I Never Said Goodbye

I Never Said Goodbye

Track Listings

1. When the Hammer Falls

2. Hands and Knees

3. Give to Live

4. Boys' Night Out

5. Returning Home

6. Standin' at the Same Old Crossroads

7. Privacy

8. Back into You

9. Eagles Fly

10. What They Gonna Say Now

I Never Said Goodbye,Sammy Hagar,Geffen Records,Album Rock,Arena Rock,Hard Rock,Heavy Metal,Pop,Pop-Metal,Rock

Gold: The Definitive Hits Collection
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Andrew LLoyd Webber - Gold Hits

The Gold By Andrew

The best of Webber

THE BEST OF LLOYD WEBBER MADE FOR THE AMERICAN AUDIENCES

Super good CD

Gold: The Definitive Hits Collection
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Very Best Of Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Broadway Collection

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The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection

Andrew Lloyd Webber: Now & Forever

Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber: Original Soundtracks

ASIN: B0000657XY
Release Date: 2002-05-07

Tracks:

Superstar - Murray Head w/ the Trinidad Singers (Jesus Christ Superstar)
As If We Never Said Goodbye - Barbra Streisand (Sunset Boulevard)
The Phantom Of The Opera - Sarah Brightman & Michael Crawford (The Phantom Of The Opera)
You Must Love Me - Madonna (Evita)
Any Dream Will Do-Donny Osmond (Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat)
Memory - Betty Buckley (Cats)
Pie Jesus - Charlotte Church (Requiem)
The Music Of The Night - Michael Crawford (The Phantom Of The Opera)
I Don't Know How To Love Him - Yvonne Elliman (Jesus Christ Superstar)
Don't Cry For Me Argentina -Patti Lupone (Evita)
Love Changes Everything - Michael Ball (Aspects Of Love)
All I Ask Of You - Sarah Brightman (The Phantom Of The Opera)
The Perfect Year - Glenn Close & Alan Campbell (Sunset Boulevard)
The Vaults Of Heaven - Tom Jones & Sounds Of Blackness (Whistle Down The Wind)
No Matter What - Boyzone (Whistle Down The Wind)
Oh What A Circus - Mandy Patinkin (Evita)
Whistle Down The Wind - Sarah Brightman (Whistle Down The Wind)
Amigos Para Siempre (Friends For Life) - Sarah Brightman & Jose Carrerras (1992 Olympics Theme)

Amazon.com

The critical debate over Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical legacy will no doubt rage for decades. Is he the shrewd populist composer who almost single-handedly revived the moribund stage musical--or a crass, Barnum-esque showman (who almost single-handedly revived the moribund stage musical)? This 18-track anthology chronicles the high points of Sir Andrew's enduring songcraft and the irrefutable impact it's made across a remarkably disparate swath of tastes and genres, from Broadway to Top 40 radio and even the classical repertoire.

If some have accused Lloyd Webber's songs--like "The Music of the Night" (from Phantom of the Opera) and the title tune from Whistle Down the Wind, included here--of having all the melodic and lyrical sophistication of a children's lullaby, that's likely the very element that's made them so appealing to a mass audience. If nothing else, it's a compelling argument for that old notion about it being "the singer, not the song." Indeed, there are few contemporary composers whose music could entice divas from Streisand ("As If We'd Never Said Goodbye" from Sunset Blvd.) to Madonna (Evita's "You Must Love Me") and Charlotte Church ("Pie Jesu" from Requiem) to cover it, let alone forge the very careers of artists like Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford. And if there's any substance to that other criticism of Lloyd Webber lifting the melodic ideas of composers from Verdi to John Williams (we swear that's the theme to Jurassic Park bubbling up in Tom Jones's camped-up take on Whistle's "The Vaults of Heaven"), at least, like virtually every major composer, he's stolen--er, borrowed--from the best. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Andrew LLoyd Webber - Gold Hits.......2007-07-13

I sent this CD to my parents and they love it! It is nice to preview the songs on-line instead of with greasy headphones in a music store! The shipping is always speedy and makes sending gifts across the country so much easier.

The Gold By Andrew.......2007-04-23

This cd is a must have for any Webber fan. It has many great songs from his most sucsessful musicals. But something I don't like about this cd is that some of the singer how sings some of the songs arn't the onse that sings the originals. Like "The Phantom Of The Opera" and "Love Changes Everything". Witch is so sad. Couse the original songs are so much better.
But besides that this cd is very good. With manye nice and difficult songs (I've sung some of the myself in siningclass).
So if you like Andrew's music this most sertanly is a most have.

The best of Webber.......2005-09-12

Although I like Andrew Llloyd Webber and his music very much, this collection earns only 4 stars and it's not because of the quality of the music but the level of performers. If a best of collection is made it should contain the best version ever done and this time it's not true. I could write the same review for the European edition (labeled import here) because the blend of the two would be a perfect best of.

Some examples: this version contains Memory sung by Betty Buckley while the Elaine Page version is light years better. Then it contains Patti Lupone's version of Don't Cry For Me Argentina. Even though Madonna wasn't the best Evita, she definitely sung Argentina in a way no-one could before or will ever. Whistle Down The Wind is represented with 3 songs - the place of the Tom Jones song is not here (the same could be said of Tina Arena's song o the European edition). Instead of the TJ song they could have included Take That Look Off Your Face by Marti Webb - one of the best songs by Webber. Pie Jesu from the Requiem is much better sung by Sarah Brightman. These are the faults.

What about the rest? Pure joy and material worth of 6 stars. Superstar, Phantom Of The Opera, Music Of The Night, I Don't Know How To Love Him, All I Ask Of You, No Matter What, Oh What A Circus - wonderful songs and wonderful performers. My all-time favorite from Webber will always be Music Of The Night and the version included here is the mesmerizing adaptation of Michael Crawford.

I don't advise anyone not to buy this album - it's good material, however it's far from being perfect.

THE BEST OF LLOYD WEBBER MADE FOR THE AMERICAN AUDIENCES.......2005-01-31

There are numerous compilations out on the market full of Andrew Lloyd Webber's music. As most people know, Lloyd Webber is the most successful musical composer of all time and many of his songs became standards not only in the theatre history, but also as tops on the charts. Even though he's British, his influence on the shape of the modern musical theatre expanded over the West End boundaries long ago and has thus made an enormous impact on Broadway. Two of his shows ("Cats" and "The phantom of the opera") hold the record as two the longest running shows in the history of Broadway. He has also been the only composer to have three of his shows running at Broadway concurrently. This compilation captures some of the best songs he has ever written, he personally supervised it and it is the best thing to have if you can't afford his five-CD compilation called "Now and forever", which was selected and supervised by him as well. You should bear in mind, however, that there are two compilations called Gold out there: The one made for the European and the British market, and this one, made for the American buyers. Some of the songs on both of them are the same, the others are performed by different artists and some can be found only in one of the two. This one here was issued later and it is digitally remastered. Therefore you should check your favourites and buy accordingly, or, if you can, buy them both, since both of them contain interesting songs and performers.

So here are my thoughts about the tracks in this one:

1. "Superstar" and "I don't know how to love him" are both from the concept album of "Jesus Christ Superstar". They sound wonderful as ever, although the orchestrations may seem a bit dated by now.

2. "Sunset Boulevard" is marked here with two songs. Barbra Streisand's powerful voice shines all the way through in "As if we never said goodbye"; it's a shame she never played Norma Desmond on Broadway, since Patti LuPone wasn't allowed to take her Norma to New York, and Glenn Close butchered the role. Her limited vocal abilities were hardly suited for the material, as it is shown by the second Sunset song, "The perfect year", performed by Close and Alan Campbell. They both lack a decent singing voice, so this is the one song I skip regularly. The song itself sounds much better in its single version with pops orchestration, as can be heard on the European version of this compilation, where it is performed by Dina Carroll. This version here can hardly be considered a gold one.

3. "The Phantom of the Opera" is represented by three songs. Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman performance in the song of the same title is amazing. They were both born to play their roles in this show and their voices fit together perfectly. Sarah can hit the high notes in the end like no other Christine. Cliff Richard and Sarah sing the lovely ballad "All I ask of you" with passion, and Cliff has a wonderful warmth in his voice. Finally, Michael Crawford gives his unique and mesmerising interpretation in "The music of the night".

4. The 1996 movie version of "Evita" is Madonna's best role to date and it brought an Academy Award for Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, who wrote "You must love me" especially for the big screen. This is another wonderful ballad with the haunting cello and piano solo. It just proves that Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice were the best collaborators. They really should do another musical together.

5. "The Joseph and his amazing Technicolor dreamcoat" was Webber's first musical and the signature song "Any dream will do" is performed here by Donny Osmond, who also appeared in the video version. I find his rendition even better than London's Jason Donovan, since Donny isn't strictly bound by the notes and so sings it more casually. A wonderful pop piece.

6."Memory" from "Cats" is probably the most famous of all Webber's songs, recorded by numerous artists. This version is sung by Betty Buckley, who was Broadway's Grizabella. Although Betty's performance can't be considered bad, I prefer Elaine Paige, who sung the song first, in the London production. Elaine has a note of sorrow in her at times husky voice, which I found very intriguing. Her performance can be considered definite, as heard on "Cats" DVD or in her latest two-disc compilation, "Centre stage: The very best of Elaine Paige", issued in May 2004. Still, those who prefer Ms. Buckley or who saw her on stage in this role won't be disappointed.

7. "Pie Jesu" is the best known song from Webber's "Requiem", written in 1985 to commemorate the death of his father. I'm not too keen on the version included here, performed by Charlotte Church, because her voice isn't as pretty as Sarah Brightman's on the original recording and the tempo is somewhat faster here.

