I was sad to wake up to the news that Robert Sherman passed away yesterday (Mar. 5). I love the Sherman Brothers music, partly as a Disney fan, partly as a lover of good music, and partly to the fact that Robert was my dad's name too. (Silly sentimentalism with the latter, but it's there just the same.)
Several are taking the opportunity to chide one of Walt Disney's favorite Sherman Brothers songs, "It's A Small World (After All)" because it sticks in the head. It's a round, created specifically to overlap from room to room; when Walt showed them the initial demo for the World's Fair, it had all the countries' theme songs overlapping. So blame Walt, not Robert and Richard. But since it's stuck in your head now, try humming Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
They did much more than just Disneyland rides and Mary Poppins. I actually know the Annette Funicello song Tall Paul that got them their real start. There's a fun song about photography called Makin' Memories. And Disney had nothing to do with the classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or Snoopy Come Home. On Broadway, they wrote a show for the two surviving Andrews Sisters, Patty and Maxene, called Over Here. And that show gave a Broadway start to several now-famous performers, including 1) the guy who sang Sebastian in the animated Little Mermaid and the live Lion King Musical Mufasa, and 2) John Travolta.
I recently got two coveted Sherman Brothers creations. One is a version of Tom Sawyer, the other is a version of Cinderella called The Slipper and the Rose. I'll be listening to these soon and redoing my Sherman Brothers tribute. RIP, Robert. Though the mountains divide and the oceans are wide, you made the world seem like a friendlier place.
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
Mar. 7: Dorothy Fields
'erbie Fitch's Twitch - Gwen Verdon, Redhead (RCA)
Dorothy Fields History - Dorothy Fields, An Evening with Dorothy Fields (DRG)
I Can't Give You Anything but Love - Angela Hall; Eugene Fleming, Black & Blue [Original Broadway Cast] (DRG)
On the Sunny Side of the Street - Barbara Cook, Lucky in the Rain (DRG)
It's Not Where You Start - Tommy Tune, See Saw (Original Cast) [DRG] (DRG)
A Fine Romance - Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers, Ginger & Fred at RKO (2 of 2) (Rhino)
Doin' the New Low Down - Bill "Bojangles" Robinson; Don Redman & His Orchestra, American Musical Theatre: Shows, Songs and Stars, Vol. 1 (Smithsonian)
When She Walks In The Room - Wilbur Evans, Up In Central Park/Arms And The Girl (Decca)
That's What I Told Him Last Night - Florenz Ames, Up In Central Park/Arms And The Girl (Decca)
Charity's Theme - Orchestra, Sweet Charity [Original Broadway Cast]
Big Spender - Dorothy Fields, Sweet Charity (2005 Broadway Revival Cast) (DRG)
Pink Taffeta Sample Size 10 [cut from Sweet Charity] - Sally Mayes, The Dorothy Fields Songbook (DRG)
Pick Yourself Up - John Lithgow, Sunny Side of the Street (Razor & Tie)
Don't Blame Me - Barbara Cook, Lucky in the Rain (DRG)
Make the Man Love Me - Johnny Johnston; Marcia Van Dyke, Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Sony)
The Way You Look Tonight - Bruce Hubbard, Great American Songwriters (Capitol)
I'm in the Mood for Love - Frances Langford, American Songbook Series: Dorothy Fields (Smithsonian Collection)
See-Saw - Randy Graff, Doing Something Right: Randy Graff Sings Cy Coleman (Varèse Sarabande)
If My Friends Could See Me Now - Gwen Verdon, American Songbook Series: Dorothy Fields (Smithsonian Collection)
As I post this, I'm listening to the new musical "Once" for next week's episode, Irish music. And it starts out with a busker singing an Irish take of Dorothy Fields's "On the Sunny Side of the Street." As the late Robert Sherman remarked, it's a small world after all.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Cinderella Stories
What is it about the Cinderella story that people like so much? Is it the rags-to-riches hope that fueled some of the American Dream? Is it the idea that a guy likes what he must pursue? Stories about a girl getting magical help to go to a party, meeting royalty, and leaving behind a trinket he uses to find her has been told many ways since the Ancient Greeks. Musical composers have played with Cinderella too, both as a full-fledged story and as a metaphor for other characters. Here's the collection I know of - a companion listing to the Broadway Matinee episode of Cinderella from Feb. 22, 2012.
Walt Disney Cinderella: We all know the 1950 film with the adorable mice. Ilene Woods voices the gentle soul that some women think is too meek and accepting, waiting for someone to save her instead of giving those stepsisters a punch in the nose. Mike Douglas as the prince has practically nothing to do except sing a lovely duet. Even Verna Felton's magic song isn't as long as we seem to remember from childhood. The focus is on the girl and the mice (recorded a la Chipmunks, I'm still looking for a straightforward performance of the Work Song/Cinderelli). Composers Mack David, Al Hoffman, and Jerry Livingston recorded a demo called "I'm in the Middle of a Muddle" - we assume its their voices since there was no paperwork with the tape, and it's most likely the first draft of the Work Song. My guess is they gave that moment to the mice so the girl herself wouldn't sound like a complainer.
