T Rex [Import] [Original recording remastered]

t rex [import] [original recording remastered]

Track Listings

1. Children Of Rarn

2. Jewel

3. Visit

4. Childe

5. Time Of Love Is Now

6. Diamond Meadows

7. Root Of Star

8. Beltane Walk

9. It Is Love?

10. One Inch Rock

11. Summer Deep

12. Seagull Woman

13. Suneye

14. Wizard

15. Children Of Rarn

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Japanese reissue of 1970 album is packaged in a limited edition miniature LP sleeve & includes nine bonus tracks, 'Ride A White Swan' (Single A Side), 'Summertime' (Single B Side), 'Poem', 'The Visit' (Take 4), 'Diamond Meadows' (Take 6), 'One Inch Rock', 'Seagull Woman', 'The Wizard', & 'The Children Of Rarn'. Universal. 2004.

T Rex,Marc Bolan,T Rex,Universal,Rock,Rock/Pop

T Rex [Import] [Original recording remastered]

My Fair Lady (1956 Original Broadway Cast)

Average customer rating:

Excellent Sound Track
Great gift!
Good, but not for the Family
fantastic......
"A" for Andrews

My Fair Lady (1956 Original Broadway Cast)
Alan Jay Lerner , Rex Harrison , Julie Andrews , and Frederick Loewe
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Camelot (1960 Original Broadway Cast)
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West Side Story (1957 Original Broadway Cast)
The Music Man (1957 Original Broadway Cast)
Fiddler on the Roof (1964 Original Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B000067AS1
Release Date: 2002-05-28

Tracks:

Overture
Why Can't The English?
Wouldn't It Be Loverly
With An Ordinary Man
I'm An Ordinary Man
Just you Wait
The Rain In Spain
I Could Have Danced All Night
Ascot Gavotte
On The Street Where You Live
You Did It
Show Me
Get Me To The Church On Time
A Hymn To Him
Without You
I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face
A Post-Recording Conversation (bonus track)
Playback: Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe (bonus track)

Amazon.com

The 2,700 performances of Lerner and Loewe's musical adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion gracefully spanned the Eisenhower and Camelot eras, then begat a wildly popular film version, whose 1965 Best Picture Oscar capped the show's decade of prominence. The crowning achievement of Lerner and Loewe's rich body of work began its recording life on this 1956 cast recording, a collection of performances that long ago became a ubiquitous and indispensable fixture of American musical theater. Indeed, it's hard to imagine anyone else but Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison in the roles of the cockney Eliza Doolittle and her long-suffering mentor, Henry Higgins, delivering definitive versions of the show's embarrassment of riches: "Why Can't the English?," "Wouldn't It Be Loverly," "The Rain in Spain," "I Could Have Danced All Night," and "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face." This new edition offers a digitally burnished take of the already glorious recording, now supplemented with a post-recording conversation track featuring Harrison, Andrews, Lerner, conductor Franz Allers, and original producer Goddard Lieberson, as well as a 1961 audio interview with Lerner and Loewe. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Sound Track.......2007-06-27

I found My Fair Lady full of beautiful arrangements and excellent vocals. Can't get better then the sound of Julie Andrews!!!! Although Julie did not get the movie roll this makes me appreciate the movie even more.

Great gift!.......2007-06-01

Bought this as a gift for a friend.Received it quickly and she was delighted.

Good, but not for the Family.......2007-05-29

I initially really enjoyed the movie my fair lady and wanted a sound track so I could continue to enjoy the music. However, upon recieving the cd, I was especially disappointed with one aspect - the language. I knew Professor Higgins and others had used profanity on the film, and was ok with it. You hear it once and move on. However, I don't want a cd playing around my family that my kids are learning to dance, sing, and act out a song that has rather obvious swear words. After 1 listen I picked out at least three instances of swearing, the worst being I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face (my otherwise favorite song!) The song starts out d--n, d--n, d--n! It's shouted.

fantastic.............2007-05-16

MY FAIR LADY, one of the most well-loved and beautifully made musicals, was a definitive vehicle for the career of (then) twenty year old Julie Andrews, as the "loverly" Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle. Between Andrews' soaring soprano (which is especially poignant to hear, today, considering that she can no longer sing as she once did) and the great supporting cast, lead by Rex Harrison, as Dr. Henry Higgins, the bored professor who takes her under his wing as a special project to mold into a dignified lady, this is a five star show!

