![believing is seeing [import]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000056UV2.01.TZZZZZZZ.jpg)
| 1. Dear Dad |
| 2. Venus & Mars |
| 3. New Tomorrow (Let The Dream Begin) |
| 4. Not In A Million Years |
| 5. What In The World I'm Waiting For |
| 6. Make Way (For The Messenger) |
| 7. Eternal Light |
| 8. Way To Get Home |
| 9. Believing Is Seeing |
| 10. Truth Will Out |
| 11. Fear Of Heights |
| 12. Now Forever & I Day |
Editorial Reviews
Product Description
6th studio release
Streisand's rendition of MEMORY has always been my favorite version of the song outside of the show...Betty Buckley's is my favorite within the show. I am a Streisand afficiando, and this is my FAVORITE Streisand song period..so it must be good...
Michael Ball singing anything is wonderful...It captures the wonderful feeling of being on a cloud when you listen to this album
It is a good collection for inexpensively getting a lot of Andrew Lloyd Webber's most popular songs in one place and having them there to be able to listen to get the idea of what a certain song sounds like and is about. It isn't the collection of definitive recordings for certain roles. In fact in a couple examples, I wonder if the performer fully understood the context of the song he or she was singing &/or what it was about. Overall, the album is good, for the most part, if not excellent.
However, the liner notes for "The Essential Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber" is another matter. I don't mean to be unkind, but the author of the comments on the different tracks (one Rexton S. Bunnett) is blatantly WRONG in multiple instances. I don't mean just in nit-picky details, but in major plot details/context of songs, like the fact that Bunnett identifies "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" as being sung by "our heroine" (who he does not even identify by name as Christine Daae) as she thinks about her lover, not as being sung about Christine's dead father. He also says that the Phantom has found his perfect love and "Angel of Music" in Christine... because HE is the Angel of Music who Christine believes has been sent to her by her dead father, and because although the Phantom is obsessed with Christine, that relationship is far from "loving" (even if Christine shows him compassion. I feel like these (and a couple other mistakes) are major plot points to get wrong. A good amount of the commentary reads as if Bunnett might have written it at the last minute, fudging his way through entries on musicals of which he had little knowledge; like what an essay I might write on a book I never read for my college class but had quickly looked up on Cliff's Notes would sound like. In terms of sheer editing, there are spelling mistakes, run-on sentences and spacing errors ("Any DreamWill Do")in the liner notes. Where was the copy editor?
And the most frightening fact of all, under Bunnett's credentials, it says "Harper Collins has just published his revision and updating of the Collins Book of the Musical."
I am being very critical, but I think that for a widely-released CD it is reasonable to expect the liner notes to be at a professional level, as they were most likely supposed to be.
Pros:
Two classic songs that are performed excellently are Phantom of the Opera and I Don't Know How to Love Him.
Of course you want to compare Phantom to the classic Michael Crawford/ Sarah Brightman version. Well, guess what? This version is BETTER. The woman has a deeper voice than Brightman, and her singing style is just awesome. The ending of this version (you know, the "Sing, my angel of music, sing for me!") is different, but in a good way... I think.)
And of course, the standard for I Don't Know How to Love Him is Yvonne's version. This version is different, but it grew on me quickly. This version has a country feel to it, almost. Somehow it works and sounds great.
There are a lot of great performances in this collection. My favorites include: Heaven on Their Minds, Everything's Alright, Could We Start Again Please, Another Suitcase in Another Hall, Buenos Aires, Rainbow High, Only You, Starlight Express, Angel of Music, Masquerade, All I Ask of You, Half a Moment, and Whistle Down the Wind. I think they're all great versions of their more famous counterparts.
Cons:
First of all, there are some technical problems that are kind of disappointing. A few of the songs have a very echoey sound. Any Dream Will Do, Another Suitcase in Another Hall, Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, and There's Me are the songs that come to mind that are the worst in this regard. It isn't really bad, just enough to be slightly annoying, more so when the volume is turned way up on your CD player.
A few songs are worthy of skipping over when listening to this collection. In my opinion, Superstar, Sunset Boulevard, and Gethesmane are the biggest disappointments.
Superstar just doesn't cut it for me. The singer really overdoes it, making it overstylized... really makes you yearn for Murray Head. I can't stand listening to it. Just my opinion.
Sunset Boulevard is one of my very favorite musicals, so I was really hoping that the singer would do justice to its title song. Unfortunately I don't think he did. You can't help but compare it to Alan Campbell's fantastic version. This guy has a very choppy way of singing, when I'm used to it being sung so smoothly. Maybe it would grow on me, but I don't think I'll give it a chance to. However, that last note is much stronger than Alan Campbell's. It doesn't make up for the rest of the song, though.
Finally, Gethsemane. The inevitable fact is that NO ONE can sing this song like Michael Ball. This guy tries, he really does. But he doesn't have the right voice or the right style. So please listen to Michael Ball's performance of Gethsemane if you want to know how breathtaking of a song it can be. It's on the Royal Albert Hall DVD, and I'm sure he's got it on one of his CDs.
Anyway, overall, this is a good CD if you like quantity over quality. Don't buy it for the classics, you'll probably end up disappointed with many of them. Buy it for the lesser known songs. You probably won't like every song, especially if you're a big ALW fan, but for the price, it's worth it.
If you want classic versions of classic ALW songs, you might prefer something like "The Very Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Broadway Collection".
It was worth the wait.
The concept is great. The packaging is great. The recording is great. Disc five is really cool for an ALW aficionado. There are a few real gems on it; my favorites are Petula Clark's "I Could Have Given You More" and "Benedicite."
I've always thought "Gus the Theatre Cat" made a great medley on the piano with "Unexpected Song" and "I DOn't Know How to Love Him," but wished there was an alternate lyric to match the other two songs. Now that I know there *is*, and it's a good lyric, it's a dream come true.
The melody of "Benedicite" is one of my favorites from _Sunset_ (the book mis-identifies it as "SUrrender"; it's actually "The Lady's Paying" and "Eternal Youth is Worth a Little Suffering"). The lyrics are the canticle from Daniel 3, which comes up every odd Sunday in the Divine Office, so it's nice to have cool music to sing it with.
I haven't bought _By Jeeves_ or _THe Beautiful Game_ yet, to it was great to sample them.
There are other parts of the CD taht aren't found in my collection. I like CD 4 "The Hits."
But the selections on CDs 1-3 don't make sense.
First, any self-respecting ALW fan has the Original London Cast of _Phantom_, so six tracks are totally useless. Why not draw from the Canadian cast with Colm Wilkinson? Or pull out some obscure recordings never published.
Why two different tracks with Michael Ball singing "Love Changes Everything", yet they're hardly any different?
On Disc 5 is "It's Only Your Lover Returning," sung by Julie Covington. It's an early draft of the song (Lloyd Webber and Rice went through several suggested titles) and quite nice. The very thing one expects on a Boxed Set.
So why have the Julie Covington "Don't Cry for Me" on disc 1?? The only difference is a few words, but it's otherwise identical. Why not Elaine Paige or Patti Lupone or Madonna?
The _Evita_ section is otherwise the best, choosing a sample from each major recording, though I'd have chosen slightly differently (as above).
There is a great selection of "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" from the Sydmonton festival, using the original music that was changed when _Cats_ went to Broadway_. It would have been nice if they'd included more recordings from Sydmonton, like the original lyric of "All I Ask of You" shown on the second DVD to the _Phantom_ movie.
With so many great actress-singers who've played Norma Desmond, why does the collection beat us over the head with Glenn Close?
Paul Miles Kingston must be set for life in royalties, for the number of albums the original recording of "Pie Jesu" has appeared on. "Amigos Para Siempre" is nice, but it reminds me of Shari Lewis's "The Song that Doesn't End," especially when it's been used on so many compilations.
