Uncle Wonderful [Import]

1. Just A Girl

2. Uncle Wonderful

3. Why Can't You And I

4. Trigger Happy Love

5. Heart Skip Too Many Beats

6. Body Slave

7. Hit You With The Guilt

8. Sniper Of The Heart

9. This Night

10. Mechanical Telephone

Tracks:

Main Title - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
I Whistle A Happy Tune - Marni Nixon/Rex Thompson
My Lord And Master - Rita Moreno
The March Of The Siamese Children - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
Anna And The Royal Wives - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
Hello, Young Lovers - Marni Nixon
A Puzzlement - Yul Brynner
Getting To Know You - Deborah Kerr/Marni Nixon
Garden Rendezvous - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
We Kiss In A Shadow - Leona Gordon/Reuben Fuentes
I Have Dreamed - Leona Gordon/Reuben Fuentes
Shall I Tell You What I Think Of You? - Deborah Kerr/Marni Nixon
Something Wonderful - Terry Saunders
Prayer To Buddha - Yul Brynner
Waltz Of Anna And Sir Edward - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
The Small House Of Uncle Thomas - Rita Moreno
Song Of The King - Yul Brynner/Marni Nixon
Shall We Dance? - Deborah Kerr/Marni Nixon/Yul Brynner
The Letter - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
Something Wonderful (Finale) - Chorus/Alfred Newman
Overture (LP Version) - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman

Amazon.com essential recording

Compared with the Broadway cast recording, the 1956 soundtrack to the film version of The King and I wins hands down. Yul Brynner is the king (literally and figuratively) in both formats (how could anyone else own such a role?), but the movie's score has better sonics, Brynner's voice is stronger, and the tunes are more memorable (thanks to Alfred Newman's conducting and Ken Darby's scoring) than on any of the various cast recordings. Marni Nixon sings the role of Anna (played onscreen by Deborah Kerr), Brynner delivers his hallmark performance, and the best-loved tunes--"Hello, Young Lovers," "Getting to Know You," and "I Whistle a Happy Tune" are the versions we'll always remember. A classic. --James Hendrickson

Customer Reviews:

FINALLY, KEER AND NIXON BOTH SING.......2007-05-26

WHAT A COMPLETE JOY TO HEAR MARNI NIXON AND
DEBORAH KERR BOTH SING. TRULY A COLLECTORS
ITEM WITH ALL THE NOSTALGIA, OUTSHINES ALL
OTHER ATTEMPTS TO RE-MASTER THIS MAGNIFICANT
MUSIC.

The King and I--a distinguished, beautiful score laced with tenderness and sorrow.......2007-04-08

The King And I soundtrack is presented magnificently on this excellent 76 minute CD. This CD offers us much music and vocals that were cut from the film as well as material that never made it to the record album release of the soundtrack back in 1956. We get stunning performances by giants including Yul Brynner, Terry Saunders and Marni Nixon. This CD is so complete and generous with it's treatment of the soundtrack that it must be considered as the definitive soundtrack edition of the music from The King And I.

The CD starts off with the music for the "main title" of the film; and this also serves as an appetizer to whet out appetites for what's to come. "I Whistle A Happy Tune" gives us Marni Nixon singing the vocals for Deborah Kerr; the melody is infectiously catchy; this song is one of the highlights of the CD. "My Lord And Master," performed by Leona Gordon who sang the vocals for Rita Moreno, is another masterpiece with a softness to it that belies the pain Rita's character Tuptim feels because she is separated from her one true love. "The March Of The Siamese Children" is performed by the 20th Century Fox Orchestra to perfection without a single superfluous note; the melody infuses this number with an Asian flavor as well.

Other gems on this CD--and that would, quite honestly, include every single track--include "Hello, Young Lovers" sung by Marni Nixon as Deborah Kerr's character Anna Leonowens laments a love gone awry back in England; the touching and heartrending "We Kiss In A Shadow;" Terry Saunders as Lady Thiang performing "Something Wonderful" with exceptional sensitivity and "Shall We Dance?" which is performed by Deborah Kerr, Marni Nixon and Yul Brynner. As you listen to numbers like "Shall We Dance?" that calls for Anna, played by Deborah Kerr, to speak and then sing, you will have a hard time discerning where Deborah Kerr leaves off speaking and Marni Nixon starts singing. It's THAT good.

