Broadway Musicals of 1964

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 29, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Bayview
• ASIN: B0000996J6
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #164,260 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Cornet Man [From Funny Girl]

2. Home Sweet Home [From High Spirits]

3. Love Is a Chance [From Bajour]

4. Mean [From Bajour]

5. The Richest Man in Town/Miracle of Miracles [From Fiddler on the Roof]

6. Come Sta [From Something More]

7. Ciumachella [From Rugantino]

8. You Musn't Feel Discouraged [From Fade Out-Fade In]

9. Ribbons Down My Back [From Hello, Dolly!]

10. The Friendliest Thing [From What Makes Sammy Run?]

11. You're No Good [From What Makes Sammy Run?]

12. A Room Without Windows [From What Makes Sammy Run?]

13. Anyone Can Whistle [From Anyone Can Whistle]

14. There Won't Be Trumpets [From Anyone Can Whistle]

15. People [From Funny Girl]

16. The Music That Makes Me Dance [From Funny Girl]

17. I'm the Greatest Star [From Funny Girl]

18. Something More [From Something More]

19. Talk to Me Baby [From Foxy]

20. Before the Parade Passes By [From Hello, Dolly!]

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A traffic accident on Broadway, May 19, 2003

By 

Bill (Seattle, Washington United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Broadway Musicals of 1964 (Audio CD)

This is a difficult review to write, because it's not going to be kind. But I think it's important that other musical theater fans know what's in store for them if they buy this CD, which seems so attractive in concept but is such a failure in practice.

The Broadway By The Year series on CD appears to be trying to be a cross between the Bruce Kimmel-produced series for Varese Sarabande (such as Unsung Musicals and Lost in Boston) and the STAGE concert series (which focuses on particular composer/lyricists).

Without a doubt, the Kimmel series is the most successful: It unearths some lost musical gems and gives them new life in very enjoyable performances.

The STAGE CDs -- proceeds from which go to a good cause (AIDS charities) -- tend to encourage the performers (recorded live in concert) to go way over the top in their only shot at the spotlight. It's not what the composers had in mind, but sometimes the results are undeniably exciting.

The Broadway Musicals of 19xx series also consists of recorded live concerts, in this case focusing on the songs from shows that opened on Broadway in a particular year. As I mentioned, it's a nice concept. But judging by this Broadway Musicals of 1964 CD, it fails miserably.

First, the selection of songs is rather uninspired. If you're a fan of Broadway musicals, you've heard many of these songs before, and in better versions. The few songs that are showing up for the first time on CD are unexceptional.

Second, the arrangements are not very good. Some songs are taken at such a dirge-like pace that the singers seem to be pausing after every word. It dissipates all energy from the songs.

Third, the sound. I like the extra edge of excitement that comes from live performances, but in this case, all you get is the extra edge of badly recorded voices. The miking accentuates the defects of some of these performances.

Ah, the performances. I can't think of another CD of this type that I found unlistenable almost all the way through. Alix Korey is incredibly strident and shrill, right from the very first number, "Cornet Man" from Funny Girl. Sharon McNight shrieks through one number and plays overly cute in the next -- she's unbearable. Craig Rubano sounds like he's channeling a bored Anthony Newley (a final top note is exciting, but the rest is not). Even one of my favorite Broadway singers, Liz Callaway, sounds well below her best -- although she still outclasses everyone else. Almost every one of the singers on this CD sounds under-rehearsed.

Finally, although surely well-intentioned, whose thought was it to include on the CD the spoken intro to every song explaining a bit of each musical's history? That's fine when you listen to this CD the first time, but who wants to listen to it after that?

Again, if you want to venture out and discover some unusual Broadway songs, I recommend the Unsung Musicals and Lost in Boston series. But forget this one, unless you want to be turned off Broadway musicals forever.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 1964 it was an OK year, July 16, 2003

By 

Daniel B. Mcvey "dbmcvey" (Los Angeles, CA 90019) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Broadway Musicals of 1964 (Audio CD)

This entry in the series of Town Hall Broadway By the Year cds is quite entertaining and somewhat enlightening. It is a mix of the familiar (FUNNY GIRL/FIDDLER ON THE ROOF/HELLO DOLLY) with the not so familiar (SOMETHING MORE/FOXY). The performances are mostly good--Alix Korey oversings on most of her solos choosing to go "Star Search" at unfortunate times. Tom Anderson strains a little on his ballads (but is surprisingly fun on his up-tempo songs), the great Liz Callaway, Sharon McKnight and Craig Rubano are all wonderful on their songs. My favorite moments are "Talk to Me Baby" from Foxy sung by Liz Callaway and Tom Anderson with wonderful pathos, a couple of songs from ANYONE CAN WHISTLE also by Callaway and Anderson and Sharon McKnight doing the Shirley Temple parody "You Mustn't Feel Discouraged" from FADE OUT FADE IN, and "A Room Without Windows" from WHAT MAKES SAMMY RUN? again by Callaway and Rubano. Richard Skipper and Steven Brindberg lend a nice touch in numbers from FUNNY GIRL and HELLO DOLLY.

This edition isn't quite up to the best (1943 and 1933 in my opinion) but I don't think it was the greatest year. My main criticism of the series is that I wish they would put the introductions on seperate tracks from the songs--you can listen to a song over and over but you don't necessarily want to her the spoken intro--as interesting as it is the first time. It is definitely a plus for any show collector and for Liz Callaway alone it is worth it.