The Things I See

the things i see

Track Listings

1. Sixteen Men of Tain

2. Shadows Of

3. Temporary Fault

4. Out from Under

5. Mr. Berwell

6. Things I See

7. Wish

8. Devil Take the Hindmost

9. Kinder

10. Looking Glass

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Subtitled - Interpretations Of The Music Of Allan Holdsworth. Covers album from the acclaimed drummer/bassist. Angel Air. 2004.

The Things I See,Gary Husband,Angel Air,England,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop

The Things I See

Broadway - The American Musical (PBS Series)

Average customer rating:

Fabulous for any Broadway-lover
Top Shelf
TERRIFIC CD'S
Great Collection of Broadways greatest Songs
Great Compilation!

Broadway - The American Musical (PBS Series)

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

The Best of Broadway - The American Musical (PBS Series)
Broadway: The American Musical
Broadway: The American Musical
Broadway - The American Musical (PBS Series)
Somewhere over the Rainbow: The Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals

ASIN: B00064ADMK
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Tracks:

Give My Regards To Broadway- Joel Grey
Swanee- Al Jolson
When The Moon Shines On The Moonshine- Bert Williams
A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody- John Steel
My Man- Fanny Brice
Fascinating Rhythm- Fred Astaire, Adele Astaire
If You Knew Susie (Like I Know Susie)- 78rpm Version Eddie Cantor
Someone To Watch Over Me- Gertrude Lawrence
Bill- 78 rpm Version Helen Morgan
Ol' Man River- Paul Robeson
Ain't Misbehavin'- Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra
Ten Cents A Dance- Ruth Etting
Body And Soul- Libby Holman
Brother, Can You Spare A Dime- Bing Crosby
Night And Day- Fred Astaire
Heat Wave- Ethel Waters
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes- Tamara
You're The Top- Ethel Merman
Summertime- Anne Brown
September Song- Walter Huston
My Heart Belongs To Daddy- Mary Martin
It Never Entered My Mind- Shirley Ross
Bewitched, Bothered, Bewildered- Vivienne Segal
Oh, How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning- Irving Berlin
Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'- Alfred Drake

Tracks:

New York, New York- Cris Alexander,Adolph Green,John Reardon
If I Loved You- John Raitt,Jan Clayton
Come Rain Or Come Shine- Ruby Hill,Harold Nicholas
There's No Business Like Show Business- Ensemble
How Are Things In Glocca Morra? From "Finian's Rainbow"- Ella Logan
Once In Love With Amy- Ray Bolger
Wunderbar- Alfred Drake,Patricia Morison
Some Enchanted Evening- Ezio Pinza
Lost In The Stars- Todd Duncan
Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend- Carol Channing
Luck Be A Lady- Robert Alda,Guys
Getting To Know You- Gertrude Lawrence
Who Cares?- Jack Carson,Betty Oakes
Stranger In Paradise- from " Kismet" Doretta Morrow,Richard Kiley
Ballad Of Mack The Knife- Gerald Price
Hey There- from "The Pajama Game" John Raitt
Whatever Lola Wants- Gwen Verdon
I Could Have Danced All Night- Julie Andrews
Standing On The Corner- from "The Most Happy Fella, 1956" Shorty Long,John Henson,Alan Gilbert
The Party's Over- Judy Holliday
Glitter And Be Gay- Barbara Cook
Tonight- Larry Kert, Carol Lawrence

Tracks:

Seventy-Six Trombones- Robert Preston
I Enjoy Being A Girl- from "Flower Drum Song, 1958" Pat Suzuki
Everything's Coming Up Roses- Ethel Merman
My Favorite Things- from "The Sound Of Music" Mary Martin
Put On A Happy Face- from "Bye Bye Birdie" Dick Van Dyke
Try To Remember- Jerry Orbach
Camelot- from "Camelot" Richard Burton
Love Makes The World Go 'Round- Anna Maria Alberghetti
I Believe In You- Robert Morse And Co.
The Sweetest Sounds- Diahann Carroll,Richard Kiley
Comedy Tonight- Zero Mostel
What Kind Of Fool Am I?- Anthony Newley
As Long As He Needs Me- Georgia Brown
Hello, Dolly!- Carol Channing,Cast
People- Barbra Streisand
Anyone Can Whistle- from "Anyone Can Whistle" Lee Remick
If I Were A Rich Man- Zero Mostel
Night Song- Sammy Davis, Jr.
The Impossible Dream- Richard Kiley
If My Friends Could See Me Now- Gwen Verdon
Open a New Window- from Mame Voice

Tracks:

Willkommen- from "Cabaret" Joel Grey
Let The Sunshine In- James Rado,Lynn Kellogg,Melba Moore,Cast
I'll Never Fall In Love Again- Jill O'Hara,Jerry Orbach
The Ladies Who Lunch- from "Company" Elaine Stritch
Tea For Two- Roger Rathburn,Susan Watson
I'm Still Here- Yvonne De Carlo
I Don't Know How To Love Him- Yvonne Elliman
We Go Together- Adrienne Barbeau,Barry Bostwick,Walter Bobbie,Cast
Corner Of The Sky- John Rubinstein
Send In The Clowns- Glynis Johns
Ease On Down The Road- Stephanie Mills,Tiger Haynes,Ted Ross,Hinton
One- from "A Chorus Line" Cast
All That Jazz- Chita Rivera,Ensemble
Tomorrow- Andrea Mcardle
Don't Cry For Me Argentina- Patti Lupone
Come Follow The Band
Lullaby Of Broadway- Jerry Orbach
And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going- Jennifer Holliday
The Bells Of St. Sebastian- Raul Julia

Tracks:

Memory- Betty Buckley
I Am What I Am- George Hearn
Move On- Bernadette Peters,Mandy Patinkin
Do You Hear The People Sing?- Michael Maguire,Cast
The Music Of The Night- Michael Crawford
You're Nothing Without Me- James Naughton,Gregg Edelman
The American Dream- Jonathan Pryce,Cast
Doctor Jazz- Gregory Hines,Company
With One Look- Glenn Close
On Broadway- Adrian Bailey,Frederick B. Owens,Ken Ard,Victor Trent Cook
Le Jazz Hot- Julie Andrews,Ensemble
Seasons Of Love-
Hakuna Matata- Max Casella,Tom Alan Robbins,Scott Irby-Ranniar,Jason Raize
I Wanna Be A Producer- Matthew Broderick,Ensemble
Dancing Queen- Louise Plowright,Jenny Galloway
Good Morning Baltimore- Marissa Jaret Winokur
Movin' Out- Michael Cavanaugh,Band
I Go To Rio- Hugh Jackman,Company
Defying Gravity- Kristin Chenoweth,Idina Menzel

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous for any Broadway-lover.......2007-01-30

Packs into 5 CD's a sampling of Broadway tunes from the 20's thru (almost) today, mostly from original cast recordings. Includes not just well-known hits, but also some lesser-known gems. Sound quality is first rate, booklet is informative too. Have given this as a gift to several friends with rave reviews.

