Way Pt.2 [CD-single] [Enhanced] [Import]

Way Pt.2 [CD-single] [Enhanced] [Import]

Track Listings

1. Way

2. Somebody Told Me (Live From Radio 1)

3. Holiness (Re-Vocal Version)

4. Way (Video)

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
The title track is backed with 'Somebody Told Me' (Live from Radio 1), 'Holiness' (re-vocal version) & 'The Way' (video). Polydor. 2005.

Tracks:

No One Mourns the Wicked - Cristy Candler
Dear Old Shiz
The Wizard and I - Idina Menzel
What Is This Feeling? - Kristin Chenoweth
Something Bad - William Youmans
Dancing Through Life - Michelle Federer
Popular - Kristin Chenoweth
I'm Not That Girl - Idina Menzel
One Short Day - Kristin Chenoweth
A Sentimental Man - Joel Grey
Defying Gravity - Idina Menzel
Thank Goodness - Kristin Chenoweth
Wonderful - Idina Menzel
I'm Not That Girl (Reprise) - Kristin Chenoweth
As Long as You're Mine - Norbert Leo Butz
No Good Deed - Idina Menzel
March of the Witch Hunters
For Good - Kristin Chenoweth
Finale - Kristin Chenoweth

Amazon.com

One of the most common complaints about musicals is that the books are flimsy pretexts from which to hang numbers. Wicked runs into the opposite problem: it has a great plot, but too often the songs just get in the way. Based on Gregory Maguire's novel of the same name, Wicked tells us what happened between Glinda the Good and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, before Dorothy showed up in Oz. And the show is lucky to boast a pair of ace leading women in the main roles. As Glinda, Kristin Chenoweth delivers a sensational star turn, displaying a crystal-pure voice and sharp comic timing; Idina Menzel lends her powerful pipes to the tricky role of Elphaba. Unfortunately, you wish they had better material to work with. Stephen Schwartz's pop score is often dragged down by overly synthetic orchestrations and sentimental lyrics (think Chicken Soup for the Witch). Still, at its best Wicked is a seductive slice of popular entertainment that could well give a younger audience a lasting taste for musical theater. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews:

A Wicked musical.......2007-07-13

There are two, for me, outstanding pieces to this recording of the Original cast recording of the musical 'Wicked' The wizard and I and Popular. Both sung with great fun and gusto.
Over all I enjoyed the CD, being a massive wizard of Oz fan, it was interesting to listen to the story from an altogether different perspective. Enjoyable, memorable and fun- a great purchase, that comes highly recommended.

Wicked Wonderful!.......2007-07-12

My son and nieces saw Wicked on Broadway three years ago and it took me this long to order the CD. I played it endlessly the last several weeks and as a long time musical afficionado can say unequivocally, it is a superlative example of score and libretto. The lyrics are exemplary in their poignancy and clever massage of the concepts of good and evil. The music tugged at every heartstring I have. Wicked is sublime!

Wicked Soundtrack.......2007-07-12

I have experienced Wicked in London at the Apollo Theatre on three separate occasions. Owning the soundrack enables me to relive the emotion surrounding this amazing theatrical production. This soundtrack includes an appropriate character dialog and music combination enabling the listener to participate in a continuous story line flow, avoiding gaps and interrupted transitions, providing the opportunity to relieve each theatrical experience scene by scene.

I recommend this soundtract for those who are planning to go to a Wicked production. The soundract includes printed musical lyrics in the included folio. Immersing oneself in the music and lyrics will enhance the total experience at the theatre.

Enjoy

Wicked in London.......2007-07-11

I went to see Wicked at the Victoria Apollo Theatre in London last weekend. I had been playing this cd for a couple of weeks so that I knew the music beforehand and, although the vocals are not bad, it doesn't come anywhere close to the performance by Kerry Ellis. She is absolutely superb & if you get the chance to see her then you should jump at it. I hope that a Wicked cd featuring her is produced as this one has lost it's charm a little after hearing her.

Classic, classy, and funny.......2007-07-09

The songs that are funny are VERY funny, and the songs that are sad are very sad. It opens with "No One Mourns the Wicked", a song that in any other show would be the closing number (in other words, start off with a climax and build from there.). For my money the three best songs are the ironic "The Wizard and I" (the W.W.'s wishes for the future), "What is This Feeling" (the best song in the show, it uses the clichés of a love song to talk about W.W. and Glinda's mutual loathing. If you hum any tune for a week it will be this - unless it's . . .), and "Popular" (Glinda's witty I-Know-How-To-Make-You-Over romp). The much-praised "Defying Gravity" is ok, but really just your standard Broadway Empowerment Tune(tm) -- this generation's "Impossible Dream" from MAN OF LA MANCHA. Likewise "Dancing Through Life" has such a great tune that it was a shame to waste it on those silly lyrics. They should have reprised it later in the show for a different character with deeper lyrics. Still, cast album is going into heavy rotation on my CD player.

Spring Awakening (2006 Original Broadway Cast)

Average customer rating:

what a great album.
Interesting concept for the stage
Great show, great soundtrack
Great new musical
Another awesome Broadway Recording!!

Spring Awakening (2006 Original Broadway Cast)
Duncan Sheik , Steven Sater , Skylar Astin , Lilli Cooper , John Gallagher Jr. , Gideon Glick , Jonathan Groff , Brian Johnson , Lea Michele , and Lauren Pritchard
Manufacturer: Decca Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Grey Gardens - A New Musical (2006 Original Broadway Cast)
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The Drowsy Chaperone (2006 Original Broadway Cast)
110 in the Shade (2007 Broadway Revival Cast)

ASIN: B000J3FBFC
Release Date: 2006-12-12

Tracks:

Mamma Who Bore Me
Mamma Who Bore Me (Reprise)
All That's Known
The B*tch of Living
My Junk
Touch Me
The Word of Your Body
The Dark I Know Well
And Then There Were None
The Mirror-Blue Night
I Believe
Don't Do Sadness
Blue Wind
The Guilty Ones
Left Behind
Totally F*ucked
The Word of Your Body (Reprise)
Whispering
Those You've Known
The Song of Purple Summer

Amazon.com

Who would have thought that Duncan Sheik would succeed where Paul Simon and Randy Newman failed, successfully transitioning from the pop-rock world to the Broadway stage? With Spring Awakening, Sheik and book writer/lyricist Steven Slater (who had already worked on Sheik's 2001 album Phantom Moon) have created a thoroughly exciting show that incorporates a contemporary art-indie idiom (including a small rock band instead of an orchestra) into a dramatic musical-theater context. The unlikely setting is that of a Frank Wedekind adaptation, but as it turns out, teenage angst is perennial, whether it's in contemporary America or in a 1891 German boarding school. Songs such as "The Bitch of Living" ("with nothing going on, asking just what went wrong"), "The Word of Your Body," "I Don't Do Sadness," and "Totally Fucked" ("You're fucked if you speak your mind and you know you will") resonate with the rage, frustration, confusion, excitement, joy, anger, and of course budding lust of those hormone-driven years. The show is greatly enhanced by its youthful cast members (they're all pretty close in age to their characters), who sing their hearts out. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Album Description

Decca Broadway presents the cast recording for the acclaimed new Broadway production, SPRING AWAKENING. Written by pop music composer Duncan Sheik and playwright/lyricist Steven Sater, the musical explores emotional earthquakes in the lives of teenagers.