The story was actually based on PYGMALION, by the late, great playwright, George Bernard Shaw, inspired by Greek mythology. In the original Greek play, Pygmalion is the sculptor who creates a depiction of a woman, out of ivory, and falls in love with it. He prays to Venus, and then his sculpture is brought to life, as Galatea. In the musical, the gist is similar but the journey and characters veer from this concept considerably. For starters, no one starts out as a piece of stone--especially not Eliza Doolittle. She has definite opinions and a distinctive personality (saucy language and all), that Dr. Doolittle is very keen on shaping up for society. The music is perfectly in synch with the mood of this great play, which is in some ways a true parable about human behavior and the treatment of women in society. Some of the most beautiful music by Lerner and Loewe is featured here. The songs include "Wouldn't It Be Loverly," "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face," and "Get Me to the Church On Time." This is brilliant. Buy this today! I am not sure how great the sound quality is on audio cassette, in comparison to the original recording on vinyl that I heard, as a little girl. I have a feeling it's pretty spectacular though!

"A" for Andrews.......2007-04-15

For years I had only the movie soundtrack and I was perfectly content with it, it was after all one of the best shows ever to hit the boards and I think Marie Nixon did a wonderful in the role of Liza Doolittle - she matched Hepburns voice closely plus she's a professional singer who soars with good material.

It's amazing listening to Ms. Nixon in The King & I; she is much closer to Deborah Kerr's voice and they sounded more natural between speaking and singing but that was the clinker for me. I realized the distance between Ms. Hepburn and Ms. Nixon in the movie version - so I went back to square one and GOT THE ORIGINAL.

You have to hand it to Goddard Leiberman (head of Columbia years ago and protege of Fanny Brice) for starting the tradition of recording Original Broadway Cast 'albums' at the time they opened.

Finally listening to Julie Andrews sing the most popular songs from one of the best shows ever penned almost made me cry. You can tell she's riding the crest of the wave - she literally soars, defying gravity. Her diction, as always, is perfect but she's perfect as the brash cockney flower girl, a young girl on an adventure and a refinded lady. I will always be grateful to Marnie Nixon for the work she did for the film but once you listen to original Eliza Doolittle you will realize there is only ONE and that ONE is JULIE ANDREWS.

Yes, her leading man is also good. One surprise however was Stanley Holloway - it was a shock to realizae that it was about ten years between the show and the film and he does sound ten years younger. The man is a delight at any age, it's not important, it just adds to the fun.

If you really like the show, and the songs, treat yourself and get the Original Broadway Cast - the cast hit the studio at the peak of their form with a solid hit under their belt and that confidence sets this recording light years ahead of any other recording.

Now if it were in stero that would make it a 5 star review.

My Fair Lady (1959 Original London Cast)

Average customer rating:

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

My Fair Lady (1959 Original London Cast)
Alan Jay Lerner
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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My Fair Lady (1956 Original Broadway Cast)
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The Sound of Music (1965 Film Soundtrack - 40th Anniversary Special Edition)

ASIN: B000007OHU
Release Date: 1998-06-02

Tracks:

Act I: Overture
Act I: Why Can't The English?
Act I: Wouldn't It Be Loverly
Act I: With A Little Bit Of Luck
Act I: I'm An Ordinary Man
Act I: Just You Wait
Act I: The Rain In Spain
Act I: I Could Have Danced All Night
Act I: Ascot Gavotte
Act I: On The Street Where You Live
Act II: You Did It
Act II: Show Me
Act II: Get Me To The Church On Time
Act II: A Hymn To Him
Act II: Without You
Act II: I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face
The Embassy Waltz

Amazon.com

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Average customer rating:

Very Powerful music
Glass on a vacation from glass
Delicate and ephemeral
Doesn't come together quite as well
Breathtaking

Music From the Screens

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Back to Black

ASIN: B0000040UP
Release Date: 1992-03-10

Tracks:

The Mad Cadi's Court
Leila Dies
Said And His Shadow Dance
Decorating The Dummies
Warda's Whorehouse
The French Lieutenant Dreams
The Arab Women Lament
Land Of The Dead
Ansatou
19th Century France
Said's Treason
The Orchard
The Village
Prison Song
Suso's Song
France
Night On The Balcony
North Africa - 1962

Customer Reviews:

Very Powerful music.......2003-08-03

French Lt.'s Woman is the best piece on the cd the rest is disjointed at best.

