaves you wanting more--so don't be surprised if you get the urge to play the CD all over again from the very beginning and enjoy it once more.

The musical arrangements are carefully planned and executed throughout; only Lerner and Loewe were capable of producing such a fine score to go with this stage play. The tempo of the score is faster overall than it was for the original Broadway production; this is especially evident in the opening notes of the overture. Nevertheless, it all works brilliantly.

The liner notes boast terrific black and white photos of the actors in the stage play along with a special color photo of Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison. Didier C. Deutsch contributes a lengthy essay about the history and production of My Fair Lady as well.

The music and lyrics to the original London cast recording of My Fair Lady are timeless. Even today, more than four decades later, the soundtrack still sells well. The musical is one with which many people can identify as it illustrates through words and music the blossoming love affair between Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle. Indeed, the story and the music add to the enchantment as we realize that even Higgins and Doolittle themselves are unaware of the full power of their mutual attraction until the very end of the stage play. My Fair Lady will remain a classic musical; and the score to the stage play on this album is priceless. May you enjoy this soundtrack as much as I did!

the "Fair Lady" in London..........2006-09-23

In 1956, Lerner and Loewe's MY FAIR LADY swept into Broadway and quickly captured the hearts of critics and audiences alike, the perfect transformation of George Bernard Shaw's play "Pygmalion" into the world of the musical theatre. Both Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews played the show for two years on Broadway before yielding to replacements (Edward Mulhare and Sally Ann Howes), and in 1959 traveled across the pond to headline the London company. The show opened at the Drury Lane Theatre in April 1959, and ran for 2,281 performances.

While both Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison had laid down their definitive performances as Eliza Doolittle and Prof. Henry Higgins for the 1956 original Broadway cast album of MY FAIR LADY, the subsequent 1959 London production allowed them to record another album, in the brand-new stereophonic format.

Despite this 1959 recording having a sweeter sound than the earlier 1956 mono album, this sadly remains the lesser of the two, because a lot of the energy and flash had disappeared from Julie Andrews' voice in the years she had performed the role. On the Broadway album, Andrews gives a rich performance that runs the gamut from cockney guttersnipe to regal high society, but comparing the two albums directly, she does not sound at her optimal best on the London set. Andrews has acknowledged that she found the role of Eliza both physically and vocally exhausting, even more so because of the lack of body-mikes, and the projection must have been gruelling at times. No wonder that so much of the bloom in Andrews' voice had vanished by the time she reprised her role in London. Despite Andrews, the album does have a few merits including breezy orchestrations under the direction of Cyril Ornadel (the Overture is given a much faster tempo than is heard on the Broadway set).

The supporting cast includes Stanley Holloway (also reprising his Broadway role) as Eliza's dustman father Alfie. The role of Freddy is played by Leonard Weir (his "On the Street Where You Live" is very charming), and Robert Coote also repeats his Broadway role as Colonel Pickering.

The 1959 London cast of MY FAIR LADY, just like the 1956 Broadway album, has never been out of the catalogue, though the confusion between the two albums still exists, despite the fact that the London album sports a gold-brown cover and the Broadway album is white. Sony Broadway Masterworks' edition features a bonus track of the "Embassy Waltz", a mono recording from 1956.

My Fair Lady again?.......2005-06-04

I have heard the Columbia Masterworks recording of this show as it was produced in Isreal. Same orchestrations, different lyrics! In Hebrew of course. I wish it were still available.

Broadway vs London vs Movie.......2003-10-02

Let's begin by comparing both the Broadway and London scores to the 1964 movie soundtrack-- actually there is no comparison! Both Broadway and London surpass the movie recording by far, only demonstrating the HUGE mistake Hollywood made by not casting Julie Andrews as Eliza Doolittle. Andrews' purely delightful soprano voice and perfect diction cannot even be compared to Marni Nixon's voice dubbing in the film. In addition, Andrews is British, which is critical to this play, unlike Nixon's purely American accent heard in the film.

As far as Broadway vs London MFL recordings, I would have to agree with the others who are in favor of the "white" Broadway album. While both are very good, the Broadway album does appear to be less "forced" than the London album due, most likely, to the fact that it was recorded before the cast had exhausted themselves singing the score after a few years on the stage. Both Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews appear to be more "natural" in the Broadway album, and Andrews does definitely lose a bit of the innocence in her voice in this recording.

