FIRST LISTEN: Bullets Over Broadway Cast Recording

[mschwager]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 12:52pm

EW has posted a first listen of the Bullets Over Broadway cast recording. I haven't had a chance to listen yet, but I'm excited to hear it! (Even if just for Betsy and Marin).
Bullets Over Broadway First Listen

[haterobics]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 1:20pm

OMG, on second listen, I don't think she's really talking about hot dogs!

[AKarp2013]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 1:35pm

[GlitterandBeGay2]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 6:50pm

Goodness, I didn't realize "wink, wink, nudge, nudge" songs like track 6 were written during the period of "Bullets." I wonder if it was all innocent back then and the song really is about wanting a hot dog.

[devonian.t]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 7:24pm

Yeah and the world was in black and white too and nobody swore or had sex!

Go listen to Bessie Smith for a start.

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 8:57pm

The song "Shave 'Em Dry" from 1935 gives even the most explicit songs from today a run for their money.

It's a great deal more upfront than the Hot Dog number, however.

[RaisedOnMusicals]

Posted: 5/27/14 at 9:02pm

Re the hot dog song, the name of which is I Wanna Hot Dog For My Roll. It was performed in the 20's by the husband and wife team Butterbeans and Susie (Jodie and Susie Edwards). They were considered one of the top comedic acts on the black vaudeville circuit, and they were considered "too raunchy" for white audiences. This song was considered SO raunchy that their record label refused to release it. You can find them doing it (singing the song, that is) on YouTube.

[AntV]

Posted: 5/28/14 at 5:11am

My ears didn't deceive me in the theater. Zach Braff's pronunciation of "sitting" does sound like "****ting." It's most noticeable at :22.

[GlitterandBeGay2]

Posted: 5/28/14 at 5:45pm

Thanks for the background on "The Hot Dog Song," RaisedOnMusicals!

[HorseTears]

Posted: 5/29/14 at 12:06am

Anyone know the size of the orchestra?

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 5/29/14 at 12:09am

18 or 19 people, I think. And they may have included additional musicians for the recording.

[RaisedOnMusicals]

Posted: 5/29/14 at 9:57am

You're welcome, Glitter. (Fan of Candide, are you?)

[RaisedOnMusicals]

Posted: 5/29/14 at 10:25am

Here's a link to Butterbeans and Susie singing the song. By the way, my wife and I thought it was hilarious in Bullets when we saw it. Stro staged it as completely over the top. If only they could show it on the Tonys. I'd pay to see that, jaws would be dropping all over the country.


The Hot Dog Song

Updated On: 5/29/14 at 10:25 AM

[macnyc]

Posted: 5/29/14 at 10:38am

Thanks for posting the link to the songs. I really enjoyed Bullets and thought the score worked perfectly (well, maybe except for the last song).

[LucyEth]

Posted: 5/29/14 at 1:42pm

14 posts and not a single one mentions how the album actually sounds, good or bad! Is it that blah?

[mjohnson2]

Posted: 6/6/14 at 10:56pm

I think it is a great collection of songs from the 1920's sung in a modern way. Fantastic orchestrations too. However, the cast album accents how awfully the songs work into the show, which was the worst part of it.

[RaisedOnMusicals]

Posted: 6/6/14 at 11:05pm

"However, the cast album accents how awfully the songs work into the show, which was the worst part of it"

mrjohnson, I couldn't disagree with you more. I thought that almsot every song was cleverly interpolated into the story. (I even like the Bananas finale, because it spoke to having an optimistic view of life even when things don't go perfectly, which was Nick's philosphy.)

To each his own, as they say.

[mjohnson2]

Posted: 6/6/14 at 11:15pm

RaisedOnMuiscals, I totally get where you are coming from, but I think one of the problems was that i was very familiar with most of the songs from the show already, so seeing them in a new context and with new lyrics was jarring to say the least.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 6/6/14 at 11:33pm

I don't think it has anything to do with being familiar with the songs or not. I wasn't familiar with most of the songs and I thought the way they were shoehorned into the script was just awful. There was no connection between the songs and anything going on the stage. There were a few inspired moments, but even the hot dog song, while hilarious, has no place in the show and comes out of nowhere in the book. The album is fine, but yes, it highlights the worst part of the show: the connection (or lack thereof) between the songs and the action.

[RaisedOnMusicals]

Posted: 6/6/14 at 11:35pm

mrjohnson, fair enough. I knew a few, not most, of the songs, none to the point of really knowing the lyrics, so I just sat back and let the show entertain me, which it did. But I did think that Woody did a really good job of finding songs from that era that fit well into the story line, and I think he deserves credit for doing it. There has been a lot of published writing about why he ultimately decided on using authentic songs, rather than have someone (e.g. Marvin Hamlisch) try to replicate the feel of the 20's.