The French Lt.'sWomen is very slow and very powerful. If you don't get

a choked feeling in your throat.....you probably voted for Bush.

This one selection is worth the entire CD

Glass on a vacation from glass.......2002-05-19

Foday Musa Suso, esteemed African composer, had a great role in co-composing this music. What he & Glass did was literally work on each line of music together, writing a note or a few notes before the other had his turn at it. The result is something they were both very pleased with & which neither could have composed on his own. The work is brimming with Glass's repeated figures, but it's not music you might expect from him. Exotic, dry, often ethereal, it'll coat your dreams at night with a fine white sand.

Delicate and ephemeral.......2000-09-29

This score composed by Glass and Suso was written for a production of The Screens at the Guthrie theater in Minneapolis in 1989. The play takes place in 1960s Algeria during a struggle for independence from France. This is an excellent collaboration for Glass, but there are a couple of Suso's contributions I could live without. For me Glass's The French Lieutenant's Dream is the highlight of the CD. Like most of the composition it is delicate and ephemeral. Good quality headphones are recommended here, as should be with most of Glass's work now that I think of it. The Screens is Jean Genet's finest stage work and was first seen in Paris in 1966.

Doesn't come together quite as well.......2000-08-25

I enjoy every one of my 15 or so PG cds, but this one didn't quite come together as well as I would have expected. There seems to be a separation between the different styles. Perhaps I just need to give it another chance. I do prefer, however the Kundun sdtk, Dracula, Koyaanisquattsi and Akhenaten first. Heroes is cool too.

Breathtaking.......1999-09-06

I am so glad that I have found this CD again. It is one of the most beautiful collaborations Glass has ever composed. The music floats with amazing richness and the images it conjures are deep and powerful. Truly touching.

Average customer rating:

Peculiar thing about this CD
I agree that this is the one.
this is the one

My Fair Lady (1959 Original London Cast)
Rex Harrison , Julie Andrews , Stanley Holloway , and Robert Coote
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Musical Theater | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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My Fair Lady (1956 Original Broadway Cast)
Camelot (1960 Original Broadway Cast)
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ASIN: B0000024OY
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

My Fair Lady/Overture - The Orchestra
My Fair Lady/Why Can't the English? - Rex Harrison
My Fair Lady/Wouldn't It Be Loverly - Julie Andrews, Ensemble
My Fair Lady/With a Little Bit of Luck - Bob Chisholm, Alan Dudley, Stanley Holloway
My Fair Lady/I'm an Ordinary Man - Rex Harrison
My Fair Lady/Just You Wait - Julie Andrews
My Fair Lady/The Rain in Spain - Julie Andrews, Robert Coote, Rex Harrison
My Fair Lady/I Could Have Danced All Night - Julie Andrews, , Betty Wolfe,
My Fair Lady/Ascot Gavotte - Ensemble
My Fair Lady/On the Street Where You Live - Leonard Weir
My Fair Lady/You Did It - Robert Coote, Rex Harrison, , Betty Wolfe,
My Fair Lady/Show Me - Julie Andrews, Leonard Weir
My Fair Lady/Get Me to the Church on Time - Stanley Holloway, Ensemble
My Fair Lady/A Hymn to Him - Rex Harrison
My Fair Lady/Without You - Julie Andrews
My Fair Lady/Ive Grown Accustomed to Her Face - Rex Harrison

Customer Reviews:

Peculiar thing about this CD.......2006-08-10

A huge fan of the original Broadcast cast LP as a child, I bought the Stereo London cast (same principals) and was disappointed that as noted inside in the notes the cast had colds when it was recorded and were just slightly off pitch, everyone. I also thought that after doing it for three years, they were a bit weary of the material. So I delayed getting the London cast CD for years. Now I listen to it and no evidence of the colds, nor mention of it in the notes. I suspect that the vocals were every so slightly sweetened upwards and if so, thank you. Now this recording is very nearly as good as the Broadway and has the bonus "Embassy Waltz". I still slightly prefer the Broadway, which has the fizzy excitement of a new major hit preserved in every note. Either of these are hugely preferable to the film recording, which suffered from Audrey Hepburn in her only inadequate performance (Jack Warner deigned that it would be Cary Grant and Julie Andrews OR Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn, but was determined to break up the tandem). Now, either way, you can't go wrong.