In short, this is a great collection for the obscure material, if you can get it cheap. But for a boxed set, it's a poor sampling, drawn mostly from the most familiar recordings.
Over the years many compilations of his work have emerged. In the late 80-is and early 90-is it was the "Encore" series and lately the one-disc collection called "Gold". The one in question here can be considered one of the best currently on the market. First, it includes a 3-disc selections from all of his shows, minus the latest one, i.e., "The Woman in White", which, considering the triviality of the score, is no great lost. The fourth disc covers some of his most known songs sung by the famous artists. Then, there is the fifth disc with previously unreleased material, most of which are the songs ALW wrote with Tim Rice for various artists during the 70-is. The disks are all neatly packed in a hardcover book that features 67 pages of pictures and text with information about each of ALW's shows. One of the other assets here is the perfect sound quality, since all of the tracks have been digitally remastered.
Here are my basic impressions and comments regarding the material on the discs:
* Disc #1 has the selections from "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Evita", "Cats" and "Song & Dance". The Superstar material mostly comes from the Concept Recording. Although the songs sound beautiful as always, their orchestration is a bit dated now. Only Steve Balsamo's "Gethsemane" from the 1996 revival cast has a modern rock sound. "Evita" comes with the material from all of the major recordings: London, Broadway and the movie productions, as well as the Concept album. No objections here; since this is one of ALW's most satisfying works, every song is just perfect, although Patti LuPone, the Broadway and overall the best Evita, is left with only a couple of lines. With the selections from "Cats", however, I have some doubts. A plus to the choice of the "Jellicle ball" impressive orchestral sequence from the 1998 movie version and "Mister Mistoffelees" from the 1981 London cast. One of the best known ALW's songs, "Memory", also comes from that album. It's a pretty version and Elaine Paige's rendition cannot be matched, but why include this when the definite version, featuring an 80-piece orchestra and Elaine Paige with much better interpretation, can be found in the same movie version. Thusly, one has to buy Elaine Paige's latest 2-disc compilation "Centre Stage: The very best of Elaine Paige" to get that one. And "Gus the theatre cat" is more a recital than a song, so there was not much point in including that. Marti Webb brings her vocal charm to the "Song & Dance" sequence, Sarah Brightman sings "Unexpected song" with her famous soprano, but as much as I like her version, Bernadette Peters, who was in this show on Broadway is strangely left out here.
* Disc # 2 starts with "Starlight Express". This was never one of my favorite ALW's shows; the plot is even lighter than in "Cats" and the 1984 original cast recording is terribly dated. Yet, here we have one terrific duet, "I am starlight" from the original together with three songs from the later revivals and it seems that fresh orchestrations were just the thing Starlight needed. My favorite remains a touchy ballad, "Next time you fall in love". "Requiem" is the most solemn of all ALW's compositions, written in 1985 to commemorate the death of his father. Placido Domingo's tenor rides together with the chorus all the way through the strong "Hosanna", only to be joined by Sarah Brightman in the final moments of this song. She then gives an echoing deliverance of "Pie Jesu". What can be said of ALW's next show, "The Phantom of the Opera"? A phenomenon in its own right, it's easy to see from the six numbers included here why this is one of the best and most beloved musicals of all time. The cast, the music, the story - everything is perfect. Although "Aspects of love" was never a popular hit, it does have some of the most beautiful love melodies ALW has ever written. "Love changes everything" sung by Michael Ball is probably one of the best tunes ever about love. The rest of the selected material here has a dreamy love flavor and the melodies find their way into your brain in the best Lloyd Webber way.
* ALW's first musical, "Joseph and the amazing Technicolor dreamcoat" was more successful in its revival form than the original from the 70-is. The three songs included here are sung by the show stars, Jason Donovan and Donny Osmond. Maria Friedman was not a lucky choice to play the narrator, as the track from the 1998 movie version shows. "By Jeeves" was ALW's only big flop when it came to the stage in the 70-is. The 1995 revival sounds much better though, full of funny numbers in the best manner of the musical comedy. "Travel hopefully" remains one of the show's highlights on this compilation. "Sunset Boulevard" comes next. "Sunset" remains for me one of Webber's best scores; lush and beautiful. I listen to the original cast recording with Patti LuPone all the time. However, here most of the songs are performed by Glenn Close. A big mistake. If you've ever listened the American premiere recording with her, you'll know what I am talking about. She may have a strong stage presence, but her vocal abilities are too limited, and her aggressive approach to the role lacks any subtlety. Therefore, the two big numbers from this show, "With one look" and "As if we never said goodbye" are ruined by the fact she can't sing. The same goes for the American Joe Gillis, who was played by Alan Campbell. Luckily, Patti LuPone and Kevin Anderson, the original Norma and Joe from the London production, make their brief entrance here with the "Perfect year"; enough to show how better they are. The funny thing is, on the jacket and inside of it, Glenn Close and Alan Campbell are credited as performers in this song as well. If this was a mistake on ALW's part, it was a good one. The next ALW's show, "Whistle down the wind" was never a critic's dear and yet the audiences rushed in to see it in London. The score brings back ALW to his rock and roll roots of the seventies and the story is quite interesting. But the selections here are not the happiest, since the cast recording boasts with much better songs. And finally, "The Beautiful Game". Again, we have one of those ALW's shows that is worth in its individual parts rather than as a whole. "Our kind of love" and "Let us love in peace" are two catchy ballads. The latter is a nice amalgam version not available elsewhere. The two other tracks here I could live without.
* Disc # 4 has the songs from all the above shows performed by different artists. The assembled tracks have their pros and cons. For example, we have some previously unreleased stuff, like Dame Kiri Te Kanawa's operettic rendition of "The heart is slow to learn", or a stunning and epic "A kiss is a terrible thing to waste" from "Whistle down the wind", performed by The Metal Philharmonic Orchestra. Then again, what was the point in including almost identical tracks as the ones on the previous disks? So we have Michael Ball again singing "Love changes everything" with only a bit different orchestration; Sarah Brightman comes out again with the same Phantom duets, but only with the different male singers. It would be much more appropriate to include tracks from the Toronto Cast of the Phantom, with Colm Wilkinson. Other pop deliverances (Tina Arena's "Whistle down the wind", Barbra Streisand's "As if we never said goodbye", Boyzone's "No matter what" and many more) were wisely chosen. Patti LuPone is again nowhere to be found and Petula Clark's "With one look" sounds too worn-out.
* The last disc is probably the one that will be of most interest to Lloyd Webber aficionados. It consists of entirely previously unreleased material ALW for the most part wrote for various artists during his early years, with Tim Rice. Some of these tunes, not successful as a singles, were later used in his shows. Thus "Down thru' summer" became "Buenos Aires"in Evita, "Try it and see", an unsuccessful attempt for the Eurovision was used for "King Herod's song" in "Superstar" and so on. Some of these songs are nicely made pop songs: "Make believe love", ALW's first recorded composition, for which he provided the lyrics; "Goodbye Seattle", sung by Paul Raven, who later became Gary Glitter; "Come back Richard, your country needs you", from a never made musical, sung here by Tim Rice, or Latin flavored "Magdalena", with Tony Christie singing. My all time favorite here is a song called "It's easy for you", sung by none other than Elvis Presley himself. Lloyd Webber and Rice sent him a demo recording that he accepted and recorded this live version a couple of weeks before he died. It's amazing to hear how his voice remained in the perfect shape. Also, there is a track of Andrew Lloyd Webber singing "Policle dogs and Jellicle cats" while plying the piano. His voice doesn't sound bad at all.
Taken as a whole, this compilation makes a perfect birthday or Christmas present to any fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber shows, or just anybody interested in some of the best tunes from the modern era of the musical theatre; despite the flaws I mentioned above. To the former, it may just be the final addition for the Andrew Lloyd Webber collection.