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella: What lovely music, introduced by a lovely Julie Andrews. There's the original 1957 studio recording, made less than two weeks before the live television broadcast. Right afterwards, Rodgers and Hammerstein had Mary Martin tour the country performing their Cinderella music with interactive storytelling. Meanwhile, R&H licensed it as a stage show for Britain, enhancing the traditional Cinderella pantomime shows at Christmastime - keeping the panto character of Buttons, a comic servant, and making the Ugly Sisters guys in drag. Another London studio recording, with new stars, came out for the following season. Eventually American t.v. audiences got a revival, of sorts, with Lesley Ann Warren (who did not have Andrews's vocal chops) in 1965. Disney and producer Whitney Houston made a multi-racial remake in 1997, but a licensed soundtrack is sadly unavailable; I love Bernadette Peters singing Falling in Love With Love as a lesson to her daughters. Some of the stylings added to that production were reflected in the Asian cast, billed as the "International Cast" starring Lea Salonga in 2008. The music is reportedly headed to Broadway next season, but with updated arrangements and a book that has Cinderella save the Prince (Cinderella meets Enchanted? Hope it doesn't play as contrived as it sounds!)
Cinderella by Cliff Richards & The Shadows: A very popular pop/early rock star in Britain, Richards had gone through a religious conversion and abandoned the sexy "exhibitionist" image. Part of the softer Richards was performances of Aladdin and Cinderella - both popular Brit pantos - written by "The Shadows" (his back-up group).
Cinderella produced/narrated by David Frost: This is an out-of-print 1972 LP, nearly impossible to find, so I haven't heard it yet. On the Starline label, Una Stubbs is the heroine with songs "That Kind of Day," and "If Only." Nicky Henson is the godmother with "Let's Imagine." British pantomime stars Beryl Reid and Barbara Windsor are the stepsisters. The album is filled out by the Mike Sammes Singers.
Cinderella from Drive Archive: While there's no record of these songs having been performed on stage, they are original songs that sound right for a children's-theater stage. No idea who actually wrote these songs, one source cites arranger Jim Timmens as Radio City Music Hall music director; he certainly arranged and conducted several award-winning recordings, many of them for children. The album was a Read-Along with lots of narration by Shirley Brown (very annoying to modern adult ears). Some listings credit the voices (Peggy Powers, Kay Lande, Alan Cole, Eric Carlson) as being the Sandpipers, but that shouldn't be confused with the pop singing group of the same name. This group was often credited as the Sandpiper Chorus or Golden Sandpipers.
The Slipper and the Rose: A few years after narrating Cinderella, David Frost produced a lavish film with music by Robert and Richard Sherman (of Mary Poppins fame). Richard Chamberlain and Gemma Craven star.
The Tale of Cinderella: An Italian version with a wooden-spoon-wielding Godmother and a matching Godfather for the prince (no mob jokes, though). Storytellers and much dialogue are included on the CD. I like the song for the "Unmarried Women" and their lamenting fathers.
Into the Woods: Stephen Sondheim's sweet but real fairytale is my all-time favorite musical. Cinderella's story is taken from the Brothers Grimm, complete with birds, magical tree, and steps smeared with pitch. Her tale is woven with other storybook characters. Three commercial vocal recordings exist: OBC with Bernadette Peters and Joanna Gleason, OLC with Julia McKenzie and Imelda Staunton (remember the frog-faced pink Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter?) , and the Broadway Revival with Vanessa Williams and Laura Benanti. (Too bad the London voices are so difficult to understand and hear, it was the production I got to see first-hand.)
Sisterella - an R&B musical from Larry Hart (not to be confused with Richard Rodgers's early lyricist) developed for/by Michael Jackson. Many of the songs are too repetitive (like many pop songs brought to stage) but it has promise. And Yvette Cason rocks.
Bloomer Girl "Satin Gown and Silver Shoe" - I would swear that Celeste Holm was taking the place of either a godmother or Cinderella's birth mother singing a lullaby to the little girl.
Wish You Were Here - The camp resort has a dance where the ingenue goes hoping for love and the duet with Jack Cassidy speaks to the time disappearing because he's found love.
My Fair Lady: Yes this is a Cinderella story. And listen to Julie Andrews sing "I Could Have Danced All Night" - take away the maids saying get to bed and you have Cinderella after the ball. No wonder R&H asked her to be the star for their television Cinderella!