As long as I include the words "Something Wonderful" when writing this review I must add that the extras you get are stupendous. As I stated above, the CD boasts much that the record album soundtrack never included. Indeed, we get music that didn't even make it to the final cut of the movie! I loved the beautiful and sensitive rendition of "The Small House Of Uncle Thomas" which was previously unreleased and "Shall I Tell You What I Think Of You" is a marvelous song--cut from the final edited edition of the film--that highlights Anna's contempt for the King's backward ways.

The CD package offers more still. Along with the CD comes a generous 32 page booklet with an extensive essay by Charles L. Granata that tells the history of both the stage play and the making of the stage play into a major motion picture at Fox. In addition, you get the song credits and there are rarely seen photographs as well.

The quality of the sound shines like solid gold. These performances reflect great sensitivity to the emotions each character felt. It is a special treat to listen to Yul Brynner's songs; he infuses each song and even every word with just the right emotions so that the listener experiences exactly what his character feels at every turn.

This CD is one of the very few that truly remind me of the old MGM logo which boasted of having "more stars than there are in the heavens." Indeed, five stars are nowhere near enough for this treasure. I highly recommend this CD for people who truly loved and appreciated The King And I both in its several onstage productions as well as on the big screen; and fans of show tunes will delight in this CD soundtrack with its' diamonds scattered broadly in all directions.

A fine King and I soundtrack reissue.......2007-02-10

Of the three recent EMI-Angel R&H film soundtrack reissues, I find that this reissue of the King & I soundtrack is the best-executed. The King and I shows a new maturing of the R&H element and this superb 1956 film adaptation more than certainly does it justice. The superb soundtrack presented here includes the complete score, along with some of Alfred Newman's underscoring, and boasts splendid performances by Marni Nixon and Yul Brynner. And of course the orchestra is sumptuous and properly lush, enveloping us in sweltering renditions of some of Rodgers' most heartfelt melodies.

I won't reiterate the critic-proof performances here. Other reviewers have covered them elsewhere. Nixon as a voice-dubber is in her element as Anna, and portrays her characterfully. Brynner is in his element as the King, as firm, commanding and authoritative as we've always known him to be. This performance shows him at his best, ripe, fresh and mature. Leona Gordon and Reuben Fuentes shine as the star-crossed lovers Tuptim and Lun Tha, bringing a melancholic quality to their brief numbers. It's really a treat to hear their renditions of the omitted songs My Lord and Master and I Have Dreamed. Rita Moreno as the real Tuptim acquits herself well when narrating the Uncle Tom's Cabin ballet sequence, presented for the first time on an official soundtrack recording. It's good to also hear Terry Saunders as Lady Thiang, in a heartfelt, humane and imploring rendition of Something Wonderful, and she is the icing on the cake of this superb soundtrack recording.

This EMI-Angel R&H soundtrack offers an extra benefit in addition to the extra musical sequences. Unlike the companion CDs of Oklahoma and Carousel, it presents the extra material from the original unmixed studio vault masters, except for the Prayer to Buddha and the Uncle Tom's Cabin ballet. This means that this reissue is blessedly free of the extraneous sound effects that plague the Oklahoma and Carousel CDs. I know that the sound effects and little snippets of dialogue drown out the music, but at least these reissues are a start in presenting comprehensive R&H soundtracks worthy of their films. What a pity that none of these R&H soundtrack reissues aren't 2-CD sets, otherwise we would have been able to hear the underscore.

In short, this is a superb presentation of a fine R&H film soundtrack.

great album.......2006-07-15

Great songs for kids to learn to sing along, instead of bubble gum fluff.

a classic.......2006-06-05

A true musical theater classic. Wonderful melodies that will last for years to come.
Other classics not to forget about are:
Mary Poppins
My Fair Lady
The Wizard of Oz
Chitty Chitty Bang Band
The first Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
The Sound of Music
Oliver
West Side Story
Fiddler on the Roof
Singing in the Rain
The Wiz
Little Mermaid
Aladdin
Beauty and the Beast
Grease
The King and I
Oklahoma
The Music Man
South Pacific

My Voice Students are always asking me for recommendations so I though I'd post it for all! We can't forget about these great musicals!