Opera") and the longest-running show of all time ("Cats"), the man whose homes are filled with three Grammys, five Oliviers, a Golden Globe, and Oscar and too many other honors and hosannas to mention, the man knighted in 1992 certainly doesn't need an introduction. Now Decca Broadway pays tribute to Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber with "Now and Forever," a spectacular 5-CD set compiled and produced by Sir Andy himself. It's cheaper than a
ticket to "The Producers" ... and more much exciting. This treasure trove contains highlights from all of Webber's shows, and a bonus disc of tunes sung by Betty Buckley, Barbara
Streisand, Jose Carreras, Boy George, Charlotte Church, Madonna, Tom Jones, Petula Clark, even Elvis! A must for lovers of theatre---and good music.
The cuts from the musicals are great but are likely owned by ALW fans as they are on the original cast albums. And I'm glad that there were tunes included from the composers most recent efforts which have yet to make it beyond London (Whistle Down the Wind, Beautiful Game).
My only complaint is the inclusion of way too many tracks by Sarah Brightman. She must've received a great divorce settlement that included having tunes on any ALW collection until the end of time!! Her interpretations of some of the tunes were limp and uninspired. I would've much rather heard casts from around the world rather than yet another song by this disdainful soprano! How about Colm Wilkinson's version of "Music of the Night" from the original Canadian cast of "Phantom"? Or Michael Crawford's version of "Unexpected Song"? What? No Betty Buckley from "Sunset Blvd."? And of course there are songs you KNOW are going to be on the collection before you even listen to it as they have been on EVERY ALW collection for the past decade or so.
A great collection but too much Sarah Brightman!
This isbn is for a terrible version with the Orlando Pops conducted by Andrew Lane with mezzo soprano; Marguerite Krull and baritone; Justin White. This version the singing lacks passion and is grating and the orchestra is disjointed and thoroughly unmelodic.
Thank goodness I bought used for only a $1. I still want the one with Barrowman and Moore.
Though I assumed that it was a mistake that the song 'Memory' from Cats played as 'Music of the Night' I assumed that was simply a mistake and dismissed it.
However, I got the CD today, and eagerly put it into my walkman. Out came a Christine and Phantom duet I had never heard before. And was eager to avoid!!!
They were horrid singers!! Definetly NOT the Angels I had anticipated....
Let the buyer beware... I'm terribly disappointed.
And why is Graham Bickley casted as the Phantom? He would make the greatest Raoul - but the Phantom? No. He's never played the part, and he's not got the haunting voice the Phantom should have. I have really enjoyed Mr. Bickley before, in Miss Saigon, Which Witch and other demanding musicals, and he was actually the reason why I bought the CD. But boy, did he disappoint me. He's doing an OK version of "Music of the night" and "Past the point of no return", but as I mentioned, he's a lot more "Raoul-material".
I would love to hear more of Gay Soper as Madame Giry, but unfortuneately, she's barely hearable in "Primadonna".
The other main roles is doing more than fine. It's nice to hear a Meg with a voice. It took me some time to get used this records Raoul, but now I even enjoy him.... And the Carlotta is hitting the notes.
This CD has got the newer lyrics, for example on "Think of me" and "Wishing....again". I, of course, are more fond of the original texts...
The orchestra is doing fine, although the pipe organ-like sound which is in "Overture" and the title duet, sounds really, really fake!
All in all, you can hear that this is a cheaper CD than the other cast CD's, but it's worth it's money. I would give it 3,5. And if you are a fan, you simply ought to own this. At least just to compare Graham Bickley and Claire Moore to Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman...
6th studio release
Believing Is Seeing,Valentine,Universal/Polygram,Rock
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Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Premiere Collection Encore
Andrew Lloyd Webber , Royal Philharmonic Orchestra , Trevor Nunn , Sarah Brightman , Jose Carreras , Michael Ball , Barbra Streisand , Lon Satton , and Ray Shell Manufacturer: Polygram Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD  Requiems
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ASIN: B000001E0E Release Date: 1993-03-09 |
Tracks:
- Amigos Para Siempre ( Friends For Life) - Jose Carreras, Sarah Brightman
- Love Changes Everything - Michael Ball
- Memory - Barbara Streisand
- I Am The Starlight - Lon Satton, Ray Shell
- Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again - Sarah Brightman
- Argentine Melody - San Jose, Rodriguez Argentina
- Oh What A Circus - David Essex
- Seeing Is Believing - Michael Ball, Ann Crumb
- The Jellicle Ball - The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
- Any Dream Will Do - Jason Donovan
- Everything's Alright - Sarah Brightman
- Close Every Door - Phillip Schofield
- The First Man You Remember - Michael Ball, Diana Morrison
- Anything But Lonely - Sarah Brightman
- Point Of No Return - Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman
- Hosanna - Placido Domingo
Customer Reviews:
Premier Collection a hit.......2006-05-10
Streisand's rendition of MEMORY has always been my favorite version of the song outside of the show...Betty Buckley's is my favorite within the show. I am a Streisand afficiando, and this is my FAVORITE Streisand song period..so it must be good...
Michael Ball singing anything is wonderful...It captures the wonderful feeling of being on a cloud when you listen to this album
It is a great CD........2005-10-14
Problem.......2003-11-02
Okay.......2003-04-17
Even Better than the Original.......2001-08-18
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The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Plays Broadway's Best Musicals, Vol. 1
Manufacturer: Koch Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
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ASIN: B00009IB3S Release Date: 2003-06-10 |
Tracks:
- Music Of The Night from Phantom Of The Opera
- There's Me from Starlight Expresso
- Don't Cry For Me Argentina from Evita
- I Don't Know How To Love Him from Jesus Christ Superstar
- Think Of Me from Phantom Of The Opera
- Sunset Boulevard from Sunset Boulevard
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- Seeing Is Believing from Aspects Of Love
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- Memory from Cats
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The Essential Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber
Manufacturer: Metro Music ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Requiems
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ASIN: B00005Y47E Release Date: 2002-02-22 |
Tracks:
- Any Dream Will Do
- Close Every Door
- Heaven On Their Minds
- Everything's Alright
- Gethsemane
- I Don't Know How To Love Him
- Jesus Christ Superstar
- Could We Start Again Please?
- Don't Cry For Me Argentina
- Another Suitcase In Another Hall
- Buenos Aires
- Rainbow High
- High Flying Adored
- Memory
- Jellicle Cats
- Mister Mistofeles
- Unexpected Song
- Last Man In My Life
- Rolling Stock
- U-N-C-O-U-P-L-E-D
Tracks:
- Only You
- Starlight Express
- There's Me
- Pie Jesu
- Angel Of Music
- Masquerade
- Wishing Somehow You Were Here Again
- All I Ask Of You
- The Phantom Of The Opera
- Music Of The Night
- Love Changes Everything
- The First Man You Remember
- Seeing Is Believing
- As If We Never Said Goodbye
- Sunset Boulevard
- With One Look
- Too Much In Love To Care
- Half A Moment
- Whistle Down The Wind
- Our Kind Of Love
Album Description
Full title, 'Essential Songs Of Andrew Lloyd Webber'. UK budget-price compilation. 40 superlative performances featuring songs from every one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit musicals. Guest artists include John Barrymore, Issy Van Randwyck, Dave Willetts, Maria Friedman, Kim Criswell, Graham Bickley and the National Symphony Orchestra. Housed in a slipcase. 2002.Customer Reviews:
Okay, but kind of disappointing.......2006-04-17
It is a good collection for inexpensively getting a lot of Andrew Lloyd Webber's most popular songs in one place and having them there to be able to listen to get the idea of what a certain song sounds like and is about. It isn't the collection of definitive recordings for certain roles. In fact in a couple examples, I wonder if the performer fully understood the context of the song he or she was singing &/or what it was about. Overall, the album is good, for the most part, if not excellent.