8. "Don't cry for me Argentina" is among my all-time Lloyd Webber's favourites. I like all the ladies who performed "Evita" on the stage and on the screen (Julie Covington, Elaine Paige, Patti LuPone and Madonna), but on this disc is the version I am most satisfied with, since it is sung by Patti LuPone. Ms. LuPone has a very powerful voice with an amazing range and she deserved her Tony Award for this role. She was able to sound both vulnerable and decisive while singing this, whereas the other leading ladies emphasized one or the other in their interpretation. Mandy Patinkin's "Oh what a circus" is not the best, the orchestration is a little bit weak and his voice sounds thin to me. David Essex on the London cast recording is more suitable.

9. "Aspects of love" boast here with its top song, "Love changes everything", performed wonderfully by Michael Ball. It was his #1 hit and is probably one of the most beautiful love anthems ever written.

10. Three songs come from "Whistle down the wind". The studio release of the same title is one of the reasons I bought this compilation, although I already have the European one. It is performed by Sarah Brightman with Lloyd Webber playing the piano and a symphonic orchestra who nicely takes the lead of the main melody. Sarah voice is angelic; she sings it like a little bird. Very charming. Boyzone's "No matter what" was a huge pop hit in the charts. Again, we have a song with the suitable orchestrations and vocals. And lastly, Tom Jones' deep voice in combination with the back vocals of "The Sounds of Blackness" gives a rocking rendition of the church hymn "The vaults of heaven". It can't be found on the European version and Tom's voice shows it hasn't aged. Way to go.

11. For the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Webber wrote, together with his long-time lyricist Don Black, this last song, "Amigos para siempre or Friends for life". It's a nice duet between Sarah Brightman and Jose Carreras, their voices sore when bound together. The melody itself is neat, especially when the orchestra takes the lead.

Besides the fact that some of the performers here were not the best for my taste, there is also the fact that some of Lloyd Webber's shows are omitted in this version, most notably, "Tell me on a Sunday". Also, unlike its European counterpart, this compilation isn't aligned chronologically, so we have 1970 Superstar being the first song, 1993 Sunset Blvd comes the second, followed by The Phantom from 1986 and so on. None the less, this CD is excellent as an introduction to Lloyd Webber's music and one can continue with his cast recordings from there. It's also very handy as a single disc compilation for the American fans.

Super good CD.......2004-12-31

The songs on this CD are great. If you also play piano, the book of the same title goes perfectly with the CD. You can following along with the music and learn the songs on the piano.

Erich Kunzel - Andrew Lloyd Webber (Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Evita, Sunset Boulevard, Jesus Christ Superstar, Starlight Express, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) / Cincinnati Pops Orchestra

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Kunzel's different perspective on ALW's musicals

Erich Kunzel - Andrew Lloyd Webber (Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Evita, Sunset Boulevard, Jesus Christ Superstar, Starlight Express, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) / Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
Andrew Lloyd Webber , Erich Kunzel , Ernest [organ] Hoffman , Randolph Bowman , Timothy Berens , and Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000003D18
Release Date: 1996-01-23

Tracks:

The Phantom Of The Opera
The Music Of The Night
Think Of Me
Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again
All I Ask Of You
Angel Of Music
As If We Never Said Goodbye
The Greatest Star of All
With One Look
Memory
I Don't Know How To Love Him
Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say)
King Herod's Song
Don't Cry For Me, Argentina
Starlight Express
Any Dream Will Do

Customer Reviews:

Kunzel's different perspective on ALW's musicals.......2005-11-06

Kunzel's offering of Andrew Lloyd Webber suites is a worthwhile tribute to this modern-day titan of globalised musicals. Although this album has a different feel from the original cast albums, Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops still perform these affectionate arrangements of Lord Lloyd Webber's musicals expertly, superbly and voluptiously. The creative arrangements by Crafton Beck and Steven Reineke are tastefully and, for the most part, faithfully done, and allow Kunzel to offer a fresh perspective to these musicals in their orchestral settings. And as always Telarc provides its trademark audiophile-quality recording - surround sound quality with a sumptuous spatialiser such that you might be overwhelmed by the Phantom's laughter in the Phantom suite.

Kunzel contrasts the dramatic and lyrical sides of the PHANTOM and SUNSET BOULEVARD suites as if they were written for the Pops. The Phantom suite gains from a breathtaking organ introduction of the Phantom's theme, and from the contrasts in Music of the Night that match the lyrics perfectly, even without the cast album. The tender arrangement of Think of Me cleverly weaves the Angel of Music melody as a counterpoint, while All I Ask of You, complete with some of the details of the original orchestrations, makes a calming answer to Christine's Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again. The JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR suite depicts the contrasting and conflicting moods of this groundbreaking rock opera, from the contrasts in I Don't Know How to Love Him to the sheer anguish in Gethsemene (I Only Want to Say).

There are some interesting arrangements on this ALW offering, especially the arrangement of Don't Cry for Me Argentina from EVITA. Although some listeners might be offended when it transmorphs itself into the Ravel Bolero after doing an about-turn from its lush, Spanish feel, it still depicts Evita's rise to power and her manipulative trait in her character, well-suiting an orchestral concert arrangement of the tune and fitting in with the spirit of the musical. Another interesting arrangement is the rousing theme-and-variation finale of Any Dream Will Do from JOSEPH, which incorporates many different musical styles throughout the variations, from ballroom waltzing to jazz, movie music (Magnificent Seven) and circus-style music. I know some listeners might be offended, but in their own inimitable and creative way, Kunzel and the Pops still pay tribute to this early ALW musical by evoking the myriad of colours on the coat and the diversity of musical styles in the original JOSEPH musical. This arrangement certainly fits the trademark style of the Pops perfectly.

The only fault with this collection is in the arrangement of Memory from CATS. Here, this song is treated as a flat-out romantic ballad, rather than as the haunting anthem for respect that Grizabella sings. Nevertheless, the arrangement by Tommy Newsom (who wrote this arrangement for a Doc Severinson album) is innofensive to this well-loved ALW melody (this is the only arrangement that Crafton Beck or Steven Reineke didn't write for this album). Also, I wish that Kunzel had included Love Changes Everything and Whistle Down the Wind, but given the fact that this was a 1996 recording, ALW hadn't written Whistle down the Wind as yet. But these are minor caveats, since Kunzel offers much to savour in these infectuous and spirited performances.

Yet I still feel that Kunzel's ALW offering is a winner in its lush orchestral suite arrangements of his well-loved and great musicals, far superior to any shopping-mall synthesised arrangement. This would surely count towards another feather in Kunzel's cap and stand pride of place with his rousing offering of Rodgers & Hammerstein. I'm sure Lord Lloyd Webber would have been proud.

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Essential Sammy Hagar solo release
This album has ATTITUDE written all over it
Sammy Hagar Flyin High...
Good stuff from Sammy Halen.
Great, But Not As Much As His Early Work

I Never Said Goodbye
Sammy Hagar
Manufacturer: Geffen Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000000OQB
Release Date: 1992-08-25

Tracks:

When The Hammer Falls
Hands And Knees
Give To Live
Boys' Night Out
Returning Home
Standin' At The Same Old Crossroads
Privacy
Back Into You
Eagles fly
What They Gonna Say Now

Customer Reviews:

Essential Sammy Hagar solo release.......2007-03-23

THE BAND: Sammy Hagar (vocals, guitar), Eddie Van Halen (bass), Jesse Harms (keyboards), David Lauser (drums & percussion).

THE DISC: (1987) 10 tracks clocking in at approximately 45 minutes. Included with the disc is a 6-page black/white booklet containing song credits/titles/times, song lyrics, and thank you's. Recorded at A&M Studios, Los Angeles, CA. Label - Geffen.

COMMENTS: Hagar had all ready joined Van Halen when this album came out. Since Van Halen's "5150" (from 1986) grabbed so many headlines, I was actually surprised to see this solo Sammy album reach the light of day. Can you say contractual obligation (with Geffen)? No rest for the weary though... Hagar's been a songwriter since the early 70's with Montrose, so kicking out songs comes naturally to the red rocker. I think of solo Hagar material in two eras - the 1st era being the 70's and early/mid 80's; and the 2nd era being the late 80's and after. Hagar has some classics from era-1... "Standing Hampton" (1981), "Three Lock Box" (1983) and "VOA" (1984). This self titled 1987 release (also known to as "I Never Said Goodbye") is the first classic of the later Sammy era. While a very solid album, I still can't help but rank it behind the 3 early classics mentioned above from '81-84. The melodies are front and center here, and the lyrics a distant 2nd. Hagar is not so much into singing about fast cars, women, and rock & roll anymore as much as he now wants to sing about love, relationships and philosophy (and even his family on later albums)... not that there's anything wrong with that (I guess). Sammy is aging, and you can tell by his written words. The album has a few solid rockers - the opener "When The Hammer Falls", and the one rebellious tune "Boys Night Out". A few mid tempo songs - "What They Gonna Say Now", "Returning Home", a Cheap Trick wannabe - "Privacy", and two power ballads that garnered nationwide attention from the FM radio stations - "Give To Live" and "Eagles Fly"... both great tunes. A solid and polished album with many a good song... but not as hard and rocking as his earlier material. Essential - you bet (4.5 stars).

This album has ATTITUDE written all over it.......2005-12-11

This album was originally released without a special title; it was just "Sammy Hagar". It took me years to find this CD, and when I finally did, I snatched it up and locked it away.

This is one of Sammy's very best efforts; "Give to Live" even survived to be re-recorded on a live "Van Halen" album. "Boy's Night Out" is a guys-only anthem that hasn't been heard since "Cruisin' and Boozin'" (from the Red album). Want your spirit to soar? Play "Eagles Fly"; this song will make you feel like a hero. And guys, if you've got a woman you'd crawl through broken glass for, you have to play "Hands and Knees" for her.

