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What is the last musical you listened to?


Naïve Old Fart

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What do you guys think of Lin Manuel Mirada and Hamilton? I've only sampled the musical, but it doesn't really sound like my cup of tea. Should I give it a chance?

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On 5-12-2016 at 4:00 AM, Romão said:

What do you guys think of Lin Manuel Mirada and Hamilton? I've only sampled the musical, but it doesn't really sound like my cup of tea. Should I give it a chance?

 

I cant get past the name. Lin Manuel Miranda? Is it hispanic? Is it asian? What's the gender? Far too confusing for me.

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On 12/1/2016 at 6:11 PM, Disco Stu said:

 

As always, it seems we are precise opposites.  I miss when musicals were jazzy, bubbly affairs with silly throwaway narratives that were just there to hang the catchiest songs you've ever heard on to.  Gershwin, Porter, Rodgers & Hart, Kern, Berlin, Bernstein (On the Town era). 

 

I just remembered the adjective for why I hate almost all musicals of the last few decades: demonstrative.

 

Musicals got to earnestly demonstrative for my taste from the 70s on.

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Glad I found this thread and that people listen to musicals without being embarassed here. I'm in need of some advice.

 

Some 15 years ago I used to listen to Belgian musicals like Robin Hood and Sleeping Beauty. I recently re-discovered them by accident on YouTube. What really struck me was how absolutely marvelloous Johan Van Den Eede's music was. He didn't just accompany the singers, he actually wrote engaging acompaniments that somehow remind me of Patrick Doyle's style: very rich, emotional and romantic. The City of Prague Philarmonic even released two CDs with instrumental arrangements of his music.

 

Could anyone recommend me such music in English? As sound quality is important to me, I'm not interested in messy 1950 recordings; the more recent, the better. I'm mainly interested in music with intricate orchestral accompaniments that were thought through carefully, not the kind of lame junk people call music these days.

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10 hours ago, bollemanneke said:

 

Could anyone recommend me such music in English? As sound quality is important to me, I'm not interested in messy 1950 recordings; the more recent, the better. I'm mainly interested in music with intricate orchestral accompaniments that were thought through carefully, not the kind of lame junk people call music these days.

 

bollemanneke, you can't go wrong with any of the John Wilson Orchestra's CDs.  Try That's Entertainment for starters, featuring knockout versions of songs (and some purely orchestral selections) from the classic MGM film musicals.  John Wilson always uses the original film arrangements where they exist; where they do not, he painstakingly reconstructs them.

 

Listen to this clip on YouTube that will tell you all you need to know.  The music heard at the beginning is the MGM Jubilee Overture.

 

 

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21 hours ago, bollemanneke said:

Sounds great! Um, why would they destroy scores in the 60s? Was it like the war on musicals?

 

In one of the worst decisions in the short history of film music, in 1969 MGM decided to dump the full scores and all the orchestral parts for its productions because they took up too much room and they needed the space for a car park.  The scores were reportedly used as landfill for a golf course somewhere in California.

 

Fortunately they did at least keep most of the conductor books for copyright purposes; it was these that John Wilson used to help him reconstruct the scores from the destroyed MGM library.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

On New Year's Eve, I went with my wife to a repertory performance of the musical adaptation of the classic holiday film, A Christmas Story. God it was awful.

 

The performances and production were top notch for a local company, but it's just a bad, bad musical.

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On 5.12.2016 at 4:00 AM, Romão said:

What do you guys think of Lin Manuel Mirada and Hamilton? I've only sampled the musical, but it doesn't really sound like my cup of tea. Should I give it a chance?

 

I'd say yes. It took me a good time to get into it, as I really don't listen to most of the popular styles used there (Hip-hop, but also RnB, pop ballads etc. - not that it doesn't contain a good dose of jazzy and broadway numbers) [frame of reference: My other favorite musicals are Sweeney Todd, WSS, On the Town, Evita, Les Mis, Wicked, Disney stuff]. But what won me over was the engaging narrative, great character performances (some cast members even in two major roles, which I didn't even notice for a time due to a totally different performance for each), and the exceptional wordcraft that Miranda put into the lyrics and rhymes. Almost every line has a deeper meaning or alludes to some historical fact, if you're willing to dig deeper (otherwise they just sound cool).

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/16/2016 at 11:54 PM, Prerecorded Briefing said:

I believe that's Randy Kerber on the piano throughout the score.

 

Yep, remember spotting that in the credits!

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  • 3 months later...

Earlier in this thread I lightly bad-mouthed Sondheim, but I will say that, like millions, I can't help loving "Send in the Clowns."  I had somehow never seen Judi Dench's Proms performance of the song from several years ago and it's now my favorite version of the song.

 

Pure class, Judi.

 

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  • 1 month later...

The Book of Mormon :music:

While I'm generally not a fan of Trey Parker's South Park series(too nihilistic, mean-spirited and nasty) I really enjoy this one.  Catchy songs and several laugh-out-loud moments.

 

Listening to Wicked :music: for the first time.  Oddly enough, no melodies from it have really stood out yet.  Maybe it'll grow on me.  

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On 2017-6-13 at 2:14 AM, Not Mr. Big said:

Listening to Wicked :music: for the first time.  Oddly enough, no melodies from it have really stood out yet.  Maybe it'll grow on me.  

