Oklahoma! (1955 Film Soundtrack)
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Free Music Notes for Oklahoma! (1955 Film Soundtrack)
Free Music Review: It is hard to beat a classic
Hit: 5 Stars
All the songs from the movie, brings back great memories.Free Music Review: MacRae and Jones head a superb and O.K. adaptation
Hit: 4 Stars
The film adaptation of Oklahoma heralded a technological breakthrough in widescreen cinema just as the original stage musical ushered in the integrated book musical. As such this film adaptation was treated as a special occasion, well-supervised by the creators themselves. The soundtrack, featured here, boasts sterling performances from MacRae and Jones making the most of their portrayals of Curly and Laurey, backed by a charismatic cast and superb orchestrations. And of course let's not forget the enveloping stereo sound that holds up well even today.
Despite being a Hollywood star, Gordon MacRae performs the part of Curly as if he was born to play it even on the stage. He shines vocally in his renditions of Oh, what a Beautiful Mornin' and Surrey with the Fringe on Top. He is well-partnered by Shirley Jones as a fresh and pert Laurey, lending her beautiful voice to the part. Although we don't hear much of her on this soundtrack, her partnering MacRae in People Will Say We're in Love exudes a masterful chemistry, as if they were setting sparks off at each other in their rendition of the song. Gene Nelson makes a dashing Will Parker and is equally well-matched by Gloria Grahame as Ado Annie. Grahame renders I Cain't Say No splendidly and partners Nelson in All er Nothin'. The supporting cast is filled out by Charlotte Greenwood's suitably caustic Aunt Eller and Rod Steiger's Jud. It's a pity that the film cut the song Lonely Room, otherwise Steiger would have better demonstrated the dark hues of the character of Jud. Yet it all adds up to a wonderful renditionh of this classic musical, enough to elicit a spontaneous YEOW! during this year of the Oklahoma centenary.
This EMI-Angel reissue offers one the advantage of the dance music and the main titles. This means that the listener gets the Kansas City and Farmer and the Cowman dance sequences, as well as the extended Dream Ballet. The only downside is the extraneous sound effects lifted from a DVD copy of the movie. Yes I share many of your sentiments that these sound effects tend to grate, and long for Didier Deutsch to have used the original untainted studio vault versions. However, let's at least be thankful that the CD producers have offered us a more comprehensive version of the Oklahoma soundtrack that we could only have dreamt of in the past.
In short, this is a wonderful and valuable addition to the R&H discography, and is an equally celebrated rendition of the score like the original Broadway cast recording. Warmly recommended to those who seek even their first version of Oklahoma.
Free Music Review: Don't ditch your old CD version just yet......
Hit: 4 Stars
This new expanded version of Oklahoma is long awaited for conisseurs of the marvelous 1955 film. It includes not only all music (which has been remastered) from the previous release, but many previously unreleased tracks as well.
On this album we have Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones in the lead roles that would put them over the top. This is the film for which they probably are both most famous. They were paired up again for Carousel the following year. Jones went on to appear in the 1962 film The Music Man. Gloria Grahame is nice as Ado Annie, but she pales in comparison to Celeste Holm from the OBC album. The cast here is in top vocal form and excellent performances are had throughout.
My only gripe is the presence of extra sound effects in the previously unreleased material. Hand clapping, foot stomping, extra dialog, and shouts and cheers have no place in a soundtrack album. As another reviewer stated, if we wanted the effect this CD gives, we can grab a copy of the movie and fast forward it to those parts. Many of the best soundtrack albums on the Angel and Sony labels have been plagued with this lately. Extraneous sound effects are had on the remastered and expanded editions of Oklahoma, Carousel, My Fair Lady, West Side Story, and others. While I can see the reissue producers' desire to include the music as it would be heard in the film, more effort should have been made to locate the original recording session masters where they exist.
On the plus side, though, all of the selections on this CD sound better than ever. We have the Overture and Main Title as heard in the film itself and they have never sounded better, although I do like the original Capitol Records version of the overture better (it appears as a bonus track at the end of this album). The Entr'acte is featured as well, but the Exit Music has not been included.
I absolutely recommend this album. It is a worthy addition to any Broadway fan's collection. But those who still have their copy of the previous (1993) CD release Oklahoma!: From The Soundtrack Of The Motion Picture (1955 Film) - hang onto it, you will not regret it! That is how a soundtrack album of Oklahoma, presented with all its integrity, should sound.
Free Music Review: CAPITOL RECORDS VERSION IS BETTER!!!!!!!!
Hit: 4 Stars
Rodgers and Hammerstein's score was given its full juctice through the movie soundtrack. The original, empty- sounding broadway score was embellished and expanded to be fit for this insightful and technologically stunning movie version!This new Angel Records CD remaster of the soundtrack could be better if only the extra material was presented in its musical form only. You see, all of the tracks were mixed using six track STEREO machines. One track was the orchestra, the next was vocals etc.....
The tracks on this CD are taken from the unmixed six track masters. Unwanted sound effects (such as foot shuffles and clapping) and dialouge (only suitable when used in the actual film) are evident on this recording as a consequent result.
The LP overture is better than the original one that was used in the film. I would go with the CAPITOL RECORDS version of this soundtrack which is the REAL, UNINTERRUPTED, AND PROPERLY MIXED AND EDITED rendition of the score.It is hard to find but you should be able to track it down. It is still in print
I hope FOX and Angel Records will re- release "Oklahoma" as Capitol did. They will realize the true beaty of this timeless score if they listen to the ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK :)
Free Music Review: Mixed Reactions To New Expanded Version
Hit: 4 Stars
Having loved the original LP version of Oklahoma! since being a kid I eagerly awaited this new expanded version. After having received it, my reaction is so mixed that I have also purchased a used copy of the previous CD edition. Yes, some of the extra music is glorious and a welcome addition. However, much of it is not that great without the video accompaniment, and makes me want to skip through it. Also, the original version of "Out of My Dreams" has been replaced with the film soundtrack version which is not as satisfying (to me) as the original.And then there's the issue of sound quality. Seldom have I heard a re-issue with less attention paid to annoying hiss and sudden jumps and drops in hiss level as sound track elements are panned in and out. Even listening in my car, I felt that, with today's technology, some of this hiss could have been better managed so as not to be so intrusive. Of all the great musicals I have on cd, this one has the poorest sound quality I have experienced, and I'm frankly surprised that others have praised the sound so highly.
I will probably listen to the original cd version more often, while occasionally scanning the new for those few added moments that truly add to the experience.