Sammy has done many other albums that are as good as this one, but none of them are quite LIKE this one. You have to have this one or you can't call yourself a Hagar fan.

Sammy Hagar Flyin High..........2005-02-26

After recieving my first Sammy Hagar CD, "The Essential Red Collection" for Christmas, I really liked the Red Rocker's sound and style. Then a few days later, I purchased "Ten 13." I got hooked on both albums and knew that my next collection of music would be none other than the collection of The Red Rocker, Sammy Hagar. For my third Hagar CD, I purchased this album, "I Never Said Goodbye." This CD is well organized, contains some excellently written lyrics and has a tremendous sound. Sammy's riffs on this album are phenomenal. Joining Sammy on this album is Eddie Van Halen on bass.

The greatest highlights of this album are these songs:

The opening track, "When The Hammer Falls." This song has excellent lyrics, great heavy riffs provided by Sammy and of course his great vocals, and the drum beats on this song are loud and sound like rolling thunder. The power ballad of the album, "Give To Live" is a heart-warming ballad that is an excellent choice for a wedding song. The lyrics explain that if you want love, you have to give and make sacrifices, as in the title, you have to "Give to Live." The chorus is sung with an amazing power that really gets deep inside your heart. This is one of my favorite ballads of all time.

The next greatest track of the album is "Returning Home." The chorus is sung with a small choir. This song is an excellent example of Sammy's song-writing skills. The next track, "Standin At The Same Old Crossroads" is a short single-guitar jam with Sammy reciting some short vocals. This song does have some pretty good guitar work from the Red Rocker. Very good tune for such a short amount of time. It lasts just under two minutes. Jump a couple tracks to "Back Into You." This is a very catchy song and the chorus is sung wonderfully with a lot of power. Another good example of Sammy's great writing skills. The second ballad of the album is "Eagles Fly." This song has the most lyrics and are very dynamic that makes this song a masterpiece. The song is about traveling to the sky going where only the "Eagles Fly." This is the second-highest point on the album next to "Give To Live."

This is a good, strong solid effort from the Red Rocker. The album overall is good. Half of the album, the songs I didn't mention I feel aren't up the par with the songs I did mention. The highest point on the album is the ballad, "Give To Live." If not for that song, I would have given the album a 3. That ballad holds the under-par songs on their feet in my opinion. For those of you that are looking to buy another Hagar album, I do recommend this album but don't pay a fortune for it. For example, don't go to FYE and pay nearly $20 for it when you could get it on Amazon or the nearest Best Buy (where I got it) for $12. I don't think the album is quite worth the fortune FYE wants.

Good stuff from Sammy Halen........2004-07-11

Truth be known, when Sammy joined "Van Halen", it was fine with me. I always really liked him, and I think the two were a good match. In fact, this album really sounds like a "Van Halen" album when you think about it. If you're a fan of "5150" or "OU812", you should easily like "I Never Said Goodbye". However, even though Eddie plays some on here, it's still mostly good ol' Sammy. Not every track is a winner, but "When the Hammer Falls", "Hands And Knees", and "Give To Live" is an excellent start to the album, and "Returning Home" and "Eagles Fly" are good too. Newcomers should probably just get "Unboxed", but this too is a great cd for moments of "Privacy", or for a "Boy's Night Out".

Great, But Not As Much As His Early Work.......2003-08-10

I NEVER SAID GOODBYE is a great record, but it's just not as great as, say, STANDING HAMPTON. The album has some songs that rank with Hagar's best- "Returning Home" has a cautionary message, "Eagles Fly" is highly inspirational, and "Give To Live" has inspired me to leave the front seats when I take the bus to those who really need them. On the other hand, a couple of tracks, like "Boy's Night Out", have no reason for even existing. Overall, this is better than most other hard rock of 1987.

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I waited for this for five years
Excellent collection but BIG PUBLISHING MISTAKE!
ONE OF LLOYD WEBBER'S BEST COMPILATIONS, DESPITE A FEW FLAWS
SUCH MAGICAL MUSIC OF THE NIGHT!
A Must Have for Sir Andrew fans

Andrew Lloyd Webber: Now & Forever
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Decca Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005R5UJ
Release Date: 2001-11-20

Tracks:

Jesus Christ Superstar: Overture - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Jesus Christ Superstar: Everything's Alright - Yvonne Elliman/Murray Head/Ian Gilllan
Jesus Christ Superstar: I Don't Know How To Love Him - Yvonne Elliman
Jesus Christ Superstar: Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say) - Steve Balsamo
Jesus Christ Superstar: Superstar - Murray Head
Evita: Oh What A Circus/Sing You Fools - Antonio Banderas
Evita: I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You - Elaine Paige/Joss Ackland
Evita: Another Suitcase In Another Hall - Barbara Dickson
Evita: Don't Cry For Me Argentina - Julie Covington
Evita: High Flying, Adored - Mandy Patinkin/Patti LuPone
Cats: The Jellicle Ball - Andrew Lloyd Weber
Cats: Memory - Elaine Paige
Cats: Gus: The Theatre Cat - Susan Jane Tanner/John Mills
Cats: Mr Mistoffelees - Paul Nicholas
Song And Dance: Take That Look Off Your Face - Marti Webb
Song And Dance: Tell Me On A Sunday - Marti Webb
Song And Dance: Unexpected Song - Sarah Brightman
Song And Dance: Nothing Like You've Ever Known - Sarah Brightman
Song And Dance: Introduction - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Song And Dance: Variations 1 -4 - Andrew Lloyd Webber

Tracks:

Starlight Express: Starlight Express - El Debarge
Starlight Express: Crazy - Greg Ellis/Reva Rice/Caron Cardelle/Samantha Lane/Voyd
Starlight Express: Next Time You Fall In Love - Reva Rice/Greg Ellis
Starlight Express: I Am The Starlight - Lon Satton/Ray Shell
Starlight Express: Light At The End Of The Tunnel - The Company
Requiem: Hosanna - Placido Domingo
Requiem: Pie jesu - Sarah Brightman/Paul Miles-Kingston
The Phantom Of The Opera: The Phantom Of The Opera - Michael Crawford/Sarah Brightman
The Phantom Of The Opera: The Music Of The Night - Michael Crawford
The Phantom Of The Opera: All I Ask Of You - Sarah Brightman/Steve Barton
The Phantom Of The Opera: Entr'acte - Andrew Lloyd Webber
The Phantom Of The Opera: Masquerade - The Company
The Phantom Of The Opera: Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again - Sarah Brightman
Aspects Of Love: Aspects Of Aspects - Orchester Der Vereinigten Buehnen Wien
Aspects Of Love: Love Changes Everything - Michael Ball
Aspects Of Love: Seeing Is Believing - Michael Ball/Ann Crumb
Aspects Of Love: The First Man You Remember - Kevin Colson/Diana Morrison
Aspects Of Love: Anything But Lonely - Sarah Brightman
Aspects Of Love: Chanson D'Enfance - Sarah Brightman

Tracks:

Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Any Dream Will Do - Jason Donovan
Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Joseph's Coat - Maria Friedman/Richard Attenborough/Donny Osmond
Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Close Every Door - Donny Osmond
By Jeeves: Travel Hopefully - John Scherer/Martin Jarvis/Don Stephenson
By Jeeves: When Love Arrives - Steven Pacey/Diana Morrison
By Jeeves: Half A Moment - Sarah Brightman
Sunset Boulevard: With One Look - Glenn Close
Sunset Boulevard: New Ways To Dream - Glenn Close/Alan Campbell
Sunset Boulevard: The Perfect Year - Glenn Close/Alan Campbell
Sunset Boulevard: Sunser Boulevard - Alan Campbell
Sunset Boulevard: As If We Never Said Goodbye - Glenn Close
Whistle Down The Wind: Whistle Down The Wind - James Graeme/Lottie Mayor
Whistle Down The Wind: Cold - Everly Brothers
Whistle Down The Wind: No Matter What - Children/Adult Chorus
Whistle Down The Wind: The Nature Of The Beast - Marcus Lovett/Lottie Mayor
The Beautiful Game: Overture - Andrew Lloyd Webber
The Beautiful Game: The Beautiful Game - The Company
The Beautiful Game: Our Kind Of Love - Hannah Waddingham
The Beautiful Game: Dont Like You - Josie Walker/David Shannon
The Beautiful Game: Let Us Love In Peace - Josie Walker/Omagh Youth Community Choir

Tracks:

Oh What A Circus - David Essex
Memory - Betty Buckley
The Phantom Of The Opera - Sarah Brightman/Steve Harley
All I Ask Of You - Sarah Brightman/Cliff Richard
Love Changes Everything - Michael Ball
Any Dream Will Do - Donny Osmond
Amigos Para Siempre (Friends For Life) - Sarah Brightman/Jose Carreras
As If We Never Said Goodbye - Barbra Streisand
The Perfect Year - Dina Carroll
With One Look - Petula Clark
You Must Love Me - Madonna
The Heart Is Slow To Learn - Kiri Te Kanawa
A Kiss Is A Terrible Thing To Waste - The Metal Philharmonic Orchestra
Whistle Down The Wind - Tina Arena
No Matter What - Boyzone
The Vaults Of Heaven - Tom Jones
Try Not To Be Afraid - Boy George
Pie Jesu - Charlotte Church

Tracks:

Make Believe Love - Wes Sands
Down Thru' Summer - Ross Hannaman
I'll Give All My Love To Southend - Ross Hannaman
Believe Me I Will - Sacha Distel
Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1969 Radio Luxembourg Commercial) - Joseph Consortium/Pete Murray
Try It And See - Rita Pavone
Come Back Richard Your Country Needs You - Time Rice And The Webber Group
Goodbye Seattle - Paul Raven
John 19:41 - The Andrew Lloyd Webber Orchestra
What A Line To Go Out On - Yvonne Elliman
Disillusion Me - Gary Band
The Ballad Of Robert And Peter - Tim Rice
Christmas Dream - Maynard Williams
It's Only Your Lover Returning/All Through My Crazy And Wild Days/Don't Cry For Me Argentina - Julie Covington
It's Easy For You (1977 Jungle Room Session Version) - Elvis Presley
Magdalena - Tony Christie
Buenos Aires - The Roja Rockers
Pollicle Dogs And Jellicle Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Mungojerrie And Rumpleteazer (Live At The Sydmonton Festival 1980) - Gemma Craven
I Could Have Given You More - Petula Clark
I've Been In Love Too Long - Marti Webb
Benedicite - The Stephen Hill Singers

Album Description

Disc 1: Selections from Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats, and Song and Dance

Disc 2: Selections from Starlight Express, Requiem, Phantom of the Opera, and Aspects of Love

Disc 3: Selections from Joseph nad the Amaziong Technicolor Dreamcoat, By Jeeves, Sunset Boulevard, Whistle Down the Wind, and The Beautiful Game

CD 4: 1. "Oh What a Circus" --David Essex 2. "Memory" - Betty Buckleey 3. "The Phantom of the Opera" -Sarah Brightman, Steve Harley 4. "All I Ask of You" --Sarah Brightman, Cliff Richard 5. "Love Changes Everything"--Michael Ball 6. "Any Dream Will Do"--Donny Osmond 7. "Amigos Para Siempre (Friends for Life)"--Sarah Brightman, Jose Caerras 8. "As if We Never Said Goodbye"--Barbra Streisand 9. "The Perfect Year"--Dina Carroll 10. "With One Look" --Petula Clark 11. "You Must Love Me" 12. "The Heart Is Slow To Learn" --Kiri Te Kanawa 13. "Whistle Down the Wind"--Tina Arena 14. "A Kiss Is a Terrible Thing To Waste"--The Metal Philharmonic 15. "No Matter What"--Boyzone 16. "The Vaults of Heaven"--Tom Jones and Sounds of Blackness 17. "Try Not To Be Afraid"--Boy George 18. "Pie Jesu"--Charlotte Church

Disc 5: (All tracks available for the first time) 1. "Make Believe Love"--Wes Sands 2. "Down Thru' Summer"--Ross Hannaman 3. "I'll Give All My Love to Southend"--Ross Hannaman 4. "Believe Me I Will"--Sacha Distel 5. "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: 1969 Luxembourg Radio Commercial--The Jospeh Consortium, Pete Murray 6. "Try It and See"--Rita Pavone 7. "Come Back Richard Your Country Needs You"--Tim Rice and the Webber Group 8. "Goodbye Seattle"-- Paul Raven 9. "John 19:41"--The Andrew Lloyd Webber Orchestra 10. "What a Line To Go Out On"--Yvonne Elliman 11. "Disillusion Me" --Gary Bond 12. "The Ballad of Robert and Peter"--Tim Rice 13. "Christmas Dream" --Maynard Williams 14. "It's Only Your Lover Returning/All through My Wild and Crazy Days/Don't Cry for Me Argentina--Julie Covington 15. "It's Easy for You" (1977 Jungle Room Session version)--Elvis Presley 16. "Magdalena"--Tony Christie 17. "Buenos Aires"--The Rioja Rockers 18. "Pollicle Dogs and Jellicle Cats"--Andrew Lloyd Webber original demo 19. "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" (Live at Sydmonton Festival 1980)-Gemma Craven 20. "I Could Have Given You More"--Petula Clark 21. "I've Been in Love Too Long"--Marti Webb 22. "Benedicte"-- Stephen Hill Singers

Customer Reviews:

I waited for this for five years.......2006-06-30

Between Amazone, Ebay and Napster, I don't usually buy CDs anymore, and I usually wait till I can buy them cheaper "new and used". When this set came out, I was excited, mainly by Disc 5, but wasn't going to spend $70 on it. I waited till it was cheap enough, and got it for Father's day this year.
It was worth the wait.

The concept is great. The packaging is great. The recording is great. Disc five is really cool for an ALW aficionado. There are a few real gems on it; my favorites are Petula Clark's "I Could Have Given You More" and "Benedicite."
I've always thought "Gus the Theatre Cat" made a great medley on the piano with "Unexpected Song" and "I DOn't Know How to Love Him," but wished there was an alternate lyric to match the other two songs. Now that I know there *is*, and it's a good lyric, it's a dream come true.
The melody of "Benedicite" is one of my favorites from _Sunset_ (the book mis-identifies it as "SUrrender"; it's actually "The Lady's Paying" and "Eternal Youth is Worth a Little Suffering"). The lyrics are the canticle from Daniel 3, which comes up every odd Sunday in the Divine Office, so it's nice to have cool music to sing it with.

I haven't bought _By Jeeves_ or _THe Beautiful Game_ yet, to it was great to sample them.

There are other parts of the CD taht aren't found in my collection. I like CD 4 "The Hits."

But the selections on CDs 1-3 don't make sense.

First, any self-respecting ALW fan has the Original London Cast of _Phantom_, so six tracks are totally useless. Why not draw from the Canadian cast with Colm Wilkinson? Or pull out some obscure recordings never published.

Why two different tracks with Michael Ball singing "Love Changes Everything", yet they're hardly any different?

On Disc 5 is "It's Only Your Lover Returning," sung by Julie Covington. It's an early draft of the song (Lloyd Webber and Rice went through several suggested titles) and quite nice. The very thing one expects on a Boxed Set.
So why have the Julie Covington "Don't Cry for Me" on disc 1?? The only difference is a few words, but it's otherwise identical. Why not Elaine Paige or Patti Lupone or Madonna?

The _Evita_ section is otherwise the best, choosing a sample from each major recording, though I'd have chosen slightly differently (as above).

There is a great selection of "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" from the Sydmonton festival, using the original music that was changed when _Cats_ went to Broadway_. It would have been nice if they'd included more recordings from Sydmonton, like the original lyric of "All I Ask of You" shown on the second DVD to the _Phantom_ movie.

With so many great actress-singers who've played Norma Desmond, why does the collection beat us over the head with Glenn Close?

Paul Miles Kingston must be set for life in royalties, for the number of albums the original recording of "Pie Jesu" has appeared on. "Amigos Para Siempre" is nice, but it reminds me of Shari Lewis's "The Song that Doesn't End," especially when it's been used on so many compilations.

In short, this is a great collection for the obscure material, if you can get it cheap. But for a boxed set, it's a poor sampling, drawn mostly from the most familiar recordings.

Excellent collection but BIG PUBLISHING MISTAKE! .......2006-01-10

Please beware they made a mistake on this. It's actually the shortened Ray Shell version of STARLIGHT EXPRESS from the original 1984 London cast - NOT the El Debarge single from 1987 like it says on the box. I don't know how they let that goof pass. Sorry to Ray Shell. Having said that, this is an outstanding compilation of Lloyd Webber's greatest hits.

ONE OF LLOYD WEBBER'S BEST COMPILATIONS, DESPITE A FEW FLAWS.......2005-03-21

Regardless of the fact that some of his latest efforts (most notably, The Woman in White) are disappointing, there can be little doubt that Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of the greatest composers ever to work in the musical theatre. Ever since his "Jesus Christ Superstar" hit the stage in the early 70-is, it was clear that the conception and perception of musicals are never going to be the same again. Many of his songs became standards not only in the theatre history, but also as tops on the charts. Even though he's British, his influence on the shape of the modern musical theatre expanded over the West End boundaries long ago and has thus made an enormous impact on Broadway. Two of his shows ("Cats" and "The phantom of the opera") hold the record as two the longest running shows in the history of Broadway. He has also been the only composer to have three of his shows running at Broadway concurrently. Some of his awards include three Grammies, a Golden Globe, an Oscar and a bunch of Tony awards. But perhaps most of all, Lloyd Webber is responsible for bringing the musicals and the theatre appealing to the wide audiences, who in different circumstances would not consider seeing a musical. The secret of his success is probably the mixture of beautiful and catchy melodies, interesting subject matter (though some, like Starlight Express, are too thin) and grandiose staging.

Over the years many compilations of his work have emerged. In the late 80-is and early 90-is it was the "Encore" series and lately the one-disc collection called "Gold". The one in question here can be considered one of the best currently on the market. First, it includes a 3-disc selections from all of his shows, minus the latest one, i.e., "The Woman in White", which, considering the triviality of the score, is no great lost. The fourth disc covers some of his most known songs sung by the famous artists. Then, there is the fifth disc with previously unreleased material, most of which are the songs ALW wrote with Tim Rice for various artists during the 70-is. The disks are all neatly packed in a hardcover book that features 67 pages of pictures and text with information about each of ALW's shows. One of the other assets here is the perfect sound quality, since all of the tracks have been digitally remastered.

Here are my basic impressions and comments regarding the material on the discs:

* Disc #1 has the selections from "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Evita", "Cats" and "Song & Dance". The Superstar material mostly comes from the Concept Recording. Although the songs sound beautiful as always, their orchestration is a bit dated now. Only Steve Balsamo's "Gethsemane" from the 1996 revival cast has a modern rock sound. "Evita" comes with the material from all of the major recordings: London, Broadway and the movie productions, as well as the Concept album. No objections here; since this is one of ALW's most satisfying works, every song is just perfect, although Patti LuPone, the Broadway and overall the best Evita, is left with only a couple of lines. With the selections from "Cats", however, I have some doubts. A plus to the choice of the "Jellicle ball" impressive orchestral sequence from the 1998 movie version and "Mister Mistoffelees" from the 1981 London cast. One of the best known ALW's songs, "Memory", also comes from that album. It's a pretty version and Elaine Paige's rendition cannot be matched, but why include this when the definite version, featuring an 80-piece orchestra and Elaine Paige with much better interpretation, can be found in the same movie version. Thusly, one has to buy Elaine Paige's latest 2-disc compilation "Centre Stage: The very best of Elaine Paige" to get that one. And "Gus the theatre cat" is more a recital than a song, so there was not much point in including that. Marti Webb brings her vocal charm to the "Song & Dance" sequence, Sarah Brightman sings "Unexpected song" with her famous soprano, but as much as I like her version, Bernadette Peters, who was in this show on Broadway is strangely left out here.