Top Shelf.......2007-01-04

This is THE definitive collection of Broadway hits. I have other collections, and none of them measure up. A great deal of care was obviously taken in compiling and presenting this box set. It covers a lot of ground, starting with some long-forgotten but still very enjoyable hits from the days of yore, and finishing with present-day favorites. To the best of my knowledge, the recordings are by those who made them famous. You won't be disappointed.

TERRIFIC CD'S.......2006-03-23

THESE BROADWAY MUSICALS CD'S ARE A BROADWAY LOVERS DREAM. WITH EACH SONG, MEMORIES COME FLOODING BACK. BOTH THE FAMILIAR AND THE FORGOTTEN SONGS ARE A TRUE LISTENING PLEASURE. IF YOU LIKE BROADWAY, YOU'LL LOVE THIS SET.

Great Collection of Broadways greatest Songs .......2005-06-14

This Collection was perfectly made it has almost all the most famous Broadway songs on this 5 cd set. The Music is great and has Broadways greatest treasures like "Memory""People""With One Look""Give my regards Too Broadway" just to name a few of this numerous cd set with over 100 songs. This is a great buy if you like musicals or The music of Broadway

Great Compilation!.......2005-01-17

If you are a fan of the Broadway Musicals, this is a collection that you should purchase. Since I got the 5 disc set I've enjoyed listening to it. The majority of the songs are done by the original singers. The collection is priceless considering that you will have over 100 songs from popular musicals since the beginning of Broadway

Average customer rating:

Is Gloomy Introspection Mixed With Self-Back-Patting For Being Emergently Radical A Good Thing?
A fine sophomore effort
Refreshingly Different
I Repent of Taking So Long to Find Derek
Derek Webb's latest cd, good but not the best

I See Things Upside Down
Derek Webb
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

Christian Contemporary Music | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

She Must and Shall Go Free
Mockingbird
The House Show
40 Acres
The Ringing Bell

ASIN: B00066VUSO
Release Date: 2004-11-09

Tracks:

I Want A Broken Heart
Better Than Wine
The Strong, The Tempted And The Weak
Reputation
I Repent
Medication
We Come To You
T-shirts
Ballad In Plain Red
Nothing Is Ever Enough
Lover Part 2
What Is Not Love

Customer Reviews:

Is Gloomy Introspection Mixed With Self-Back-Patting For Being Emergently Radical A Good Thing?.......2006-10-13

I think the content consensus you get from other reviewers is fairly accurate, but the "five star" ratings are exaggerated. Derek's vocals on many of these songs are unusually scratchy and ragged. I can't tell if he sang that way on purpose for stylistic reasons, or if his voice really was that hoarse when he recorded the album.

The over-all emotional mood of the album is gloomy and self-reproaching. Derek seems to beat himself up over being a member of the middle class (as if that's a sin). The tone certainly is the opposite of the typical Top 40 praise music!

Some of the songs are impenetrable -- I originally thought that one was a warning to a friend tempted into an extramarital affair, then it turned out it was about Derek's feelings about leaving his old band! I wouldn't have had a clue, if I hadn't read an on-line interview where he said that was what it meant. Many of the songs sound nearly identical, musically. There's a musical conclusion to one song that just goes on for a lo-ong time.

When David wrote a gloomy, sad, or self-reproachful psalm, the Lord usually led him to end with a theme of looking up to God and drawing hope from His character and promises. In contrast, Derek ends this album with a song about himself and how differently he looks at life compared to everybody else. I don't think it's healthy to be this preoccupied with one's self -- whether negatively or positively.

A fine sophomore effort.......2006-06-06

"I See Things Upside Down" ("ISTUD") is Derek Webb's second studio release, and in it he shows few signs of suffering a sophomore slump. While in my opinion it doesn't quite attain the level of "She Must and Shall Go Free" (a tough act to follow), Derek marches boldly into some new musical and lyrical territory here, and succeeds in most respects.

The general sound of ISTUD differs greatly from Derek's solo debut, which was rootsy from beginning to end, driven by acoustic guitar and adorned with slide guitar, banjo, and mandolin. Here, while acoustic guitar still drives some tracks, keyboards and electric guitars are thrust into the spotlight, and the result is an interesting hybrid between folk and atmospheric synth music. The sound takes some getting used to, especially if, like me, you've had no prior exposure to this kind of music, but after giving ISTUD a few spins I grew to like it. I admire Derek's artistic boldness in not only experimenting with a different musical style, but doing so convincingly.

That said, ISTUD suffers from uninteresting musical composition in places, and at times the music is so stark and dreary that it suffers for lack of beauty. The worst offender in that regard is Derek's monotonous, mostly two-chord adaptation of the hymn "The Strong, the Tempted, and the Weak." Also, after turning in the strongest vocal performance of his career on his solo debut, Derek's singing sadly takes a turn for the worse here. I don't know if the "throatiness" is deliberate, or if Derek's vocal cords have taken that much of a beating, but at times the singing here is just painful to listen to.

ISTUD does, however, have plenty of bright spots musically and vocally. "I Want a Broken Heart" has an expansive atmospheric sound which sets the table nicely for what follows. "Better Than Wine" is musically warm and rich, matching a sensuous lyric adapted from the Song of Songs. The stark tone of "Medication" matches its lyrics, which express Derek's rejection of unbiblical therapeutic approaches to life in favor of a rugged life following Jesus--even when that choice demands acute suffering. And the shimmering solo electric guitar on "Nothing Is Ever Enough" is simply gorgeous, providing a lovely backdrop for the song's plaintive lyrics.

But where Derek really delivers the goods on ISTUD is in the words. The very first line of "I Want a Broken Heart" is typically provocative: "I've got faith in the bank, and money in my heart." "Reputation" is a moving expression of contrition to a spouse. "I Repent" and "T-Shirts" expose and confront sins that many American Christians would not recognize as sins. And then there is the "Ballad in Plain Red." Sung from the devil's perspective, it outlines our ancient foe's strategy for working woe in the church in the 21st century. Think of it as a concise Screwtape Letters, updated for the present day.

Thus, while I'd recommend Derek's solo debut before this sophomore effort, ISTUD is definitely worth a listen. Especially for the words.