SPRING AWAKENING is based on Frank Wedekind's controversial 1891 drama, which was scandalous in its day for addressing sex violence and suicide. The story, dialogue and costumes suggest the 19th Century, and are perfectly wedded to a beautiful alternative pop music score by GrammyÂ® nominated singer/songwriter Duncan Sheik. The creative team also includes TonyÂ® Award Winning director Michael Mayer (Thoroughly Modern Millie) and legendary choreographer Bill T. Jones.

Customer Reviews:

what a great album........2007-07-13

The songs are written so well, and the performances are excellent! It's quite an experience to listen to.

Interesting concept for the stage.......2007-07-13

The music is good, just takes some getting used to if your into more traditional musical theater. The themes are very adult, but the music is haunting. The phrasing is very different and the lyrics are more obtuse than I'm used to, But once you give it a chance, you will be singing these songs all day. I will be very interested in seeing this production live.

Great show, great soundtrack.......2007-07-13

Spring Awakening is "not your parents' musical," so to speak, and the music certainly reflects that. With many musicals, it is hard to enjoy the music out of context, i.e. if you haven't seen the show, but I don't think that is the case with this soundtrack. The songs are edgy, beautifully written and magnificently performed. I keep going back to this over and over again.

Great new musical.......2007-07-13

I saw the cast performing on the Tony's and was blown away by the music. TV usually deadens live theater no matter how good it is, but when I saw the company performing and they still were dynamite over the airwaves, I knew this was something special. The CD does not disappoint. Only criticism is that some of the lyrics they sing in a few songs are not in the liner notes, and it's so good I wish I had every word in writing. Not suitable for playing if you've got young children in the car, but the profanity is not for shock value, it is justified in the text. Great new work.

Another awesome Broadway Recording!!.......2007-07-13

Spring Awakening is wonderful...the music coming from the hearts of youth struggle and agony, the entire cd grabs the attention of the listener!!

Average customer rating:

The Last Kander and Ebb
All DAVID HYDE PIERCE FANS WILL LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!
Very Pleasant
Pure Entertainment
Curtains is hilarious

Curtains (2007 Original Broadway Cast)

Manufacturer: Manhattan Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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110 in the Shade (2007 Broadway Revival Cast)
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Company (2006 Broadway Revival Cast)

ASIN: B000PC1QKQ
Release Date: 2007-06-05

Tracks:

Overture
Wide Open Spaces
What Kind Of Man?
Thinking Of Him
The Woman's Dead
Show People
Coffee Shop Nights
In the Same Boat
I Miss the Music
Thataway!
The Man Is Dead
He Did It
In the Same Boat
It's a Business
Kansasland
Medley: Thinking Of Him/I Miss the Music
A Tough Act To Follow
In the Same Boat
In the Same Boat
Show People
Wide Open Spaces
A Tough Act To Follow

Amazon.com

Sadly, Curtains is the final entry in the long and fruitful partnership of lyricist Fred Ebb (who died in September 2004) and composer John Kander. While the show doesn't reach the heights of the team's previous masterpieces, such as Cabaret and Chicago, it's certainly a lot better than, say, their middling 1997 offering Steel Pier. Deliberately old-fashioned (it even features a real overture, something that's fast becoming a rarity), Curtains is a whodunit rolled into a musical--or vice versa. Set in 1959 Boston, it takes place backstage at a singing-and-dancing Western corker titled Robbin Hood. Someone gets killed, and a show tunes-crazy homicide detective (David Hyde Pierce) is called in. The plot is just a pretext for a series of very entertaining, characteristically brass-heavy songs that may not have the bite of old Kander and Ebb but are still very catchy. Above all, Curtains is (both thematically and stylistically) a love letter to old-school showbiz, and it's delivered on a silver platter by a cast of pros that includes the aforementioned Hyde Pierce, Kander and Ebb habituée Karen Ziemba, endearing Jason Danieley and, a notch above the rest, Debra Monk. Unsurprisingly, she chews the scenery and spits it right back in a pair of rowdy numbers: "Show People" and "It's a Business." --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Album Description

Curtains is an entertaining play within a play, as well as a "whodunit" new musical comedy featuring one of the last scores by legendary, Tony Award-winning songwriters John Kander and Fred Ebb (Cabaret, Chicago, New York, New York). Starring David Hyde Pierce (Spamalot, "Frasier") and Debra Monk, the Curtains original Broadway cast album is produced by nine-time Grammy Award-winner Jay David Saks.

Customer Reviews:

The Last Kander and Ebb.......2007-07-13

Couldn't miss the opportunity to hear the last of the Kander and Ebb collaboration. This score has a familiar feel to it. The music is good but not great and the show seems as if it would be fun.

All DAVID HYDE PIERCE FANS WILL LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!.......2007-07-10

And even if you are not---the music is great!!!!!! This is the final collaboration between John Kander and the late Fred Ebb--plus throw in the efforts of Rupert Holmes (who wrote the underated MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD--and everyone's favorite guilty pleasure 70's tune--THE PINA COLADA SONG). Anyway, I always thought David was robbed of a TONY nod for SPAMALOT--so his win for this was quite overdue!

Every song is a winner---and it is not just because of Pierce--Deborah Monk also has one of the great show stoppers "IT'S A BUSINESS"!

All theatre buff will enjoy--I certainly did!

Very Pleasant.......2007-07-10

Nice, witty and pleasant music. Sadly, as the teams last work, it is not on a par with their earlier efforts. I kept expecting the big, gorgeous, soaring ballad of other shows, but it never really comes. I still think Steel Pier is their best work (tho the show didn't work). However when you are the composers of Cabaret, The Happy Time, Woman of the Year, Chicago, The Act and The Rink (among still more), you go down in theater history as one of the great songwriting teams in American theater.