* Disc # 2 starts with "Starlight Express". This was never one of my favorite ALW's shows; the plot is even lighter than in "Cats" and the 1984 original cast recording is terribly dated. Yet, here we have one terrific duet, "I am starlight" from the original together with three songs from the later revivals and it seems that fresh orchestrations were just the thing Starlight needed. My favorite remains a touchy ballad, "Next time you fall in love". "Requiem" is the most solemn of all ALW's compositions, written in 1985 to commemorate the death of his father. Placido Domingo's tenor rides together with the chorus all the way through the strong "Hosanna", only to be joined by Sarah Brightman in the final moments of this song. She then gives an echoing deliverance of "Pie Jesu". What can be said of ALW's next show, "The Phantom of the Opera"? A phenomenon in its own right, it's easy to see from the six numbers included here why this is one of the best and most beloved musicals of all time. The cast, the music, the story - everything is perfect. Although "Aspects of love" was never a popular hit, it does have some of the most beautiful love melodies ALW has ever written. "Love changes everything" sung by Michael Ball is probably one of the best tunes ever about love. The rest of the selected material here has a dreamy love flavor and the melodies find their way into your brain in the best Lloyd Webber way.

* ALW's first musical, "Joseph and the amazing Technicolor dreamcoat" was more successful in its revival form than the original from the 70-is. The three songs included here are sung by the show stars, Jason Donovan and Donny Osmond. Maria Friedman was not a lucky choice to play the narrator, as the track from the 1998 movie version shows. "By Jeeves" was ALW's only big flop when it came to the stage in the 70-is. The 1995 revival sounds much better though, full of funny numbers in the best manner of the musical comedy. "Travel hopefully" remains one of the show's highlights on this compilation. "Sunset Boulevard" comes next. "Sunset" remains for me one of Webber's best scores; lush and beautiful. I listen to the original cast recording with Patti LuPone all the time. However, here most of the songs are performed by Glenn Close. A big mistake. If you've ever listened the American premiere recording with her, you'll know what I am talking about. She may have a strong stage presence, but her vocal abilities are too limited, and her aggressive approach to the role lacks any subtlety. Therefore, the two big numbers from this show, "With one look" and "As if we never said goodbye" are ruined by the fact she can't sing. The same goes for the American Joe Gillis, who was played by Alan Campbell. Luckily, Patti LuPone and Kevin Anderson, the original Norma and Joe from the London production, make their brief entrance here with the "Perfect year"; enough to show how better they are. The funny thing is, on the jacket and inside of it, Glenn Close and Alan Campbell are credited as performers in this song as well. If this was a mistake on ALW's part, it was a good one. The next ALW's show, "Whistle down the wind" was never a critic's dear and yet the audiences rushed in to see it in London. The score brings back ALW to his rock and roll roots of the seventies and the story is quite interesting. But the selections here are not the happiest, since the cast recording boasts with much better songs. And finally, "The Beautiful Game". Again, we have one of those ALW's shows that is worth in its individual parts rather than as a whole. "Our kind of love" and "Let us love in peace" are two catchy ballads. The latter is a nice amalgam version not available elsewhere. The two other tracks here I could live without.

* Disc # 4 has the songs from all the above shows performed by different artists. The assembled tracks have their pros and cons. For example, we have some previously unreleased stuff, like Dame Kiri Te Kanawa's operettic rendition of "The heart is slow to learn", or a stunning and epic "A kiss is a terrible thing to waste" from "Whistle down the wind", performed by The Metal Philharmonic Orchestra. Then again, what was the point in including almost identical tracks as the ones on the previous disks? So we have Michael Ball again singing "Love changes everything" with only a bit different orchestration; Sarah Brightman comes out again with the same Phantom duets, but only with the different male singers. It would be much more appropriate to include tracks from the Toronto Cast of the Phantom, with Colm Wilkinson. Other pop deliverances (Tina Arena's "Whistle down the wind", Barbra Streisand's "As if we never said goodbye", Boyzone's "No matter what" and many more) were wisely chosen. Patti LuPone is again nowhere to be found and Petula Clark's "With one look" sounds too worn-out.

* The last disc is probably the one that will be of most interest to Lloyd Webber aficionados. It consists of entirely previously unreleased material ALW for the most part wrote for various artists during his early years, with Tim Rice. Some of these tunes, not successful as a singles, were later used in his shows. Thus "Down thru' summer" became "Buenos Aires"in Evita, "Try it and see", an unsuccessful attempt for the Eurovision was used for "King Herod's song" in "Superstar" and so on. Some of these songs are nicely made pop songs: "Make believe love", ALW's first recorded composition, for which he provided the lyrics; "Goodbye Seattle", sung by Paul Raven, who later became Gary Glitter; "Come back Richard, your country needs you", from a never made musical, sung here by Tim Rice, or Latin flavored "Magdalena", with Tony Christie singing. My all time favorite here is a song called "It's easy for you", sung by none other than Elvis Presley himself. Lloyd Webber and Rice sent him a demo recording that he accepted and recorded this live version a couple of weeks before he died. It's amazing to hear how his voice remained in the perfect shape. Also, there is a track of Andrew Lloyd Webber singing "Policle dogs and Jellicle cats" while plying the piano. His voice doesn't sound bad at all.

Taken as a whole, this compilation makes a perfect birthday or Christmas present to any fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber shows, or just anybody interested in some of the best tunes from the modern era of the musical theatre; despite the flaws I mentioned above. To the former, it may just be the final addition for the Andrew Lloyd Webber collection.

SUCH MAGICAL MUSIC OF THE NIGHT!.......2003-01-19

"Evita." "Sunset Blvd." "Starlight Express." "Jesus Christ Superstar." "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." "Requiem." "Aspects of Love." The man who is the most recognized composer in the history of the musical theatre, the man who has won more Tonys than any other composer, the man who boasts the best-selling show of all time ("The Phantom of the
Opera") and the longest-running show of all time ("Cats"), the man whose homes are filled with three Grammys, five Oliviers, a Golden Globe, and Oscar and too many other honors and hosannas to mention, the man knighted in 1992 certainly doesn't need an introduction. Now Decca Broadway pays tribute to Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber with "Now and Forever," a spectacular 5-CD set compiled and produced by Sir Andy himself. It's cheaper than a
ticket to "The Producers" ... and more much exciting. This treasure trove contains highlights from all of Webber's shows, and a bonus disc of tunes sung by Betty Buckley, Barbara
Streisand, Jose Carreras, Boy George, Charlotte Church, Madonna, Tom Jones, Petula Clark, even Elvis! A must for lovers of theatre---and good music.

A Must Have for Sir Andrew fans.......2002-05-21

This five-CD collection of Andrew Lloyd Webber's career is fantastic. It leaves virtually no stone unturned. I have no doubt that diehard Webber fans will love this, especially for the 5th disc entitled "From the Vaults." This disc alone is worth the price as it contains tunes never before heard by the typical fan. Who knew Elvis did a Lloyd Webber tune?!? I didn't! Also the tune "Benedictine" which the composer wrote for his most recent marriage is not only pretty, but it has the same medley as "The Lady's Paying" from "Sunset Blvd." which I found highly enjoyable. Another great track is the composer himself singing a cut song from "Cats" entitled "Pollicle Dogs and Jellicle Cats" which has the same tune as "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats," but to hear Sir Andrew sing is a blast...he sounds a lot like Al "Year of the Cat" Stewart.
The cuts from the musicals are great but are likely owned by ALW fans as they are on the original cast albums. And I'm glad that there were tunes included from the composers most recent efforts which have yet to make it beyond London (Whistle Down the Wind, Beautiful Game).
My only complaint is the inclusion of way too many tracks by Sarah Brightman. She must've received a great divorce settlement that included having tunes on any ALW collection until the end of time!! Her interpretations of some of the tunes were limp and uninspired. I would've much rather heard casts from around the world rather than yet another song by this disdainful soprano! How about Colm Wilkinson's version of "Music of the Night" from the original Canadian cast of "Phantom"? Or Michael Crawford's version of "Unexpected Song"? What? No Betty Buckley from "Sunset Blvd."? And of course there are songs you KNOW are going to be on the collection before you even listen to it as they have been on EVERY ALW collection for the past decade or so.
A great collection but too much Sarah Brightman!

