Mistakes on cast albums

[icecreambenjamin]

I just listened to the new cast recording of Fiddler and I think I heard one of the "daughters" crack on the word prepare in Tradition.

I also just listened the OBC of The Most Happy Fella and I can't tell if its supposed to sound like this or not, but I could swear that the strings are out of tune in a section of the overture.

A classic mistake is Elaine Stritch hitting that long sour note in the opening of Company.

What are some of your favorite cast album mistakes?

[Fantod]

Carol Channing starts singing too early on the "Ermengarde stop sniffling" line in the Hello Dolly OBC

[ClumsyDude15]

On the Hairspray cast recording, during the intro to "Mama, I'm A Big Girl Now" Harvey says "don't" instead of "stop" and then repeats "don't" during the next and correct verse. 

[The Other One]

Angela Lansbury comes in too early on her last line in I've Got You To Lean On on the cast recording of Anyone Can Whistle.

[BroadwayNYC25]

In "I'm Here" in the new Color Purple Recording, I don't know which lyric but it's towards the end where one of the ensemble girls got so into her singing it that she joined in for about two words until realizing that it wasn't her song. I still laugh every time I hear it. Also, this isn't really a mistake but on the same song Cynthia usually has so much strength when singing "my shoulders back" but on the recording she sounds really nasally on the word "back" but even with those the song was and always will be incredible.

[Mr. Nowack]

There's always the classic - Babs' crack on "Don't Rain On My Parade!"

A sour note in the overture of 110 IN THE SHADE reportedly got it axed from the LP release.

[chewy5000]

I thought I heard that "Babs' crack" was intentional, and that she repeated it on several takes?

[Mr. Nowack]

chewy5000 said: "I thought I heard that "Babs' crack" was intentional, and that she repeated it on several takes?"

You may be right, it would make sense since she is a well known perfectionist.

[gypsy101]

Funny Girl's "silver-plated wah wah mule" comes to mind immediately, as well as on the original album of Gypsy there are some wrong notes being played on I believe Rose's Turn that was corrected for the reissue from a few years ago.

[nsguy45]

On the OBC recording of FOLLIES, during Waiting For The Girls Upstairs, Alexis Smith comes in too soon and we hear a quick "Wait . . .".

[Call_me_jorge]

BroadwayNYC25 said: "In "I'm Here" in the new Color Purple Recording, I don't know which lyric but it's towards the end where one of the ensemble girls got so into her singing it that she joined in for about two words until realizing that it wasn't her song. I still laugh every time I hear it. Also, this isn't really a mistake but on the same song Cynthia usually has so much strength when singing "my shoulders back" but on the recording she sounds really nasally on the word "back" but even with those the song was and always will be incredible.

 

"

Can you pin point the time code where the ensemble member sings Cynthia's part? I put it on repeat several times and I still can't figure out where it is. 

[icecreambenjamin]

I have also listened a few times and I haven't heard it, but I just realized how terrible the acoustics are in the studio she's in.  She sounds like she's singing in my pantry.  Still a great recording though.

[sarahb22]

This isn't exactly a cast album, but the 1961 motion picture soundtrack for West Side Story, in the Quintet, right at the beginning during the line "The Jets are gonna have their day tonight," you can very clearly hear one of the cast members sing "way" instead of "day".  It's so glaring I'm surprised they didn't rerecord the track.

Also, on the cast album for The Secret Garden, in "Lily's Eyes", Mandy Patinkin comes in early at one point and starts singing "She has her eyes" and has stop himself.  You very clearly hear him sing, "She-*" and it's obvious it's a goof because a moment later he's singing counterpoint to Robert Westenberg, who's singing the main line, "She has her eyes".   Again, I don't know why they didn't redo that part since it's very clearly a mistake. Oh well!

[ljay889]

Stritch's sour Company note is probably my favorite ever. It is so endearing because she was probably trying so hard to "sing out."

[245601]

BroadwayNYC25 said: "In "I'm Here" in the new Color Purple Recording, I don't know which lyric but it's towards the end where one of the ensemble girls got so into her singing it that she joined in for about two words until realizing that it wasn't her song. I still laugh every time I hear it. Also, this isn't really a mistake but on the same song Cynthia usually has so much strength when singing "my shoulders back" but on the recording she sounds really nasally on the word "back" but even with those the song was and always will be incredible"

I'm confused. What ensemble girl? I thought "I'm Here" is a straight solo for Celie. I wasn't aware of any backup vocals in that song. Am I missing something?

 

[Fosse76]

245601 said: "I'm confused. What ensemble girl? I thought "I'm Here" is a straight solo for Celie. I wasn't aware of any backup vocals in that song. Am I missing something?"

Nope. There is no chorus accompaniment in the song. So that poster is wrong.

[ljay889]

Right and why would an ensemble member be miced in the studio booth with Cynthia during that song? Maybe they mean her solo in the title song reprise??

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Personal favorite: on the LIL ABNER cast recording, one of the women in "Put Em Back The Way They Was" started to keep singing when the dance break began. That nice brassy "PUT" she sang is a highlight for me!

[seahag2]

Someone comes in too early in the opening number of 13 at around 1:30. It's weird too, because that wrong entrance sounds like an easy fix.

[Hariku]

There seems to be one in The Secret Garden recording. In Lilys Eyes right before the modulation...one of the men comes in early on the word "she"and then repeats the word. I always wonder why they left that in

[gypsy101]

Hariku said: "There seems to be one in The Secret Garden recording. In Lilys Eyes right before the modulation...one of the men comes in early on the word "she"and then repeats the word. I always wonder why they left that in"

Kind of like the one sarahb22 mentions just 6 posts above yours lol

[3NU]

In what's literally the final two notes of the Wicked soundtrack, the ensemble belts and holds one last "WI-CKEEEEEEEEED!!!!" At the beginning of the phrase, you hear one woman rise above the rest with an over-pitched screech before the soundtrack's sound editors conspicuously dampen out the woman's note to nothingness over a two second interval.  It's absolutely glorious.

[funhamilton_rent]

This isn't a mistake, but during "One" in the OBCR of A Chorus Line, someone that has the solo line "Suddenly nobody" sounds terrible.

[Kad]

On the Chicago soundtrack (not a cast album but a musical recording nevertheless), there is a distinct male voice exclaiming something during one of the short dance breaks in "I Can't Do It Alone," despite the fact there are no other people involved in the staging or performance of that number other than Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renee Zellweger. It's always bothered me.

[seahag2]

On the West Side Story movie soundtrack, the sound mixing for the line "I know you do!" in America is so awful