The performers are all first rate, David Hyde Pierce and Debra Monk are hoots. KAren Ziemba, as always, is wonderful. A major disappointment is that Jason Danielly's beautiful tenor voice is not given more to do. Overall, pleasant fun!!

Pure Entertainment.......2007-07-10

Very entertaining. A fitting finale to the partnership of Kander & Ebb.
The story is immaterial to the music. A strong cast carries off what could be considered a nonsense piece. Plaudits all round to the cast, writers and producers.

Curtains is hilarious.......2007-07-09

David Hyde Pearce is excellent as the detective -- finally breaking away from his Niles Crane persona. He's not a great singer, but he sure can put over his songs. I was particularly impressed with Debra Monk who is delightfully catty and crude and she sings beautifully. The score is not Kander & Ebb's best, but the lyrics are clever and sometimes had be LMAOROTF.

The Pirate Queen (2007 Original Broadway Cast)

Average customer rating:

A Few Good Moments, But Disappointing Overall
A very good recording
The Pirate Queen
A minor effort, but it has its moments
my thoughts

The Pirate Queen (2007 Original Broadway Cast)

Manufacturer: Sony Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Curtains (2007 Original Broadway Cast)
Legally Blonde (2007 Original Broadway Cast)
110 in the Shade (2007 Broadway Revival Cast)
Spring Awakening (2006 Original Broadway Cast)
High Fidelity (2006 Original Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B000QTCY72
Release Date: 2007-07-03

Tracks:

Prologue
Pirate Queen
Woman
My Grace
Here on This Night
Waking of the Queen
Rah-Rah, Tip-Top
Choice Is Mine
Boys'll Be Boys
Wedding
I'll Be There
Day Beyond Belclare
Sail to the Stars
Entr'acte
Enemy at Port Side
I Dismiss You
If I Said I Loved You
Role of the Queen
Christening
Let a Father Stand by His Son
Surrender
She Who Has All
Sea of Life
Woman to Woman
Finale

Amazon.com

The Pirate Queen, with a score by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg (Les Misérables, Miss Saigon), took a critical beating when it opened on Broadway, but as this catchy cast recording demonstrates, that reception was really unnecessarily harsh. Set in the 17th century, the show (which closed after only 85 performances) tells the story of Grace O'Malley (Stephanie J. Block), an Irish ship captain and pirate who defied Queen Elizabeth I (Linda Balgord). The combination of that setting with the fact that the producers also brought us Riverdance means an overall Celtic flavor. But fans of Boublil and Schönberg should not fear. The duo delivers plenty of the over-the-top, super-emotional power ballads they're famous for--it's hard not to wonder what Celine Dion would make of songs such as "Woman" or "I'll Be There" (the latter sung by a man, but no matter!). Special kudos to Balgord, whose deliciously campy stage portrayal of Elizabeth I comes across well on "The Waking of the Queen," "The Role of the Queen," and two harpsichord-driven, vibrato-laden duets with Block, "She Who Has All" and "Woman to Woman." Also of note to fans of traditional singing is the participation of Áine Uí Cheallaigh (known from Riverdance) on several tracks. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews:

A Few Good Moments, But Disappointing Overall.......2007-07-13

I saw this show twice during its run: once in Chicago, once in New York. Loving both "Les Miserables" and "Miss Saigon", I had high expectations for "The Pirate Queen". Sadly, the show was disappointing - primarily from the once aspect I assumed would be great: the music.

The score's orchestrations sound terrific and the cast is quite good (esp. Stephanie J. Block), but (as this cast album reflects) only a couple of songs maintain any real staying power:

Woman
I'll Be There
She Who Has All

Not bad, but could/should have been so much more.

A very good recording.......2007-07-11

I really like the CD. I find it too short but it was beautifully recorded. The voices were very strong and the orchestration was done nicely. I really didn't like the electric guitar, it seems so out of place sometimes over powering the vocal especially during I'll be there.

The Pirate Queen.......2007-07-11

"The Pirate Queen" was a genious yet unique piece of musical theatre that suffered a harsh yet undeserved fate. I was very blessed to see this show twice on Broadway, including its very last performance on Broadway June 17th. Everytime I listen through the cast recording, I have to question why this show got the ratings it did. I refuse to believe that the critics that panned the show were watching and hearing the same show that I was. The cast, though, including the powerful and haunting vocals from Stephanie J. Block, were all incredibly talented and gave a thrilling and unforgetable experience every performance. I continue to feel shivers when I hear the Prologue, and can still perfectly visualize the opening scene. Some of the highlighted solos of the show include Ms. Block's "Woman" and Hadley Frasier's "I'll Be There". The conversations (duets) held between Grania and Queen Elizabeth in "She Who Has All" and "Woman to Woman" portray the strength and meeting of two historical women in such a time when powerful females were unheard of. Songs that include the chorus such as "A Day Beyond Belclare", "Sail to the Stars", and "Sea of Life" will surely leave you with the chills from the power and depth of the songs. There are so many other songs on the cast recording, and if I could I would tell you the magic behind each and every one of them, but I'll let you listen to it and experience it for yourself. Even though this show was robbed of the recognition it deserved, we are so incredibly fortunate to have a cast recording to allow us who have seen the show to re-live the magic we experienced, and also portray the beauty of such a wonderful yet short lived musical to those who did not have the chance to see it. "The Pirate Queen" may not be playing on Broadway now, but this CR will allow this enchanting show to forever live in our hearts. Long live the Queen!

A minor effort, but it has its moments.......2007-07-10

Since the ill-fated "Martin Guerre" in the 90's, I've been waiting for Boublil and Schonberg to make a comeback and recapture some of the glory they achieved with their blockbuster 80's musicals, "Les Miserables" and "Miss Saigon." Unfortunately, "The Pirate Queen" is more throwback than comeback. Despite some Irish folk stylings thrown in to fit this story about an Irish female pirate, the music is just too similar to their earlier works, never sounding sufficiently new or original. It's derivative, no question, but fortunately, it's derivative of shows I really like (well, not "Martin Guerre" so much, but I'm certainly a fan of "Les Miz" and "Saigon."). Schonberg has a talent for unabashed dramatics, and when he turns it on here in songs like "I'll Be There" and "A Day Beyond Belclare," I can't help but get lost in my nostalgia for the pop opera spectacles that introduced me to musicals and cast recordings. Unfortunately, even nostalgia can't do much about duds like "Boys'll Be Boys," a gratingly corny number that musically is sort of a cross between "Master of the House" from "Les Miz" and "What a Waste" from "Saigon." And don't even get me started on the depressingly banal lyrics throughout, which are never more than functional. But I like the performances of stars Stephanie J. Block and Hadley Fraser, who both have impressive voices that are a perfect fit for this style of musical. Overall, "The Pirate Queen" is the musical equivalent of a summer popcorn movie ("Pirates of the Carribean," perhaps?), and on that level, it works just well enough.

my thoughts.......2007-07-10

well, first off, I was shocked that the stores didn't carry more copies of this...I really had to look around for it but finally got it...This show is not great...It's not what it could be, but it has got a great cast, and some great great music...

