Sondheim Reissues bonus tracks

Posted: 4/11/05 at 10:22am

RCA victor will reissue "Four of the greatest musicals of all time" this May. The original cast recordings will be remastered and repackaged, including in depth new liner notes. All shows will feature bonus tracks:

Sunday in the Park With George Bonus tracks: Putting it Together from Putting it Together, Sunday from Celebration at Carnegie Hall.

Sweeney Todd bonus tracks: Stephen Sondheims's demos of Johanna (Judge's version), A Little Priest and Not While I'm Around.

Merrily We Roll Along Bonus tracks: Sondheim's demos of Darling (cut), Honey (Cut), Thank You For Coming (cut).

Into the Woods Bonus tracks: Jack's song (First version-- Ben Wright), Cinderella's song (First version- Kim Crosby), Boom Crunch (Cut-- Sondheim Demo).

These releases are tentatively scheduled for May 17th.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 10:26am

Good Bonus', except the Sunday ones, blech. I would like some Sondheim demos of Sunday, especially of the opening number!

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 12:00pm

I hate cd reissues.

[riv]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 12:03pm

Why do you hate CD re-issues?

Occasionally they may be unnecessary, but often they are improvemnets.

Please elaborate.

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 12:15pm

Merrily!!!! <3 <3 <3

[MagicToDo82]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 12:16pm

Oh, I'd love to hear Ben Wright and the first version of Jack's song. Awesome.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 12:18pm

Damn, I finally just bought my own INTO THE WOODS and now there's a new version coming out.

[MagicToDo82]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 12:21pm

I, for one, don't think its possible to have too many versions of Into the Woods - being the girl who has OBC, OLC, revival, and many (cough) other recordings I won't speak of here.:)

[QHDramaQueen]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 1:12pm

I am extremely psyched. I've been putting off getting my own copies for years cause Ive gotten to borrow my father's, but now I definatly will have to start single handedly keeping my Sam Goody's in business:)

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 3:42pm

I adore the song "Honey". I'm so glad they are including it.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 3:43pm

I just ordered Sweeney Todd...but I don't care...

Posted: 4/11/05 at 3:51pm

I forgot to mention- the nice thing is they WILL NOT be raising the prices! They might even be dropping a buck or two! What a switch!

I think reissues are a good thing. CD technology has improved a lot since these were all issued and I'm sure these will sound better.

And, I agree, aside from Sunday, the bonus tracks are VERY MUCH worth looking forward to!

[riv]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 4:00pm

I agree. One of the great things about Columbia's Broadway Masterworks CD re-issues have been how inexpensive they are.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 4:04pm

I can't wait to hear "Boom Crunch"...

[Plum]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 4:06pm

I won't be needing the Sunday reissue except for sound quality purposes, but others are quite tempting. Sondheim demoing the judge's "Johanna"? I really need to hear that.

[Demitri2]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 4:46pm

Okay, this is what I hate about re-issues. Bonus tracks are great but many companies such as DRG are re-issuing lots of shows that I already have but being that they claim the sound has been re-mastered I always feel I need to re-purchase the CD'S for the possible better sound they may provide. However, what irks me the most is that when I read reviews of these new re-mastered CD'S, the reviewers seldom if ever tell you whether the sound has improved as compared with the earlier release of the CD in question. They'll go into great detail about the history of the show, they will even cite the fact that it is not the first time it's been released on the CD format BUT THE THING I WANT TO KNOW IS "DOES IT SOUND ANY BETTER!!!!!" Unless you're new to collecting show recordings, we theater afficiondos are a rather limited audience and probably have already picked up the CD the first time around. As a reviewer, you would think they would realize this fact and tell us what we want to know...should we buy the new re-mastered release for improved sound quality purposes? Phew! ...good to get that off my chest...:)

[riv]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 4:51pm

Steven Suskin at Playbill almost always comments on the sound. Ken Mandelbaum often does not.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 4:59pm

Ok, I cancelled my Sweeney order...and the Phantom book along with it (which I have been waiting for forever)...

[Demitri2]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 5:35pm

"Steven Suskin at Playbill almost always comments on the sound..."

Gee, he didn't mention a word in regards to a sound comparison in the last three CD'S I bought..."The Gay Life", "Flahooley" and "No Strings". On few occasions he has but "almost always"
....nuh-uh.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 5:37pm

Great! Now I have to buy all of them again!

[Plum]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 5:38pm

That's because theater aficionados aren't always audiophiles as well. They're two different areas of expertise.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 4/12/05 at 2:24am

I just hope they increase the volume on SUNDAY and INTO THE WOODS. Why are they so quiet?

[musicalfandukie]

Posted: 4/12/05 at 2:32am

ya i noticed they were quiet too..i always have to turn up the volume when i put those cd's in..and then when i put another cd in i have to turn it way down cause it's way loud!

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 4/12/05 at 4:58am

Sound quality is highlu subjective. The DRG reissues of theCDs that were origianlly on EMI/Broadway Angel 10 years ago don't sound all that different mainly because the originals were quite well done.

SONY/Columbia Broadway Masterworks reissues of HOUSE OF FLOWERS and LI'L ABNER were huge improvements over the original issues which were quite poor. The other Sony reisues were also major improvements although the first CD's of CABARET, COMPANy, NIGHT MUSIC, MAME et al sounded quite fine.

Of the Sondheim's the one most in need of audio upgrading was MERRILY which always sounded dim on cd..it was first mastered and issued on CD in 1986 when Cd's were fairly new. SUNDAY and INTO THE WOODS were all digital recordings which sounded excellent so it will be interesting to see if these new editions beef up the sound. SWEENEY was an analogue recording (pre-digital) but always sounded fine on LP and CD.

Are we sure that the bonus tracks on MERRILY are Sondheim demos? I called RCA the day after the cast album was made to inquire when it would be released. The rep I spoke with advised they had recorded the whole score including songs that were cut and that it would probably be a 2 LP set. Of course some execs were hopoing for a 0 Lp set of a show that had been a huge flop. In the end it was a single Lp. The CD restored "It's a Hit" which was missing from the Lp. But I always wondered whether they really did record "Honey", "The Blob" and "Thank You for Coming" all of which were in the show when I saw it in previews.

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 4/12/05 at 5:17am

I would love to buy these, but I just recently purchased my Sondheim collection! So I'm gonna have to wait a while on the reissues!