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: COMPANY anew
Hit: 5 Stars
Sony's exceptional new digital transfer of this classic original cast recording re-establishes it as the best of all COMPANY recordings.All the freshness and innovation heard here impressed far too small a group of fans and only a very few critics in 1970. But after the show closed the Lp continued to sell and gradually most of the nay-sayers came around. And, because the songs in COMPANY comment on the action rather than tell a story, the album can be enjoyed even if you do not know the plot. If, however, you are curious Sony has included a detailed synopsis in the accompanying booklet.
Remastered by the original producer, Thomas Shephard, and offering richer, more detailed sound that before, there is nothing more one could wish for. All the performances are as steller as ever and as a bonus, an alternate take of "Being Alive" with Larry Kert who replaced Dean Jones a few weeks after the opening and later played the show in London. CBS in the UK released an Lp (and later, briefly, a CD) with Larry Kert overdubbing Dean Jones' lines. (It's not a good recording: You can still hear Dean Jones faintly in the background, and because Larry Kert was adding his voice to already completed tracks he sounds disconnected from the rest of the cast. Collectors take note: DO NOT pay top dollar for the Larry Kert COMPANY but should one surface at a reasonable price it will make an interesting alternative to this recording.)
One of our younger members here questioned what all the fuss was about. I suppose in view of the later innovations of Sondheim, Prince and a handful of other Broadway writers, the essentially plotless character study that COMPANY offers can seem less a watershed than it was in 1970. Still the songs dazzle. Give it a few more listens... it will grow on you. Had it not been for COMPANY, later shows like CHORUS LINE, GRAND HOTEL and RENT would never have happened.
Free Music Review: A Sondheim masterpiece
Hit: 5 Stars
COMPANY is one of the greatest musicals to emerge from the 70's, which proved to be a rather thin decade for Broadway and the musicals.COMPANY is a "concept musical" in the best sense of the word, where the songs act more as vignettes than form a scene-to-scene story. The cast, headed by Dean Jones and Elaine Stritch, has never been truly bettered.
Dean Jones, in his brief time as Bobby, displayed for the first time his rich and beautiful singer voice. After years playing the goofy leads of Disney comedies like "The Love Bug", "Monkeys Go Home" and "That Darn Cat", Jones was established as a Broadway star to be reckoned with. His renditions of "Someone is Waiting" as well as the life-affirming "Being Alive" are fantastic.
The supporting cast is headed by Elaine Stritch as Joanne, the sardonic older woman who sings the masterpiece "The Ladies who Lunch" (still yet to be equalled). Beth Howland, as kooky Amy, sings the difficult patter-sing "Getting Married Today" with gusto. Pamela Myers, in her Tony-nominated role as Marta, sings a mean rendition of "Another Hundred People". The rest of the cast; Barbara Barrie, Charles Kimbrough, Merle Louise, Charles Cunningham, Teri Ralston, George Coe, Steve Elmore, Charles Braswell, Donna McKechnie, Susan Browning, Cathy Corkill, Carol Gelfand, Marilyn Saunders and Dona D. Vaughn; all sing with gusto.
Stephen Sondheim certainly created what is considered one of his most polished and questioning scores; including "Barcelona", "Have I Got a Girl For You", "Sorry-Grateful", "Poor Baby" and the dance arrangement for "Tick-Tock", which provided a showcase for the galvanising dance talents of Donna McKechnie (who would go on to create the role of Cassie in the original cast of A CHORUS LINE).
Free Music Review: Being Alive means having COMPANY
Hit: 5 Stars
There's no doubt that Sondheim is a genius, and this album is a testament to that. What separates him from other composers is that he is able to create songs that are lyrically meaningful and profound. The melody might suffer a little bit, because you won't probably able to hum it the first time you've heard it. But once you get used to the songs you'll realize that it's catchier than you'd expected. And that's when the true power of his songs truly soars. With other composers who may have a catchier music when first heard, but no matter how many times you hear it the lyrics will remain mediocre and run of the mill. That's why Sondheim's works is superior because the songs through repeated hearings will just be more beautiful and meaningful than ever.