However, the liner notes for "The Essential Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber" is another matter. I don't mean to be unkind, but the author of the comments on the different tracks (one Rexton S. Bunnett) is blatantly WRONG in multiple instances. I don't mean just in nit-picky details, but in major plot details/context of songs, like the fact that Bunnett identifies "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" as being sung by "our heroine" (who he does not even identify by name as Christine Daae) as she thinks about her lover, not as being sung about Christine's dead father. He also says that the Phantom has found his perfect love and "Angel of Music" in Christine... because HE is the Angel of Music who Christine believes has been sent to her by her dead father, and because although the Phantom is obsessed with Christine, that relationship is far from "loving" (even if Christine shows him compassion. I feel like these (and a couple other mistakes) are major plot points to get wrong. A good amount of the commentary reads as if Bunnett might have written it at the last minute, fudging his way through entries on musicals of which he had little knowledge; like what an essay I might write on a book I never read for my college class but had quickly looked up on Cliff's Notes would sound like. In terms of sheer editing, there are spelling mistakes, run-on sentences and spacing errors ("Any DreamWill Do")in the liner notes. Where was the copy editor?
And the most frightening fact of all, under Bunnett's credentials, it says "Harper Collins has just published his revision and updating of the Collins Book of the Musical."
I am being very critical, but I think that for a widely-released CD it is reasonable to expect the liner notes to be at a professional level, as they were most likely supposed to be.
Not quite what I expected..........2005-04-23
Some great performances, some not so great..........2005-04-18
Pros:
Two classic songs that are performed excellently are Phantom of the Opera and I Don't Know How to Love Him.
Of course you want to compare Phantom to the classic Michael Crawford/ Sarah Brightman version. Well, guess what? This version is BETTER. The woman has a deeper voice than Brightman, and her singing style is just awesome. The ending of this version (you know, the "Sing, my angel of music, sing for me!") is different, but in a good way... I think.)
And of course, the standard for I Don't Know How to Love Him is Yvonne's version. This version is different, but it grew on me quickly. This version has a country feel to it, almost. Somehow it works and sounds great.
There are a lot of great performances in this collection. My favorites include: Heaven on Their Minds, Everything's Alright, Could We Start Again Please, Another Suitcase in Another Hall, Buenos Aires, Rainbow High, Only You, Starlight Express, Angel of Music, Masquerade, All I Ask of You, Half a Moment, and Whistle Down the Wind. I think they're all great versions of their more famous counterparts.
Cons:
First of all, there are some technical problems that are kind of disappointing. A few of the songs have a very echoey sound. Any Dream Will Do, Another Suitcase in Another Hall, Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, and There's Me are the songs that come to mind that are the worst in this regard. It isn't really bad, just enough to be slightly annoying, more so when the volume is turned way up on your CD player.
A few songs are worthy of skipping over when listening to this collection. In my opinion, Superstar, Sunset Boulevard, and Gethesmane are the biggest disappointments.
Superstar just doesn't cut it for me. The singer really overdoes it, making it overstylized... really makes you yearn for Murray Head. I can't stand listening to it. Just my opinion.
Sunset Boulevard is one of my very favorite musicals, so I was really hoping that the singer would do justice to its title song. Unfortunately I don't think he did. You can't help but compare it to Alan Campbell's fantastic version. This guy has a very choppy way of singing, when I'm used to it being sung so smoothly. Maybe it would grow on me, but I don't think I'll give it a chance to. However, that last note is much stronger than Alan Campbell's. It doesn't make up for the rest of the song, though.
Finally, Gethsemane. The inevitable fact is that NO ONE can sing this song like Michael Ball. This guy tries, he really does. But he doesn't have the right voice or the right style. So please listen to Michael Ball's performance of Gethsemane if you want to know how breathtaking of a song it can be. It's on the Royal Albert Hall DVD, and I'm sure he's got it on one of his CDs.
Anyway, overall, this is a good CD if you like quantity over quality. Don't buy it for the classics, you'll probably end up disappointed with many of them. Buy it for the lesser known songs. You probably won't like every song, especially if you're a big ALW fan, but for the price, it's worth it.
If you want classic versions of classic ALW songs, you might prefer something like "The Very Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Broadway Collection".
Disappointed.......2005-03-11
Musical Talent at Its Best.......2003-01-03
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Andrew Lloyd Webber: Now & Forever
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ASIN: B00005R5UJ Release Date: 2001-11-20 |
Tracks:
- Jesus Christ Superstar: Overture - Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Jesus Christ Superstar: Everything's Alright - Yvonne Elliman/Murray Head/Ian Gilllan
- Jesus Christ Superstar: I Don't Know How To Love Him - Yvonne Elliman
- Jesus Christ Superstar: Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say) - Steve Balsamo
- Jesus Christ Superstar: Superstar - Murray Head
- Evita: Oh What A Circus/Sing You Fools - Antonio Banderas
- Evita: I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You - Elaine Paige/Joss Ackland
- Evita: Another Suitcase In Another Hall - Barbara Dickson
- Evita: Don't Cry For Me Argentina - Julie Covington
- Evita: High Flying, Adored - Mandy Patinkin/Patti LuPone
- Cats: The Jellicle Ball - Andrew Lloyd Weber
- Cats: Memory - Elaine Paige
- Cats: Gus: The Theatre Cat - Susan Jane Tanner/John Mills
- Cats: Mr Mistoffelees - Paul Nicholas
- Song And Dance: Take That Look Off Your Face - Marti Webb
- Song And Dance: Tell Me On A Sunday - Marti Webb
- Song And Dance: Unexpected Song - Sarah Brightman
- Song And Dance: Nothing Like You've Ever Known - Sarah Brightman
- Song And Dance: Introduction - Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Song And Dance: Variations 1 -4 - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Tracks:
- Starlight Express: Starlight Express - El Debarge
- Starlight Express: Crazy - Greg Ellis/Reva Rice/Caron Cardelle/Samantha Lane/Voyd
- Starlight Express: Next Time You Fall In Love - Reva Rice/Greg Ellis
- Starlight Express: I Am The Starlight - Lon Satton/Ray Shell
- Starlight Express: Light At The End Of The Tunnel - The Company
- Requiem: Hosanna - Placido Domingo
- Requiem: Pie jesu - Sarah Brightman/Paul Miles-Kingston
- The Phantom Of The Opera: The Phantom Of The Opera - Michael Crawford/Sarah Brightman
- The Phantom Of The Opera: The Music Of The Night - Michael Crawford
- The Phantom Of The Opera: All I Ask Of You - Sarah Brightman/Steve Barton
- The Phantom Of The Opera: Entr'acte - Andrew Lloyd Webber
- The Phantom Of The Opera: Masquerade - The Company
- The Phantom Of The Opera: Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again - Sarah Brightman
- Aspects Of Love: Aspects Of Aspects - Orchester Der Vereinigten Buehnen Wien
- Aspects Of Love: Love Changes Everything - Michael Ball
- Aspects Of Love: Seeing Is Believing - Michael Ball/Ann Crumb