Some songs I really enjoy are "The Pirate Queen", "Boys Will be Boys", "A Day Beyond Belcare", Sail to the Stars" One thing this Cd really has is GREAT ensemble numbers. The music really lets the cast's vocals shine, moreso than a lot of shows. I'd say that's one of the biggest highlights.

What REALLY makes this CD, and the song that I will listen to over and over and over and over again is Hadley Fraser's "I'll Be There". This is one of if not the best song for a male character B and S ever wrote. It's gorgeous and Hadley sings it brilliantly. He has the power in both the lower and higher register, he has a gorgeous tenor voice but it is so rich and powerful, yet lyric at the same time...so good.

The rest of the CD is just so so...Get it for "I'll be there" and the great Chorus numbers, but I was disappointed that Block didn't get her equivalent to "I'll be there" and The queen stuff is really annoying to listen to...

Jeff McCarthy does a great job as the dad...he has the perfect Boublil and Schonberg authoritative, legit baritone voice you'd want in a Javert or that type of character. It's not a CD or a show that's flawless, but for sure worth getting because where it's strong it's very strong.

Jersey Boys (2005 Original Broadway Cast)

Average customer rating:

Jersey Boys
Like being there
A step back in musical time
Great music, but missing too much
Jersey boys win my heart

Jersey Boys (2005 Original Broadway Cast)
Ronald Melrose , Ken Dow , Anik Oulianine , Stephanie Cummins , Deborah Hurwitz , Kevin Dow , Joe Payne , Larry Saltzman , Dave Spier , Bill Hayes , Randall Andos , Bob Milikan , Debra Shufelt , Maxine Roach , Belinda Whitney , Cenovia Cummins , Eric de Gioia , Louise Owen , Robin Zeh , Sarah Schwartz , Shinwon Kim , Christian Hoff , Daniel Reichard , Donnie Kehr , Erica Piccininni , J. Robert Spencer , Jennifer Naimo , John Lloyd Young , Sara Schmidt , Tituss Burgess , Steve Orich , and Bob Gaudio
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Very Best of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
The Drowsy Chaperone (2006 Original Broadway Cast)
Grey Gardens - A New Musical (2006 Original Broadway Cast)
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The Color Purple (2005 Original Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B000BFH2QY
Release Date: 2005-11-01

Tracks:

Ces Soirees la'
Early Years Medley
Cry For Me
Backups Medley
Sherry
Big Girls Don't Cry
Walk Like A Man
December, 1963
My Boyfriend's Back
My Eyes Adored You
Dawn (Go Away)
Big Man In Town
Dialog: A Little Trouble
Beggin'
Dialog: See How You Handle It
Medley Listen Listen
c'mon marianne
Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You
Working My Way Back To You
Fallen Angel

Amazon.com

Although it squarely falls in the "jukebox musical" category, Jersey Boys doesn¹t try to integrate its songs in an artificial plotline. The show tells the story of the early-1960s group the Four Seasons, and the musical numbers tend to be introduced in context, as when songwriter Bob Gaudio comes up with a tune, or the quartet performs a show. This allows Jersey Boys to flow better than some of ill-fated peers, and the actors can shine without having to bend backward to accommodate an inane book. The show's most (only) daring move is to start with a hip-hop-tinged French-language version of "December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)," an actual hit in France in 2000. After that it's all VH1-biopic territory, but it's done with so much flair, taste and energy that the ride's a fun one. The Four Seasons had enough hits ("Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Rag Doll," etc.) to easily fill an evening at the theater, so it's left to the cast to do right by them. And it does, particularly John Lloyd Young as the band¹s star lead, Frankie Valli. Young hits all the falsetto notes and brings real freshness to the part. His "Can¹t Take My Eyes Off You," a second-act peak, is signed, sealed and delivered with a star's acumen. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Album Description

Recounting the rich history and reliving the timeless sounds of the phenomenal Frankie Vallie & The 4 Seasons, the new Broadway musical Jersey Boys answers the musical-and philosophical question, "How did four would-be wise guys from Newark, NJ, become one of the greatest chart-topping successes in pop music history?" Jersey Boys celebrates legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito, and Nick Massi who, as the 4 seasons, wrote their own songs, invented their own identity, and sold 175 million records worldwide-all before they were 30.

Customer Reviews:

Jersey Boys.......2007-07-08

Purchased CD prior to seeing the show when visiting USA in '06. A fun lively show - the CD now captivates those fond memories of not only the foot tapping music & show but also our special time in New York.

Like being there.......2007-07-05

Have seen the play twice. This album lets me relive the experience anytime anyplace. A great piece of Rock n roll history.

A step back in musical time.......2007-07-05

My wife and daughter didn't know about the Four Seasons but I did. When I told them I wanted to see the musical on stage, there was no interest so I bought this product and they heard it in the car. We went to the stage musical soon after and we have listened to the entire disk so many times I've lost track. I created a Four Seasons monster in my daughter. She's fifteen and has memorized most of the songs and sings along while we are driving somewhere.

Great music, but missing too much.......2007-07-04

I saw this play at age 16 with no idea who the Four Seasons were, but instantly fell in love with it. The problem is, this soudntrack cuts a two hour play into less than an hour on CD. Most of the dialouge is missing, only including enough to let each member of the group at least say something. I know many play soundtracks cut out dialouge, but what confuses me is why this stretches to the music as well. What is there is amazing, but I don't understand why most of the songs are cut to half, and sometimes even a third or fourth of their original lengths. I love this CD, just be aware that you are hardly getting any story, just clips of lots of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons songs. So, great music and dialouge, just not enough for a musical soundtrack.