I especially love Another Hundred People. I wonder why it's not as popular as the other songs. It's a very painful and perceptive song about the city life. The song captured perfectly the impersonal, individualistic, fast paced, and chaotic aspect of living in a big city. Work of genius. You could Drive a Person Crazy is another great song It's a really fun song.
Another highlight is Sorry-Grateful which is another perceptive song about married life. Being Alive which is probably the most popular song in the album is just a beautiful song. Great lyrics and melody. It talks about the necessity and joy of sharing one's life with someone could be the most wonderful aspect of living in spite of the baggage attached to it ("Someone to hurt you too deep, someone to sit on your chair and ruin your sleep..."). Truly one of the greatest songs ever written.
My minor complaint is that I hope as a bonus track they added a cleaner version of Being Alive without the back-ups and the talks. But other than that this is a must buy.
Grade: A
Free Music Review: Classic Sondheim
Hit: 5 Stars
I can't believe I waited 30 years to hear the original cast recording of Company! This soundtrack is a must-have for any Sondheim fan. While it does not have the musical sophistication or depth of his later works, Sondheim's signature rhythms and lyrics appear in all their glory in this 1970 production. The theme of the play is love and marriage as seen through the eyes of the cast's only single character, Bobby (Dean Stockwell). As he searches for Miss Right, there's always another underlying search--for a reason to find Miss Right. Along the way, you meet his friends, all in various states of marital committment. The strong cast features Elaine Stritch, Charles Kimbrough, Pamela Meyers, and Beth Howland among others.
The play's lyrics are unflinching in their view of relationships, beautifully describing the interwoven joys and headaches that accompany committment. Most numbers are done in the style which has become synonymous with Sondheim--all characters singing intricately woven pseudo-melodies which add up to more than just the sum of the parts--sort of like a musical Seurat painting.
The recording has several highlights for me. Someone is Waiting, sung by Stockwell, is a subtly clever fantasy about the perfect woman. Bobby combines characteristics of all his female friends, coming up with a perfectly stunning, perfectly impossible Perfect Woman. Another favorite of mine is Getting Married Today, a musical panic attack sung with deft hysteria by Beth Howland. (What's a wedding? It's a prehistoric ritual where everybody promises fidelity forever which is maybe the most horrifying word I ever heard...)
Insight, humor, and musical derring-do make the original soundtrack of Stephen Sondheim's Company an essential for any good Broadway collection.
Free Music Review: Still a Masterpiece, Over 30 Years Later
Hit: 5 Stars
"Company" stands the test of time as one of the greatest pieces of musical theatre ever produced, and the cast album preserves the most innovative element of the show, its glorious score by Stephen Sondheim. The music has not dated at all, and it still has a great deal of wise (if a bit cynical) things to say about negotiating the relationship minefield. The dazzling lyrics, the gorgeous music-- Sondheim's score has improved with age, and his melodic gift comes of age in this show.The perfect cast was assembled for this great show. The great Dean Jones sings wonderfully, despite the pain of his ongoing divorce (perhaps because of it). His version of "Being Alive" is raw and fantastic. As a point of comparison, Larry Kert's cut of this song is included on the CD, and sounds great (rest in peace, Larry).
The phenomenal supporting cast includes the immortal Elaine Stritch, whose glorious foghorn of a voice fills "The Ladies Who Lunch" with whiskey-soaked rage and sarcasm. Beth Howland's dizzy "Getting Married Today" still dazzles (interesting bit of trivia-- this show introduced her to her long-time love, Charles Kimbrough). Pamela Myers' "Another Hundred People" is theatrical magic. The mixture of acting singers (like Sondheim stalwarts Teri Ralston and Merle Louise) and singing actors (Barbara Barrie, for example) gives the recording a witty, gritty edge. And the ensemble's performance of the wonderful title number and "Side by Side by Side" is peerless.
This is a great show-- and this is an important recording. The meticulous clean-up of the master for the CD is thorough and well done. For anyone who likes musical theatre and who wants to collect and listen to the seminal works, this must be on your list.