- Aspects Of Love: The First Man You Remember - Kevin Colson/Diana Morrison
- Aspects Of Love: Anything But Lonely - Sarah Brightman
- Aspects Of Love: Chanson D'Enfance - Sarah Brightman
Tracks:
- Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Any Dream Will Do - Jason Donovan
- Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Joseph's Coat - Maria Friedman/Richard Attenborough/Donny Osmond
- Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Close Every Door - Donny Osmond
- By Jeeves: Travel Hopefully - John Scherer/Martin Jarvis/Don Stephenson
- By Jeeves: When Love Arrives - Steven Pacey/Diana Morrison
- By Jeeves: Half A Moment - Sarah Brightman
- Sunset Boulevard: With One Look - Glenn Close
- Sunset Boulevard: New Ways To Dream - Glenn Close/Alan Campbell
- Sunset Boulevard: The Perfect Year - Glenn Close/Alan Campbell
- Sunset Boulevard: Sunser Boulevard - Alan Campbell
- Sunset Boulevard: As If We Never Said Goodbye - Glenn Close
- Whistle Down The Wind: Whistle Down The Wind - James Graeme/Lottie Mayor
- Whistle Down The Wind: Cold - Everly Brothers
- Whistle Down The Wind: No Matter What - Children/Adult Chorus
- Whistle Down The Wind: The Nature Of The Beast - Marcus Lovett/Lottie Mayor
- The Beautiful Game: Overture - Andrew Lloyd Webber
- The Beautiful Game: The Beautiful Game - The Company
- The Beautiful Game: Our Kind Of Love - Hannah Waddingham
- The Beautiful Game: Dont Like You - Josie Walker/David Shannon
- The Beautiful Game: Let Us Love In Peace - Josie Walker/Omagh Youth Community Choir
Tracks:
- Oh What A Circus - David Essex
- Memory - Betty Buckley
- The Phantom Of The Opera - Sarah Brightman/Steve Harley
- All I Ask Of You - Sarah Brightman/Cliff Richard
- Love Changes Everything - Michael Ball
- Any Dream Will Do - Donny Osmond
- Amigos Para Siempre (Friends For Life) - Sarah Brightman/Jose Carreras
- As If We Never Said Goodbye - Barbra Streisand
- The Perfect Year - Dina Carroll
- With One Look - Petula Clark
- You Must Love Me - Madonna
- The Heart Is Slow To Learn - Kiri Te Kanawa
- A Kiss Is A Terrible Thing To Waste - The Metal Philharmonic Orchestra
- Whistle Down The Wind - Tina Arena
- No Matter What - Boyzone
- The Vaults Of Heaven - Tom Jones
- Try Not To Be Afraid - Boy George
- Pie Jesu - Charlotte Church
Tracks:
- Make Believe Love - Wes Sands
- Down Thru' Summer - Ross Hannaman
- I'll Give All My Love To Southend - Ross Hannaman
- Believe Me I Will - Sacha Distel
- Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1969 Radio Luxembourg Commercial) - Joseph Consortium/Pete Murray
- Try It And See - Rita Pavone
- Come Back Richard Your Country Needs You - Time Rice And The Webber Group
- Goodbye Seattle - Paul Raven
- John 19:41 - The Andrew Lloyd Webber Orchestra
- What A Line To Go Out On - Yvonne Elliman
- Disillusion Me - Gary Band
- The Ballad Of Robert And Peter - Tim Rice
- Christmas Dream - Maynard Williams
- It's Only Your Lover Returning/All Through My Crazy And Wild Days/Don't Cry For Me Argentina - Julie Covington
- It's Easy For You (1977 Jungle Room Session Version) - Elvis Presley
- Magdalena - Tony Christie
- Buenos Aires - The Roja Rockers
- Pollicle Dogs And Jellicle Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Mungojerrie And Rumpleteazer (Live At The Sydmonton Festival 1980) - Gemma Craven
- I Could Have Given You More - Petula Clark
- I've Been In Love Too Long - Marti Webb
- Benedicite - The Stephen Hill Singers
Album Description
Disc 1: Selections from Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats, and Song and DanceDisc 2: Selections from Starlight Express, Requiem, Phantom of the Opera, and Aspects of Love
Disc 3: Selections from Joseph nad the Amaziong Technicolor Dreamcoat, By Jeeves, Sunset Boulevard, Whistle Down the Wind, and The Beautiful Game
CD 4: 1. "Oh What a Circus" --David Essex 2. "Memory" - Betty Buckleey 3. "The Phantom of the Opera" -Sarah Brightman, Steve Harley 4. "All I Ask of You" --Sarah Brightman, Cliff Richard 5. "Love Changes Everything"--Michael Ball 6. "Any Dream Will Do"--Donny Osmond 7. "Amigos Para Siempre (Friends for Life)"--Sarah Brightman, Jose Caerras 8. "As if We Never Said Goodbye"--Barbra Streisand 9. "The Perfect Year"--Dina Carroll 10. "With One Look" --Petula Clark 11. "You Must Love Me" 12. "The Heart Is Slow To Learn" --Kiri Te Kanawa 13. "Whistle Down the Wind"--Tina Arena 14. "A Kiss Is a Terrible Thing To Waste"--The Metal Philharmonic 15. "No Matter What"--Boyzone 16. "The Vaults of Heaven"--Tom Jones and Sounds of Blackness 17. "Try Not To Be Afraid"--Boy George 18. "Pie Jesu"--Charlotte Church
Disc 5: (All tracks available for the first time) 1. "Make Believe Love"--Wes Sands 2. "Down Thru' Summer"--Ross Hannaman 3. "I'll Give All My Love to Southend"--Ross Hannaman 4. "Believe Me I Will"--Sacha Distel 5. "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: 1969 Luxembourg Radio Commercial--The Jospeh Consortium, Pete Murray 6. "Try It and See"--Rita Pavone 7. "Come Back Richard Your Country Needs You"--Tim Rice and the Webber Group 8. "Goodbye Seattle"-- Paul Raven 9. "John 19:41"--The Andrew Lloyd Webber Orchestra 10. "What a Line To Go Out On"--Yvonne Elliman 11. "Disillusion Me" --Gary Bond 12. "The Ballad of Robert and Peter"--Tim Rice 13. "Christmas Dream" --Maynard Williams 14. "It's Only Your Lover Returning/All through My Wild and Crazy Days/Don't Cry for Me Argentina--Julie Covington 15. "It's Easy for You" (1977 Jungle Room Session version)--Elvis Presley 16. "Magdalena"--Tony Christie 17. "Buenos Aires"--The Rioja Rockers 18. "Pollicle Dogs and Jellicle Cats"--Andrew Lloyd Webber original demo 19. "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" (Live at Sydmonton Festival 1980)-Gemma Craven 20. "I Could Have Given You More"--Petula Clark 21. "I've Been in Love Too Long"--Marti Webb 22. "Benedicte"-- Stephen Hill Singers
Customer Reviews:
I waited for this for five years.......2006-06-30
It was worth the wait.
The concept is great. The packaging is great. The recording is great. Disc five is really cool for an ALW aficionado. There are a few real gems on it; my favorites are Petula Clark's "I Could Have Given You More" and "Benedicite."
I've always thought "Gus the Theatre Cat" made a great medley on the piano with "Unexpected Song" and "I DOn't Know How to Love Him," but wished there was an alternate lyric to match the other two songs. Now that I know there *is*, and it's a good lyric, it's a dream come true.
The melody of "Benedicite" is one of my favorites from _Sunset_ (the book mis-identifies it as "SUrrender"; it's actually "The Lady's Paying" and "Eternal Youth is Worth a Little Suffering"). The lyrics are the canticle from Daniel 3, which comes up every odd Sunday in the Divine Office, so it's nice to have cool music to sing it with.
I haven't bought _By Jeeves_ or _THe Beautiful Game_ yet, to it was great to sample them.
There are other parts of the CD taht aren't found in my collection. I like CD 4 "The Hits."
But the selections on CDs 1-3 don't make sense.
First, any self-respecting ALW fan has the Original London Cast of _Phantom_, so six tracks are totally useless. Why not draw from the Canadian cast with Colm Wilkinson? Or pull out some obscure recordings never published.
Why two different tracks with Michael Ball singing "Love Changes Everything", yet they're hardly any different?
On Disc 5 is "It's Only Your Lover Returning," sung by Julie Covington. It's an early draft of the song (Lloyd Webber and Rice went through several suggested titles) and quite nice. The very thing one expects on a Boxed Set.
So why have the Julie Covington "Don't Cry for Me" on disc 1?? The only difference is a few words, but it's otherwise identical. Why not Elaine Paige or Patti Lupone or Madonna?