Walt Disney Cinderella: We all know the 1950 film with the adorable mice. Ilene Woods voices the gentle soul that some women think is too meek and accepting, waiting for someone to save her instead of giving those stepsisters a punch in the nose. Mike Douglas as the prince has practically nothing to do except sing a lovely duet. Even Verna Felton's magic song isn't as long as we seem to remember from childhood. The focus is on the girl and the mice (recorded a la Chipmunks, I'm still looking for a straightforward performance of the Work Song/Cinderelli). Composers Mack David, Al Hoffman, and Jerry Livingston recorded a demo called "I'm in the Middle of a Muddle" - we assume its their voices since there was no paperwork with the tape, and it's most likely the first draft of the Work Song. My guess is they gave that moment to the mice so the girl herself wouldn't sound like a complainer.
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella: What lovely music, introduced by a lovely Julie Andrews. There's the original 1957 studio recording, made less than two weeks before the live television broadcast. Right afterwards, Rodgers and Hammerstein had Mary Martin tour the country performing their Cinderella music with interactive storytelling. Meanwhile, R&H licensed it as a stage show for Britain, enhancing the traditional Cinderella pantomime shows at Christmastime - keeping the panto character of Buttons, a comic servant, and making the Ugly Sisters guys in drag. Another London studio recording, with new stars, came out for the following season. Eventually American t.v. audiences got a revival, of sorts, with Lesley Ann Warren (who did not have Andrews's vocal chops) in 1965. Disney and producer Whitney Houston made a multi-racial remake in 1997, but a licensed soundtrack is sadly unavailable; I love Bernadette Peters singing Falling in Love With Love as a lesson to her daughters. Some of the stylings added to that production were reflected in the Asian cast, billed as the "International Cast" starring Lea Salonga in 2008. The music is reportedly headed to Broadway next season, but with updated arrangements and a book that has Cinderella save the Prince (Cinderella meets Enchanted? Hope it doesn't play as contrived as it sounds!)
Cinderella by Cliff Richards & The Shadows: A very popular pop/early rock star in Britain, Richards had gone through a religious conversion and abandoned the sexy "exhibitionist" image. Part of the softer Richards was performances of Aladdin and Cinderella - both popular Brit pantos - written by "The Shadows" (his back-up group).
Cinderella produced/narrated by David Frost: This is an out-of-print 1972 LP, nearly impossible to find, so I haven't heard it yet. On the Starline label, Una Stubbs is the heroine with songs "That Kind of Day," and "If Only." Nicky Henson is the godmother with "Let's Imagine." British pantomime stars Beryl Reid and Barbara Windsor are the stepsisters. The album is filled out by the Mike Sammes Singers.
Cinderella from Drive Archive: While there's no record of these songs having been performed on stage, they are original songs that sound right for a children's-theater stage. No idea who actually wrote these songs, one source cites arranger Jim Timmens as Radio City Music Hall music director; he certainly arranged and conducted several award-winning recordings, many of them for children. The album was a Read-Along with lots of narration by Shirley Brown (very annoying to modern adult ears). Some listings credit the voices (Peggy Powers, Kay Lande, Alan Cole, Eric Carlson) as being the Sandpipers, but that shouldn't be confused with the pop singing group of the same name. This group was often credited as the Sandpiper Chorus or Golden Sandpipers.
The Slipper and the Rose: A few years after narrating Cinderella, David Frost produced a lavish film with music by Robert and Richard Sherman (of Mary Poppins fame). Richard Chamberlain and Gemma Craven star.
The Tale of Cinderella: An Italian version with a wooden-spoon-wielding Godmother and a matching Godfather for the prince (no mob jokes, though). Storytellers and much dialogue are included on the CD. I like the song for the "Unmarried Women" and their lamenting fathers.
Into the Woods: Stephen Sondheim's sweet but real fairytale is my all-time favorite musical. Cinderella's story is taken from the Brothers Grimm, complete with birds, magical tree, and steps smeared with pitch. Her tale is woven with other storybook characters. Three commercial vocal recordings exist: OBC with Bernadette Peters and Joanna Gleason, OLC with Julia McKenzie and Imelda Staunton (remember the frog-faced pink Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter?) , and the Broadway Revival with Vanessa Williams and Laura Benanti. (Too bad the London voices are so difficult to understand and hear, it was the production I got to see first-hand.)
Sisterella - an R&B musical from Larry Hart (not to be confused with Richard Rodgers's early lyricist) developed for/by Michael Jackson. Many of the songs are too repetitive (like many pop songs brought to stage) but it has promise. And Yvette Cason rocks.
Bloomer Girl "Satin Gown and Silver Shoe" - I would swear that Celeste Holm was taking the place of either a godmother or Cinderella's birth mother singing a lullaby to the little girl.
Wish You Were Here - The camp resort has a dance where the ingenue goes hoping for love and the duet with Jack Cassidy speaks to the time disappearing because he's found love.
My Fair Lady: Yes this is a Cinderella story. And listen to Julie Andrews sing "I Could Have Danced All Night" - take away the maids saying get to bed and you have Cinderella after the ball. No wonder R&H asked her to be the star for their television Cinderella!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Feb. 22: Cinderella
Am I the only one crazy enough to celebrate "Women's Month" with the feminist nightmare known as "Cinderella"? I want to point out that not all versions have her as a passive, I-need-someone-to-rescue-me stereotype.