I agree that this is the one........2004-06-08

I recently decided to replace a worn out audio tape I had from years ago with a spiffy new CD of "My Fair Lady." I purchased the Broadway cast recording and was...really disappointed. This is a very measured performance by all the actors that only seems to really kick in towards the end. The London recording was made later. It is wonderful. Every performance is much improved, more vital, more witty, more sarcastic. I highly recommend it.

this is the one.......2003-10-27

I assume that if you have made it to reading this review it would be redundant to try to sell you on My Fair Lady...I'm recommending this particular performance. Obviously the film is out of the question. One can only hope that Jack Warner got his just rewards post mortem. This recording is in stereo which was the original reason to release it in 1959. (the cast is identical to the new york album) The songs are so exquisitely rendered...informed by years of performance in New York. Harrison's "accustomed to her face" is utterly poignant. magisterial even. Julie Andrews is superb in every way. Her defiance in just you wait is biting and the sweetness of "Loverly" and "I could have danced..." this album has such riches of feeling. I hope that they will remaster this performance as with the New York 1956 one. Not to worry however; the recording has more than adequate sonics.

Average customer rating:

It includes a stunning Broadway ballad!
Wrong country?
Last Gasp of a Great Broadway Composer
Even Richard Rodgers can write a turkey!
A better score than its reputation might suggest

Rex (1976 Original Broadway Cast)
Richard Rodgers , and Sheldon Harnick
Manufacturer: RCA Victor Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000003GBB
Release Date: 1997-11-11

Tracks:

Overture & Te Deum - Chorus
No Song More Pleasing - Nicol Williamson
The Field Of Cloth Of/Where Is My Son? - Nicol Williamson Company
As Once I Loved You - Barbara Andres
The Chase - Merwin Goldsmith, Tom Aldredge, Ladies And Gentlemen Of The Court
Away From You - Nicol Williamson, Penny Fuller
Elizabeth - Ed Evanko, martha Danielle, Melanie Vaughan
Why? - Nicol Williamson
So Much You Loved me - Penny Fuller
Christmas At Hampton Court - Sparky Shapiro, Michael John, Glenn Close
The Wee Golden Warrior - Tom Aldredge, Michael John, Sparky Shapiro, Glenn Close, Ladies & Gentelmen Of The Court
From Afar - Nicol Williamson
In Time - Penny Fuller
Finale (Te Deum) - Company

Customer Reviews:

It includes a stunning Broadway ballad!.......2006-07-15

The subject of the musical is very appealing and well known. The characters are dramatically powerful and the historical events seem to have been well told in the stage production. So, it's difficult to explain the failure of this musical in the theatre. As far as the CD is concerned, I found it interesting all the way through. If you buy it, be sure you'll be getting one of the most beautiful love songs ever written for a Broadway show: "Away from You", a ballad that the great Sarah Brightman has recently included in one of her Broadway albums. Here, you have the original version which, actually, is well worth the price of the whole record. Just for that song, this CD deserves 4 stars.

Wrong country?.......2005-06-10

I think it was probably the subject of the play that killed this one. In England of course they are quite fond of books films plays etc. about the Big Man. Sympathy for him is rare among women, catholics and Americans, however - in spite of the fact that he loved women himself and was always a devout catholic - in his personal convictions, at least, a loyal son of the church. Americans should theoretically be more sympathetic too - Henry's compulsive womanising was very reminiscent of President Kennedy (or should that be the other way around), while other aspects of his foreign and domestic policy are a kind of amalgam of Reagan and Bush Jnr.

All this has next to nothing to do with this CD - it is required listening for anyone with even a passing interest in musical theatre.

Richard Rodgers is one of the greatest musicians of the twentieth century. While this is not his masterpiece by any means, several songs from this show at least demonstrate that his genius never left him.