The Essential Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber

Average customer rating:

Okay, but kind of disappointing
Not quite what I expected...
Some great performances, some not so great...
Disappointed
Musical Talent at Its Best

The Essential Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber

Manufacturer: Metro Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Lounge | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

Instrumental Pop & Lounge | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Soundtracks | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Musicals | Soundtracks | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Very Best Of Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Broadway Collection
Gold: The Definitive Hits Collection
Swings Cole Porter
Reflections From Broadway

ASIN: B00005Y47E
Release Date: 2002-02-22

Tracks:

Any Dream Will Do
Close Every Door
Heaven On Their Minds
Everything's Alright
Gethsemane
I Don't Know How To Love Him
Jesus Christ Superstar
Could We Start Again Please?
Don't Cry For Me Argentina
Another Suitcase In Another Hall
Buenos Aires
Rainbow High
High Flying Adored
Memory
Jellicle Cats
Mister Mistofeles
Unexpected Song
Last Man In My Life
Rolling Stock
U-N-C-O-U-P-L-E-D

Tracks:

Only You
Starlight Express
There's Me
Pie Jesu
Angel Of Music
Masquerade
Wishing Somehow You Were Here Again
All I Ask Of You
The Phantom Of The Opera
Music Of The Night
Love Changes Everything
The First Man You Remember
Seeing Is Believing
As If We Never Said Goodbye
Sunset Boulevard
With One Look
Too Much In Love To Care
Half A Moment
Whistle Down The Wind
Our Kind Of Love

Album Description

Full title, 'Essential Songs Of Andrew Lloyd Webber'. UK budget-price compilation. 40 superlative performances featuring songs from every one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit musicals. Guest artists include John Barrymore, Issy Van Randwyck, Dave Willetts, Maria Friedman, Kim Criswell, Graham Bickley and the National Symphony Orchestra. Housed in a slipcase. 2002.

Customer Reviews:

Okay, but kind of disappointing.......2006-04-17

This isn't a bad recording, but the tracks are not the actual performances off of any cast recording of any of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musicals. The reditions of the songs on the disc are of varying quality. Some are pretty good. Some are borderline awful.
It is a good collection for inexpensively getting a lot of Andrew Lloyd Webber's most popular songs in one place and having them there to be able to listen to get the idea of what a certain song sounds like and is about. It isn't the collection of definitive recordings for certain roles. In fact in a couple examples, I wonder if the performer fully understood the context of the song he or she was singing &/or what it was about. Overall, the album is good, for the most part, if not excellent.

However, the liner notes for "The Essential Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber" is another matter. I don't mean to be unkind, but the author of the comments on the different tracks (one Rexton S. Bunnett) is blatantly WRONG in multiple instances. I don't mean just in nit-picky details, but in major plot details/context of songs, like the fact that Bunnett identifies "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" as being sung by "our heroine" (who he does not even identify by name as Christine Daae) as she thinks about her lover, not as being sung about Christine's dead father. He also says that the Phantom has found his perfect love and "Angel of Music" in Christine... because HE is the Angel of Music who Christine believes has been sent to her by her dead father, and because although the Phantom is obsessed with Christine, that relationship is far from "loving" (even if Christine shows him compassion. I feel like these (and a couple other mistakes) are major plot points to get wrong. A good amount of the commentary reads as if Bunnett might have written it at the last minute, fudging his way through entries on musicals of which he had little knowledge; like what an essay I might write on a book I never read for my college class but had quickly looked up on Cliff's Notes would sound like. In terms of sheer editing, there are spelling mistakes, run-on sentences and spacing errors ("Any DreamWill Do")in the liner notes. Where was the copy editor?
And the most frightening fact of all, under Bunnett's credentials, it says "Harper Collins has just published his revision and updating of the Collins Book of the Musical."
I am being very critical, but I think that for a widely-released CD it is reasonable to expect the liner notes to be at a professional level, as they were most likely supposed to be.

Not quite what I expected..........2005-04-23

I was looking for a CD of the original performances and this CD doesn't have them. I suppose it was my fault for not looking closer, but the songs just weren't the same. Personally, I was not impressed. If you don't care that they aren't the originals then it is nice to listen to.

Some great performances, some not so great..........2005-04-18

This CD is actually pretty good, considering you get 40 songs for less than $16. Let's evaluate the pros and cons.

Pros:

Two classic songs that are performed excellently are Phantom of the Opera and I Don't Know How to Love Him.

Of course you want to compare Phantom to the classic Michael Crawford/ Sarah Brightman version. Well, guess what? This version is BETTER. The woman has a deeper voice than Brightman, and her singing style is just awesome. The ending of this version (you know, the "Sing, my angel of music, sing for me!") is different, but in a good way... I think.)

And of course, the standard for I Don't Know How to Love Him is Yvonne's version. This version is different, but it grew on me quickly. This version has a country feel to it, almost. Somehow it works and sounds great.

There are a lot of great performances in this collection. My favorites include: Heaven on Their Minds, Everything's Alright, Could We Start Again Please, Another Suitcase in Another Hall, Buenos Aires, Rainbow High, Only You, Starlight Express, Angel of Music, Masquerade, All I Ask of You, Half a Moment, and Whistle Down the Wind. I think they're all great versions of their more famous counterparts.

Cons:

First of all, there are some technical problems that are kind of disappointing. A few of the songs have a very echoey sound. Any Dream Will Do, Another Suitcase in Another Hall, Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, and There's Me are the songs that come to mind that are the worst in this regard. It isn't really bad, just enough to be slightly annoying, more so when the volume is turned way up on your CD player.

A few songs are worthy of skipping over when listening to this collection. In my opinion, Superstar, Sunset Boulevard, and Gethesmane are the biggest disappointments.

Superstar just doesn't cut it for me. The singer really overdoes it, making it overstylized... really makes you yearn for Murray Head. I can't stand listening to it. Just my opinion.

Sunset Boulevard is one of my very favorite musicals, so I was really hoping that the singer would do justice to its title song. Unfortunately I don't think he did. You can't help but compare it to Alan Campbell's fantastic version. This guy has a very choppy way of singing, when I'm used to it being sung so smoothly. Maybe it would grow on me, but I don't think I'll give it a chance to. However, that last note is much stronger than Alan Campbell's. It doesn't make up for the rest of the song, though.

Finally, Gethsemane. The inevitable fact is that NO ONE can sing this song like Michael Ball. This guy tries, he really does. But he doesn't have the right voice or the right style. So please listen to Michael Ball's performance of Gethsemane if you want to know how breathtaking of a song it can be. It's on the Royal Albert Hall DVD, and I'm sure he's got it on one of his CDs.

Anyway, overall, this is a good CD if you like quantity over quality. Don't buy it for the classics, you'll probably end up disappointed with many of them. Buy it for the lesser known songs. You probably won't like every song, especially if you're a big ALW fan, but for the price, it's worth it.

If you want classic versions of classic ALW songs, you might prefer something like "The Very Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Broadway Collection".

Disappointed.......2005-03-11

The singer(s)does not do justice for the lyrics. It was grating to the ears. Save your money for the originals.

Musical Talent at Its Best.......2003-01-03

What a pleasure to hear a collection of Andrew Lloyd Webber's beautiful music from such wonderful voices accompanied by an outstanding symphony. This sensational CD is a treasure to own.

Average customer rating:

Simply Musicals

Manufacturer: Simply
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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
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Simply Jazz
Greatest Songs from the Musicals

ASIN: B0002S303Y
Release Date: 2004-09-07

Tracks:

Comedy Tonight [From a Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Foru] - National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Circle of Life [From The Lion King] - National Symphony Orchestra, David Shannon, Martin Yates
Elaborate Lives [From Aida] - Vanessa A. Jones, Sean McDermott, National Symphony Orchestra Ensemble, Patrick Vaccariello
All That Jazz [From Chicago] - Jan Horvath, Julian Kelly, National Symphony Orchestra
If I Were a Rich Man [From Fiddler on the Roof] - John Owen Edwards, Jerry Lanning, National Symphony Orchestra
On the Street Where You Live [From My Fair Lady] - John Owen Edwards, Gary Mauer, National Symphony Orchestra
Luck Be a Lady [From Guys and Dolls] - Gregg Edelman, John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra
Younger Than Springtime [From South Pacific] - Graham Bickley, John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra
What I Did for Love [from a Chorus Line] - National Symphony Orchestra, Catherine Porter, Martin Yates
Anything You Can Do [From Annie Get Your Gun] - Mark Adam, John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra, Caroline O'Connor
Impossible Dream [From Man of La Mancha] - John Owen Edwards, , National Symphony Orchestra
Try to Remember [From the Fantasticks] - Graham Bickley, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Oklahoma! [From Oklahoma!] - John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra

Tracks:

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang [From Chitty Chitty Bang Bang] - Simon Bowman, , National Symphony Orchestra, Sally Ann Triplett, , Martin Yates
What Kind of Fool [From Saturday Night Fever] - Julian Kelly, National Symphony Orchestra Ensemble, Caroline O'Connor
Memory [From Cats] - John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra,
Anthem [From Chess] - Andrew Halliday, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Phantom of the Opera [From The Phantom of the Opera] - Graham Bickley, Claire Moore, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
What Kind of Fool Am I? [From Stop the World I Want to Get Off] - Holloway/Gold/Yates, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Dancing Queen [From Mamma Mia] - Julian Kelly, National Symphony Orchestra Ensemble, Caroline O'Connor
Sun and Moon [From Miss Saigon] - Graham Bickley, Katrina Murphy, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Anything Goes [From Anything Goes] - John Owen Edwards, Louise Gold, National Symphony Orchestra
As Long as He Needs Me [From Oliver!] - John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra, Sally Ann Triplett
People's Song [From Les Miserables] - National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Time Warp [From the Rocky Horror Show] - National Symphony Orchestra Ensemble, Martin Yates
We Are the Champions [From We Will Rock You] - Dean Collinson, , Jim Graeme, Paulette Ivory, Sally Ann Triplett, Martin Yates

Tracks:

Tonight (Quintet) [From West Side Story] - John Owen Edwards, Paul Manuel, National Symphony Orchestra, Caroline O'Connor, Tinuke Olafimihan
Good Mornin' [From Singin' in the Rain] - Craig Barna, Michael Gruber, National Symphony Orchestra, Randy Rogel,
Summer Nights [From Grease] - John Barrowman, Shona Lindsay, National Symphony Orchestra Ensemble, Martin Yates
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious [From Mary Poppins] - Jim Graeme, , National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Make Believe [From Show Boat] - John Owen Edwards, Teri Hansen, Doug LaBrecque, National Symphony Orchestra
You'll Never Walk Alone [From Carousel] - Muriel Dickinson, John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra
Woman in Love [From Guys and Dolls] - Gregg Edelman, John Owen Edwards, Emily Loesser, National Symphony Orchestra
Deadwood Stage [From Calamity Jane] - John Owen Edwards, Debbie Gravitte, National Symphony Orchestra
Maybe This Time [From Cabaret] - National Symphony Orchestra, Sally Ann Triplett, Martin Yates
New York New York [from New York New York] - Craig Barna, Sean McDermott, National Symphony Orchestra
If Ever I Would Leave You [From Camelot] - Gerry Anderson, Robert Meadmore
Nowadays [From Chicago] - Julian Kelly, National Symphony Orchestra, Caroline O'Connor
76 Trombones [From The Music Man] - National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates

Tracks:

Macavity [From Cats] - National Symphony Orchestra, Jacqui Scott, Martin Yates
With One Look [From Sunset Boulevard] - Kim Criswell, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Whistle Down the Wind [From Whistle Down the Wind] - Jim Graeme, National Symphony Orchestra Ensemble, Martin Yates
All I Ask of You [From The Phantom of the Opera] - Andrew Halliday, Katrina Murphy, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Only You [From Starlight Express] - John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra Ensemble, Grania Renihan
Another Suitcase in Another Hall [From Evita] - John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra, Grania Renihan
King Herod's Song [From Jesus Christ Superstar] - Christopher Biggins, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Music of the Night [From The Phantom of the Opera] - John Owen Edwards, Jim Graeme, National Symphony Orchestra
Buenos Aires [From Evita] - Julian Kelly, National Symphony Orchestra, Caroline O'Connor
As If We Never Said Goodbye [From Sunset Boulevard] - National Symphony Orchestra, Jacqui Scott, Martin Yates
Unexpected Song [From Song and Dance] - Clare Burt, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Close Every Door [From Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat] - John Barrowman, John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra
Our Kind of Love [From the Beautiful Game] - National Symphony Orchestra, Sally Ann Triplett, Martin Yates

Average customer rating:

A good shot at a 'Best Of' Album.

20 Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber

Manufacturer: Madacy Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Broadway & Vocalists | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Soundtracks | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00027JZ8E
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Tracks:

Phantom of the Opera: Phantom of the Opera
Phantom of the Opera: Music of the Night
Phantom of the Opera: Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again
Phantom of the Opera: All I Ask of You
Jesus Christ Superstar: Everything's Alright
Jesus Christ Superstar: John 19: 41 [Instrumental]
Jesus Christ Superstar: I Don't Know How to Love Him
Jesus Christ Superstar: The Last Supper
Evita: Another Suitcase in Another Hall
Evita: Buenos Aires
Evita: High Flying Adored
Evita: Don't Cry for Me Argentina
Cats: Memory
Cats: Magical Mr. Mistofelles
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Pharoah's Story
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Any Dream Will Do
Sunset Boulevard: Too Much in Love to Care
Sunset Boulevard: As If We Never Said Goodbye
Song and Dance: Take That Look Off Your Face
Song and Dance: Tell Me on a Sunday

Customer Reviews:

A good shot at a 'Best Of' Album........2006-01-16

I was pleasently surprised at this CD. The singers were all pretty good, and the music was great. My only complaint is with the 'Phantom of the Opera' tracks. "Christine" does fine on the title song and 'All I Ask of You', but on 'Wishing Your Were Somehow Here Again', she falls a little short of a good preformance.

The thing that impresses me the most on this CD are the 'Jesus Christ Superstar' tracks. They all sounded superb, and I prefer them to my original broadway cast soundtrack.

I was dissappointed that they only chose two songs from 'Cats', one of Lloyd Webber's crowning acheivements as a composer. THe show was remarkably successful and is the second longest running show in Broadway history, only topped by 'Phantom'. Also, I felt the songs they chose were a bit...odd. 'Memory', of course, is a given. But why throw 'Mister Mistoffelees' into the mix? Why not the Prolouge,'Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats'?

All in all, I was very impressed with this CD. I give it 4 out of 5 stars, and I recommend it for any fan of Lloyd Webber's music.

Average customer rating:

The Essential Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber

Manufacturer: Metro Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

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Centennial Gala Concert
Songs From Grease (1994 London Studio Cast)
Reflections From Broadway
Putting It Together: A Musical Review

ASIN: B000B9G6O4
Release Date: 2005-10-03

Tracks:

Phantom of the Opera/All I Ask of You
By Jeeves/Half a Moment
Beautiful Game/All the Love I Have
Jesus Christ Superstar/I Don't Know How to Love Him
Phantom of the Opera/Think of Me
Aspects of Love/The First Man You Remember
Starlight Express B'way/Starlight Express
Starlight Express/Only You
Tell Me on a Sunday/Unexpected Song
Aspects of Love/Seeing Is Believing
Beautiful Game/Our Kind of Love
Tell Me on a Sunday/The Last Man in My Life
Phantom of the Opera/Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again
Sunset Boulevard/Too Much in Love to Care
Tell Me on a Sunday/Tell Me on a Sunday
Aspects of Love/There Is More to Love
Evita/Don't Cry for Me Argentina
Aspects of Love/Love Changes Everything

Tracks:

Sunset Boulevard/With One Look
Evita/Another Suitcase in Another Hall
Cats/Memory
Jesus Christ Superstar/Could We Start Again Please?
Requiem/Pie Jesu
Phantom of the Opera/Angel of Music
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat)/Close Every Door
Jesus Christ Superstar/Gethsemane
Whistle Down the Wind/Whistle Down the Wind
Sunset Boulevard/As If We Had Never Said Goodbye
Starlight Express/U-N-C-O-U-P-L-E-D
Phantom of the Opera/The Point of No Return
Aspects of Love/Anything But Lonely
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat/Any Dream Will Do
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat/There's Me
Jesus Christ Superstar/Pilate's Dream
Evita/High Flying Adored
Phantom of the Opera/Music of the Night

Tracks:

Cats/Macavity
Jesus Christ Superstar/Heaven on Their Minds
Evita/Rainbow High
Starlight Express/Rolling Stock
Phantom of the Opera/The Phantom of the Opera
Jesus Christ Superstar/Hosanna
Evita/Oh What a Circus
Phantom of the Opera/Masquarade
Starlight Express/Starlight Express
Jesus Christ Superstar/King Herod's Song
Evita/Buenos Aires
Cats/Jellicle Cats
Sunset Boulevard/Sunset Boulevard
Jesus Christ Superstar/Everything's Alright
Cats/Mr. Mistoffelees
Phantom of the Opera/Prima Donna
Cats/The Jellicle Ball
Jesus Christ Superstar/Jesus Christ Superstar

Album Details

Lovesongs, Ballads and Show Stoppers. 54 Tracks, Including Some Brand New Titles Released Here for the First Time.

Average customer rating:

"56 Show-Stoppers from the Last Century ~ Paul Bateman"

Musicals - The Gold Collection
Helen Hobson , Dave Willetts , and Lesley Garrett
Manufacturer: Silva America
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0001JXPB6
Release Date: 2004-04-06

Tracks:

West Side Story 'America' - Helen Hobson & Crouch End Festival Chorus
Annie 'Tomorrow' - Helen Hobson
Annie Get Your Gun 'Anything You Can Do' - Jason Howard
Annie Get Your Gun 'The Girl That I Marry/My Defences Are Down' - Jason Howard
Aspects Of Love 'Love Changes Everything' - Chris Corcoran
Anything Goes 'Anything Goes' - Helen Hobson
Cabaret 'Cabaret' - Helen Hobson
La Cage Aux Folles 'I Am What I Am' - Dave Willetts
Carmen Jones 'Dat's Love' - Lesley Garrett
Cats 'Memory' - Lesley Garrett
Cats 'Macavity: The Mystery Cat' - Deborah Steel
Carousel 'Soliloquoy' - Jason Howard
Carousel 'If I Loved You' - Paul Bateman
Carousel 'You'll Never Walk Alone' - Jason Howard

Tracks:

Chess 'I Know Him So Well' - Meredith Braun
Evita 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' - Sharon Campbell & Crouch End Festival Chorus
Evita 'Another Suitcase In Another Hall' - Sharon Campbell & Crouch End Festival Chorus
Evita 'High Flying Adored' - Meredith Braun
The Fantastiks 'Try To Remember' - John Langley & Crouch End Festival Chorus
Fiddler On The Roof 'If I Were A Rich Man' - John Langley
Gigi 'Gigi' - Keith Ferreira
Guys And Dolls 'Luck Be A Lady' - Dave Willetts
Jesus Christ Superstar 'Superstar' - Christopher Howard
Jesus Christ Superstar 'I Don't Know How To Love Him' - Sharon Campbell
Jesus Christ Superstar 'Everything's Alright' - Sharon Campbell
Joseph And His Amazing Technicolor Dream-Coat 'Close Every Door' - Crouch End Festival Chorus
Kismet 'And This Is My Beloved' - Lesley Garrett
Kismet 'Stranger In Paradise' - Jason Howard

Tracks:

Kiss Me Kate 'Where Is The Life That Late I Led?' - Jason Howard
A Little Night Music 'Send In The Clowns' - Helen Hobson
Les Miserables 'Bring Him Home' - Dave Willetts
Man Of La Mancha 'The Impossible Dream' - John Langley
Oklahoma 'Oh What A Beautiful Morning' - Jason Howard
Oklahoma 'The Surrey With The Fringe On Top' - Jason Howard
Oklahoma 'Oklahoma' - Jason Howard
Phantom Of The Opera 'Phantom Of The Opera' - Lesley Garrett
Phantom Of The Opera 'Music Of The Night' - Dave Willetts
Phantom Of The Opera 'All I Ask Of You' - Lesley Garrett
Porgy & Bess 'Summertime' - Lesley Garrett
Seven Brides For Seven Brothers 'Bless Your Beautiful Hide' - Jason Howard
Showboat 'Ol' Man River' - Jason Howard
Showboat 'Make Believe' - Jason Howard