Satin Gown and Silver Shoe (Lullaby) - Celeste Holm, Bloomer Girl (Decca Broadway)
In My Own Little Corner - Julie Andrews, Cinderella [1957 TV Soundtrack] [Rodgers and Hammerstein's] (Sony)
A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes - Ilene Woods; Mice Chorus, Cinderella [Disney] (Walt Disney)
Dream That Dream Again - Peggy Powers, Cinderella [Drive] (Drive Archive)
Loneliness Of Evening - Stuart Damon, Cinderella [1965 Television Cast] (Sony)
The Prince Is Giving A Ball - 1965 Television Cast, Cinderella [1965 Television Cast] (Sony)
The Work Song - Peggy Powers, Kay Lande, Alan Cole, Eric Carlson, Cinderella [Drive] (Drive Archive)
Royal Dressing Room Scene - George Hall, Cinderella [1957 TV Soundtrack] [Rodgers and Hammerstein's] (Sony)
Unmarried Women - Cast, Tale of Cinderella: New Musical for the Whole Family (Atlantic / Wea)
Into the Woods (Cinderella Prologue) - Tom Aldredge, Into the Woods [Original Broadway Cast] (RCA)
Showoff - Margaret Robinson; Michele Golden, Tale of Cinderella: New Musical for the Whole Family (Atlantic / Wea)
I'm in the Middle of a Muddle [Demo Recording] - Mack David, Cinderella [Disney] (Walt Disney)
Cinderella at the Grave - Laura Benanti, Into the Woods (Nonesuch)
Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo (The Magic Song) - Verna Felton, Cinderella [Disney] (Walt Disney)
Impossible/It's Possible - Edith Adams; Julie Andrews, Cinderella [1957 TV Soundtrack] [Rodgers and Hammerstein's] (Sony)
Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful? - Lea Salonga, Peter Saide, Cinderella [Intl Tour Cast] (Lakeshore Records)
Stepsisters’ Lament - Jen Bechter, Brandy Zarle, Cinderella [Intl Tour Cast] (Lakeshore Records)
No One Ever Told Me - Christianne Tisdale/Sean Frank Sullivan, Tale of Cinderella: New Musical for the Whole Family (Atlantic / Wea)
Where Did The Night Go - Jack Cassidy; Patricia Marand, Wish You Were Here (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (DRG)
On the Steps of the Palace - Kim Crosby, Into the Woods [Original Broadway Cast] (RCA)
A Lovely Night - Julie Andrews, A Little Bit of Broadway (Columbia)
I Could Have Danced All Night - Julie Andrews; Maids; Philippa Bevans, My Fair Lady [Original Broadway Cast] [2002 Bonus Tracks] (Sony)
So This Is Love [From Cinderella] - Ilene Woods; Mike Douglas, Classic Disney, Vol. 2 (Walt Disney)
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Feb. 15: Presidents
There's something satisfying in combining a Bernstein operatic cantata and a new emo-rock musical, because the songs are both about Presidents coming to terms with a crisis in the country.
Happy Presidents Day!
Presidents Song - Animaniacs, Animaniacs Variety Pack: Ingredients - 16 Delicious Songs From The Hit TV Series (Fox Kids Network)
Lincoln’s Birthday - Bing Crosby, Holiday Inn [Film] (MCA Records)
Four Score - Saycon Sengbloh, Ato Blankson-Wood, Brandon Pearson, Tommar Wilson, Hair [2009 Broadway Revival Cast] (Razor & Tie)
They Like Ike - Cast, Call Me Madam [Encores] (Drg)
Keeping Cool with Coolidge - Ensemble; Yvonne Adair, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes [1991 Reissue] [Original Broadway Cast] (Sony Broadway)
I Want What I Want When I Want It - Cast, Tintypes (DRG)
It Gets Lonely In The White House - Irving Berlin, Irving Sings Berlin (Koch Int'l Classics)
If I Became The President - Cast, Strike Up the Band Disc 2 (Nonesuch)
We Must Have a Ball - Thomas Hampson, Bernstein: A White House Cantata (Deutsche Grammophon)
Crisis Averted - James Barry; Justin Levine; Ben Steinfeld; Greg Hildreth, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Original Cast Recording) (Ghostlight) - This is one of the rare times that I split up a song. The second half of "Crisis Averted" is in the episode about racism: it's the yuppie-sounding couple saying that they definitely don't condone what he did to the Indians (Trail of Tears), although they did like that they could move to Florida, 'cuz "It IS nice that it doesn't snow." Apologies to composer Michael Friedman.