Jersey boys win my heart.......2007-07-03

what a wonderful album-brings back such wonderful memories
they don't write songs like this enough today

Legally Blonde (2007 Original Broadway Cast)

Average customer rating:

Legally Blonde (2007 Original Broadway Cast)

Manufacturer: Ghostlight
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Curtains (2007 Original Broadway Cast)
The Pirate Queen (2007 Original Broadway Cast)
Hairspray (Soundtrack to the Motion Picture)
110 in the Shade (2007 Broadway Revival Cast)
High Fidelity (2006 Original Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B000R7I3NW
Release Date: 2007-07-17

Tracks:

Legally Blonde, Musical/Omigod You Guys
Legally Blonde, Musical/Serious
Legally Blonde, Musical/What You Want
Legally Blonde, Musical/The Harvard Variations
Legally Blonde, Musical/Blood in the Water
Legally Blonde, Musical/Positive
Legally Blonde, Musical/Ireland
Legally Blonde, Musical/Ireland (Reprise)
Legally Blonde, Musical/Serious (Reprise)
Legally Blonde, Musical/Chip on My Shoulder
Legally Blonde, Musical/So Much Better
Legally Blonde, Musical/Whipped into Shape
Legally Blonde, Musical/Take It Like a Man
Legally Blonde, Musical/Bend and Snap
Legally Blonde, Musical/There! Right There!
Legally Blonde, Musical/Legally Blonde
Legally Blonde, Musical/Legally Blonde Remix
Legally Blonde, Musical/Find My Way/Finale

Amazon.com

Like Wicked, this show is a girl-friendly extravaganza; the main difference--and it's a big one--is that the score of Legally Blonde is better. Based on the hit Reese Witherspoon movie, the zippy, frothy show tells the story of SoCal, pink-loving sorority girl Elle Woods, who enrolls at Harvard Law and goes on to prove that appearances can be deceiving. The opening number, "Omigod You Guys," gives an idea of what the Broadway-pop score by Laurence O'Keefe (Bat Boy--The Musical) and Nell Benjamin is up to, embracing its over-the-top cheer with goofily infectious energy. Sure, a couple of numbers feel a bit derivative (the show with the witches has "Popular," this one has "Positive"), and the Celtic detour ("Ireland") is rather puzzling, but overall the songs are firing on all cylinders. Just check out the use of a marching band on "What You Want" for instance. Laura Bell Bundy (Amber von Tussle in Hairspray) is a charming Elle, and she delivers numbers such as "So Much Better" with the requisite elan. But this is not a one-woman show, and Bundy is surrounded by a crack team, including the endearing Christian Borle as Elle's love interest Emmett, power-piped Orfeh as hairdresser Paulette and up-and-comer Leslie Kritzer as Delta Nu's Serena. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Average customer rating:

I'd Give it 6 Stars if I could
Still Amazing
Dixie Chicks at their best
Love it
Another winner

Taking The Long Way
Dixie Chicks
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Home
All the Roadrunning
Not Too Late
Wide Open Spaces
Continuum

ASIN: B000F7MG4G
Release Date: 2006-05-23

Tracks:

The Long Way Around
Easy Silence
Not Ready To Make Nice
Everybody Knows
Bitter End
Lullaby
Lubbock Or Leave It
Silent House
Favorite Year
Voice Inside My Head
I Like It
Baby Hold On
So Hard
I Hope

Amazon.com

Nothing changes folks like babies and war, and since the release of their last album, 2002's Home, the Dixie Chicks have been forever altered by both. If that album showcased the trio as precocious young adults, Taking the Long Way finds them sobered and matured, and in a grown-up state of mind. Produced by the celebrated Rick Rubin (Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chili Peppers), who saw the Chicks as "a great rock act making a country album, not a country act making a rock album," their new record impresses both as beautiful sonic tapestry (peppered with myriad Beatlesque hallmarks) and forthright yet vulnerable portrait of three women shaken by the personal and political events of the past few years. As they make clear in the defiant "Not Ready to Make Nice," they still smart over the backlash from their 2003 Bushwhacking. But as they assert on the equally autobiographical "The Long Way Around," they could never "kiss all the asses that they told me to" and just follow others aimlessly--and silently--through life. This means that the Chicks are simultaneously prideful and scornful of celebrity ("Everybody Knows"), and that as new mothers they increasingly treasure the refuge they find in life with their families, out of the spotlight ("Easy Silence," "Lullaby," "Baby Hold On"). The push and pull of both passions drive this record, which also touches on the personal issues of infertility (with which sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison both dealt) and Alzheimer's (from which Natalie Maines's grandmother suffers). The trio crafted all 14 cuts with the help of such writers as Sheryl Crow, Gary Louris, Mike Campbell, and Keb' Mo', laying out their lives as honestly and intimately as they might in their diaries. For that reason, on first listen, Taking the Long Way seems too somber--in need of a bit of levity and more than a couple of uptempo songs (like the sexy, '60s-flavored "I Like It") to resonate for the long haul. It also seems to lack the writing quality that Darrell Scott, Patty Griffin, and Bruce Robison brought to Home. But on repeated plays, those concerns dissipate. By the last cut, the R&B/gospel offering "I Hope," the Chicks have chronicled their journey with as much spirituality as spunk, their pain deeply ingrained in their protests. --Alanna Nash

Description

With Taking The Long Way, one of the most anticipated albums in recent years, the Dixie Chicks are putting themselves out there like never before. For the first time, every one of the disc's fourteen songs are co-written by the Chicks themselves, exploring themes both deeply private and resoundingly political. Collaborating with legendary producer Rick Rubin (who has worked with everyone from Johnny Cash to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, from Run DMC to Neil Diamond), the biggest-selling female band in history has truly pushed themselves to new heights both as writers and as performers.

"Everything felt more personal this time," says Maines. "I go back to songs we've done in the past and there's just more maturity, depth, intelligence on these. They just feel more grown-up." Inspired by such classic rock artists as the Eagles, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and the Mamas and the Papas, Taking The Long Way adds a sweeping, Southern California vibe to the Chicks' down-home intimacy. That ambition is matched with lyrics addressing everything from small-town narrow-mindedness ("Lubbock or Leave It") to the psychology of celebrity ("Everybody Knows"). "This album was about finding a balance in the different aspects of our lives," says Emily Robison, "but there's something thematic there, too--it's really about being bold."

Dixie Pics

Dixie Discs

Home

Wide Open Spaces

Fly

Top of the World Tour (Live CD)

Top of the World Tour (DVD)

An Evening with the Dixie Chicks (DVD)

Customer Reviews:

I'd Give it 6 Stars if I could.......2007-07-08

That's how much I LOVE this record! Myself like others I've read, have never purchased a Dixie Chicks record before. I have to admit I only bought it because I'm a huge Jayhawks (Gary Louris) fan, and wanted to hear his contributions. Well, even if Gary had never ever written with these women, I would give this CD my highest rating.

Best tracks are "I'm Not Ready to Make Nice". This song give me chills every time I hear it, never fails to produce that effect. "Everybody Knows" is my next favorite. I'm not going into detail on each and every one, but if you've not heard the DC before or are a long-time fan, this record is for you, trust me.