Tracks:

The Sound Of Music 'The Sound Of Music' - Helen Hobson
The Sound Of Music 'Climb Ev'ry Mountain' - Tania Williams & Crouch End Festival Chorus
The Sound Of Music 'Edelweiss' - John Langley
South Pacific 'Some Enchanted Evening' - John Langley
South Pacific 'Younger Than Springtime' - David Shannon
Starlight Express 'Starlight Express' - Keith Burns
Sunset Boulevard 'Sunset Boulevard' - Gerard Casey
Sunset Boulevard 'With One Look' - Mary Carewe
Sunset Boulevard 'As If We Never Said Goodbye' - Mary Carewe
Tell Me On Sunday 'Tell Me On Sunday' - Sharon Campbell
West Side Story 'Maria' - David Shannon
West Side Story 'Tonight' (The Balcony Scene) - Meredith Braun
West Side Story 'Somewhere' - Meredith Braun
There's No Business Like Show Business & Annie Get Your Gun 'Theres No Business Like Showbusiness' - Helen Hobson & Crouch End Festival Chorus

Customer Reviews:

"56 Show-Stoppers from the Last Century ~ Paul Bateman".......2004-04-16

Some of the best musicals from the last century appear on this 4-CD compilation "Musicals:The Gold Collection", featuring many stars of the London Stage with Paul Bateman (conductor), The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, The Philharmonia, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the world renown Crouch End Festival Chorus ~ sharing the spotlight, blending voice and music within the boundaries of great compositions from sold out musical shows from the past ~ all songs presented on this collection have been performed by a diverse set of artists ~ share the beauty of simplicity that exists in the music of each performance.

Here's just a sampling with "Annie", Annie Get Your Gun", "Anything Goes", "Aspects of Love", "Cabaret", "Carmen Jones", "Carousel", "Cats", "Chess", "Evita", "The Fantastics", "Fiddler on the Roof", "Gigi", "Guys and Dolls", "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", "Kismet", "Kiss Me Kate", "La Cage Aux Folles", "Les Miserables", "A Little Night Music", "Man of La Mancha", "Oklahoma", "Phantom of the Opera", "Porgy & Bess", "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers", "Showboat", "The Sound of Music", "South Pacific", "Starlight Express", "Sunset Boulevard", "Tell Me On Sunday", "There's No Business Like Show Business", "West Side Story" ~ each cue is just the icing on the cake presented in this one of a kind event.

Let's take a look at the stars of the London Stage ~ Meredith Braun, Keith Burns, Sharon Campbell, Mary Carewe, Gerard Casey, Chris Corcoran, Keith Ferreira, Lesley Garrett (always a favorite in everyones collection), Helen Hobson, Michele Hooper, Christopher Howard, Jason Howard, Ria Jones, John Langley, David Shannon, Deorah Steel, Jill Washington, Dave Willetts, Tania Williams ~ so much talent under one banner, perfection is the only description that comes to mind. Paul Bateman has come up with a instrumental masterpiece, with emotional peaks and valleys that we've experienced over decades in the tumultuous world of musicals in the theatre.

Silva America, James Fitzpatrick, Reynold da Silva and David Stoner have paid homage to this genre ~ brought to the forefront in one universal voice the magnitude and influence for all it's listeners ~ powerful and personal touch of each track makes you feel the melody is still ringing in your ears, that's what the composer hoped for and it works ~ this musical collection is a keeper ~ gotta love it!

Tracks:

Superstar - Murray Head, Trinidad Singers
I Don't Know How to Love Him - Yvonne Elliman
Don't Cry for Me Argentina - Julie Covington
Oh What a Circus - David Essex
Take That Look Off Your Face - Marti Webb
Memory - Elaine Paige
Pie Jesu - Sarah Brightman, Paul Miles-Kingston
Phantom of the Opera - Sarah Brightman, Steve Harley
All I Asky of You - Sarah Brightman, Cliff Richard
Music of the Night - Michael Crawford
Love Changes Everything - Michael Ball
Any Dream Will Do - Jason Donovan
Amigos Para Siempre (Friends for Life) - Sarah Brightman, Josarreras
Perfect Year - Dina Carroll
As If We Never Said Goodbye - Barbra Streisand
You Must Love Me - Madonna
Whistle Down the Wind - Tina Arena
No Matter What - Boyzone

Customer Reviews:

weak voices.......2006-01-21

I don,t need to write a book to tell you about this disc.I will leave that to the ones that write as if they are getting paid by the word.
Dont waste your money on this cd. There are a lot of singers on this cd. that dont have the voices and the range and richness to be singing this music. buy one with the best of the singers who sang in the stage productions.

LLOYD WEBBER'S BEST OF IN A SINGLE DISC.......2005-01-07

There are numerous compilations out on the market full of Lloyd Webber's music. As most people know, Lloyd Webber is the most successful musical composer of all time and many of his songs became standards not only in the theatre history, but also as tops on the charts. This is the compilation Lloyd Webber personally supervised and it is the best thing to have if you can't afford his five-CD compilation called "Now and forever", which was selected and supervised by him as well. You should bear in mind, however, that there are two compilations called Gold out there: This one is for the British and the European market. There is another one, issued later and digitally remastered, aimed at the American buyers and although some songs are repeated on both of them, they contain different songs or the same songs sung by different artists. Therefore you should check your favourites and buy accordingly, or, if you can, buy them both.

So here are my thoughts about the tracks in this one:

1. "Superstar" and "I don't know how to love him" are both from the concept album of "Jesus Christ Superstar". They sound wonderful as ever.

2. "Don't cry for me Argentina" is beautifully performed by Julie Covington, who was Evita at the 1976 concept album. She sounds like Madonna, only much better and the London philharmonics are the best orchestra ever used in this song. David Essex sings "Oh what a circus" with a strong voice, in my view, much better than Mandy Patinkin.

3. From "Tell me on a Sunday" we have "Take that look of your face" sung by Marti Webb. This studio version blends perfectly Marti's voice and the strong back vocals.

4."Memory" from "Cats" is probably the most famous of all Webber's songs, recorded by numerous artists. The one here is from the London cast recording, sung by Elaine Paige. I love Elaine's version very much, but this one is not the definite one. Her best rendition of this song, with the much matured voice, can be heard in "Cats" DVD or in her latest two-disc compilation, "Centre stage: The very best of Elaine Paige", issued in May 2004.

5. "Pie Jesu" is the best known song from Webber's "Requiem". Sarah Brightman is joined by a young boy soprano Paul Miles-Kingston in this solemn deliverance. Very pretty.

6. "The Phantom of the Opera" is represented by three songs in their single versions. In the song of the same title, we have Sarah Brightman and Steve Harley sounding very appropriate, although my favourite will always be the one with Sarah and Michael Crawford, which can be found on the American version of this compilation. Cliff Richard and Sarah sing the lovely ballad "All I ask of you" with passion, and Cliff has a wonderful warmth in his voice. Finally, Michael Crawford gives his unique and mesmerising interpretation in "The music of the night".

7. "Aspects of love" boast here with its top song, "Love changes everything", performed wonderfully by Michael Ball. It was his #1 hit and is probably one of the most beautiful love anthems ever written.

8. "The Joseph and his amazing Technicolor dreamcoat" was Webber's first musical and the signature song "Any dream will do" is performed here by Jason Donovan with a youthful warmness. Wonderful pop piece.

9. For the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Webber wrote, together with his long-time lyricist Don Black, this next song, "Amigos para siempre or Friends for life". It's a nice duet between Sarah Brightman and Jose Carreras, their voices are a perfect fit. The melody itself is neat, especially when the orchestra takes the lead.

10. "Sunset Boulevard" is marked here with two songs. Barbra Streisand's powerful voice shines all the way through in "As if we never said goodbye"; it's a shame she never played Norma Desmond on Broadway, since Patti LuPone wasn't allowed to take her Norma to New York, and Glenn Close butchered the role. "The perfect year" is here in its single version, sung splendidly by Dina Carroll, and it sounds much better with this orchestration than in the show on stage.

11. As we approach the end, we have an Academy Award winner, that is, "You must love me" with Madonna, from the 1996 movie version of "Evita". This is another wonderful ballad with the haunting cello and piano solo. It just proves that Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice were the best collaborators. They really should do another musical together.

12. The last two songs are from "Whistle down the wind". The first song has the same title and it's a pop single performed by Tina Arena. She has a really strong voice and the drums and guitars here are a well made combination. Boyzone's "No matter what" was a huge pop hit in the charts. Again, we have a song with the suitable orchestrations and vocals.

All in all, this CD is a must have for all the Webber fans. It works well as the background music or on the headphones. The booklet contains some pictures and an introductory text. The sound quality is excellent. Every song here really is a pure gold.

Webber's best.......2002-07-05

This CD is subtitled "The Definitive Hit Singles Collection." And that it is. Eighteen tracks include the best known Webber hits. Julie Covington does "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina." If you haven't heard the other side of the Evita story, you need to hear David Essex's "Oh What a Circus," an answer to "Don't Cry . . ." Sarah Brightman and Steve Harley do "The Phantom of the Opera," and Michael Crawford does "The Music of the Night." Barbra Streisand does "As if We Never Said Goodbye," Michael Ball does "Love Changes Everything," Marti Webb does "Take That Look Off Your Face," and Madonna does "You Must Love Me." The rest of the album is not filler; is top notch Webber, truly a collection of hit singles.

Music Track:

Music Track

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