Moments on Cast Recordings that drive you crazy- Page 2

Posted: 10/2/06 at 9:09am

Little Women: Sutton during one of the 'Astonishing's by the song of the same name

Assassins OBC/'Revival' [not sure about the original off-broadway]: The gun shot. It's appropriate and should be there, but it scares me sometimes. And not so good when you're driving and forget about it.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 9:24am

In the OBCR of INTO THE WOODS after 'Act II Prologue: So Happy" when the characters set off on another mission and their voices get fainter as they go deeper into the woods, and then Rapunzel has to ruin the moment by producing a shrill scream. I hate that! I understand that this happens in the show, but why include it in the recording? It's not like they follow up the scene. It just seems out of place... and annoying!

[ILUVTOMG]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 9:32am

shelley winters clearing her throat on the MINNIE'S BOYS obc recording. Her first line (spoken) GOOD MORNING LADIES (hack hack). Ok maybe it doesn't drive me crazy but didn't they do re-takes back then?

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 9:33am

Another Sutton moment. In the Drowsy Chaperone's "Fancy Dress", there's a part where they are supposed to whisper (while Bob Martin is talking) and her voice stands out from the others very distinctly. I assume because Sutton is on a different mic than the others that you can hear her voice more. Its just really annoying.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 9:51am

I have another one: Whenever Anne Reinking sings in the CHICAGO revival cast recording. She sounds like she's channeling Gwen Verdon (from the OBCR) and since I don't care for Gwen's singing anyway, it grates on my nerves! Ugh!!!

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 10:32am

Stanley Wayne Mathis in Beethoven Day on the revival recording of YAGMCB. He is ridiculously flat on the last note of "when we all honor the man we adORE." Makes me NUTS.

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 10:34am

I have another one: Whenever Anne Reinking sings in the CHICAGO revival cast recording. She sounds like she's channeling Gwen Verdon (from the OBCR) and since I don't care for Gwen's singing anyway, it grates on my nerves! Ugh!!!

---

Verdon is genius. Reinking is great. You grate my nerves.

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 10:59am

I have a big "general" thing that drives me crazy about cast albums that were recorded in the '70s and '80s, mostly produced by the renowned (and WAY over-praised) Thomas Z. Shepard. The dynamics are so overdone that I am constantly adjusting the volume. The soft sections are WAY too soft, and the loud sections blow my head off. So I listen, with one hand on the volume control at all times, and that's REALLY IRRITATING. It never sounded that way in the theatre, or "live" and there is no reason to imitate the (lousy) style of many classical recordings from the same era, with the overly dramatic dynamic levels. It's wrong, it's badly done, and it makes for a very dissatisfying listening experience. (This includes virtually every early Sondheim recording, and many others from the same time period.)

One specific thing I can think of... as much as I LOVE and respect Donna McKechnie's abilities in A Chorus Line... I completely WINCE every time I hear her sing that first "PLAY me the music." It's so very... FLAT. Ouch! I love her interpretation of that song though... above anyone else who has attempted it, and the recording itself.

I also have problems with Jerry Orbach's pitch on Promises, Promises. He's as much as a half-STEP flat at times. Lordy!

[StageManager2]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 11:43am

"Verdon is genius. Reinking is great. You grate my nerves."

God forbid I should have a dissenting opinion! So what? Their singing is not my cup of tea. Big deal! Get over it!

BTW: It was Reinking's imitation of Verdon on the recording that annoys me.

[singingwendy]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 11:53am

Bernadette Peter's last note of "Unexpected Song" on the "Song and Dance--the Songs" OBC. It just sounds completely wrong, and I wince everytime I hear it. Other than that, I think the album is great.

And B12B--I totally agree with you on the whole loud/soft thing. Of course, that's also one of the reasons I seldom listen to classical music in the car. Too much adjustment necessary!

[Rocky Horror]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 12:08pm

In 'Defying Gravity' on the OBC of Wicked, when Idina says 'think of what we could do', she says 'do' kinda oddly. It sounds a bit like 'djhoo'. Listen to it, and you'll understand what I mean.

Posted: 10/2/06 at 12:14pm

1. The weird noise after"everyone deserves the chance to fly!"

2. When Bebe does the zzzzzzzzzzz in All that Jazzzzz

3. In Little Women, during "Better","Where itaaaaaall begaaaaan" and "Truround go back to Concord"

[Rose_MacShane]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 12:16pm

There's a moment on the Avenue Q OBCR that always drives me nuts. During "I Wish I Could Go Back To College" when John Tartaglia starts his verse (at "In college you know who you are") when all of a sudden there's a very quiet bleeping/chirping noise in the background. What the hell is that??

[shesamarshmallow]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 12:24pm

I never notice any of these things, but now that they've been pointed out they bug the crap out of me. Solution: never come in this thread.

[Sondheim Geek]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 12:32pm

The Stritch/Company comment made me fall out of my chair. Thanks guys. Thanks.

As much as I love the show, the CR of Drowsy gets on my nerves so much. There's this one bit, where Bob Martin (this will be the first and last bad thing I say about this man), laughs as he's introducing Beatrice Stockwell/Stumble Along... "Even if it wasn't appropriate". The problem is, THAT MAKES NO SENSE TO THE CHARACTER.

End fuming.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 12:33pm

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels:

"They held up that midget with crazy glue."

Who is this midget Norbert sings of?

[Sondheim Geek]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 12:36pm

*seconds Matt*
I want to know about this midget!

[pandajen14]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 12:46pm

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio on the revival cast recording of Man of La Mancha during "It's All the Same". I like some of her other songs on the CD, but the way she does the "I'm not a fool/With starry eyes" part kills me. There's a bunch of other moments on different recordings that I can't think of right now.

[singingwendy]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 12:46pm

that reference is to a commerical that ran throughout the 80's to show how strong crazy glue was. They had this guy strapped into a hard hat, and then they glued the hard hat to a construction beam. Then the guy kind of hung there......

[folkyboy]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 12:46pm

you honestly don't know? there's an old school commercial that had a construction worker who stuck crazy glue to the top of a workman's hat and the midget held on over a metal scaffolding.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 1:00pm

Oh, ok, thanks.

[mizzie]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 1:29pm

In the Seussical OBC, at the end of Amazing Mayzie, there's an octave jump on the last note. It sounds very squeeled and makes me insane. I don't really know how to describe it....it's just annoying to know that another take probably could have fixed it!

[mejusthavingfun]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 1:58pm

I hate "mmmm yeahhh " at the beginning of As Long As Your mine from Wicked.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 2:08pm

Christmas Bells: Mark has this beautiful little melody but I can't understand what he's saying or if it's even him.

Bernarda Alba: During "Love Let Me Sing You" the old lady says something and she sings and it just sounds horrible.

[bwaymizfit2]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 2:43pm

During "Red and Black" on the TAC recording of Les Miz, Michael Ball does this weird embellishment thing at the end of "my world if she's not there." It just seems really out of place.