It's a record that I find fresh and exciting every time I play it, still. The Chicks are wonderful musicians, and Natalie has one of the best voices around! This was my favorite record from last year and truly deserved it's title of Best Record from the grammys.

Still Amazing.......2007-06-26

I bought this when it was first released, and I love it just as much as the day it arrived--maybe more. I often get sick of albums that seemed great in the beginning, but I don't think that could happen with this one. It is too perfect.

Dixie Chicks at their best.......2007-06-24

I find it unbelievable that the Dixie Chicks are still not played on country radio stations (on the Internet anyway). Country musics' heart and soul is telling stories; sad, happy, and everything in between. This album tells the 'story' of the Dixie Chicks in an awesome way. It brings chills to hear how real their story is. The way they have brought the emotion and challenges they faced out through their songs shows unbelievably talent and courage.

As far as still not being played goes, here in NZ we only know what we see on the news and as far as I can tell their are plenty of you Americans who have said and done a lot worse than what the Chicks ever said. I think not playing them is very one-eyed and narrow minded. You just have to look at some of country music's icons to see they have rebelled against the 'government.' Willie, Waylon, Merle, Hank Williams Snr, just to name a few.

Go the Chicks, I will always buy and play their music.

Kia ora

Love it.......2007-06-22

I loved the Chicks' first 3 albums, and though this one is very different from those, I love this one too. It has such a different context, and is not all carefree and fun like some of their other stuff, but for obvious reasons with everthing they've gone through. They really are very respectable artists and people.

Another winner.......2007-06-11

Bought this for my wife. She loves it. I support the Chicks in all they do. We loved their documentary. Great, catchy music. I like how their style evolves.

110 in the Shade (2007 Broadway Revival Cast)

Average customer rating:

Wonderful Cast Album
Fabulous recording of a terrific score
My new favorite show
It's not 110%
Beautiful music

110 in the Shade (2007 Broadway Revival Cast)

Manufacturer: P.S. Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Curtains (2007 Original Broadway Cast)
Spring Awakening (2006 Original Broadway Cast)
Grey Gardens - A New Musical (2006 Original Broadway Cast)
Company (2006 Broadway Revival Cast)
The Pirate Queen (2007 Original Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B000PMG9GW
Release Date: 2007-06-12

Tracks:

Another Hot Day
Lizzie's Comin' Home
Love, Don't Turn Away
Poker Polka
The Hungry Men
The Rain Song
You're Not Fooling Me
Cinderella
Raunchy
A Man and a Woman
"She Walked Out On Me..."
Old Maid
Evenin' Star
Everything Beautiful
"Stay and Talk..."
Melisande
Simple Little Things
Little Red Hat
Is It Really Me?
Wonderful Music
The Rain Song (reprise)

Amazon.com

More than four decades after its Broadway debut, the Roundabout Theatre's 2007 revival of 110 in the Shade is a glorious showcase for soprano Audra McDonald, and an eloquent statement for an underrated and neglected work. Based on N. Richard Nash's play The Rainmaker, 110 in the Shade tells the story of a Texas town stuck in a blistering heat wave. Lizzie (McDonald), the daughter of a local widower (Broadway veteran and TV star John Cullum), has resisted all suitors, including the sheriff (Christopher Innvar), until a potential huckster named Starbuck (Steve Kazee) arrives in town promising to bring rain ("The Rain Song"). Just like Marian the librarian, Lizzie thinks she sees right through the scam ("You're Not Fooling Me"). McDonald shines in her solos ("Love, Don't Turn Away," "Old Maid"), but Cullum, Innvar, and Kazee also get their moments either in duets with McDonald ("A Man and a Woman," "Simple Little Things," "Is It Really Me?") or by themselves. 110 in the Shade is obscure compared to Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt's most famous work, The Fantasticks--none of its songs ever entered the popular culture like "Try to Remember"--but it's a beautiful, evocative score that is tailor-made for McDonald's rich voice. It's also much more sumptuous than The Fantasticks, even in Jonathan Tunick's pared-down, Tony-nominated orchestrations. (Also nominated were McDonald, Cullum, lighting designer Christopher Akerlind, and the show itself for Best Revival of a Musical.) P.S. Classics puts out its usual first-rate package, with color photos, introduction by Peter Filichia, synopsis, and libretto. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Cast Album.......2007-07-13

Saw a number from this show on the Tony Awards and ordered it immediately. Was not disappointed. The whole album is wonderful.

Fabulous recording of a terrific score.......2007-07-12

This is simply the best recording of 110 In The Shade, a sadly neglected show by the composer and lyricist of The Fantasticks. It's a far superior score to The Fantasticks, but the original show didn't enjoy a long run on Broadway. Listen to the original broadway cast and I think you can hear why. The original cast sounds pallid in comparison to the cast on this terrific recording led by Audra MacDonald, who seems to have finally found a great part for herself. The supporting cast does not disappoint and the orchestra plays brightly. The only competition to this set is a British recording (now out of print) with cast that featured Karen Ziemba. That's a good set but Audra MacDonald's performance makes this recording the definitive version.

My new favorite show.......2007-07-12

Oh wow! The music in this show is beautiful and fun. The cast is loaded with amazing voices with Audra McDonald shining above all. Her "Raunchy" number is outstanding and keeps a grin on your face from beginning to end. I've always loved the "Rainmaker" play and the music, for me, just makes it even better. Both male leads have voices that could melt a maid's heart and I'm just glad it's not me having to choose between the two!

It's not 110%.......2007-07-05

The CD is well produced and Audra McDonald is wonderful, but most of the music sounds dated and old fashioned. Maybe that's because the show is dated and old fashioned.

Beautiful music.......2007-07-05

I saw this recently on Broadway, and it was an incredibly compelling show. Who knew? I had never heard of it. Audra sounds absolutely magnificent on this cast recording. Her songs alone make it a worthwhile purchase. Add great supporting singers and fun orchestrations, and you have a memorable album to add to your collection.

