Kritzerland is proud to present our new limited edition CD:
PROMISES, PROMISES Original London Cast Album Music by Burt Bacharach Lyrics by Hal David
Yes, after our wham bang success with our two CD Promises, Promises Original Cast Album (which included the original LP mix on CD 1 and our newly remixed version with the pitch-corrected vocals), and the one CD re-pressing of the newly remixed version, we now present what is a Holy Grail for most cast album collectors: the Original London Cast Recording of Promises, Promises, starring Anthony Roberts, Betty Buckley, and Jack Kruschen (reprising the role he created in the film on which Promises is based – The Apartment – for which Kruschen received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor). The London production opened in 1969 and ran a very healthy 560 performances and was loved by both audiences and critics, just as the Broadway production was.
This is the first release of the Original London Cast Album, which has been mastered from the two-track album masters, which were in pristine condition. It’s quite a different listening experience from the Broadway cast album, and equally fun in its own different way. There are some interesting adjustments in the orchestrations occasionally, and naturally the recording balances are completely different than the original cast recording. The cast is superb, with Buckley really socking home her numbers, and Roberts truly charming and lovable. And it’s great to have Kruschen in the role he created in the film of The Apartment. We’ve put the songs back into show order, as they were heard on the Broadway and London stage. After the joy of being able to present the original cast album’s original LP mix on CD for the first time, as well as the newly mixed version with the pitch-corrected vocals, it’s an equally great pleasure to be able to finally present the London cast album, sounding better than ever. This release is limited to 1000 copies only. The price is $19.98 plus shipping.
CD will ship by the first week of September – however, preorders placed directly through Kritzerland usually ship one to five weeks earlier (we’ve been averaging four weeks early). To place an order, see the cover, or hear audio samples, just visit www.kritzerland.com.
And for those who haven’t gotten the newly mixed, pitch-corrected 1968 Broadway version, copies have been going fast, so don’t wait too long – the critics are calling it a “revelation.”
I have a long-running LOVE for the drummer on this recording. His attacks and emblishments on "Grapes of Roth" and especially "Turkey Lurkey Time" are INSANE! I-N-S-A-N-E!
Congratulations bk! I bought it and tossed in House of Flowers as well. The HoF OBC is perhaps my favorite cast recording ever and I've never heard what I've termed the "Joe Raposo version" before.
This is amazing news! Very excited! The summer of Promises is not yet over. Time to further drive my partner insane. He rues the day your pitch-corrected disc entered our home (he's not a musical fan).
I'll take your turntable Scripps. I still have Donnybrook! and Nefertiti on vinyl that I haven't listened to in forever.
I wouldn't say there are "plenty" of Evening Primrose left, but there are a few hundred (remember, that one was 3000 units - which is how I learned the hard way that there were no longer that many collectors). It's a really good CD.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
Ordered! Now BK, could you chase up the London Cast recording of IRENE? It along with the London PROMISES are recordings that somehow manage to maintain the sound of a big pit orchestra, something that these days is missing from both the theatre AND cast recordings.
i had transferred the record to a disc ...now I can finally have it without the hiss of the record LOL...this made my day ORDERED....and Primrose is a really great recording thanks for that also!!!!