Refreshingly Different.......2006-03-24

For a long time, I had given up on ever finding any Christian music I could really enjoy. Despite being a Christian myself, I thought the genre mostly comprised of repetitive, non-imaginative lyrics and cheesy music. However, when I was introduced to Derek Webb I was immediately thrilled by the thought-provoking lyrics and great music. The message he conveys to the church through his music is one that needs to be heard. His eye-opening and sometimes shocking lyrics are just what I was looking for, and more.

I Repent of Taking So Long to Find Derek.......2005-12-22

wow

The lyrics on this album are blow-me-away good. I keep listening to it and finding more and more depth to each song. The images are vivid, the words convicting and the ideas Truthful.

Amen, Derek.

Derek Webb's latest cd, good but not the best.......2005-10-26

I liked the cd. I did find it not has theological and church based as his last one, which I think is one of his strong suits in his music. However, I must say there this is more worship in the albmu than his last one. There is even one strong stonrg where he talks about being Satan which I find to be interseting. Over all, I think the cd is worth buying if you like Webb.

Average customer rating:

Great vocal virtuosity
Confuzzled
An American Composer of Art Song
more German than Rorem
delightful art songs

Ned Rorem: Selected Songs
Ned Rorem , and Carole Farley
Manufacturer: Naxos American
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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Similar Items:

Susan Graham - Songs of Ned Rorem
Rorem: The End of Summer, Book of Hours, Bright Music
Rorem: Three Symphonies
Rorem: Flute Concerto; Violin Concerto
The Complete Songs of Charles Ives, Vol. 1

ASIN: B00005QISU
Release Date: 2001-11-20

Tracks:

The Waking
Root Cellar
My Papa's Waltz
I Strolled Across An Open Field
Memory
Orchids
The Serpent
Night Crow
Snake
Lilltel Elegy
The Nightingale
Nantucket
Lullaby Of The Woman Of The Mountain
Love In A Life
What If Some Little Pain...
Visits To St. Elizabeth's
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening
Spring
See How They Love Me
Now Sleeps The Crimson Petal
I Am Rose
Ask Me No More
Far-Far-Away
Early In The Morning
Alleluia
Such Beauty As Hurts To Behold
Sally's Smile
Youth, Day, Old Age, And Night
O You Whom I Often And Silently Come
Full Of Life Now
As Adam Early In The Morning
Are You The New Person?

Customer Reviews:

Great vocal virtuosity.......2005-04-07

This is a great recording, by two great artists. Carole Farley is the ideal singer for Ned Rorem's songs. She spell out every
word and every nuance, giving each song and every poem their full character. The songs are a revelation. I recommend this recording without hesitation.
Christoph (Berlin, Germany)

Confuzzled.......2004-01-03

While these song are GREAT...I cannot get over Carole Farley; her voice is so affected (kind of like a sprechstimme; overly dramatic...). I love the fact that Rorem himself is playing the piano, and as a singer, the catalogue of songs is good to have...but cant say I could ever manage getting over Farley's affectation. There are far superior recordings out there.

An American Composer of Art Song.......2003-04-02

American popular song, whether standards, show tunes,jazz, blues, or rock, is one of our country's most visible artistic achievements. American classical (or Art) songs are much less known. Ned Rorem (b. 1923) is probably the greatest American composer in this unfamiliar medium. Rorem is sometimes dubbed the "American Schubert."

This disc features 32 of Ned Rorem's songs for voice and piano. Soprano Carole Farley is the accomplished singer, and Ned Rorem himself plays the piano. The disc is special because it features settings of the works of American poets. The CD begins with 9 settings of poems by the mid-twentieth century poet, Theodore Roethke, and concludes with settings of 5 poems by Walt Whitman. The disc also includes settings of poems by William Carlos Williams, Gertrude Stein, and Paul Goodman, among others. Thus the disc combines in a special way American creative effort in poetry and in music.

Rorem's songs are declamatory in style. Typically, the voice line delivers the text of the poetry in a sort of chant. The relationship between the voice line and the piano is far from Schubertian. Generally, the piano takes a separate line and accentuates the voice by means of large chords or by runs or by other comments and punctuation on the voice. The texts are well set and the music is effective. There are some unusual harmonies with jazz and blues influences. Rorem's piano accompanyment on this disc gives the recording a sense of authenticity -- we get a good idea of how the composer wants his songs to be conveyed.

The disc includes excellent program notes and texts of all the songs. Naxos has received deservedly high praise for its "American Classics" series which makes much music written by Americans available on CD at a low price. This disc includes some lovely, little-known songs. It is an excellent introduction to the American art song and to the music of Ned Rorem.

more German than Rorem.......2002-07-20

I've been a Rorem fan since hearing a highschool friend perform some of his work in her college recital. His startling, atonal songs were an instant revelation. For years there were few reliable CDs of his vocal work. A scandal considering his reputation rests more on his art songs and chamber music than on his orchestral pieces. This Naxos entry of a wide overview of his best songs is thus quite welcome, due largely to its availability, wide distribution and professional packaging (he's had some shoddy issues before with incorrect liner notes, etc.; the challenge of the low budget).

I can't call myself an unalloyed fan of soprano Carole Farley however. Her delivery here recalls the speak-singing style of German 12-tone composers (a specialty of hers), and can sound melodramatic, especially when she rushes the more delicate passages.

I prefer Rorem's softer, more melodious French side, the one that descends from Impressionism and is more warmly emotive. While Farley loses the shading of some of the more fragile songs, she is well-suited to the longer, more forceful pieces. I've heard many readings of "Early in the Morning" (one of Rorems most popular songs) by male and female vocalists, and its tale of wistful nostalgia is muted by Farley's direct approach. However, she nails "My Papa's Waltz," a fractured setting for a Roethke poem about a frightened child forced to dance with a drunken father. Here her acting skills come to the fore, and she perfectly captures the tipsy madness of the song. Rorem can be quite theatrical himself on occasion. She does almost as well with "See How they love me," a ballad with a regular pace that allows her assertive style to breathe.

At any rate it's great to hear these lovely songs in a recent (2000) recording, accompanied (rather emphatically, but perhaps he's matching his theatrical singer) by Rorem himself.

The similar Susan Graham album is more to my taste, but this is a more than competent bargain set.

delightful art songs.......2002-01-02

rorem's songs are amazing, and naxos has done well
to group them by poet. the complete settings of roethke
are particularly compelling and edgey.

carole farley's voice is lovely, but her phrasing
and willingness to push her voice seems
a big departure from the styling of art songs i've
heard by poulenc and somers.

this takes some getting used to- at least 3 or 4 complete
listen-throughs in my case. her voice is almost jazzy,
kind of like early recordings by holly cole.

anyway, rorem accompanies her on piano so obviously
this reading fits with his intent; his playing is also delightful.