Average customer rating:

Uncle Wonderful
Janis Ian
Manufacturer: Jvc Japan
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

Folk | Imports | Stores | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0001N1NS4
Release Date: 2004-05-03

Tracks:

Just A Girl
Uncle Wonderful
Why Can't You And I
Trigger Happy Love
Heart Skip Too Many Beats
Body Slave
Hit You With The Guilt
Sniper Of The Heart
This Night
Mechanical Telephone

Average customer rating:

Invite the Callused Mind
Janis's "red' period
'uncle' IS wonderful
Uncle not-so-wonderful

Uncle Wonderful
Janis Ian
Manufacturer: Musicrama/Koch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Folk | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Restless Eyes
Hunger
Billie's Bones
Present Company
God & the FBI

ASIN: B000003Q5I
Release Date: 1997-11-19

Customer Reviews:

Invite the Callused Mind.......2005-05-12

"Uncle Wonderful" is certainly a different CD from most of Janis Ian's work. This Australian release from 20 years ago retains Ian's classic spunk, while being rooted in the 80's era. "Just A Girl" is about as close to a Janis Ian disco track as you're likely to hear, which means it isn't exactly disco, but it certainly has the beat and an exuberant arrangement. "Uncle Wonderful" is a catchy little tune about sexual abuse with a blues progression and an aching Ian vocal, "My eyes invite the calloused mind. My thighs excite like newly-ripened wine. I take their lust & swallow fast." -- Perhaps tacky, certainly sad, powerful & unlike much of the rest of the Ian canon. "Why Can't I" is a slow snaking ballad with Janis' fully-committed vocals, "I miss you even when you're near, you're leaving, pouring out tears; If hope tries to fight the rest of time, why can't you & I?" "Body Slave" is a real timepiece, throbbing relentlessly like a lost soul on an 80s dancefloor. "Hit You With the Guilt" is more full-blooded Ian disco, sounding a bit like Janis sings the Bee Gees (but well done, mind you!). "Sniper of the Heart" is a peppy tango-rhythm track with Janis singing up & down the scales faster than Britney Spears on a diet. "This Night" is a rare male-female love tune that Janis sings powerfully; it is a gorgeous melody and a beautiful vocal performance. The CD concludes with "Mechanical Telephone," an unusual Charles Ives-like song construction that is the artiest piece on the disc. "Uncle Wonderful" is really a very good collection, mostly upbeat, with Janis' sterling musicianship. She must have been working without a net for this set, which may be why it never made it Stateside. Seek & you shall find! Enjoy!

Janis's "red' period.......2001-01-28

I happen to think Uncle is a strong work, impaired only occasionally by some techno-pop arrangements. Lyrically, it's hardly a departure at all from what we're used to from Janis. (I disagree with the reviewer from Seattle who found it difficult to believe Janis could have made this album.) It features some excellent musicians, and Brooks Arthur (Stars, Between the Lines) co-produced with Janis. "Mechanical Telephone" is brilliant, and my favorite track. It picks up where "Between the Lines" (the song) left off. You can't get more "Janis" than:

Now we rarely talk alone / We usually speak in groups / to the people you invite / for the theatre and a bite / who are used to you.

-or-

Bet you thought I'd be an easy lay / I bet you thought I lived alone / hungry for the vision and the afterplay / I've had better times alone.

As for some of the arrangements, they're not my favorite either, but you have to remember the time during which this was recorded. Popular music was undergoing a major transformation in the early-mid '80s, and it's reflected here.

For me, finally, all the songs here connect to other Janis Ian songs, and to the characters who inhabit them. For example: the 'she' in "Just a Girl" appears again as 'I' in "Play Like a Girl" (God & the FBI). The sick, sad characters in the song "Uncle Wonderful" revisit us in "Breaking Silence" (the song). The ugly duckling girl in "At Seventeen" reappears years later as the self-doubting dreamer in "This Night".