The Saddest Song - Benjamin Walker; Ben Steinfeld; Greg Hildreth, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Original Cast Recording) (Ghostlight)
Interlude: Strike Up The Band - George Gershwin, Strike Up the Band Disc 2 (Nonesuch)
We'd Like to Thank You Herbert Hoover - Hooverville-ites, Annie - Original Broadway Cast Recording (Sony BMG)
Opening - Company; Paula Newsome, First Lady Suite: A Musical (Ps Classics)
The First Lady - Nanette Fabray, Mr. President (Drg)
The Secret Service - Anita Gillette, Mr. President (Drg)
Bobby and Jackie and Jack - 1994 Off-Broadway Revival Cast, Merrily We Roll Along [1994 Off-Broadway Revival Cast] (Colosseum)
Over Texas. The Smallest Thing - Bronwen Booth, First Lady Suite: A Musical (Ps Classics)
Something Just Broke [from Assassins] - Ensemble, Sondheim on Sondheim [Original Broadway Cast] Disc 2 (P.S. Classics)
JFK - Ensemble, Caroline, or Change (Original Broadway Cast) Disc 1 (Hollywood Records)
The Life of the Party (reprise) - Company, Eleanor: An American Love Story (ValKill)
He Touches Me - Anne Kanengeiser, Eleanor: An American Love Story (ValKill)
Sunday, February 05, 2012
Feb. 8: Lerner's Lyrics
Wanderin' Star - Alan Jay Lerner, Alan Jay Lerner Performs His Own Songs (DRG)
On the Street Where You Live - Ron Raines, Broadway Passion (Jay Records)
I Remember It Well - Hermione Gingold; Maurice Chevalier, Gigi (Turner)
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever - John Cullum, Golden Memories of Stage & Screen Disc 1 (Reader's Digest Music/ Sony Music)
She Wasn't You [On a Clear Day] - Clifford Davis, Broadway in Love (RCA)
When You Grow Up You'll Know [Huckleberry Finn] - Brock Peters, Lerner, Loewe, Lane & Friends: AIDS Benefit Disc 1 (Varese Sarabande)
All That He Wants Me to Be - Josie De Guzman, Carmelina (Original Cast Record)
What Did I Have That I Don't Have? [On a Clear Day You Can See Forever] - Emily Skinner, Emily Skinner (Varese Sarabande)
The Girl Hunt Ballet - MGM Studio Orchestra, The Band Wagon [Original Soundtrack] [CBS Bonus Tracks] (Rhino / Wea)
How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You When You Know ... - Fred Astaire; Jane Powell, Steppin' Out: Astaire at MGM (Sony)
Dance a Little Closer (from Dance a Little Closer) - Jason Graae, You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile: The Songs of Charles Strouse (Colosseum)
There's Always One You Can't Forget [from Dance a Little Closer] - Brent Barrett, The Alan Jay Lerner Album (Fynsworth Alley)
In the Broken Promise Land of Fifteen - Bill Hutton, Lerner, Loewe, Lane & Friends: AIDS Benefit Disc 2 (Varese Sarabande)
The World Belongs to the Young - Katharine Hepburn, Coco [Original Broadway Cast] (Decca U.S.)
Lud's Wedding [1600 Pennsylvania Ave] - Sarah Brightman, The Songs that Got Away (Decca Broadway)
Take Care of This House - Dale Kristien, The Beauty of Broadway (Original Cast Record)
Love Song ("Love Life") - Cast, Kurt Weill in America (Andreasong)
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Feb 1: The Oldest Profession
Glitter and Be Gay [Candide] - Christiane Noll, 3 Broadway Divas (JAY Records)
20 Fans - Off-Broadway Cast, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, The (Revival) (Fynsworth Alley/Varese Sarabande)
Easy Money - Cast, The Life [Original Broadway Cast] (Sony)
Lovely Ladies - Cast, Les Miserables [Original Broadway Cast] Disc 1 (Decca U.S.)