Tracks:

HMS Pinafore: Overture
HMS Pinafore: Act I: We Sail The Ocean Blue
HMS Pinafore: Act I: Hail, Men O'War's Men .. I'm Called Little Buttercup
HMS Pinafore: Act I: A Maiden Fair To See
HMS Pinafore: Act I: My Gallant Crew .. I Am The Captain Of The Pinafore
HMS Pinafore: Act I: Sorry Her Lot Who Loves Too Well
HMS Pinafore: Act I: Over The Bright Blue Sea
HMS Pinafore: Act I: Sir Joseph's Barge Is Seen
HMS Pinafore: Act I: Now Give Three Cheers
HMS Pinafore: Act I: When I Was A Lad I Served A Term
HMS Pinafore: Act I: Refrain, Audacious Tar
HMS Pinafore: Act II: Fair Moon, To Thee I Sing
HMS Pinafore: Act II: Things Are Seldom What They Seem
HMS Pinafore: Act II: The Hours Creep On Apace
HMS Pinafore: Act II: Never Mind The Why And Wherefore
HMS Pinafore: Act II: Kind Captain, I've Important Information
HMS Pinafore: Act II: Farewell, My Own
HMS Pinafore: Act II: A Many Years Ago
HMS Pinafore: Act II: Oh Joy, Oh Rapture Unforseen

Customer Reviews:

Great (I suppose) if you already know the words.......2003-03-13

For me, the voices were faint relative to the musical instruments. It was difficult to hear them. Yet, the language was so stylized that, even when heard, understanding the words was tedious and exasperating. Most mannerisms of the stage originated in purposeful behavior, I feel sure, but they detract from the performance when overindulged. I think I'd prefer a studio recording in which the singers sang with unpretentious style right into a microphone, and the audio engineer adjusted tone and timbre. I imagine elitists cluck-clucking about the purity of music without microphones. In my opinion, if you're making a CD, then you've sinned already, so why not go all the way and make a great CD? If my dear reader remains with me at this stage of my rant, I say the performance at the opera house may be mahvelous and pristine, but a CD and an opera house are different media, and performers should optimize for the medium. However, this recording of Pinafore is the best I've found of the sad available lot. I'd rate it 2 stars if it weren't superlative.

... He's hardly ever sick at sea ...........2001-07-31

I must admit, I only bought the opera because I was rather amused by Sideshow Bob's rendition of the HMS Pinafore (Cape Feare, The Simpsons). Since then, I've bought (and enjoyed) the Mikado, planning to get the Pirates of Penzance soon. This opera is both hilarious and beautiful, mainly thanks to a great performance by the D'Oyly Carte opera company. If you're at all interested in classical music and the opera (which you should be), this is something that everyone should have.

Outstanding recording - average selection.......2001-06-14

Nothing more needs to be said about this superb D'Oyly Carte Pinafore, which won a well-dseerved Rosette from the Penguin Guide. Yet, in this highlights disc, I find that despite containing most of the major scenes, I dearly wish that Decca had chosen the excerpts a little more carefully. The lack of the entire "Carefully on tiptoe stealing" sequence seems to be an extremely serious minus in my book, particularly when it presents a sharp twist in the story. In addition, I also find that the inclusion of the entire "Over the bright blue sea" sequence is a little too - too redundent because the entrance of Sir Joseph is more important. Nevertheless, this is a wonderful disc of Pinafore excerpts. It presents a generous selection of excerpts that offers a good playing time without affecting sales of the complete set, and it also is enough to make one feel contented for a long time before purchasing the complete recording.

A generous selection!.......2001-01-05

With so much of the recording offered as highlights it would have been better to purchase the full operetta. This recording dates from 1960 and is superalative in every respect. John Reed, Jean Hindmarsh, Thomas Round together with the late Donald Adams are reasons enough to acquire this version. The only missing quality is the dialogue. Never was the libretti of Gilbert ever spoken with more relish for the language and with such finesse. If you decide upon further investigation I urge you to do so.

Average customer rating:

Handel: The Masterworks (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Brilliant Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Blowout Box Sets | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

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Haydn: The Masterworks [Box Set]
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Schubert: The Masterworks [Box Set]
Dvorák: The Masterworks [Box Set]

ASIN: B00062FLI8
Release Date: 2004-11-30

Average customer rating:

The best from The Best Singer and Tenor of all time.
Gorgeous
Another great CD by the greatest singer of all time!!!

Mario Lanza: My Romance

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

You'll Never Walk Alone
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Mario Lanza Sings Songs From The Student Prince & The Desert Song / Romberg
Best of Mario Lanza
This Is Gold (Box)

ASIN: B000056BUT
Release Date: 2001-01-09

Tracks:

All The Things You Are
Kiss
Song Is You
Where Or When
Love Is The Sweetest Thing
I'll See You Again
Night & Day
Your Eyes Have Told Me So
They Didn't Believe Me
If I Loved You
Only A Rose
You & The Night & The Music
Sylvia
On The Street Where You Live
Fools Rush In
Beautiful Love
I've Got You Under M
Long Ago & Far Away
You Are Love
I'll Be Seeing You
My Romance

Customer Reviews:

The best from The Best Singer and Tenor of all time........2007-04-24

This is a beautiful collection of songs. Once again it exhibits the depth and breath of Mario Lanza's vocal abilities. It is wonderful to hear him sing such lovely melodies. It is also splendid to read Derek Mannering's explanation of how Lanza interpreted each song with his heart and soul. For anyone who is a fan of Mario's, this collection is worth the price.

Gorgeous.......2001-11-25

Most of these songs are from the popular radio show he did in the 50's, when his voice was at it's best. I own numerous Lanza cds, and I can never get enough of his glorious voice and these beautiful songs. A lot of them can be found on other albums, it's true, but the first song is a previously unreleased gem, which was a big selling point with me. How could I pass this up? Also a lot of the songs are different versions from others I have, so this album was definately a must have, for me. I think that anyone who is a true Lanza fan, will love this cd.

Another great CD by the greatest singer of all time!!!.......2001-07-17

Derek Mannering has done it again in releasing yet another first class CD collection by the "Voice of the Century", Mario Lanza. Most of the items on this album have been previously released either on vinyl, CD, or both, but this collection is worth having nonetheless. The one item here never before released is the beautifully sung "All the Things You Are" and did Lanza ever serve this one up in first class fashion. The singing here is extremely fresh and vibrant. A recording that I don't believe has been on CD before is the "You Are Love", from Showboat, presented here (different from the performance on the definitive "Don't Forget Me" C). Lanza shows us here a truly passionate and ardent Gaylord Revenal. No other singer sang this song as well. "On the Street Where You Live" is given a very virile and beautiful rendition by Lanza. I don't know where or when I have ever heard the song "Where or When" sung this well. The rest of the selections on this offering are terrific as well, but can be found on other collections. This collection is worth owning, if for no other reason than for the four selections previously mentioned. The sound quality is excellent, giving the Mario Lanza voice the benefit of its full presence. Lanza definitely had a true flair for the popular song and Broadway ballad, as well as the ringing operatic aria, no doubt about it. If you're looking for a collection of classic standard and Broadway tunes performed with the mastery and excellence that only Mario Lanza could deliver, this CD is the one for you. Highly recommended!!!