The _Evita_ section is otherwise the best, choosing a sample from each major recording, though I'd have chosen slightly differently (as above).
There is a great selection of "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" from the Sydmonton festival, using the original music that was changed when _Cats_ went to Broadway_. It would have been nice if they'd included more recordings from Sydmonton, like the original lyric of "All I Ask of You" shown on the second DVD to the _Phantom_ movie.
With so many great actress-singers who've played Norma Desmond, why does the collection beat us over the head with Glenn Close?
Paul Miles Kingston must be set for life in royalties, for the number of albums the original recording of "Pie Jesu" has appeared on. "Amigos Para Siempre" is nice, but it reminds me of Shari Lewis's "The Song that Doesn't End," especially when it's been used on so many compilations.
In short, this is a great collection for the obscure material, if you can get it cheap. But for a boxed set, it's a poor sampling, drawn mostly from the most familiar recordings.
Excellent collection but BIG PUBLISHING MISTAKE! .......2006-01-10
ONE OF LLOYD WEBBER'S BEST COMPILATIONS, DESPITE A FEW FLAWS.......2005-03-21
Over the years many compilations of his work have emerged. In the late 80-is and early 90-is it was the "Encore" series and lately the one-disc collection called "Gold". The one in question here can be considered one of the best currently on the market. First, it includes a 3-disc selections from all of his shows, minus the latest one, i.e., "The Woman in White", which, considering the triviality of the score, is no great lost. The fourth disc covers some of his most known songs sung by the famous artists. Then, there is the fifth disc with previously unreleased material, most of which are the songs ALW wrote with Tim Rice for various artists during the 70-is. The disks are all neatly packed in a hardcover book that features 67 pages of pictures and text with information about each of ALW's shows. One of the other assets here is the perfect sound quality, since all of the tracks have been digitally remastered.
Here are my basic impressions and comments regarding the material on the discs:
* Disc #1 has the selections from "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Evita", "Cats" and "Song & Dance". The Superstar material mostly comes from the Concept Recording. Although the songs sound beautiful as always, their orchestration is a bit dated now. Only Steve Balsamo's "Gethsemane" from the 1996 revival cast has a modern rock sound. "Evita" comes with the material from all of the major recordings: London, Broadway and the movie productions, as well as the Concept album. No objections here; since this is one of ALW's most satisfying works, every song is just perfect, although Patti LuPone, the Broadway and overall the best Evita, is left with only a couple of lines. With the selections from "Cats", however, I have some doubts. A plus to the choice of the "Jellicle ball" impressive orchestral sequence from the 1998 movie version and "Mister Mistoffelees" from the 1981 London cast. One of the best known ALW's songs, "Memory", also comes from that album. It's a pretty version and Elaine Paige's rendition cannot be matched, but why include this when the definite version, featuring an 80-piece orchestra and Elaine Paige with much better interpretation, can be found in the same movie version. Thusly, one has to buy Elaine Paige's latest 2-disc compilation "Centre Stage: The very best of Elaine Paige" to get that one. And "Gus the theatre cat" is more a recital than a song, so there was not much point in including that. Marti Webb brings her vocal charm to the "Song & Dance" sequence, Sarah Brightman sings "Unexpected song" with her famous soprano, but as much as I like her version, Bernadette Peters, who was in this show on Broadway is strangely left out here.
* Disc # 2 starts with "Starlight Express". This was never one of my favorite ALW's shows; the plot is even lighter than in "Cats" and the 1984 original cast recording is terribly dated. Yet, here we have one terrific duet, "I am starlight" from the original together with three songs from the later revivals and it seems that fresh orchestrations were just the thing Starlight needed. My favorite remains a touchy ballad, "Next time you fall in love". "Requiem" is the most solemn of all ALW's compositions, written in 1985 to commemorate the death of his father. Placido Domingo's tenor rides together with the chorus all the way through the strong "Hosanna", only to be joined by Sarah Brightman in the final moments of this song. She then gives an echoing deliverance of "Pie Jesu". What can be said of ALW's next show, "The Phantom of the Opera"? A phenomenon in its own right, it's easy to see from the six numbers included here why this is one of the best and most beloved musicals of all time. The cast, the music, the story - everything is perfect. Although "Aspects of love" was never a popular hit, it does have some of the most beautiful love melodies ALW has ever written. "Love changes everything" sung by Michael Ball is probably one of the best tunes ever about love. The rest of the selected material here has a dreamy love flavor and the melodies find their way into your brain in the best Lloyd Webber way.
* ALW's first musical, "Joseph and the amazing Technicolor dreamcoat" was more successful in its revival form than the original from the 70-is. The three songs included here are sung by the show stars, Jason Donovan and Donny Osmond. Maria Friedman was not a lucky choice to play the narrator, as the track from the 1998 movie version shows. "By Jeeves" was ALW's only big flop when it came to the stage in the 70-is. The 1995 revival sounds much better though, full of funny numbers in the best manner of the musical comedy. "Travel hopefully" remains one of the show's highlights on this compilation. "Sunset Boulevard" comes next. "Sunset" remains for me one of Webber's best scores; lush and beautiful. I listen to the original cast recording with Patti LuPone all the time. However, here most of the songs are performed by Glenn Close. A big mistake. If you've ever listened the American premiere recording with her, you'll know what I am talking about. She may have a strong stage presence, but her vocal abilities are too limited, and her aggressive approach to the role lacks any subtlety. Therefore, the two big numbers from this show, "With one look" and "As if we never said goodbye" are ruined by the fact she can't sing. The same goes for the American Joe Gillis, who was played by Alan Campbell. Luckily, Patti LuPone and Kevin Anderson, the original Norma and Joe from the London production, make their brief entrance here with the "Perfect year"; enough to show how better they are. The funny thing is, on the jacket and inside of it, Glenn Close and Alan Campbell are credited as performers in this song as well. If this was a mistake on ALW's part, it was a good one. The next ALW's show, "Whistle down the wind" was never a critic's dear and yet the audiences rushed in to see it in London. The score brings back ALW to his rock and roll roots of the seventies and the story is quite interesting. But the selections here are not the happiest, since the cast recording boasts with much better songs. And finally, "The Beautiful Game". Again, we have one of those ALW's shows that is worth in its individual parts rather than as a whole. "Our kind of love" and "Let us love in peace" are two catchy ballads. The latter is a nice amalgam version not available elsewhere. The two other tracks here I could live without.
* Disc # 4 has the songs from all the above shows performed by different artists. The assembled tracks have their pros and cons. For example, we have some previously unreleased stuff, like Dame Kiri Te Kanawa's operettic rendition of "The heart is slow to learn", or a stunning and epic "A kiss is a terrible thing to waste" from "Whistle down the wind", performed by The Metal Philharmonic Orchestra. Then again, what was the point in including almost identical tracks as the ones on the previous disks? So we have Michael Ball again singing "Love changes everything" with only a bit different orchestration; Sarah Brightman comes out again with the same Phantom duets, but only with the different male singers. It would be much more appropriate to include tracks from the Toronto Cast of the Phantom, with Colm Wilkinson. Other pop deliverances (Tina Arena's "Whistle down the wind", Barbra Streisand's "As if we never said goodbye", Boyzone's "No matter what" and many more) were wisely chosen. Patti LuPone is again nowhere to be found and Petula Clark's "With one look" sounds too worn-out.