Average customer rating:

Revival Musical Hits the Mark
Check out Company!
This recording disappoints, especially in relation to the live performance
GOOD COMPANY
Maybe I am partial to Esparza

Company (2006 Broadway Revival Cast)

Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Spring Awakening (2006 Original Broadway Cast)
Curtains (2007 Original Broadway Cast)
Grey Gardens - A New Musical (2006 Original Broadway Cast)
110 in the Shade (2007 Broadway Revival Cast)
A Chorus Line - The New Broadway Cast Recording (2006 Broadway Revival Cast)

ASIN: B000LV6R4G
Release Date: 2007-02-20

Tracks:

Opening
Company
The Little Things You Do Together
Sorry-Grateful
You Could Drive a Person Crazy
Have I Got a Girl for You
Someone Is Waiting
Another Hundred People
Getting Married Today
"What did I just do?"
Marry Me a Little
Side by Side by Side
What Would We Do Without You?
Poor Baby
Barcelona
The Ladies Who Lunch
"You have a good third husband, Joanne"
Being Alive

Amazon.com

There may be no original Broadway cast recording more iconic than 1970's Company, with its funky organ sound and Elaine Stritch's not-quite-there high notes, but the December 2006 Broadway revival makes its own mark. For Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's piece about a single man observing the benefits and follies of marriage, director John Doyle borrows the same controversial concept he used for his 2005 Sweeney Todd: the actors playing instruments on stage (now referred to in many circles as "Doyle-izing," and not always with affection and delight). But when you're listening to a cast recording, as Bobby would say: What do you get? For one thing, you'll have to adjust to some different sounds created by Doyle and his music supervisor, Mary-Mitchell Campbell. It's a benefit in "Side by Side by Side," which begins with a jazzy double-bass line. It's a drawback in "You Could Drive a Person Crazy," in which the trio's doo-doots are replaced by their saxophone lines. You also get "Marry Me a Little," cut from the original show but by now very familiar and welcome, as well as a lot of the contextual dialogue before, between, and even within numbers. Finally, the strong cast led by Raul Esparza makes this the best-sung Company we've ever gotten (and they play very well too), and Stephen Sondheim's score is still a landmark in musical theater. There will never be a replacement for the original Broadway cast recording, but this revival recording can stand on its own and in some respects may be more flat-out enjoyable to listen to. --David Horiuchi

Album Description

Maverick British director John Doyle, a 2006 Tony Award winner, enjoyed a surprise Broadway hit last year with his radical reworking of Sweeney Todd. He dispensed with the pit orchestra and handed all the instruments over to his on-stage performers, who doubled as musicians in between their turns acting and singing. Doyle has taken a similarly unorthodox approach to his revival of another Stephen Sondheim classic, the revered yet notoriously difficult to stage Company. As with Sweeney Todd, the results of this theatre-as-concert have entranced both critics and audiences. Linda Winer of Newsday called it "the very best revival that Broadway has ever seen of Stephen Sondheim's landmark 1970 musical."Variety described it as "striking, revelatory and thoroughly compelling." For Sondheim fans, the recorded score to Company has long been as much an object of adoration as the six-time Tony-winning play itself. Company on disc functions as a deeply moving song cycle, even apart from George Furth's libretto, about the vicissitudes of marriage and the joys and trials of the single life, seen through the eyes of the coolly dispassionate Manhattan bachelor Bobby on the occasion of his 35th birthday. This is truly the stuff of sex and the city - wry, sophisticated, painfully honest and deeply melancholy, even in a comic seducing-the-stewardess duet like "Barcelona." As with Sweeney Todd, which featured a bravura performance from lead actor Michael Cerveris, Doyle has found in rising star RaÃºl Esparza (Cabaret, Taboo, The Normal Heart) an extraordinary singer and actor who, in the words of the New York Times' Ben Brantley, gives Company "the most compelling center it has probably ever had." "Mr. Doyle and his invaluable music supervisor and orchestrator, Mary-Mitchell Campbell, have shaped Company into a sort of oratorio for the church of the lonely," says Brantley. He also praises the work of the entire ensemble - playing five married couples, three single women and one deeply ambivalent, unmarried man: "It's their work as a team that sounds new depths in Company in ways that get under your skin without your knowing it." Variety's David Rooney concurs: "Angel Desai's `Another Hundred People' nails that quintessential New York song; Heather Laws lands every laugh in the mile-a-minute `Getting Married Today' with amazing speed and clarity; and Barbara Walsh is bone-dry as brittle, world-weary Joanne. She reveals the emotional hunger beneath the character's hard shell and adds fresh nuances to `The Ladies Who Lunch,' a song indelibly associated with Elaine Stritch." As Time Out New York put it, "Sondheim's expert musical etchings, his acid craftsmanship, remain unmatched." Sondheim fans will note that this new version of Company, to be released by Nonesuch and PS Classics, restores the original act one closer, "Marry Me A Little," which was dropped from the show before its 1970 Broadway debut; the song has since taken on a life of its own as an orphaned Sondheim gem. The Company cast album is produced by PS Classics co-founder Tommy Krasker (Sondheim's The Frogs, Saturday Night, Assassins, and Sweeney Todd, among others). Along with Company, Nonesuch has also released the original cast album to Doyle's 2006 production of Sweeney Todd and the Tony-nominated A Light in the Piazza, which features a score by Nonesuch artist Adam Guettel.

Customer Reviews:

Revival Musical Hits the Mark.......2007-07-13

Raul Esparza's performance in this revival makes the album a must have. What a talent! What a show! Well worth the cost.

Check out Company!.......2007-07-11

I fell in love with this show when I saw it in NYC and I promptly bought the cast recording upon my return. This was one of those shows that I'm sure will resonate with me for the rest of my life. Although the show doesn't seem to make much sense by listening to the cast recording, you understand what its about and even though this show was written more than 40 years ago, its still relevant today. The theme of marriage and domestic partnership is still something that remains in the minds of all people; whether married or single. This cd airs out all of the thoughts that we all have likely heard or felt in our lifetime.
This cd is truly beautiful and by far one of my favorite Broadway cast recordings of all time.

This recording disappoints, especially in relation to the live performance.......2007-07-07

I am going to assume for a moment that anybody reading this and the other reviews is already a fan of Sondheim and Company. I am also going to assume that most people reading this are familiar with multiple recordings of this show and, hopefully, multiple performances. This is the best and truest means of judging a show, its score, and its recordings. Of course this isn't always possible, but in regards to this show, I have to say this new recording of Company is probably the weakest of the bunch ESPECIALLY after first seeing the show live. I also saw the "Doyle" Sweeney last year and think the new orchestrations were brilliant and translate well to recording. Imagine my surprise when I recently saw the new Company and found it to not only equal but SURPASS the impact of the Sweeney staging. I had purposely delayed the purchase of the new cast recording until I had first seen the show live and unfortunately the CD doesn't contain the excitement, originality, and freshness that was portrayed by the actor/musicians on stage. I think Company is nearly the ideal show for this minimalistic approach but on the recording, it just seems... empty? The listener is also drawn to shortcomings in the musical performances (instrumentally) that I didn't notice (or forgave) when I was in the theatre because the experience in and of itself was so moving and direct. I also don't want to get caught up in an argument of whether this is the best sung version or not, because it all depends on your personal preference/prejudice. The singers in this show may be the best *trained* from a technical standpoint, but the passion portrayed by the singers of the OBC will never be paralleled. All in all this is a decent recording but certainly not definitive and not the one I would recommend to someone who has never heard the show before.