It's All the Same - Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio; Muleteers, Man of La Mancha [2002 Broadway Revival Cast] (RCA Victor Broadway)
Love for Sale - Vivian Green, De-Lovely (Sony)
Big Spender - Gwen Verdon, Helen Gallagher, Sweet Charity [Original Broadw (Sony)
Overture - Orchestra, Gypsy [1989 Broadway Revival Cast] (Nonesuch)
The Oldest Profession - Lilas White, The Life [Original Broadway Cast] (Sony)
Pretty Lady - Darren Lee; Rick Edinger; Telly Leung, Pacific Overtures [2004 Broadway Revival Cast] (P.S. Classics)
What a Waste - Claude-Michel Schönberg, Miss Saigon [Original London Cast] Disc 2 (First Night)
Bring on the Men - Jeckyll and Hyde, Jeckyll and Hyde (Atlantic / Wea)
Special - Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Avenue Q (BMG)
Welcome to the Holiday Inn - Michele Lee, See Saw (Original Cast) [DRG] (DRG)
My Body - Cast, The Life [Original Broadway Cast] (
Jan 25: Disney On Broadway
Be Our Guest - London Cast, Beauty and the Beast [London] (EMI Intl. 352997)
Human Again - London Cast, Beauty and the Beast [London] (EMI Intl. 352997)
Never Again - Judy Kuhn, King David (Walt Disney 60944-7)
Not Me - Adam Pascal; Damian Perkins; Heather Headley; Sherie René Scott, Aida (Buena Vista 60671-7)
They Live in You - Samuel E. Wright, The Lion King [Original Broadway Cast] (Walt Disney 861541)
You'll Be In My Heart (Reprise) - Merle Dandridge, Josh Strickland, Tarzan: The Musical (Walt Disney 861541)
If Only (Quartet) - Sierra Boggess,, The Little Mermaid [Original Broadway Cast] (Disney 000103302)
Can You Feel the Love Tonight - aerial ballet - Orchestra, The Lion King [Original Broadway Cast] (Walt Disney 861541)
The Circle of Mice (The Circle of Life) - Soundtrack, Forbidden Broadway, Vol. 5 : Forbidden Broadway Cleans Up Its Act! (DRG 12616)
Toys - Carey, Drew With Children & Parents, Geppetto (Disney 860679)
What I've Been Looking For - Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, High School Musical The Concert (Walt Disney Records)
Prince Ali [Aladdin] - Alan Menken, On the Record Disc 1 (Disney 861249)
Out There [Hunchback of Notre Dame] - Stephen Schwartz, On the Record Disc 2 (Disney 861249)
Seize the Day - Debbie Gravitte, Part of Your World (Varese Sarabande 5452)
Jolly Holiday - Australian Cast - Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins The Supercalifragilistic Musical (Walt Disney Records 001345002)
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious - Australian Cast - Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins The Supercalifragilistic Musical (Walt Disney Records 001345002)
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Repost: For King and Mandela
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr day, a reposting of last year's episode of Black musicals, and musical theater tributes to MLK and Nelson Mandela.
The Slice - Alan Weeks; Clifford Allen; Garrett Morris; Ken Scott; Leslie Uggams; Robert Hooks, Hallelujah, Baby! (Sony Classical)
That's Not The Way We Do Things - Original Off-Broadway Cast, The Scottsboro Boys (Jay Records)
The Lynching Blues - Ann Duquesnay/Baakari Wilder/Jeffrey Wright, Bring in 'da Noise Bring in 'da Funk (RCA Victor Broadway)
Nelson Mandela and Water Dance (Omm Ohh Ho la la (Reprise) - GumBoots, Gum Boots (RCA)
Stand and Fight - Mbongeni Ngema, Sarafina! [Original Cast Recording] (RCA)
One by One - Cast, The Lion King [Original Broadway Cast] (Disney)
African Homeland - Renee Elise Goldberry, LaChanze, Cast, The Color Purple [Original Broadway Cast] (Angel)
Som'thin' from Nuthin'/Circle Stomp - Ann Duquesnay/Jeffrey Wright, Bring in 'da Noise Bring in 'da Funk (RCA Victor Broadway)
till We Reach That Day - Mary Bond Davis; Brian Stokes Mitchell, Ragtime [Original Cast Recording - RCA] (BMG)
I Know Where I've Been - Queen Latifah, Hairspray [2007 Soundtrack] (Universal Classics)
Mr. Stopnick and Emmie - Anika Noni Rose, Tonya Pinkins, Caroline, or Change (Original Broadway Cast) Disc 2 (Hollywood Records)
Kitchen Fight - Anika Noni Rose, Tonya Pinkins, Caroline, or Change (Original Broadway Cast) Disc 2 (Hollywood Records)
Down Home - Cleavon Little; Joyce Brown; Novella Nelson, Purlie (RCA Victor Broadway)
Prelude - Riot At Edmund Pettus Bridge - Ensemble, King (Polygram Records)
How Long, Not Long - Simon Estes, Edmund Hockridge, Ensemble, King (Universal International)
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Jan. 11: Jazz Restaged
The Joint Is Jumpin' - Eugene Barry-Hill; Michael-Leon Wooley; The Pointer Sisters, Ain't Misbehavin' (The New Cast Recording) (RCA)
Let the Good Times Roll - Rodrick Dixon, Thomas Young, Victor Trent Cook, Three Mo' Tenors (RCA Victor Records)
Hit Me With a Hot Note (And Watch Me Bounce) - Carl Anderson; Cheryl Freeman; Duke's Band, Play On [Original Broadway Cast] (Varese)
It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) - De Shields, Andre; Larry Marshall; Lawrence Hamilton; Yvette Cason, Play On [Original Broadway Cast] (Varese)
Bli-Blip - Ann Hampton Callaway; Everett Bradley, Swing [Original Broadway Cast] (Sony)
Strollin'/Well Alright Then - Queen Esther, George C. Wolfe's Harlem Song (Original Apollo Theater Cast Recording) (Sony Music Distribution)
That's How You Jazz - Crowd; Gregory Hines; Stanley Wayne Mathis, Jelly's Last Jam (Mercury)
Medley: Hurry Home/I Know What I've Got/Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby - Original Broadway Cast Recording, Five Guys Named Moe OBC (Sony Music Entertainment Inc.)