A.E. Housman: A Shropshire Lad, Complete in verse and song

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A.E. Housman: A Shropshire Lad, Complete in verse and song
Alan Bates , Anthony Rolfe Johnson , and Graham Johnson
Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005S85Q
Release Date: 2001-12-11

A Song - For Anything: Songs by Charles Ives

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One of the best recitals of 2005
Near Definitive Ives Songbook Handled with Dexterity and Subtlety by Finley and Drake
31 of 114... (please do them all!)
The Finest Charles Ives Song Collection Available!

A Song - For Anything: Songs by Charles Ives

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Charles Ives: Songs
Songs of Travel
Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs
The Complete Songs of Charles Ives, Vol. 3
The Complete Songs of Charles Ives, Vol. 1

ASIN: B000A7XJI8
Release Date: 2005-10-11

Customer Reviews:

One of the best recitals of 2005.......2006-06-09

Over the years, the sparkling, quirky, haunting songs of Charles Ives have been interpreted by many of the world's great singers. I first encountered many of them through Jan DeGaetani's still-moving recording with Gilbert Kalish, which remains one of the best ever of some of these gems.

But now we have a stunning new collection from baritone Gerald Finley, with his fine pianist Julius Drake. They have created not only one of the most definitive readings of Ives' songs to date, but one of the finest recitals of the year, period. The pleasures and surprises are almost too many to list, beginning with Finley's mellifluous voice, immaculate diction, and theatricality that helps shape these songs with unusual clarity. As just one example, consider the first part of "Memories" called "Very Pleasant," evoking the anticipation of sitting in the audience, waiting for a performance to begin. As the final word, the singer blurts out, "Curtain!" and Finley is the only one I've heard who throws his voice far away, as if the shout is coming from one of the stagehands, waiting in the wings. Not only does this make the ending more prototypically "Ives-ian," but the song makes more sense with the unexpected change in point of view.

Some of the quieter songs are just ravishing, such as "Ich Grolle Nicht" and "When stars are in the quiet skies," both with intimacy and control to spare. One of my personal favorites, "Like a sick eagle" (text by Keats), shows Finley's exquisite precision in navigating quarter-tones, creating a languid image of a dying bird slowly circling in the air. Drake is more than just an accompanist in all of these, in piano parts that are often fiendishly complex, such as "General William Booth Enters into Heaven" or the marvelous "The Cage."

The winsome "Ann Street" and poignant "The Greatest Man" both end abruptly, with tiny offhand phrases that Finley nails perfectly. And there are treasures such as the rarely recorded "Slugging a Vampire" -- as swift as the title might indicate -- and the equally delightful "1,2,3."

One could go on and on in endless detail about the entire array of 31 songs (chosen from the 114 available), but the best thing is just to get to the most pleasant part: listening. If I have a small quibble (and make no mistake, it is very small), it is that Hyperion's gorgeous, rather tranquil cover art gives no clue to Ives' wild imagination, and to the blazing work by his two outstanding interpreters here. (It looks more like a cover for something by Delius.) But it hardly matters, when both of these artists are in such rapturous form -- and captured so effectively by Hyperion's engineers. The sound, recorded in All Saints Church, East Finchley (London) is a model for projects of this kind. A release that is sure to go down as one of the finest Ives recordings ever.

Near Definitive Ives Songbook Handled with Dexterity and Subtlety by Finley and Drake.......2006-04-21

I have to admit I've had exposure to relatively unheralded American composer Charles Ives' work only twice in the past - the first was baritone Nathan Gunn's vibrant sampling of three Ives compositions on his 1999 debut recital CD, "American Anthem", and the second was soprano Deborah Voigt's recent recital disc, "All My Heart", in which she impressively opens the recording with seven hymn-like selections. With his acute dramatic sense and unobtrusive masculine tone, Canadian baritone Gerald Finley manages to bring his own impressive vocal shadings and consequently turns out to be the ideal muse for Ives' eclectic and unique song selection. Thirty-one of the composer's over 100 songs are covered here, some as short as 28 seconds ("Slugging the Vampire"), but each very individual in feeling and character.

Expertly accompanied by the accomplished Julius Drake on piano, Finley deftly performs an immensely diverse range of material from the traditional lied format of "Feldeinsamkeit" and "Ich grolle nicht" to the haunting pastoral images of "The Housatonic at Stockbridge" to the youthful zeal of "The Greatest Man" to the swooning romanticism of "When Stars are in the Quiet Skies" to the funereal dirge of "Thoreau". The adventurous sequencing of the tracks also provides the right dynamic to the program. For example, a Brahms-inspired lullaby ("Berceuse") is followed by a passionate diatribe against poverty ("West London"), which is then followed by a sentimental war ballad ("Tom Sails Away"). In one selection, the tonal change occurs midway through the song - the aptly titled "Memories (A) Very Pleasant; (B) Rather Sad" starts out as a jaunty account of an exciting night at the opera, while the second half becomes a wistful piece of nostalgia using the same tune.

My favorite performances on the disc are the stunning evocation of a French chanson, "Elegie"; the highly dramatic poem, "General William Booth Enters Into Heaven", full of jarring of rhythms and shouts of "Hallelujah!" to evoke the religion-fueled stanzas; "Charlie Rutledge", in which Finley evokes a bit over-the-top Texas twang to bring a blackly comic touch to an oddly tragic story; and the touching title song which closes the disc - a moving ballad consisting of three verses from three different sources - a love poem, a psalm and a Yale song - yet together quite compatible. I was quite impressed with Finley's portrayal of Robert Oppenheimer in John Adams' "Doctor Atomic", staged by the San Francisco Opera last fall, and also his moving performance as the title character in Benjamin Britten's "Owen Wingrave" (a 2001 cinematic production on DVD). This recording shows that he is able to translate his dramatic skills with dexterous ease into a recital setting.