GOOD COMPANY.......2007-07-01

If you're a Sondheim fan, or if you just like lyrics that challenge the listener, this version of COMPANY is a must. I saw this production on Cincinatti before it moved to Broadway, and it was perhaps the most enjoyable theater experience I've had. The soundtrack is a great listen, even if it's all familiar, much of it having been covered by other artists since the show's first soundtrack in 1970. It all builds to a powerful emotional climax when Raul Esparza sits down at the piano and sings "Being Alive". Magical. Buy it--you won't be sorry, only grateful...

Maybe I am partial to Esparza.......2007-06-29

I love the revival of this show. I think its a beautiful version of Company with lovely vocals. I might be partial to Esparza but I truly think that this was a great revival. I think its a wonderful rendition of the Sondheim classic.

Monty Python's Spamalot (2005 Original Broadway Cast)

Average customer rating:

Loved it
Get ready to laugh until you cry!
A Lot of Spam
Love, love, love this soundtrack!
Hamalot!

Monty Python's Spamalot (2005 Original Broadway Cast)
Eric Idle , John Du Prez , Tim Curry , David Hyde Pierce , and Hank Azaria
Manufacturer: Decca Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Wicked (2003 Original Broadway Cast)
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2005 Original Broadway Cast)
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2005 Original Broadway Cast)
Avenue Q (2003 Original Broadway Cast)
The Light in the Piazza (2005 Original Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B0007OY2TE
Release Date: 2005-05-03

Tracks:

Tuning
Overture
Historian's Introduction to Act I
Finland/Fisch Schlapping Dance
Monks Chant / He Is Not Dead Yet
Come With Me
Laker Girls Cheer
The Song That Goes Like This
He Is Not Dead Yet - Play Off
All For One
Knights of the Round Table/The Song That Goes Like This (Reprise)
Find Your Grail
Run Away!
The Intermission
Historian's Introduction to Act II
Always Look On The Bright Side of Life
Brave Sir Robin
You Won't Succeed On Broadway
Diva's Lament (What Ever Happened To My Part?)
Where Are You?
His Name Is Lancelot
I'm All Alone
Twice In Every Show
Act II Finale
Always Look On The Bright Side of Life - Company Bow

Amazon.com

As gleefully silly yet wickedly smart as the beloved British comedy troupe and their 1975 cinematic savaging of the Arthurian legend that inspired it, this adaptation of Monty Python and the Holy Grail by MP's Eric Idle and longtime musical co-conspirator John Du Prez has much more on its feverish agenda than merely trashing King Arthur and firmly upending his Round Table. The film's plot remains largely intact, but its core songs ("Knights of the Round Table," "Brave Sir Robin") and comic thrust have been both expanded and satirically redirected, a musical comedy shotgun that takes dizzy aim at pop culture in general, and Broadway in particular. After typically Pythonesque distractions that somehow find us in "Finland..," stars David Hyde-Pierce, Tim Curry, Hank Azaria and company get busy conjuring the Lady of the Lake with the unlikely help of "Laker Girls..," while cast members Sara Ramirez and Christopher Sieber deliciously skewer contemporary Broadway cliches via the loopy showstopper "The Song That Goes Like This," a tune whose reprise also deliciously sends up every overwrought stage diva from Merman to Minelli. Idle has shrewdly ripped off--well, interpolated--Life of Brian's "Always Look On the Bright Side" for the new show, and even a snatch of "The Lumberjack Song" in "He Is Not Dead Yet." "You Won't Succeed on Broadway" reveals the frankly Semitic secret to stage success, and the French get can-canned on "Run Away!" Meanwhile, our bravest knight is de-closeted on the Manilow-mauling "His Name is Lancelot" before the familiar sound of clomping coconut shells brings down the curtain on the season's goofiest if satirically dead-on comic delight. --Jerry McCulley

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Urinetown
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Frogs

Zanna Don't
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Avenue Q

Customer Reviews:

Loved it.......2007-06-26

The play was great, and so is the CD. Even my partner, who's generally not a Monty Python fan, says it's "hysterical."

Get ready to laugh until you cry!.......2007-06-25

Being in the unfortunate position of living in a country where Music Theatre is virtually dead, I thought `what the heck' I'll purchase this just to see what it's like. I've never been a huge Holy Grail fan, and have only seen the movie one or two times. This musical is the first musical cast recording that has an independent storyline that you can actually gauge from the recording. It's so refreshing to actually WANT to listen to the entire recording from start to finish more than a handful of times. Most musicals have a few awesome songs that have you keep coming back for more but this musical has so much continuity that I can't help but listen from start to finish.

Don't read what some of the other commenter's have written. This is brilliant and hilarious. And if you have a slightly warped sense of humour you'll love (and appreciate) this musical so much more.

P.S. I love the songs that reference "The song that goes like this." This is supposed to be repetitive to mock its self and Broadway. It is also more comprehensive than some may lead you to believe... however just remember its called `Spamalot' not `Holy Grail' so don't expect too many Holy Grail references.

A Lot of Spam.......2007-05-22

Great CD if you like someone who can laugh at themselves. The play mocks the whole broadway musical experience. Listening to it can almost make sitting in traffic bearable...no I wouldn't go that far, but the songs are funny and will put you in a good mood.

Love, love, love this soundtrack!.......2007-05-18

The show was so much fun, and now getting to hear the soundtrack brings all the funny bits right back. These tunes are infectious! Even my 3-year-old hums them to himself. Any Monty Python fan should own this.

Hamalot!.......2007-05-15

Overall, pretty good. I liked the inclusion of various other Python bits (Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, Finland, etc.), but there was an appalling lack of Tim Curry on this album (Um, hello? Rocky Horror, anyone?). Also an over-reliance on songs with lyrics like, "This is how this song goes," or "Every show has a song like this." Some more inventive lyrics would have been welcome. (Mr. Idle, meet Mr. Brooks!)

Still, pretty good. Buy it for $11 or less & you won't feel taken.

Music Review:

Music Review

music review

Home	Wide Open Spaces	Fly
Top of the World Tour (Live CD)	Top of the World Tour (DVD)	An Evening with the Dixie Chicks (DVD)

Urinetown	The Rocky Horror Picture Show	The Frogs
Zanna Don't	Hedwig and the Angry Inch	Avenue Q