 

Did for me at least. First couple of times I played it, I didn't understand what the fuzz was about, and then I couldn't get it out of my playlist for two weeks.

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On 6/14/2017 at 5:45 PM, Marian Schedenig said:

 

Did for me at least. First couple of times I played it, I didn't understand what the fuzz was about, and then I couldn't get it out of my playlist for two weeks.

It's definitely growing on me.  Schwartz's melodies may not be immediately memorable but once they stick, they stick.  

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I'm not a huge fan of musicals, but based on the hype and non-stop pressing from friends I decided to listen to the official cast recording of Hamilton.  It was awful.  Truly awful.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

I enjoyed watching the semi-staged Proms concert of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! - played by the John Wilson Orchestra - on the tellybox last week.  There are so many familiar songs in it and there were some really good singers and dancers featured.  Highly recommended if you can catch it on the BBC iPlayer.

 

 

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Marc Shaiman

Besides the Act 1 finale song and the Act 2 finale song, it is very unremarkable which is a shame because his Hairspray was fun from beginning to end.

 

Dear Evan Hanson

There is nothing more that I can add to this, that hasn't already been said. Very effective. Very moving. Emotional wreck while listening to it. Impossible to get tickets.

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  • 1 month later...
On 12/1/2016 at 6:21 PM, Disco Stu said:

I don't doubt his talent, his musicals just aren't my thing.  All overcomplicated and the songs too integrated with the storytelling.  I just have very specific taste!

 

I'd rather listen to Anything Goes or Lady Be Good or Showboat than Company or A Chorus Line or whatever.  Basically, once the nerdy theater kids took over Broadway I stopped caring :devil:

 

 

I’d like to point out that I’m an idiot.

 

Been listening to A Little Night Music and Company and they are fantastic.  I’ve come around on Sondheim finally.

 

This is amazing

 

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Barbara Streisand does a good version of PRETTY WOMEN/THE LADIES WHO LUNCH.

Any Sondheim is fantastic: FOLLIES, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, PACIFIC OVERTURES, SWEENY TODD, WEST SIDE STORY, ASSASSINS...

ALNT is packed with fantastic stuff: NOW SOON LATER, A WEEKEND IN THE COUNTRY, PERPETUAL ANTICIPATIONS, THE MILLER'S SON...

Watch out for that hip-bath :)

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Sondheim is an incredible lyricist. The last 'musical' I listened to was Sunday In The Park With George

 

 

 

All things are beautiful, Mother
All trees, all towers
Beautiful
That tower-
Beautiful, Mother
See?
A perfect tree
Pretty isn't beautiful, Mother
Pretty is what changes
What the eye arranges
Is what is beautiful

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  • 1 month later...

This sort of counts I think?  I watched and highly enjoyed the newly revived (?) "Fantasmic" show at Disneyland.  It had a catchy main theme/song, great pyrotechnic effects, and I liked the part when Mickey Mouse murdered all of the Disney villains with magic.  

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  • 6 months later...
On 12/1/2016 at 1:40 PM, Disco Stu said:

Definitely The Rocky Horror Picture Show OST back in October. My favorite musical.

 

I knew I had to have mentioned this at least once before.  This is still my favorite musical.

 

I've discovered there are a couple of songs that I prefer in their original London cast album performances.

 

I love this original take on "Science Fiction/Double Feature."  The ditzy blonde who can't sing is such a fun dumb trope from old movies (see Singin' in the Rain).  This song totally works in that style.

 

Another song I prefer in its original version is "The Sword of Damocles" which is so much more fun here

 

Every other song is vastly superior in the movie OST version.  Don't even get me started on the Roxy cast album, which is terrible if you ask me.

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1 hour ago, Disco Stu said:

 

I knew I had to have mentioned this at least once before.  This is still my favorite musical.

 

I've discovered there are a couple of songs that I prefer in their original London cast album performances.

 

I love this original take on "Science Fiction/Double Feature."  The ditzy blonde who can't sing is such a fun dumb trope from old movies (see Singin' in the Rain).  This song totally works in that style.

 

Another song I prefer in its original version is "The Sword of Damocles" which is so much more fun here

 

Every other song is vastly superior in the movie OST version.  Don't even get me started on the Roxy cast album, which is terrible if you ask me.

 

The 73 cast recording is quite disappointing, but I always loved the '74 take on Sweet Transvestite, with its faster tempo, gospel choir and Stax/Memphis horns. The film's sparser, more measured recording is superior, but still.

 

 

 

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15 minutes ago, Sharky said:

 

The 73 cast recording is quite disappointing, but I always loved the '74 take on Sweet Transvestite, with its faster tempo, gospel choir and Stax/Memphis horns. The film's sparser, more measured recording is superior, but still.

 

 

 

 

I vastly prefer the more raw, almost more "pure", and for me more fun take from the '73 London album.  The Roxy album was slick in an off-putting way.  If I'm picking one, I'm picking the movie soundtrack of course, it has Meat Loaf and "Eddie's Teddy" from the Roxy cast and tighter arrangements more like the 73 album.

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I don't know about "raw" and "pure". To me it sounds like so many cast recordings (and garage rock) from that era. Muddy shit. :P

 

Great performance and energy from Tim and the tenor sax player of course, but I just can't get past the lo-fi, cardboard-boxiness of it.

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