All in all, I would recommend that any MFL collector invest in both the Broadway and London cast recordings to make your own opinions. Yet, for someone looking to buy only one album, I would stick with the Broadway version. In all situations, save yourself some money and skip buying the film soundtrack.

It's good but,.........2003-07-26

If I had never heard the 1956 recording I would have thought this one was great....but to me, compared to its mono counterpart, this performance sounds more like a Wednesday matinee in the middle of a long run. The performers are all still wonderful, but it's very relaxed and and lacks the vivid characterizations found in the original. Any fan of "My Fair Lady," however, will want to have them both and decide for themselves!

Average customer rating:

Music of Jerome Kern Manufacturer: Centaur ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Audubon String Quartet | ( A ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Similar Items: Songbook: The Song Is You Jane Eyre ASIN: B000BLI4YM Release Date: 2005-10-25

Tracks:

1. All the Things You Are (From Very Warm for May)
2. I Won't Dance (From Roberta)
3. Dearly Beloved (From You Were Never Lovelier)
4. I'm Old Fashioned (From You Were Never Lovelier)
5. Can't Help Lovin' That Man (From Showboat)
6. Look for the Silver Lining (From Sally)
7. Yesterdays (From Roberta)
8. How'd You Like to Spoon with Me (From the Earl and the Girl)
9. Song Is You (From Music in the Air)
10. Long Ago and Far Away (From Cover Girl)
11. Folks Who Live on the Hill (From High, Wide and Handsome)
12. Pick Yourself Up (From Swingtime)
13. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (From Roberta)
14. Showboat (From Showboat)
15. Lovely to Look At (From Roberta)

Average customer rating: The songs stand on their own Sounds Very Good Nice remix but nothing outstanding MY FAIR LADY SOUNDTRACK FINALLY GIVEN ITS DUE ON SACD

My Fair Lady Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Soundtracks | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: My Fair Lady (1964 Film Soundtrack) The King and I (1956 Film Soundtrack) West Side Story My Fair Lady (1956 Original Broadway Cast) South Pacific (1958 Film Soundtrack) ASIN: B00005J9XS Release Date: 2001-05-22

Tracks:

1. Overture
2. Why Can't the English? - Alan Jay Lerner,
3. Wouldn't It Be Loverly?
4. I'm an Ordinary Man
5. With a Little Bit of Luck
6. Just You Wait
7. Rain in Spain
8. I Could Have Danced All Night
9. Ascot Gavotte
10. On the Street Where You Live - Orchestra African Fiesta
11. You Did It - Rex Harrison, , Wilfried Hyde-White,
12. Get Me to the Church on Time
13. Hymn to Him - Isobel Elsom, Marni Nixon
14. Without You
15. I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face - Stanley Holloway
16. Embassy Waltz [*] - Marni Nixon
17. You Did It - Rex Harrison, Marni Nixon
18. Just You Wait (Reprise) - Rex Harrison
19. On the Street Where You Live (Reprise)
20. Show Me
21. Flower Market
22. Get Me to the Church on Time
23. Hymn to Him
24. Without You
25. I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face
26. End Titles
27. Exit Music

Customer Reviews:

The songs stand on their own.......2006-05-27

Many people can associate this sound track with the movie, "My Fair Lady" that was that is a film version of Bernard Shaw's play "Pygmalion". This is a classic musical with many well known songs by Lerner and Loewe.

However unlike many musicals the songs have a life of their own. Even though they matched the story perfectly, they are they type of songs that one could instantly blurt out in the thrill of the moment. I my self found that "On the Street Where you live" matched perfectly when I was in love in my youth.

Sounds Very Good.......2006-05-16

This album and CD format sound very good. I was quite pleased. THE RAIN IN SPAIN and ON THE STREET WHERE YOU LIVE are favorites of mine. I am glad this soundtrack got a top notch presentation. Well worth the wait.

Nice remix but nothing outstanding.......2004-03-06

After reading one review that gave this recording five stars I purchased it. Although it probably is a better recording than past CDs - don't expect the sound of a modern recording. A couple of the songs are very much clearer, but over-all I did not find this recording to be a revelation.