31 of 114... (please do them all!).......2005-11-20

I have always wondered why there aren't a few readily-available recordings of the complete 114 songs of Charles Ives. Not just that it would be cheap to produce (piano and vocal only, filling up about 3 CDs), and not just that this is one of the most significant collections of American songs ever written (along with Gershwin's), and not just that these songs loom large in the overall Ives canon along with the Symphonies and Piano Sonatas.... It's mostly that they are just plain enjoyable to listen to and some of the most "accessible" Ives there is. Interestingly, it's a Canadian baritone and a British pianist coming through here with a great selection of 31 Ives songs covering the wide range of moods -- nostalgic, experimental, free-wheeling, silly, profound -- found in these miniature masterpieces. Let's hope they keep going and record the entire 114 (and that Hyperion survives the absurd legal trouble they find themselves in -- help them out by buying some of their CDs this month!)

The Finest Charles Ives Song Collection Available!.......2005-10-17

Charles Ives, that wondrous American iconoclast, wrote 114 songs, songs that vary in content from comedic to nostalgic to patriotic to German lieder (!) to operatic. Here brilliant baritone Gerald Finley and his gifted piano collaborator Julius Drake have selected a fine range of that output in 31 songs that not only demonstrate the spectrum of Ives' creativity, but also give notice that Canadian Gerald Finley may just be the foremost authority on how Ives' songs should be performed.

Included in no particular order (except thoughtful programming!) are such very familiar songs as 'General William Booth Enters into Heaven', 'When stars are in the quiet skies', 'Serenity', 'Tolerance', and 'Ann Street' along with the lesser known early German lieder composed in his early formative years. One of the revelations on this elegant recital is 'The Housatonic at Stockbridge' which lends text to the extraordinary last movement of Ives' orchestral 'Three Places in New England'.

Finley's diction is impeccable and his baritone voice is pliant throughout his wide range. He conveys the essence of these texts as well as any interpreter ever has. Julius Drake provides exemplary piano accompaniment. This is one of the finest recordings released this year. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, October 05

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The Best of Gilbert & Sullivan

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00004SSJR
Release Date: 2002-11-05

Tracks:

The Mikado: Overture
The Mikado: A Wandering Minstrel I
The Mikado: Our Great Mikado, Virtuous Man
The Mikado: Young Man, Despair
The Mikado: Behold The Lord High Executioner!...Taken From The County Jail
The Mikado: As Some Day It May Happen
The Mikado: Three Little Maids From School Are We
The Mikado: Were You Not To Ko-Ko Plighted
The Mikado: I Am So Proud
The Mikado: The Sun, Whose Rays
The Mikado: Here's A How-De-Do!
The Mikado: Miya Sama (Entrance Of The Mikado)
The Mikado: A More Humane Mikado Never
The Mikado: The Criminal Cried
The Mikado: See How The Fates Their Gifts Allot
The Mikado: The Flowers That Bloom In The Spring
The Mikado: Alone, And Yet Alive!...Hearts Do Not Break!
The Mikado: On A Tree By A River
The Mikado: There Is Beauty In The Bellow Of The Blast
The Mikado: For He's Gone And Married Yum-Yum
Trail By Jury: The Learned Jungle
H.M.S. Pinafore: I'm Called Litttle Buttercup
H.M.S. Pinafore: My Gallant Crew...I Am The Captain Of The Pinafore
Sorry Her Lot Who Loves Too Well
H.M.S. Pinafore: When I Was A Lad I Served A Term

Tracks:

H.M.S. Pinafore: Fair Moon, To Thee I Sing
H.M.S. Pinafore: Things Are Seldom What They Seem
H.M.S. Pinafore: The Hours Creep On Apace
H.M.S. Pinafore: Never Mind The Why And Wherefore
The Pirates Of Penzance: Oh, Better Far To Live And Die
The Pirates Of Penzance: Oh, Is There Not One Maiden Breast
The Pirates Of Penzance: Poor Wandering One!
The Pirates Of Penzance: I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major-General
The Pirates Of Penzance: When The Foeman Bears His Steel
The Pirates Of Penzance: Ah, Leave Me Not To Pine
The Pirates Of Penzance: When A Felon's Not Engaged In His Employment
The Pirates Of Penzance: With Cat-Like Tread
Patience: The Soldiers Of Our Queen...If You Want A Receipt For That Popular Mystery
Patience: Am I Alone And Unobserved...If You're Anxious For To Shine
Patience: Sad Is That Woman's Lot...Silvered Is The Raven Hair
Patience: A Magnet Hung In A Hardware Shop
Patience: Love Is A Plaintive Song
Patience: So Go To Him And Say To Him
Patience: When I Go Out Of Door
Patience: After Much Debate (Finale Act 2)
Iolanthe: When I Went To The Bar As A Very Young Man
The Lady Of My Love...(Finale Act 1)

Tracks:

When All Night Long A Chap Remains
When Britain Really Ruled The Waves
When You're Lying Awake With A Dismal Headache
If You Go In, You're Sure To Win
Ruddigore: My Boy, May Take It From Me
Ruddigore: The Battle's Roar Is Over
Ruddigore: In Sailing O'er Life's Ocean Wide
Ruddigore: You Understand?
Ruddigore: When The Night Wind Howls
Ruddigore: My Eyes Are Fully Open
Ruddigore: There Grew A Little Flower
The Gondoliers: We're Called Gondolieri
The Gondoliers: From The Sunny Spanish Shore...In Enterprise Of Martial Kind
The Gondoliers: I Stole The Prince
The Gondoliers: When A Merry Maiden Marries
The Gondoliers: Take A Pair Of Sparkling Eyes
The Gondoliers: Dance A Cachucha, Fandango, Bolero
The Gondoliers: There Lived A King, As I've Been Told
The Gondoliers: I Am A Courtier Grave And Serious
The Yeoman Of The Guard: I Have A Song To Sing, O!
The Yeoman Of The Guard: How You Say Maiden, Will You Wed
The Yeoman Of The Guard: Where I Thy Bride
The Yeoman Of The Guard: Oh! A Private Buffoon Is A Light Hearted Loon
The Yeoman Of The Guard: Comes The Pretty Young Bride

The Wizard of Oz - Vintage Recordings from the 1903 Broadway Musical

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A Collection of the Original Oz Stage Productions
Ain't it a Shame!
Why the 1903 "Wizard" was forgotten
A long overdue revisit to a classic American musical
Long-Forgotten Broadway Hit Gets First Rate Revival

The Wizard of Oz - Vintage Recordings from the 1903 Broadway Musical

Manufacturer: Original Cast Record
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

The Shirley Temple Storybook Collection: Land of Oz/The Reluctant Dragon
The Wizard of Oz (1988 London Cast)
Before the Rainbow : The Original Music of Oz
Shock Treatment (1981)
Into the Woods (Original Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B00009MPYQ

Tracks:

Wizard of OzSelection (Arthur Pryor's Band)
The Bullfrog and the Coon (Ada Jones)
Pocahontas (Edward M. Favor)
Daisy Donohue (Harry Tally)
Down on the Brandywine (Collins & Harlan)
Come Take a Skate with Me Sung (Collins & Harlan)
I Love You All the Time (Harry Macdonough)
The Moon Has His Eyes on You (Ada Jones)
When You Love, Love, Love (Thomas E. Whitbred)
When We Get Whats a-Comin to Us
Mister Dooley Sung (Edward M. Favor)
Julie Dooley (J. W. Myers)
Meet Me Down at the Corner (Jones & Spencer)
Budweisers a Friend of Mine (Billy Murray)
Theres a Lot of Things You Never Learn at School (Bob Roberts)
Under a Panama (Billy Murray)
Good Bye Fedora (Collins & Harlan)
Sitting Bull (Collins & Harlan)
I Love Only One Girl in this Wide Wide World (Harry Macdonough)
Sammy (Harry Macdonough)
The Tale of a Stroll (Morgan & Stanley)
Cant You See Im Lonely? (Ada Jones)
Are You Sincere? (Byron G. Harlan)
Hurrah for Baffins Bay (Collins & Harlan)
Football (Dan W. Quinn)
Id Like to Go Halves in That (Burt Shepard)
Rejoice!The Wizard is No Longer King
The Traveler and the Pie
Must You? (Dan W. Quinn)
Thats Where She Sits All Day (Dan W. Quinn)
The Sweetest Girl in Dixie (Henry Burr)
Scarecrow Laugh (Fred Stone)

Tracks:

Sammy Mira (Music Box Disc)
Must You? (Mira Music Box Disc)
Opening Prayer
Phantom Patrol
Just a Simple Girl from the Prairie
Poppy Song
Love is Love
When We Get What's A-Comin' to Us
The Traveler and the Pie
When You Love, Love, Love
Rejoice! The Wizard is No Longer King
Phantom Patrol (Aeolian Piano Roll)
My Little Maid of Oz Aeolian Piano Roll
The Tik-Tok Man of OzSelection (Rythmodik Piano Roll)
The Tik-Tok Man of OzSelection (Piano Roll)
Ask the Flowers to Tell You (Macdonough & Dunlap)
My Beautiful Dream Girl (John Barnes Wells)
My Pretty Little Piece of Dresden China (Bessie Wynn)
Gay Paree (Montgomery & Stone)
Travel Travel Little Star (Montgomery & Stone)
A Scotch Moriah (Montgomery & Stone)
Hurrah for Baffins Bay (Dan W. Quinn)
Daisy Donohue (Trombone Solo by Arthur Pryor)
Mr. DooleyMedley (Xylophone Solo J. Frank Hopkins)
Down on the BrandywineMedley (Edison Military Band)
The Bullfrog and the CoonMedley (Six Brown Brothers)
Ill Take You Back to Italy (Ada Jones & Billy Murray)
Father Goose Songs (Sallie Osbourne)

Album Description

The Wizard of Oz a musical with book and lyrics by L. Frank Baum and music by Paul Tietjens premiered on June 16, 1902, at the Grand Opera House in Chicago. It was an instant hit and made stars of David Montgomery (the Tin Woodman) and Fred Stone (the Scarecrow). On January 21, 1903 the show opened at the Majestic Theatre in New York. It ran for nine months and set out on the road with a second company right on its heels. The show toured, came back to New York, toured, and returned to New York again many times until finally disbanding around 1911. Stock and amateur companies continued to present it into the 1930s when it was overshadowed by the classic MGM film starring Judy Garland.

The show was legendary for its success and its impact on American culture. It was the Cats or Les Mis of the early 1900s--but the show has been swallowed by history. What made audiences of the early 1900s devour the show and return for more again and again? In this unprecedented 2-CD set—featuring over 145 minutes of vintage recordings and 64 pages of lyrics, photos, notes and synopsis—you can discover how The Wizard of Oz entertained the American public for the first two decades of the 20th century. And like the audiences of nearly a hundred years ago, you can hum along to "Budweiser," "Sammy," and "Hurrah for Baffin's Bay"—everyone's favorite songs from The Wizard of Oz! Also included in this comprehensive collection are recordings from later Oz musicals, The Woggle-Bug and The Tik-Tok Man of Oz written by Oz creator L. Frank Baum, as well as vintage non-Oz recordings by original "Wizard of Oz stars" Montgomery & Stone and Bessie Wynn

Customer Reviews:

A Collection of the Original Oz Stage Productions.......2006-12-07

This Double-Disk Collection contains music from the original and varied Oz Stage Productions: "the Wizard of Oz", "the Woggle-Bug" (based on 'Marvelous Land of Oz) and "the Tik-Tok Man of Oz" (based on 'Ozma of Oz'). There are plenty of "Wizard" songs and music, but there isn't a lot of "Woggle-Bug" and/or "Tik-Tok Man".
I often wondered how different the 1st & Original Production of 'Oz Wizard' was different to the book, and thanks to Mark Evan Schwartz's book "Oz: Before the Rainbow" I found out for myself (WORTH A READ!!). Later I got this CD to go along with the book's stage telling (more or less) and I listened in interest to the songs which, I read, were entirely different to the future Musicals of Oz. The songs are good, but not all of them are actually completely restored to perfection, so the singing may/will sound somewhat muffled. Also, due to the time it was made (for some reason), the songs don't actually fit into the story (even the stage's rewritten story) and sound distant/unrelated. But there are songs that sound similar to the original story ("Rejoice! The Wizard is No Longer King"). CD 2's Track 3 has music played during Silent Oz Film "His Majesty, Scarecrow" on the MGM 3-Disk DVD.
The best thing about this CD Collection is the two booklets packaged along with the disks: the first (entitled "The Records") has writing on "What the Wizard Was" with a synopsis of the stage production story and "About the Recordings", a listing of all the songs on CD 1 (which are helpful for "Selection" Tracks not specifically named on the back) and notes on the songs like their origins and background. Booklet 2 (entitled "The Lyrics") has the words to the songs (in case you can't make out the words/want to sing-along). BOTH CDs include b&w photos of the actors, performance (few of which can be seen in "Oz: Before the Rainbow" book) and even reprints of a few illustrations made for the stage. The pictures are the best part of this purchase.
The Entirely Different Songs may not fit with the story, original or rewritten, but there's nothing really wrong with the music when one enjoys to what they're listening to.
I know that there is also another 'Oz on Stage' CD Collection called "Before the Rainbow" . . . hmmm, I wonder if I should get that too?

