Funny/Odd things you've heard on Cast Recordings

[Adam Chris]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 6:45pm

I am sure there is a thread on this somewhere, but I couldn't find it.

I was just listening to the 1957 West Side Story recording and noticed on the Finale at the 1 minute and 4 second mark you can hear what I am guessing is sheet music falling to the ground. I love it.

There was another time while listening to the recording of Whistle Down the Wind I noticed what sounds like bad dialog editing on Charlie Christmas. Candy is reading the riot act to Amos and you can clearly hear Amos has a line at the 6 minutes and 17 seconds mark, but it gets edited out. I've always wondered what he was supposed to say.

I was curious to know if anyone else knows of any odd or interesting things that can be heard on cast recordings.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 7:04pm

I'll have to listen to those two. In older cast albums, like many classical recordings, you could clearly make out pages of sheet music being turned. Probably due to how things are recorded now, this is much more rare, and I almost miss it.

This probably just reflects the performance, but I love how clearly you can hear Stritch shout out the held "loooooooove" during the title song of Company.

I can't think of examples right now, but I know on older cast albums there have been times, especially when listening with headphones, where I can faintly hear a telephone ring in the background.

[sassylash3s]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 7:28pm

At around 8:31 of "On the Balcony of the Casa Rosada/Don't Cry For Me Argentina" on the American Premiere Recording of EVITA, I SWEAR I can hear what sounds like a doorbell ringing. It drives me crazy because every time I listen to it I think someone's at my door.

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 7:31pm

I forget what album it is (something makes me think it's either the London or B'way City of Angels) but there's a great trombone "blat" incorrect note, very out of place.

I know Bernstein always said there were some orchestral imperfections on the original West Side album - another reason why he assembled and conducted the opera singer cast in the '80s.

[rentfn]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 8:01pm

I swear at 5:12 of Christmas Bells on the Rent Original Cast Recording Their voices blend together to say "**** New Hampshire" One time seeing it live I heard it too. Being from New Hampshire This makes me both happy for being mentioned and sad.

On the Wicked Original Cast Recording*, during Popular at 1:32 I swear I hear a cell phone going off. Gets me each time.

*Is that better BroadwayFan12?? Updated On: 4/12/12 at 08:01 PM

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 8:12pm

Sondheim's notes about the recording of WSS to Bernstein were recently published (Bernstein had to conduct in California or something, so was not there). He warns B that producer Godard Lieberson sped up much of the tempi (something he often did--the thought that without dance visuals, the music had to carry more excitement--of course Bernstein conducted his cast album VERY slowly), and a number of orchestra flubs that he knew B would hate, but they had no time to fix. There are a number on the Merrily OBCR as well, which I know was recorded especially quickly.

[chewy5000]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 8:46pm

Turn up the volume on the original recording of A Chorus Line. At the very start of the finale, you can just hear one of the singers say "swap with me"

[broadwaybabytn]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 8:49pm

The F*** New Hampshire thing is totally true.

[Orangesaretuesdays]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 9:00pm

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?boardid=1&boardname=bway&thread=997458#4029772

This is the board you are thinking of!

I just listened and hear the New Hampshire thing, too funny!

[Matt2]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 9:05pm

On the original cast recording of "Hello, Dolly!" you can tell that Carol Channing comes in too early with the line "Ermengarde stop sniveling..." during "Put on Your Sunday Clothes." Around 2:54 to be precise. She quickly realizes her mistake before finishing the line and repeats it at its correct place in the song.

Also, on a lot the old cast recordings you can hear the actors flipping the pages of the score as they sing.

Updated On: 4/11/12 at 09:05 PM

[justoldbill]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 9:14pm

In the old days, some labels released stereo and mono versions using different takes, Capitol especially. On FUNNY GIRL, for instance, the mono version of "Coronet Man" has Fanny ad-libbing the old line, "We're going home!", which is not on the stereo version. And the mono versions of the soundtrack LPs for OKLAHOMA!, CAROUSEL, and THE KING AND I are different from their later stereo releases. The re-release of GOLDEN BOY used a different finale along with some tracks later recorded by Sammy Davis in better voice. Then there are the two (basically) different releases of COCO.

On the original cast LP of NIGHT MUSIC, you can hear the actress singing Fredricka popping her gum during "The Glamorous Life". This has since been digitally removed. Ethel Merman's finger-snapping during "Some People" also seems to have disappeared, possibly due to an alternate take (like "Rose's Turn").

