BuzzFeed's first listen to the new HEDWIG recording

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/ericafutterman/exclusive-hear-the-original-cast-recording-of-hedwig-and-the

Great recording of a great production.

[Sutton Ross]

Yeah, I posted this in two threads just so people knew. They changed the digital release date to June 12th!

[Marlothom]

Brought back great memories from seeing the show a few months ago. Love "When Love Explodes"- I will say without the visual, Lena sounds much more feminine than Miriam Shor - but still fantastic. I miss the original "Sugar Daddy" version - but I understand a lot more words from the score than I did before.

[Brian07663NJ]

Oh Thanks!!!
Listening now.
Tough to get used to this new version since I've grown SO accustomed to the JCM version.

[jacobsnchz14]

June 12th? You mean on a Thursday? iTunes still says July 1st.

[averagebwaynut]

I'd expect it to be updated shortly. Based on personal past experience, I expect this is considered an "off-cycle" release -- most label albums come out on Tuesdays -- so not everything is sync'd up perfectly. Also, it's easy for the show to tell Buzzfeed to push a button and post their link/article. Exactly when iTunes and Amazon will actually get around to updating their listings is anyone's guess. But I'd imagine it will happen overnight.

[Sutton Ross]

Jacob, yes this Thursday!

[Kad]

The official SoundCloud that this is streaming from still has July 1st. I can't find the new date cited anywhere other than BuzzFeed.

[Alix]

The official Hedwig Twitter and Facebook accounts also say June 12th. :)

[Alix]

...and Playbill.

[Sutton Ross]

.....and this website.

[Kad]

I didn't search well.

[nybound66]

Am I the only one who thinks this recording sounds off -- from production to Neil's vocals?

I saw it live and loved the production and Neil, but after a few listens the quality sounds a bit...cheap.

Am I the only one?

[Jingjo2]

I think Neil's voice sounds a little bit too pretty (not raw enough for Hedwig).
And in some tracks his sexy voice sounds kinda "they forced me to record this sh/t".
However, it was fine. Seeing him live was a way better experience than this recording,
But I will eventually get used to it.

[HBBrock]

NYbound....I recommend checking out the buzzfeed article....the recording was never intended from the beginning...it wasn't an expensive production in Williamsburg.

That being said...I absolutely love it.

[CoreyRyan3]

The complete recording is available for download on iTunes now. Ever more early than the early release. Haha

[jacobsnchz14]

Wow. Already available... that's earlier than early. That's an interesting article, as well. I'm surprised they originally didn't want to record it; NPH's fan base is/will buy it out the wazoo.

[jacobsnchz14]

Wow. Already available... that's earlier than early. That's an interesting article, as well. I'm surprised they originally didn't want to record it; NPH's fan base is/will buy it out the wazoo.

[FindingNamo]

And in some tracks his sexy voice sounds kinda "they forced me to record this sh/t".

We really need a thread here about how what we BRING to our experiences colors our perceptions of them. Let's call it, "Here, we PROJECT!".

[CATSNYrevival]

Why is Trask trashing the original recording so much and calling this one the definitive version? Is he just trying to sell more CDs or was he unhappy with the original for some reason?

[haterobics]

I think he always does that. I seem to recall he said the same about preferring the movie version over the Off-Broadway version back in the day...

[dramamama611]

Well, look at that! I pre-ordered yesterday, and what a suprise! I saw the artile about them pushing the date to Thursday and was thrilled.....but, thanks to this thread, checked and saw I already have it.

Well, what a great way to start my birthday!!! My first gift!

[Scarywarhol]

There was clearly some work that went into rearranging the songs for this version, and the band does sound great. I'm sure that's the work Trask is referring to, and it makes sense that he would prefer the versions he's gotten to tinker with further. That said, I doubt that this will replace the raw original for me. I've been listening to the OCR constantly for months, even though NPH was my first Hedwig and I loved him at the first preview. That original recording has a weird power, and Harris doesn't quite do for me on the album what he did live. It's still very good; I love hearing the new arrangements (Sugar Daddy, the furiously fast Angry Inch) and Lena Hall sounds terrific. Long Grift is my unexpected favorite of the album!

[Kad]

The album sounds fantastic. No, it won't replace the OOBC, but it's still a worthy addition and great supplement to it.

The score is so good it always holds up.

[JoeKv99]

They did a great job updating/clarifying the songs and it does sound very crisp. It may be a minor thing but NPH makes the delineations very distinct between Hedwig's voice and Tommy's which I appreciate.

[Alix]

^^ Agree about the distinction between Hedwig and Tommy--I really like that on this new album. Also LOVE Lena's voice throughout; particularly on "The Long Grift." If I hadn't already seen NPH do the show and were judging his performance based on the cast recording, I think I'd worry that he was too polished, too...Broadway. I don't think his voice is really ideal for Hedwig but I still think he's great in the role--his performance just doesn't translate completely to the album. The recording itself sounds fantastic, though, as does the band. I'm still obsessed with this revised version of "Sugar Daddy."