I had never seen the movie or any other version of The Music Man when I saw it in June. Since it looks like we aren't getting a cast recording of this revival, which album should I listen to? The movie? The original cast? The 2000 revival? Are any of them particularly close to the style/orchestrations of the current revival?
I’d love to listen to the 2000 revival cast album, if you can find it.
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I had read somewhere online that Time Life was recording the revival on the 24th. Would they record on a Sunday? I haven’t seen any official word about it though, so who knows.
There's an excellent recording done bt the Pittsburgh Philharmonic in which Doc Severinson sang Marcellus (I have it but I'm preparing to re-paint my living room so my CD's and record albums have already been moved into the garage).
It's an excellent recording if it's still available.
UPDATE: It's the Cincinnatti Pops Orchestra with Erich Kunzel conducting. Several copies are available on Ebay.
Cast recordings these days are done in several sessions. Those one day recording session marathons are pretty much a thing of the past. Even Elaine Stritch’s infamous recording fiasco for 1970’s COMPANY and “The Ladies Who Lunch.” After several failed takes they decided to record the orchestral track and she recorded the song days later to that orchestral track and in one take. Orchestra wasn’t paid overtime on their original schedule and didn’t have to return to the studio.
JAY Records recorded a note-complete of the original Music Man in 1996, with Brian Cox as Harold Hill. There is a highlights version of this recording available on the TER 'Musicals Collection' label, but John Yap has said that he plans to release the complete 2-disc version in the next year or two. This version will include the complete Library ballet, and other dance arrangements not heard on other recordings or obviously on the 2000 disc.
spicemonkey said: "I love both OBCR and 2000 Revival cast recording. Also listen to the Brian Cox's version once in a while, it's actually better than I expected LOL.
Not a fan of the film soundtrack tho."
Why is that? That Warner Bros. orchestra can't be beat, the orchestrations for the film are brilliant, and you're not gonna do better than Mr. Preston, the quartet, and I prefer Shirley Jones to Barbara Cook, but that's just me. Add to that Hermione Gingold - well, I just don't understand how anyone could not be a fan of the film or its soundtrack.
I had read that they plan to record the revival cast album on July 25-26, postponed from June 19 owing to Hugh Jackman's and other cast cases of Covid. Hope this is true.
mamaleh said: "I had read that they plan to record the revival cast album on July 25-26, postponed from June 19 owing to Hugh Jackman's and other cast cases of Covid. Hope this is true."
I had the CD of the 2000 revival, but it was among many the multitude of items that I lost during the fiasco of moving out of the old family homestead. But there are quite a few clips up on YouTube. In fact the whole show is up on YouTube, if you willing to sit through the single worst bootleg ever filmed.