Black and Tan Fantasy - Duke Ellington, Black & Blue [Original Broadway Cast] ()
There Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens - Clarke Peters; Newton, Peter Alex, Five Guys Named Moe [Original London Cast] (First Night)
Bessie Smith Blues - Bertrice Reading, The Jazz Train [Bonus Tracks] (Sepia Recordings)
I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues - Carrie Smith, Black & Blue [Original Broadway Cast] (DRG)
St. Louis Blues - Gretha Boston, It Ain't Nothin But the Blues (MCA)
Black and Blue - Musical Cast Recording, Ain't Misbehavin' OBC (BMG Music)
Sweet Georgia Brown - Vivian Reed, Bubbling Brown Sugar ()
Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do - Eugene Barry-Hill; Michael-Leon Wooley; The Pointer Sisters, Ain't Misbehavin' (The New Cast Recording) (RCA Victor Broadway)
Sweet Home Chicago - Buddy Guy; C.E. Smith; Greg Porter, It Ain't Nothin But the Blues (MCA)
Choo Choo Ch'Boogie - Company; Paul J. Medford, Five Guys Named Moe [Original London Cast] (First Night)
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Jan 4: Winter/Spring Preview for Spo & Cd'A
Along with the previews of 9 shows to be performed in our area, a little discussion of the blend of art and entertainment.
Some links to the Rent discussion in the Coeur d'Alene Press
Some links to the Rent discussion in the Coeur d'Alene Press
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Dec 27: Drink!
Drinking Song - Mario Lanza, At His Best
Drinking Song [The Student Prince] - Jerry Hadley, Golden Days (RCA Victor)
Drink [Seven Lively Arts] - Thomas Hampson, Cole Porter: Night and Day (EMI)
Make It Another Old-Fashioned, Please - Mary Jo Catlett, Cole Porter: A Musical Toast Disc 1 (Varèse Sarabande)
Well Did You Evah - Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, High Society [film] (Rhino)
Say It With Gin - John McMartin, High Society [Original Broadway Cast]
Let's Have a Drink On It - Tommy Steele, John Davidson, The Happiest Millionaire [Original Cast Soundtrack Album] (Disney)
Skumps (Drinking Song) - George Bruns, Sleeping Beauty [Original Soundtrack]
The Nuttycracker Suite - Allen Won/Dan Willis/Lawrence Feldman/Lawrence Goldberg/Lawrence Yurman/Mark Johnson/Michael Rafter/Walt Weiskopf, Thoroughly Modern Millie (Original Broadway Cast)
Drink with Me - Cast, Les Miserables [Original Broadway Cast] Disc 2 (Geffen/Decca US)
To Life - Men; Michael Granger; Ross Gifford; Zero Mostel, Fiddler on the Roof OBC
We'll Take a Glass Together - Brent Barrett, Michael Jeter, Grand Hotel, The Musical (RCA)
I Was Made For Champagne - Randall Edwards; Tropicana Dan, Legs Diamond
Champagne Charlie - Derek B. Scott,
The Night They Invented Champagne - Daniel Massey/Karin Wolfe/Maria Karnilova, Gigi [Original Cast] (RCA)
Gin/Wild - Mandy Patinkin, The Wild Party [LaChiusa] [Broadway] (Universal)
Belly up to the Bar, Boys - Joseph Sirola; Tammy Grimes, The Unsinkable Molly Brown [Original Broadway Cast]
Cocktails For Two - Spike Jones, The Wacky World Of Spike Jones & His City Slickers
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Dec. 21: The Man with the Bag
Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town - Fred Astaire, Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (Rhino / Wea)
The Man With the Bag (Everybody's Waitin' For) - Rockettes, Radio City Christmas Spectacular (Sony)
Jingle Jingle Jingle - Stan Francis, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Finale) - Burl Ives, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (MCA Special Projects)
Abundance and Charity - Michael Mandell; Walter Charles, A Christmas Carol [Original Cast] (Sony)
Third Letter - Rockettes, Radio City Christmas Spectacular
Reindeer Boogie/Jingle Bells - Roger Bart, Maria Cominis, Danny Gurwin, Sally Wilfert, A Christmas Survival Guide (Original Cast Record)
I Guess There Ain't No Santa Claus - Marcus Neville, Maria Cominis, Danny Gurwin, Sally Wilfert, A Christmas Survival Guide (Original Cast Record)
Nobody Cares About Santa - Original Cast, Elf - The Musical
Be a Santa [From Subways Are for Sleeping] - Guy Haines; Michelle Nicastro, Broadway Christmas (MCA Special Products/Varese Sarabande)
We Need a Little Christmas - Orchestra, Radio City Christmas Spectacular
Too Fat To Fit (from Pete 'n' Keely) - Cast of The Producers, Broadway's Greatest Gifts: Car (Rock-It Science)