MY FAIR LADY SOUNDTRACK FINALLY GIVEN ITS DUE ON SACD.......2001-08-02

Warner Bros' 1964 film version of My Fair Lady, Lerner and Loewe's brilliant musical adaptation of Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, is a genuine motion picture classic, fully worthy of all the awards and praise it has garnered since it's release nearly forty years ago.

My Fair Lady boasted a discrete 6 track stereophonic sound mix, which was state of the art for it's time and still probably sounds better than the majority of today's pictures.

This new SACD format CD offers the best sonic presentation of this soundtrack ever made available to the music buying public. With this release Sony has corrected a horrible injustice done to My Fair Lady in its previous CD. Gone is the sloppy editing of bits and pieces of meaningless dialogue excerpts and intrusive Foley effects, which served only to show the total lack of respect the producers had for these performances. While this SACD is not completely free of such tampering, this time the small amount of dialogue is beautifully edited and serves properly as lead in to the songs. Unlike the original LP release the extended versions of all the songs are presented here, along with The Embassy Waltz and the Entr'acte music.

I won't get into the debate over Audrey Hepburn's casting except to say that at this point in time Julie Andrews, although obviously a better singer than Hepburn and probably wonderful on the stage, could not have even come close to the level of brilliance displayed by Audrey Hepburn in this role on the screen.

Unfortunately precious little of Hepburn's superb performance is to be heard on this SACD, which leaves us with a debate over how Marni Nixon, Hepburn's vocal double, compares to Julie Andrews. Other than the fact that her Cockney accent is not so great, Nixon acquits herself quite admirably in the role, although I believe that Hepburn should have been allowed to do more of the singing with Nixon stepping in vocally when the going got rough, such as she did for Deborah Kerr in The King and I. But even so, Marni Nixon is arguably every bit as good a singer as Julie Andrews and performs the songs beautifully.

Add to that the fact that this soundtrack offers Rex Harrison's most polished performance of Professor Henry Higgins and since his songs were recorded live at the time of filming, there is a spontinenity in them lacking in the Broadway and particularly in the London Cast Recordings.

Stanley Holloway performs his songs with much more zest in this recording as well. But the greatest improvements over the original are the outstanding orchestral arrangements and conducting by Andre Previn assisted by Robert Tucker's excellent choral work. The brassy, puny orchestras and shrill choruses on all other recordings pale by comparison.

Still, the Original 1956 Broadway Cast Recording should be a part of any serious music lover's collection, if only to savor Julie Andrews' sterling vocal performance as the original Eliza Doolittle. The 1964 soundtrack reviewed here should be equally enjoyed on its own merits, as mentioned above, and for allowing one to hear in brilliant stereo sound a more complete and better orchestrated version of Lerner and Loewe's musical masterpiece.

Now if only Sony would go back and correct another major injustice by redoing the horribly mutilated expanded CD soundtrack of West Side Story as well.

Dance Music:

1. Candyland (Eighted & Chopped) [Explicit Lyrics]
2. D Thames [CD-single] [Import]
3. Da Sak Is Fatt, Vol. 1
4. Da Wake Up
5. Dark Days Bright Nights [Import]
6. Decadance Hip Hop 24/7 V.2: Turf Wars [Box set] [Import]
7. Deep N Tha Game [Explicit Lyrics]
8. Diddy [CD-single] [Import]
9. Doggy Bag
10. Down South Mud [Explicit Lyrics]

Dance Music

dance music

Dance Music

Discipline

Joaquín Turina Complete Piano Works, Vol. 11: Impresiones

Meditations

Complete Tal Farlow [Box set]

The Ultimate Collection [Import]

I Sings [CD-single] [Import]

Legends Of The 20th Century

Ibert: Divertissement No1-6; Concertino da Camera for alto saxophone & instrumen

Mayhem Aforethought - August 19, 1973 - You Are There

Irish American Trombone

Imperfect Completeness [Import]

Mcguinn/Hillman [Import]

Int Source Presents: Flowers in the Attic [Import]

A String Around Autumn

The Minute Game