* The last disc is probably the one that will be of most interest to Lloyd Webber aficionados. It consists of entirely previously unreleased material ALW for the most part wrote for various artists during his early years, with Tim Rice. Some of these tunes, not successful as a singles, were later used in his shows. Thus "Down thru' summer" became "Buenos Aires"in Evita, "Try it and see", an unsuccessful attempt for the Eurovision was used for "King Herod's song" in "Superstar" and so on. Some of these songs are nicely made pop songs: "Make believe love", ALW's first recorded composition, for which he provided the lyrics; "Goodbye Seattle", sung by Paul Raven, who later became Gary Glitter; "Come back Richard, your country needs you", from a never made musical, sung here by Tim Rice, or Latin flavored "Magdalena", with Tony Christie singing. My all time favorite here is a song called "It's easy for you", sung by none other than Elvis Presley himself. Lloyd Webber and Rice sent him a demo recording that he accepted and recorded this live version a couple of weeks before he died. It's amazing to hear how his voice remained in the perfect shape. Also, there is a track of Andrew Lloyd Webber singing "Policle dogs and Jellicle cats" while plying the piano. His voice doesn't sound bad at all.
Taken as a whole, this compilation makes a perfect birthday or Christmas present to any fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber shows, or just anybody interested in some of the best tunes from the modern era of the musical theatre; despite the flaws I mentioned above. To the former, it may just be the final addition for the Andrew Lloyd Webber collection.
SUCH MAGICAL MUSIC OF THE NIGHT!.......2003-01-19
Opera") and the longest-running show of all time ("Cats"), the man whose homes are filled with three Grammys, five Oliviers, a Golden Globe, and Oscar and too many other honors and hosannas to mention, the man knighted in 1992 certainly doesn't need an introduction. Now Decca Broadway pays tribute to Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber with "Now and Forever," a spectacular 5-CD set compiled and produced by Sir Andy himself. It's cheaper than a
ticket to "The Producers" ... and more much exciting. This treasure trove contains highlights from all of Webber's shows, and a bonus disc of tunes sung by Betty Buckley, Barbara
Streisand, Jose Carreras, Boy George, Charlotte Church, Madonna, Tom Jones, Petula Clark, even Elvis! A must for lovers of theatre---and good music.
A Must Have for Sir Andrew fans.......2002-05-21
The cuts from the musicals are great but are likely owned by ALW fans as they are on the original cast albums. And I'm glad that there were tunes included from the composers most recent efforts which have yet to make it beyond London (Whistle Down the Wind, Beautiful Game).
My only complaint is the inclusion of way too many tracks by Sarah Brightman. She must've received a great divorce settlement that included having tunes on any ALW collection until the end of time!! Her interpretations of some of the tunes were limp and uninspired. I would've much rather heard casts from around the world rather than yet another song by this disdainful soprano! How about Colm Wilkinson's version of "Music of the Night" from the original Canadian cast of "Phantom"? Or Michael Crawford's version of "Unexpected Song"? What? No Betty Buckley from "Sunset Blvd."? And of course there are songs you KNOW are going to be on the collection before you even listen to it as they have been on EVERY ALW collection for the past decade or so.
A great collection but too much Sarah Brightman!
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ASIN: B000000KAV Release Date: 1995-04-16 |
Tracks:
- Phantom of the Opera (Phantom of the Opera)
- Music of the Night (Phantom of the Opera)
- Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again (Phantom of the Opera)
- Sunset Boulevard Entr'Acte (Sunset Boulevard)
- With One Look (Sunset Boulevard)
- Memory (Cats)
- Tell Me on Sunday (Song and Dance)
- The Last Man in My Life (Song and Dance)
- Love Changes Everything (Aspects of Love)
- Anything But Lonely (Aspects of Love)
- Seeing and Believing (Aspects of Love)
Customer Reviews:
wrong artists.......2007-01-11
This isbn is for a terrible version with the Orlando Pops conducted by Andrew Lane with mezzo soprano; Marguerite Krull and baritone; Justin White. This version the singing lacks passion and is grating and the orchestra is disjointed and thoroughly unmelodic.
Thank goodness I bought used for only a $1. I still want the one with Barrowman and Moore.
Amazon's Fault?.......2005-04-05
Though I assumed that it was a mistake that the song 'Memory' from Cats played as 'Music of the Night' I assumed that was simply a mistake and dismissed it.
However, I got the CD today, and eagerly put it into my walkman. Out came a Christine and Phantom duet I had never heard before. And was eager to avoid!!!
They were horrid singers!! Definetly NOT the Angels I had anticipated....
Let the buyer beware... I'm terribly disappointed.
Nothing like the original.......2004-04-19
THIS WILL NEVER COMPARE TO THE ORIGINAL RECORDING!!! who picked Graham Bickley to be the Phantom? i mean, come on! he's a singing joke next to Michael Crawford, anyone would understand that. I mean, sure, the guy can sing, but simply being able to pull off a few notes does NOT make you one of the most immortal charecters of all time. this is something that Michael Crawford does, and pulls it off with perfection. BUUUT, unfortunately, Graham is not a strong candidate. there's no interest in his singing. it's all wooden and boring.
claire moore, on the other hand, i rather liked. i read what some people have said before, but i slightly disagree. i thought that she had a wonderfully passionate voice. she actually has charecter to it that even sarah brightman could never have. i'm sorry, but sarah is suffering a simmilar affliction that graham is unfortunate to be influenced by. both are good singers, with all the technicalities correct. but when it comes to a truly passionate performance, moore and crawford have it right.
so buy this, if you wish. it's a good cd, though the orchestrations are not that "WOW" either. the rest of the cast is adequate. but i would recommend the highlights of the original recording. sorry, i'm a purist.
For Extreme Collectors Only!.......2004-01-09
This recording of Phantom was not that great. First of all, the orchestrations were so unbelievable weak for the first 4 songs, then got better.
I really did not like Claire Moore's voice on this recording. Her voice is weak, and unemotional, besides the fact that she is not a strong soprano (at least not here), she truly sounds like a shrill mezzo-soprano. When she sings the high E at the end of POTO, she sounds like me trying to hit it anywhere but the shower. She can't compare to Rebecca Caine (Canada recording) or even Sarah Brightman (London Recording).
Graham Bickley as the Phantom was slightly better, but not as strong as Michael Crawford, and he can't even hold a candle to Phantom I saw live, Brad Little. His Music Of The Night is better than some, but not great.
John Barrowman is okay as Raoul, but I've heard much better. He has slightly more emotion than his cast mates, but loses it during All I Ask Of You.
The Good Thing About It:
1. Another Phantom CD!!!!!
2. It switches back and forth from bad to good.
3. During Prima Donna you can actually understand what someone besides Carlotta is singing!
Well..........2002-10-06
And why is Graham Bickley casted as the Phantom? He would make the greatest Raoul - but the Phantom? No. He's never played the part, and he's not got the haunting voice the Phantom should have. I have really enjoyed Mr. Bickley before, in Miss Saigon, Which Witch and other demanding musicals, and he was actually the reason why I bought the CD. But boy, did he disappoint me. He's doing an OK version of "Music of the night" and "Past the point of no return", but as I mentioned, he's a lot more "Raoul-material".
I would love to hear more of Gay Soper as Madame Giry, but unfortuneately, she's barely hearable in "Primadonna".
The other main roles is doing more than fine. It's nice to hear a Meg with a voice. It took me some time to get used this records Raoul, but now I even enjoy him.... And the Carlotta is hitting the notes.
This CD has got the newer lyrics, for example on "Think of me" and "Wishing....again". I, of course, are more fond of the original texts...
The orchestra is doing fine, although the pipe organ-like sound which is in "Overture" and the title duet, sounds really, really fake!
All in all, you can hear that this is a cheaper CD than the other cast CD's, but it's worth it's money. I would give it 3,5. And if you are a fan, you simply ought to own this. At least just to compare Graham Bickley and Claire Moore to Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman...
