Customer Reviews

The Best Of Rent: Highlights From The Original Cast Album (1996 Original Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I saw four Broadway Musicals during the past two weeks, and I'm very lucky that one of them was Rent. This is one of the best and most popular musicals on Broadway, and excites and moves the audience like few musicals do.

This highlights album is actually almost perfect. Despite what other people have written, there is only one good song, "Happy New Year", that is not included on the disc. This is too bad because the disc contains about 66 minutes of music (if you don't count the bonus track, the unnecessary Stevie Wonder version of "Seasons of Love"), leaving enough time for it. Oh well. I guess that's so people will have a reason to buy the double CD. But really, all you're missing from the double CD are a couple of forgettable songs (like "Christmas Bells" and "Halloween") and some tracks that are necessary only for plot development (e.g. the "Voicemail" numbers, which are similar to "Notes" from Phantom).

An almost perfect album with a lot of good songs and a great cast!

The Best of Rent CD was the first introduction that I had to Rent, and I loved it dearly (to the point where it got so scratched up I couldn't play it anymore), but after listening to the full-blown two CD version, I must say that some of the best songs were omitted, or severely cut down, on Highlights. For example, "Your Eyes" was cut from the Highlights list. In my opinion (and the opinion of several friends), this is one of the most powerful love songs on Broadway, much less the single rock opera from which it was derived. "Over the Moon", Maureen's infamous performance song, was also cut. "La Vie Bohem" was trimmed down, beginning with Mark's eulogy about the Bohemian spirit, instead of from the very beginning. Even then, bits of the end of "La Vie Bohem A" were cut, heading for a not-so-smooth transition into "I Should Tell You". The remaining songs are still good, however, but if you are looking to capture the full Rent spirit, get the full album. In the long run, it will save you money.

I remember how THE RENT had rocked our our mind when it debutted in 1996. I flew to New York City for the debut. THE RENT had raised national attention on love and care issues for those who suffer from terminal sickness such as AIDS. The original THE RENT 2-CD set contains 42 tracks along with all coversations and scripts. This is merely a water-down version of the musical yet unfortunately misses some of the most valued tracks. Like many other Broadway muscials (i.e. Phantom of the Opera, Cats...) the music label decides to release a single CD "highlight" to satisfy those who don't want to pay for the complete musical. I'm surprised the compilation skips Maureen's infamous performance "Over the Moon". "Christmas Bells" is also missing from the compilation. If you're a die-hard musical lover and want to get the full spirit of THE RENT, you should get the original 2-CD set. On a side note, one of my favorite songs from the musical is "Seasons of Love". The compilation, however, skips the reprised version of "Seasons of Love". It touched my heart tremendously the first time I heard it performed live at the musical. Pay attention to the words and the message of love it delivers. "Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes...five hundred twenty five thousand moments so dear...five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes...how do you measure...measure a year?..."

This CD is great if you're looking for just the "main" songs from RENT. While this soundtrack IS awesome, it's missing many other great numbers from this magnificent musical. What happened to "Over the Moon", "Christmas Bells", and "Your Eyes"?? My advice?! Buy the COMPLETE double cd set. It has 34 songs, plus lyrics and pictures.....everything you could possibly want. Plus you get EVERY song from RENT, not the "highlights". Anyways, this cd is good, but could be better. Why not buy the double cd instead?! It costs more, but you get more for your money!!

I like to think of this CD as a tasting or a sample. I, myself, am an avid RENT fan. I've seen the musical live and own the full version on cassette. My parents bought me the Best of Rent CD because I was sick of rewinding tapes and because the full RENT CD is just too expensive (Though it is worth every penny of the $30.00 price, some of us just can't shell that out, right?). I love the highlite CD very much, but it just doesn't have some of my favorite and some of the most memorable tracks. It's really an issue of expense. If you're willing to pay the $30.00 fee for the full RENT CDs, then by all means, they are such amazing investments, but if you're looking for a reasonably priced taste or sample of RENT, this CD is the way to go. I'd recommend it to anybody. RENT is the most amazing musical to come around in a while. VIVA RENT!

This CD is a great CD...of course any CD with La Vie Boheme on it is great!...but this CD is more what I'd call 'the experience without the experience.' It's like when you go to a sushi bar for the first time with a friend and order the Kappa Maki (which is a cucumber roll) because you don't want to try real sushi...you're getting a sushi roll, but not the 'real' stuff...the experience without the experience. In the same way, this is only a taste of the true beauty of RENT. If you're skeptical about buying the 2-CD full version of RENT...don't be. But if you're very skeptical and still want to buy this CD (which is great), I still support it. But in the same way as the sushi example, this isn't the 'real' RENT...it's just the Kappa Maki-or a cheaper version of the original. No, I'm not saying this CD is cheap by any means (nor that it's sushi...)...It's awesome! It has some of the best songs from RENT. But if you want even better, spend the extra money for an even more wonderful RENT! Enjoy! (LISTEN TO LA VIE BOHEME OVER AND OVER! )

Seeing this play on Broadway last year is probably one of those memories I will always look foundly on and NEVER regret. And the music was and will always be the reason why.

If you are young and struggling in America, buy this CD. If you are anxious, worried about your future, in a hurry to reach all your lofty goals, buy this CD. If you want to be reminded that the biggest and most important goal you can ever aspire to is "just to be", buy this CD.

For those who saw the play, the CD will take you back and make you smile and remember all the life lessons it taught. For those who haven't seen it, the Cd will defintiely have you dancing around the house and catching the Holy Ghost. I'm considering getting the two disc CD because I've worn this one out so much.

keturahk@yahoo.com

I love RENT. The Best of RENT is well recorded, well sung, great cast, et cetra, et cetra. The complaint I have, as I believe many other do, is that some of the best songs were cut. No Happy New Year, none of the voicemail or tune-ups. I would recomend springing for the entire CD. You'll end up buying it anyway when you discover your favorite song isn't included on the Best Of...

While this soundtrack features many of the tracks that make Rent a hit, it fails to include many of the key tunes of the play. If you are debating whether to buy this album or the full soundtrack, definitely buy the two-disc set. Not only does it include a booklet of lyrics and pictures, but it includes all of the musical numbers in the piece. Basically, in the two disc set, the entire play is recorded with the exception of some dialogue between the songs. While this CD gives you a taste of Rent's magic, the play can be appreciated more with the two-disc set.

For those who haven't seen the show, keep in mind that this is a highlights CD and doesn't contain all the songs. If you want to hear the play buy the double CD, if you've heard it already go ahead. This has all the good songs on it and you're not missing out on much if you know the story.