Beauty And The Beast: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
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Free Music Notes for Beauty And The Beast: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Free Music Review: A wonderful mix of romance and comedy
Hit: 5 Stars
For many years, I have thought of "Beauty and the Beast" as the standard by which all Walt Disney animated musicals should be measured. The music by Alan Menken, the lyrics by Howard Ashman, and the performances of a superb cast combine to create one of the greatest movie song scores of all time.The story is based on the timeless tale of a handsome prince who is changed into a monstrous beast, and who then must earn the love of a beautiful maiden. Robby Benson brings a touching mixture of pain and hope to his performance as the Beast. Paige O'Hara is a revelation as Belle ("Beauty"): she possesses a voice of great power and purity. The leads are well complemented by a superb supporting cast: Angela Lansbury, Jesse Corti, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers, and Richard White. Each performer brings something special to both the songs and the occasional bits of spoken dialogue on the CD.
The CD begins with a wonderful spoken prologue, and then moves into the excellent Menken-Ashman songs. The first song, "Belle," quickly establishes the rich, stirring "Broadway musical" tone of the CD. As a whole, the collection of songs attains an effective blend of humor, romance, and drama. The title song appears in two versions: the character version by Angela Lansbury (as Mrs. Potts), and the "pop" version, a duet between Peabo Bryson and Celine Dion. Both versions are excellent, but I'm somewhat partial to Lansbury's emotional performance.
The movie is a beloved classic, and so is the soundtrack. This CD is essential for fans of Disney music, and of film music in general.
Free Music Review: Menken's Masterpiece
Hit: 5 Stars
This is the one. If there was one Menken soundtrack I would recomend above all others, it would be this one. It's easily the best in both score and songs The CD starts off with 'Prologue'. The music is here is wonderful, and while there is a storyteller on top, it's still a beautiful piece of music that I wouldn't want to live without. 'Belle' is probably one of the best songs I've ever heard. Great melody, great orestrations, great lyrics, great everything. The rest of the songs are wonderful too, from the humorous waltz of 'Gaston', to the playful Can-Can of 'Be My Guest', to the wonderful ballade 'Beauty and the Beast'. Every one of the songs has everything that makes a good song.
And what of the score? Well, it's great as well. 'West Wing' even contains more of the wonderful 'Prologue' music, and 'Transformation' is a wonderful choral version of 'Beauty and the Beast', and makes for a grand finale. As usual with Menken, the songs are all integrated nicely into the score, which makes for a highly coherent listening experiance.
The final track is the pop version of 'Beauty and the Beast'. It's done very well as far as pop songs go. And unlike the later Lion King pop songs, the lyrics are actually the same.
Overall, you can't go wrong with this. The singing is great, the instrumentations are great, wonderful melodies, and there's just a certain spark to it that makes you put a smile on your face.
Free Music Review: Greatest Disney Soundtrack Ever
Hit: 5 Stars
This is by far the greatest Dinsey soundtrack, ever. The 1st time I watched Beauty and The Beast, I was in Florida. I was so memorized by the movie, that I actually watched again, and again. 3 times straight!!!!!! I will admit that it is a great movie, and it is a great movie because it has the perfect script, characters, plot, and music. the movie can not live without the music, but the music can live without the movie. This soundtrack is just fabulous, it has a Broadway kind of feel to it. Don't forget that 3 songs were up for Oscar nominations, 3 songs!!!!!! I can go into great epth on each song, but I refuse to do that. I don't like to sit for 10 hours in order to write a review, therefore, I will comment on just 1 song. And that is the Belle song. This song explains the movie, and introduces the characters, all in a few minute song. This song accomplishes what some soundtracks can't accomplish, and that is to explain the story, but also introduce the characters, and have them explained to. Some people claim that this soundtrack is Classic Disney, other claim it is New Disney, I say, it is Perfect Disney. It would be an impossible feat for Disney to create a better soundtrack than this one, that is why I consider Beauty and the Beast to be Perfect Disney...this one will never be out done.Free Music Review: Disney's best soundtrack (and best movie) ever!
Hit: 5 Stars
From "Snow White" to "The Little Mermaid" Disney has always had something going for it, but, baby, the folks at Disney have completely outdone themselves with "Beauty and the Beast"--both the movie AND the soundtrack. As Disney's ONLY heroine who NEVER frolicked with any cutesy animals (OK, she frolicked with cutesy tupperware, but that's not the same thing), and as a woman who READS (!), Belle just rocks, and Paige O'Hara, with her sweet, perky voice brings all the qualities you love about her onscreen back to life in the soundtrack. The other members of the cast are excellent. Robby Benson as the Beast--I had no idea he had such a soulful, beautiful voice. I can think of no better Mrs. Potts than Angela Lansbury, and Jerry Orbach, David Ogden-Stiers, Jessie Corti, and Richard White are equally wonderful. The songs are completely enchanting--WHY did Howard Ashman have to die?? He and Alan Menken were such an amazing team! The lyrics are never corny, but range from the glowingly sweet (the title song) to rousing and exciting ("Be Our Guest") to just plain hilarious ("Gaston"). Both the movie and the soundtrack are beautiful and an important addition to any soundtrack collection.Free Music Review: The Story Captured Through Song.
Hit: 5 Stars
Disney's revival as a major animation studio began in 1989 with the release of THE LITTLE MERMAID and reached its pinnacle with BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (the only animated film ever nominated for a Best Picture Oscar). As much as the film is a visual delight, its also a musical feast for the ears. People had said for over a decade that the musical movie was dead, but BEAUTY AND THE BEAST proved otherwise and paved the way for later big-screen adaptations of famous stage musicals. Some of my favorite songs on the album include:
"Be Our Guest"--this song revived the huge dance numbers that were once commonplace in movie musicals.
"Something There"--BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is a love story and though that love is often brought to mind by the title song, it is this number that truly captures the essence of what happens between Belle and Beast.
"The Mob Song"--out of all the songs on the album, this is the one with the most masculine appeal. It's a song about burning down castles and killing an unfamiliar creature that poses no threat. There's nothing like a dash of good old violence to get the blood flowing.
This is a great soundtrack for any Disney fan, any patron of musicals, and people who love the film.