Average customer rating:
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The Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber
Manufacturer: Madacy Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Musicals
| Broadway & Vocalists
| Styles
| Music
General
| Broadway & Vocalists
| Styles
| Music
General
| Soundtracks
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Orchestral Pop
| Easy Listening
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
ASIN: B0009VNBQK Release Date: 2005-07-05 |
Tracks:
- Phantom of the Opera [From Phantom of the Opera]
- Music of the Night [From Phantom of the Opera]
- Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again [From Phantom of the Opera]
- Sunset Boulevard Entr'acte [From Sunset Boulevard]
- With One Look [From Sunset Boulevard]
- Memory [From Cats]
- Tell Me on a Sunday [From Song and Dance]
- Last Man in My Life [From Song and Dance]
- Love Changes Everything [From Aspects of Love]
- Anything But Lonely [From Aspects of Love]
- Seeing Is Believing [From Aspects of Love]
Tracks:
- Phantom Overture [From Phantom of the Opera]
- Take That Look Off Your Face [From Song and Dance]
- Another Suitcase in Another Hall [From Evita]
- Rainbow High [From Evita]
- Buenos Aires [From Evita]
- Heaven on Their Minds [From Jesus Christ Superstar]
- Everything's Alright [From Jesus Christ Superstar]
- John 19: 41 [From Jesus Christ Superstar]
- Aspects of Aspects [From Aspects of Love]
- Too Much in Love to Care [From Sunset Boulevard]
- Pharaoh's Story [From Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat]
Tracks:
- Don't Cry for Me Argentina [From Evita]
- Sunset Boulevard [From Sunset Boulevard]
- Overture [From Jesus Christ Superstar]
- Think of Me [From Phantom of the Opera]
- Last Supper [From Jesus Christ Superstar]
- Memory [From Cats]
- Starlight Sequence [From Starlight Express]
- Peron's Latest Flame [From Evita]
- King Herod's Song [From Jesus Christ Superstar]
- Any Dream Will Do [From Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat]
Average customer rating:
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Believing Is Seeing
Valentine Manufacturer: Universal/Polygram ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Hard Rock & Metal
| Styles
| Music
Pop Metal
| Hard Rock & Metal
| Styles
| Music
Glam
| Classic Rock
| Styles
| Music
ASIN: B000056UV2 |
Tracks:
- Dear Dad
- Venus & Mars
- New Tomorrow (Let The Dream Begin)
- Not In A Million Years
- What In The World I'm Waiting For
- Make Way (For The Messenger)
- Eternal Light
- Way To Get Home
- Believing Is Seeing
- Truth Will Out
- Fear Of Heights
- Now Forever & I Day
Album Details
6th studio release|
Average customer rating:
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Hits of Andrew Lloyd Webber
Manufacturer: Northquest ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Musicals
| Broadway & Vocalists
| Styles
| Music
General
| Broadway & Vocalists
| Styles
| Music
General
| Soundtracks
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
ASIN: B0000AM6N5 Release Date: 2003-08-05 |
Tracks:
- I Am the Starlight [From Starlight Express]
- All I Ask of You [Piano Instrumental [Phantom of the Opera]
- Amigos Para Siempre [LA Olympic Games]
- Don't Cry for Me Argentina [From Evita]
- I Don't Know How to Love Him [From Jesus Christ Superstar]
- Phantom of the Opera [From Phantom of the Opera]
- With One Look [From Sunset Boulevard]
- Joseph Megamix [Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat]
- Everything's Alright [From Jesus Christ Superstar]
- Memory [Piano Instrumental [Cats] [Instrumental]
Tracks:
- Love Changes Everything (Aspects Of Love)
- All I Ask of You [From Phantom of the Opera]
- Greatest Star of All [From Sunset Boulevard]
- Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again [From Phantom of the Opera]
- Memory [From Cats]
- Go Go Joseph [Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat]
- Music of the Night [From Phantom of the Opera]
- Seeing Is Believing (Aspects Of Love)
- Any Dream Will Do [Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat]
- Don't Cry for Me Argentina [Piano Instrumental [Evita] [Instrumental]
Average customer rating:
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36 Essential Hits from Stage and Screen
Manufacturer: Solid Gold ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Requiems
| Forms & Genres
| Early Music
| Historical Periods
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
Britain
| British Isles
| Europe
| International
| Styles
| Music
General
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
Requiems
| Vocal Non-Opera
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
General
| Musicals
| Broadway & Vocalists
| Styles
| Music
General
| Broadway & Vocalists
| Styles
| Music
General
| Soundtracks
| Styles
| Music
ASIN: B000BFH4OE Release Date: 2005-11-01 |
Tracks:
- Phantom of the Opera/Masquerade
- Cats/Macavity
- Jesus Christ Superstar/Could We Start Again
- Evita/Rainbow High
- Requiem/Pie Jesu
- Phantom of the Opera/Music of the Night
- Evita/Buenos Aires
- Jesus Christ Superstar/Gethsemane
- Sunset Boulevard/With One Love
- Phantom of the Opera/Think of Me
- Evita/Another Suitcase in Another Hall
- Whistle Down the Wind/Whistle Down the Wind
- Starlight Express/U-N-C-O-U-P-L-E-D
- Sunset Boulevard/As If We Never Said Goodbye
- Starlight Express/Rolling Stock
- Evita/Don't Cry for Me Argentina
- Tell Me on a Sunday/Tell Me on a Sunday
- Phantom of the Opera/The Phantom of the Opera
Tracks:
- Aspects of Love/Love Changes Everything
- Phantom of the Opera/All I Ask of You
- By Jeeves/Half a Moment
- Jesus Christ Superstar/I Don't Know How to Love Him
- Aspects of Love/The First Man You Remember
- Tell Me on a Sunday/Unexpected Song
- Starlight Express/Only You
- Tell Me on a Sunday/The Last Man in My Life
- Aspects of Love/Seeing Is Believing
- Cats/Memory
- Phantom of the Opera/Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again
- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat/Close Every Door
- Sunset Boulevard/Too Much in Love to Care
- Aspects of Love/There Is More to Love
- Starlight Express/Starlight Express
- Aspects of Love/Anything But Lonely
- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat/Any Dream Will Do
- Beautiful Game/Our Kind of Love
Average customer rating:
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Classic Andrew Lloyd Webber
Manufacturer: Madacy Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Opera & Vocal
| Styles
| Music
General
| Musicals
| Broadway & Vocalists
| Styles
| Music
General
| Broadway & Vocalists
| Styles
| Music
General
| Soundtracks
| Styles
| Music
General
| Classical
| Styles
| Music
General
| Vocal Pop
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Orchestral Pop
| Easy Listening
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
ASIN: B0002QO3L4 Release Date: 2004-09-07 |
Tracks:
- Memory [From Cats]
- Music of the Night [From Phantom of the Opera]
- Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again [From Phantom of the Opera]
- Phantom of the Opera [From Phantom of the Opera]
- Aspects of Aspects [From Aspects of Love][Instrumental]
- Love Changes Everything [From Aspects of Love]
- Anything But Lonely [From Aspects of Love]
- Seeing Is Believing [From Aspects of Love]
- Tell Me on a Sunday [From Song and Dance]
- Last Man in My Life [From Song and Dance]
- Take That Look Off Your Face [From Song and Dance]
Tracks:
- Phantom Overture [From Phantom of the Opera][Instrumental]
- Sunset Boulevard Entr'acte [From Sunset Boulevard][Instrumental]
- With One Look [From Sunset Boulevard]
- Another Suitcase in Another Hall [From Evita]
- Buenos Aires [From Evita]
- Rainbow High [From Evita]
- Everything's Alright [From Jesus Christ Superstar]
- John 19: 41 [From Jesus Christ Superstar][Instrumental]
- Heaven on Their Minds [From Jesus Christ Superstar]
- Too Much in Love to Care [From Sunset Boulevard]
- Pharaoh's Story [From Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat]
Rock Music:
- Best of V.1 [Import]
- Big Blue Sky
- Blood on the Bass
- Brand New Day [Enhanced] [Import]
- Bright Ideas [Import]
- Classic Instrumentals, Vol. 1
- Collaborations [Import]
- Collection of Short Stories [Import]
- Compact Story of [Import]
- Damage Done