And Henry VIII is a very interesting person, even if you are a woman, a catholic, or an American (or even all three). You don't have to like someone like Henry to find him fascinating.

Last Gasp of a Great Broadway Composer.......2002-06-25

I am in a real minority. Not only am I one of the few people to have seen Rex, I saw it twice - during its pre-Broadway tryout at the Kennedy Center in Washington. The performances I saw were a week apart and a lot of changes were made in between. So it was a slightly different show that eventually opened on Broadway. And while it is certainly not Richard Rodgers' finest moment, I am still glad to have this record of a...shall we say...interesting theatrical experience.

The idea of doing a musical about Henry VIII was always a strange one. But it almost worked. The casting of Nicol Williamson was a giant step in the right direction - a commanding stage presence with a surprisingly good singing voice. Penny Fuller in the dual role of Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth was another good choice - a leading lady in the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein mould. But the script was way too serious and the lyrics, though occasionally good, lacked the wit and polish and insight that Hammerstein could have given them. As for the music...well, some songs seemed like Rodgers was composing on auto-pilot. But others - Away From You and As Once I Loved You in particular - can proudly stand with the best love songs from Oklahoma or South Pacific. Others such as Elizabeth and No Song More Pleasing demonstrate that Rodgers had not lost his ear for deceptively memorable melodies. And it is, after all, Rodgers' music that will attract the interest in this CD of what was, to be honest, a Broadway flop. Your enjoyment of the CD will depend upon your interest and your generosity. It is highly unlikely there will ever be a revival of Rex. So fans of Richard Rodgers and Broadway should be glad that this souvenir exists.

Even Richard Rodgers can write a turkey!.......2002-01-25

After over 50 years of superb composing a man is allowed to write a stinker and Rodgers did. We can't blame his lyricist (the great Sheldon Harnick of Fiddler on the Roof fame) or any of the creative team. Maybe we can blame the idea of writing a musical about Henry VIII beheading his wives. In any case buy this only if you're a collector (like I) or just as a curiousity.

A better score than its reputation might suggest.......2001-11-21

In his penultimate show, the supposedly dried-up Richard Rodgers produced some very good music, especially in the ballads. "No Song More Pleasing," "As Once I Loved You," "Elizabeth," and "So Much You Loved Me" all have much to recommend them, and "Away From You" ranks with Rodgers's greatest ballads. And "The Field of Cloth and Gold" is, as Ethan Mordden says in his book on Rodgers and Hammerstein, hair-raising when the English and French courts sing in two different keys, giving the lie to the words they sing describing their mutual harmony.

Despite these fine songs, no one is likely to say that this is one of Rodgers's greatest scores as a whole. The creators seem not to have realized until too late in the writing process that a man who beheads his wives is not exactly a sympathetic leading character. A dramatic approach that might have acknowledged this and made a positive out of a negative was not found, judging from the evidence on this recording. Among other problems, the numbers in which Henry justifies his actions never quite take flight, as if Rodgers couldn't quite buy it himself.

Still, even the lesser numbers have a fair degree of the Rodgers craft. Some of Sheldon Harnick's lyrics are below his usual standard, though.

The cast does well, with Nicol Williamson revealing a singing voice that, while not beautiful, has character, strength and reliability. It's too bad that he never did a another musical.

Tracks:

Overture - Franz Allers
Why Can't The English? - Rex Harrison
Wouldn't It Be Loverly - Julie Andrews/Franz Allers
With A Little Bit Of Luck - Stanley HollowayGordon Dilworth/Rod McLennan
I'm An Ordinary Man - Rex Harrison
Just You Wait - Julie Andrews
The Rain In Spain - Rex Harrison/Julie Andrews/Robert Coote
I Could Have Danced All Night - Julie Andrews/Philippa Bevans
Ascot Gavotte - Franz Allers
On The Street Where You Live - John Michael King
You Did It - Rex Harrison/Robert Coote/Philippa Bevans
Show Me - Julie Andrews/John Michael King
Get Me To The Church On Time - Stanley Holloway/Franz Allers
A Hymn To Him - Rex Harrison
Without You - Julie Andrews
I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face - Rex Harrison
A Post-Recording Conversation - Goddard Lieberson/Rex Harrison/Julie Andrews/Franz Allers/Alan Jay Lerner

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