Ain't it a Shame!.......2006-05-20

I think that this is a wonderful album of HISTORICAL value. Not too many people know this, but "the wizard of oz" was made into a smash hit in 1903, but because all the history was BARELY in obscurity, hungry tiger press wanted to educate the blockheads in the world about this remarkable piece of history. that being said, david maxine collected all of the old material, such as Piano rolls (my especial favorite of all of them is "the poppy song", i LOVE the bass notes: "nnn-ded-deh mmmm-ded-deh"), and music boxes, and cylinders, and records!
however, it is quite a shame that that CRAPPY movie with judy garland pushed this lovely musical into obscurity. i would have liked to see it in my day, but it was already lost in darkness, but thanks to the highly DIGNIFIED people in the world, this cd is available!! BUY IT!!!! I *ORDER* YOU!!! YOU CANNOT BE DIGNIFIED WITHOUT THIS REPLACING YOUR "RAP" GARBAGE WITH THIS JEWEL!!!!

Why the 1903 "Wizard" was forgotten.......2004-03-20

This truly remarkable 2-disc collection of old cylinders, discs, music boxes and piano rolls explains why the 1903 musical version of "The Wizard of Oz" did not survive the early thirties. It wasn't because it was before its time or even of its time, but simply because it was way behind the times. Its producers resisted composer's Paul Tietjens' attempts to write plot-driven numbers. His contribution survives only in the incidental music preserved on piano rolls (and the most interesting element on this collection) linking very disparate and even incongruous vaudeville acts by various authors and performers that graced the stage during the musical's multi-decade run. In other words, Baum was telling a story and the songs were telling another... As fascinating as they are for historical reasons, those numbers are commonplace, mostly uninspired flash-in-the-tin-pan ditties, with timid syncopation and a stong reliance on musical clichés. There is not a single standard among them and not even a decent lyric where "fine" doesn't rhyme with "mine" and "love you" doesn't rhyme with "I do"- or even "I know you know I know you do", as happens more than once. As an assemblage of shtick pieces and ephemeral sentimental or nonsensical ditties, this collection cannot be topped and it represents a monumental effort. Without it and its very generous and informative liner notes, I would not have the same appreciation for the absolute genius of Victor Herbert's operettas ("Babes in Toyland" came out the same year) where the more memorable songs are plot-driven and introduced and linked by the most luscious, inventive and varied incidental music ever heard outside an opera house. This sort of unified concept would culminate in Jerome Kern's "Show Boat" and it remains a truth today that the integration of plot and music - reminiscent of opera - is the true secret of successful and perennial musicals, whatever the current idiom. This collection also makes one appreciate the complete originality of the Hollywood film for actually going back to Baum's books, entrusting the songs, lyrics and music to Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg and Herbert Stothart and scrapping the musical's colourful but checkered history (except for casting ex-vaudevillians as the main characters, of course!). Highly recommended for its nostalgia value, its irreplaceable rarities and a better understanding of the history of American popular music.

A long overdue revisit to a classic American musical.......2003-09-30

Although it was one of the most financially successful stage musicals of the early 1900's, very little information is presently available on the 1903 production of THE WIZARD OF OZ. In what was obviously a labor of love, David Maxine has done much to correct this oversight by releasing a 2-CD set with over 145 minutes worth of extremely rare recordings of music from this and other OZ-themed musicals dating back to before World War I. Recorded materials include vintage acoustical disc and cylinder phonograph records, piano rolls, and music box discs, many of which go back almost a century. In addition, he has included two booklets worth of historical background information on the 1903 WIZARD OF OZ production, its stars, the individual musical numbers, and lyrics for the songs included on the CDs. (Lavishly illustrated with rare old black and white photos and artwork, these booklets, and the information they contain, are themselves worth the price of the set!) Several bonus CD tracks are included that offer rare recordings by Montgomery & Stone (the original Tin Woodsman and Scarecrow) and Bessie Wynn, who was also in the 1903 cast. Not just for dedicated Oz fans, this set is a "must have" for anyone interested in the history of American musical theater and American popular culture of the early 1900's.

Long-Forgotten Broadway Hit Gets First Rate Revival.......2003-09-17

One hundred and three years ago, author L. Frank Baum published the best-selling children's book of the 20th century, THE WIZARD OF OZ. Although the book was adapted several times as plays, silent motion pictures, animated cartoons, and radio shows in the next few decades, it is the 1939 MGM film that most people think of as THE WIZARD OF OZ. The success and popularity of that film completely eclipsed the memories of previous incarnations and even the book itself in popular culture. However, prior to the film's release, there was a successful stage version which premiered on Broadway in 1903 and delighted audiences for many years, making stars of Fred Stone and David Montgomery, the original Scarecrow and Tinman. As with the MGM film, chilren who saw THE WIZARD OF OZ on stage carried fond memories of the production into adulthood. Ray Bolger was so impressed with the Fred Stone's Scarecrow, that he remembered it vividly as an adult and based his own protrayal of the character in the movie on Mr. Stone's stage version.

Unfortunately, time and Judy Garland have pushed the once popular Broadway Smash into history. It has been all but forgotten...until now.

As the show moved from theater to theater and casts changed, so did the songs. Many of these were recorded on the primative equipment of the day: Wax cylinders, 78-RPM records, piano rolls, and music Boxes, and surprisingly many of these still exist. Now, thanks to those hard-working gents at HUNGRY TIGER PRESS, you can own these historic recordings on this awesome 2-CD set. THE WIZARD OF OZ: Vintage Recordings From The 1903 Broadway Musical contains over 145 minutes of terrific early 20th century music. You won't find "Over the Rainbow" or "Ding! Dong! The Witch Is Dead!" here. Instead, this WIZARD OF OZ contains tracks like "Budweiser's a Friend of Mine", "Sammy", "Hurrah for Baffin's Bay", and "Rejoice! The Wizard is No Longer King", each one a portal over the rainbow to the Broadway stage of a century ago.

Obviously the play was quite different in plot from the movie--Dorothy travelled to Oz with her cow Imogene instead of Toto, for starters--, but the songs represent the style of popular music of 100 years ago and are collected here in a beautiful compilation. The set contains two booklets of liner notes which contain credits, lyrics, a written history of the production, and are extensively illustrated with photos and illustrations. Although the sound quality of the source material is not always up to today's standards, the songs are presented in the best versions possible, and the music is highly enjoyable. With 60 tracks and the wealth of information contained here, both written and photographic, this 2-CD set is good value for the money. A must-have for all collectors of WIZARD OF OZ memorabilia, an insightful look at popular music and Broadway history from a century ago, a glimpse into ethnic and racial stereotypes that were accepted at the time, and a curiosity for fans of the 1939 film, this set is big on appeal. Kudos to the Hungry Tiger Press for rescuing this treasure trove of musical history from obscurity!

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