Company - A Musical Comedy (1970 Original Broadway Cast)
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Free Music Notes for Company - A Musical Comedy (1970 Original Broadway Cast)
Free Music Review: Exceptional Album
Hit: 5 Stars
Company, a marvelous play which was the first in a series of ground-breaking plays by Sondheim and Prince, gives us a marvelous look at married life and single life through the eyes of Robert, a bachelor who is being thrown a surprise party by his married friends. Sometimes funny (Side By Side By Side, Getting Married Today), sometimes thought-provoking (Another Hundred People), tear-jerking (Someone is Waiting, Being Alive, Sorry-Grateful) and even scary (The Ladies Who Lunch), this album leaves you breathless. Although it doesn't contain the lyrics, it does have a special bonus track with Larry Kert as Robert, which, although easier to listen do because it has some of the briliant, but not completely neccesary dialogue on the Dean Jones version, sounds a bit like a very good karaoke overdub of Being Alive. With exceptional performances (specifically on Another Hundred People, The Ladies Who Lunch, and Being Alive) by the entire cast, a brilliant score by Stephen Sondheim, and wonderful orchestrations, Sondheim's genius comes through in this spectacular recording.Free Music Review: Fabulous! Great reissue of the best OBCR ever!
Hit: 5 Stars
This album is a gem, and the new remastered sound is near sweet perfection. Charles Kimbrough, Babara Barrie, and Elaine Stritch are all hilarious on the "Little Things" track, and the Amy on this album (name escapes me, so sorry, but she was on the sit-com ALICE) does a very good, neurotic rendition of "Getting Married Today." The highlight of the album, IMHO, is "Another Hundred People," as sung by Pamela Myers. She gives the best rendition out of all three recorded versions of the show, and the remastered song now allows us to hear the "Bobby-Baby" quotes that the trumpets make during the last round of the song, which begins "and they meet at parties . . . " A close second to the best track is Elaine Stritch's "The Ladies Who Lunch." She is great, and her take on this song is a Broadway legend. And also, listen to Dean Jone's on "Being Alive." You can really hear (and feel) this man suffering! Bravo to him! And if you want to hear it sung well, you can always listen to Larry Kert sing it on the bonus track. A well put-together album and reissue. Enjoy the feast of Sondheim music and lyrics!Free Music Review: Remastered version is a joy!
Hit: 5 Stars
For those of you who have the old version of Company, buy this one to replace it. You won't regret it! All kinds of hitherto obscure musical phrases are brought forward, and the voices are noticeably clearer. The addition of the Larry Kert track is a negligible bonus--it's sort of the karaoke version of "Being Alive," with his stiff singing overdubbed over the much more passionate Dean Jones vocal track. (BTW, according to the liner notes, Jones was going through a painful divorce at the time, which is one real good reason for his career-topping performance here--the songs were very true to life for him.) Anyway, for you newbies, it's a glorious, exciting, adult musical with a terrific cast; get it!Free Music Review: it's been recorded again, but never better
Hit: 5 Stars
i know this wasn't his first, but for me this is where the genius of sondheim as lyricist and composer really blossomed. the struggles to connect, love, commit are still as timely today as when this showed debuted. "sorry/grateful" and "barcelona" are as worthy of adulation as "being alive," "side by side" and the other more-heralded numbers in this show. the cast is perfection. (my only regret is that they didn't also do a cast recording with larry kert who replaced dean jones shortly into the show's run.) if you ever get a chance to see the documentary on the making of this cast recording, you will really appreciate elaine stritch's final version of "ladies who lunch." what a titanic struggle of artists and egos.Free Music Review: I'll drink to this
Hit: 5 Stars
This musical, which rung in the "golden era" of Sondheim is as classic as Sondheim can get. The songs range from power-ballad ("Being Alive"), to witty social commenttary ("Ladies Who Lunch"), to old time broadway standards ("You Could Drive a Person Crazy"). Every performance on this CD (including Larry Kert on Columbia Materwork's best bonus track to date) is exactly what you would expect from a definiative broadway cast album such as this. This is not just a CD for Sondheimites, this is a CD for anyone who even has a passing interest in musical theater. (By the way, if this reminds you of Chorus line, it's because the same guy did he orchestrations, but i guess "that had nothing ot do with, all to do with" Company.)