Finding these people again, anywhere, having somehow survived, is something to treasure.

'uncle' IS wonderful.......2000-11-06

I've been a big Janis Ian fan for over 25 years, but this album is so obscure even I hadn't heard about it until over ten years after its release (it was originally released only in Australia and was, according to Janis Ian's website, recorded for a film project). So it's not like any other Janis Ian album? Who cares -- in fact that makes me like it all the more. Uncle is different, with a harder edge than most of her work. You might call it urban pop or dance, it even has an outright disco song, Body Slave. Heart Skip Too Many Beats was written with the late Dan Hartman and is a catchy, bouncy dance tune. Perhaps best are the title song and Mechanical Telephone, two dark, semi-sardonic portraits of people on the edge -- the first being street hustlers and the second most likely Janis herself, who was involved at the time in what she has since revealed was an abusive marriage. It's hard to believe that the creator of Between the Lines also created Uncle Wonderful. That's not a criticism of Uncle, but it is so different than Ian's best-known work that you can't help but be stunned. Count me as a fan of this offbeat, beat-heavy pop music experiment.

Uncle not-so-wonderful.......2000-03-19

I can't believe I've rated a Janis Ian recording at a 3 star! This album, however, is very different. I've played it over and over and gotten comfortable with some of the songs, but overall it just doesn't fit Janis' usual style. "Uncle Wonderful' is a preview of two tracks regarding abuse on her more recent album 'Breaking Silence': "His Hands" and "Breaking Silence". The year it came out was 1985,when Janis' career, personal life and health were in dire straits. She even looks different. "This Night" is a teen angst song, other than that I can't bring myself to really enjoy the songs. They are technically fine, just not the Ian I'm used to.

Average customer rating:

Invite the Callused Mind
Janis's "red' period
'uncle' IS wonderful
Uncle not-so-wonderful

Uncle Wonderful
Janis Ian
Manufacturer: Festi
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Folk | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Restless Eyes
Hunger
Billie's Bones
Present Company
God & the FBI

ASIN: B00000AORR
Release Date: 1996-06-11

Customer Reviews:

Invite the Callused Mind.......2005-05-12

Janis's "red' period.......2001-01-28

Now we rarely talk alone / We usually speak in groups / to the people you invite / for the theatre and a bite / who are used to you.

-or-

Bet you thought I'd be an easy lay / I bet you thought I lived alone / hungry for the vision and the afterplay / I've had better times alone.

Finding these people again, anywhere, having somehow survived, is something to treasure.

'uncle' IS wonderful.......2000-11-06

Uncle not-so-wonderful.......2000-03-19

Average customer rating:

Uncle Wonderful
Janis Ian
Manufacturer: Phantom Sound & Vision
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B00000E1HQ
Release Date: 1996-11-21

Average customer rating:

Just Say Uncle
The Uncle Brothers
Manufacturer: Blackwater Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Children's Music | Styles | Music

General | Children's Music | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000127ESS
Release Date: 2001-10-22

Tracks:

Great Big Spinning Ball
(It's All There)At the Library
I Will Never Smoke
Man in The Moose
It's Just a Game
Just Say No(To Drugs)
When We're Happy We Laugh
Family Trip
Courage
Everybody's Gettin' Around
Magic Pencil
Talk To Me
Thank You Letters
Teasebuster
Say Uncle

Album Description

This album of completely new and orginal songs for kids of all ages comes from one of America's most respected duo of kid's performers. "Just Say Unlce" has just been received the knod from Family Fun magazine as one of their "A" List for "2003". Danny Quinn and Tom Gardner have put together an album of songs the encourage kids celebrate who they are and take good care of themselves. With songs like I Will Never Smoke and Just Say No kids are encouraged to take the best of care of themselves. Talk Tom Me encourages kids to keep the lines of communications open between themselves and their families and to reach out when the need help. Many of the songs on the project are just for fun like, Man in the Moose about a man on his way to a Holloween party dressed like a moose. Teachers, Parents and Librarians have all fallen in love with the music of the Uncle Brothers who bring positive messages to kids in a fun way. We know you and your family will enjoy,Just Say Uncle.

Music Album:

Music Album