Santa Baby (New Faces) - Eartha Kitt, The Best Christmas Ever (Virgin Records Us)
I'd Like To Hitch A Ride With Santa Claus/Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town - Sally Mayes, A Christmas Survival Guide (Original Cast Record)
Surabaya-Santa - Jessica Molaskey, Songs for a New World (RCA Victor Broadway)
Mrs. Santa Claus (From 'Mrs. Santa Claus') - Angela Lansbury, Mrs. Santa Claus
Swing, Mister Santa Claus, Swing - Cast of The Music Man, Carols For A Cure 2 2000 (Rock-It Science)
Yes, There is a Santa Claus - Betty Madigan, The Stingiest Man in Town
That Man over there - Cast, Here's Love (Sony)
Who Says There Ain't No Santa Claus? - Barbara Cook; Jerome Courtland; Personnel; The Executives, Flahooley (DRG)
Dec. 14: Carols for a Cure 2011
A Christmas Carol - Cast of How to Succeed in Business without really trying, Carols for a Cure 13 2011 (Rock-It Science)
Deck The Halls - Cast of Avenue Q, Carols for a Cure 13 2011 (Rock-It Science)
The Holiday Hop (It's a Wonderful Life musical) - Cast of 42nd Street, Carols for a Cure 5 2003 (Rock-It Science)
The Twelve Days Of Phanthom - Cast of Phantom of the Opera with Howard McGillin, Carols For A Cure 1 1999 (Rock-It Science)
I Wonder as I Wander - Cast of Phantom, Carols for a Cure 13 2011 (Rock-It Science)
Away In A Manger - Cast of Ragtime, Carols For A Cure 1 1999 (Rock-It Science)
What Child Is This? - Cast of Chicago, Carols for a Cure 13 2011(Rock-It Science)
Good King Wenceslas - Cast of Sound of Music, Carols for a Cure 10 2008 (Rock-It Science)
Angels We Have Heard on High - Cast of Sister Act, Carols for a Cure 13 2011(Rock-It Science)
When the River Meets the Sea - Cast of Wicked, Carols for a Cure 13 2011 (Rock-It Science)
I Saw Three Ships - Cast of Miss Saigon, Carols For A Cure 1 1999 (Rock-It Science)
The Wexford Carol - Cast of Riverdance, Carols For A Cure 2 2000 (Rock-It Science)
The Rocking Carol - Cast of Mary Poppins, Carols for a Cure 13 2011 (Rock-It Science)
ABBA on German Radio - Cast of Mamma Mia, Carols for a Cure 13 2011 (Rock-It Science)
Go Tell It On The Mountain - Cast of Mamma Mia, Carols For A Cure 4 2002 (Rock-It Science)
Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming/Still, Still, Still/Bring A Torch, Jeanette Isabel - Cast of The Producers, Carols For A Cure 4 2002 (Rock-It Science)
O Holy Night - Daniel Rodriquez, Carols for a Cure 13 2011(Rock-It Science)
Dec. 7: A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol - Company, Scrooge [Original Cast Recording] ()
Nothing to Do With Me - Ken Jennings; Ken McMullen; Robert Ousley; Robert Westernberg; Toney, Andrea Fri; Van Treuren, Martin; Walter Willison, A Christmas Carol [Original Cast] ()
Make the Most of This World - Harry Dickman; Ian Caddick; John Clay; Jon Pertwee; Stuart Cross, Scrooge [Original Cast Recording] ()
Lights of Long Ago - Cast, A Christmas Carol [2004 TV Cast] ()
A Place Called Home (Scrooge at 10) - , A Christmas Carol [2004 TV Cast] ()
Golden Dreams / It Might Have Been - Vic Damone & Patrice Munsel, The Stingiest Man in Town (Jasmine Records)
Good King Wenceslas - Orchestra, Muppet Christmas Carol ()
Drink It In edit - Cast, Christmas Carol (Robinson) ()
Christmas Together - Betsy Chang; David Gallagher; Mary Elizabeth Albano; Matthew Mezzacappa; Michael Mandell; Nick Corley; Walter Charles, A Christmas Carol [Original Cast] ()
One Little Boy - Basil Rathbone & Robert Wright, The Stingiest Man in Town (Jasmine Records)
It's Not My Fault (Reprise) - Anthony Newley, Scrooge [Original Cast Recording] (Jay)
Dancing on Your Grave - Kelsey Grammer, A Christmas Carol [2004 TV Cast] ()
Just Desserts - Cast, Christmas Carol (Robinson) ()
The Man Is Mad - Cast, Christmas Carol (Robinson) ()
A Christmas Carol - The Four Lads, The Stingiest Man in Town (Jasmine Records)
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
Nov 2: Cy Coleman
For some reason, the player shows "0:00" time until you actually hit play. Try it and it should work. (grumble grumble "technology" grumble...)
Playlist coming once I figure out what bug has infected my Word program. (grumble grumble expletive "technology" grumble...)
Playlist coming once I figure out what bug has infected my Word program. (grumble grumble expletive "technology" grumble...)
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