Updated On: 4/11/12 at 09:14 PM

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 9:56pm

There's a part in the OBCR of Anyone Can Whistle where Angela comes in at the wrong time and quickly cuts out as well.

[Matt2]

Posted: 4/11/12 at 11:48pm

I find it odd that they left these flubs (like Carol or Angela coming in too early during a song) on the final cut of the recording. You would think they'd realize the mistake and do the song over again. What was the reason behind leaving the flub in? Did the producers just not notice it? Were cast recordings often done on time constraints or did they not have the funds to go back and fix any mistakes?

Whatever the answer is, I still love my cast recordings, flubs and all. In a strange way, I find the little things like it to be rather endearing.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 12:02am

I actually do too.

The Hello Dolly one makes less sense, but I know Anyone Can Whistle was recorded only because Godard Lieberson was a fan of the score--Columbia didn't want to (and of course Sondheim was hardly a name then), and always had the impression it was a bit of a rush job, even more than many other cast albums. I think it happens during I Got You to Lean On--I should check...

(Similarly with the flubbed notes in Merrily we Roll Along--I had heard it was a bit of a rush job, there's some poor miking as well, although Sondheim was a name by then...)

[Matt2]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 1:26am

Exactly, it's completely understandable that cast recordings of shows like "Anyone Can Whistle" and "Merrily We Roll Along" have a few goofs. The shows themselves didn't make any money, had very short runs, and were being made quickly and inexpensively. But "Hello, Dolly!" was a such a huge hit that you'd think they'd be more than willing to spend a little extra money and time to make the best possible album. Heck, they made several subsequent versions during the original run with Pearl Bailey, Mary Martin and a partial album with Ethel Merman- and that's not even taking into consideration the many covers done by artists like Bobby Darin, Louis Armstrong and Judy Garland, just to name a few.

The recording is still great though.



Updated On: 4/12/12 at 01:26 AM

[Idiot]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 1:38am

It's not on a 'cast recording', but similar enough in principle I think -- did anyone notice the freaky, jarring freeze frames in old VHS copies of CABARET (the film)? Used to make me nuts.

[ClapYo'Hands]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 1:56am

Matt2, with all due respect, it's Bobby DARIN.

[Matt2]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 2:04am

Sorry, typo. Thanks for letting me know.

[BroadwayFan12]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 3:00am

"On the Wicked soundtrack, during Popular at 1:32 I swear I hear a cell phone going off. Gets me each time."

Wicked doesn't have a soundtrack.

Updated On: 4/12/12 at 03:00 AM

[AngusN]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 5:39am

At the beginning of Call Back In The Morning on the New Broadway recording of 'Little Shop of Horrors' Hunter Foster's voice cracks.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 6:59am

Diana Davila's voice on the Original Broadway Cast Album of TWO GENTLMEN OF VERONA. You call *that* singing? It's friggin' grating!

[North2009]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 9:59am

There are two that always get to me:
1. The overture on the OBC recording of 110 IN THE SHADE - one of the horn players really hits a wrong note.
2. One of the boys in "Me and My Town" on the OBC recording of ANYONE CAN WHISTLE continues singing when everyone else has stopped.

[ajh]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 10:44am

Bernadette Peters' accent on the OBCR of SONG AND DANCE!!!

[newintown]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 10:55am

"One of the boys in "Me and My Town" on the OBC recording of ANYONE CAN WHISTLE continues singing when everyone else has stopped."

Someone once told me that they asked Harvey Evans about that flub, who replied that it was Tucker Smith, a chorus boy always more interested in partying than working, frequently showing up for rehearsals hungover.

[BudFrump23]

Posted: 4/12/12 at 11:22am

This could be all speculation, but part of the reason for not re-recording "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" with Carol's line flub may have many reasons.

I was once told that when recording cast albums, whoever is in charge usually likes to get the Ensemble and Company numbers out of the way first, and leave the solo's and duet's (with less people) 'til the end. That way, they don't have to pay everyone the same. "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" is a company number - and not a short one - and Ms. Channing's mistake happens right in the middle of the song. Perhaps they just didn't find it necessary to record again and take up more time.

Also - the early coming-in gives us something to write about on message boards 40+ years later! And it's charming.