Customer Reviews

Cabaret: Original Soundtrack Recording (1972 Film)

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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~ - ~ For the most complete set of songs from Cabaret, I recommend the 1998 Broadway version. But for the most memorable performances, this Movie version with Joel Grey and Liza Minelli is a winner.
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~ - ~ However, the one thing you will miss most in any other version of Cabaret is Liza Minelli belting out the title song, and even more importantly, her rendition of "Maybe this time". I've seen the show twice, and have 3 different sound tracks, but no one anywhere can sing these two songs like her. Another bonus is Liza Minelli and Joel Grey singing "Money, Money, Money".

~ - ~ This version, while it has fewer songs, (and some lyrics were cut), is remarkable for the quality of the singing. It is especially good if you've seen the movie. Then such numbers as "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" will really carry an emotional impact.
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~ - ~ Overall, not the most complete collection of songs from Cabaret. But I have to give it 5 stars because I keep this tape in my car along with the Broadway version, just so I can hear Liza sing "maybe this time I'll win..." one more time.

After reading all of the reviews where everyone blasts Liza Minnelli, and how this was a vehicle for her talents...I think they forget that she was originally desired for the role of Sally Bowles in the first place, and was considered too American. Yes, one cannot deny this is Judy Garland's daughter. Every actor/actress has one or two roles that define perfection...and in this case (as much as I hate to admit) this is Liza's. Ripping apart the "love triangle" and comparing it to the broadway musical, you are forgetting to the heart of this production in the first place: the stories written by Christopher Isherwood, and that is exactly what Fosse did in his desire to return to the original inspiration. Sexuality couldn't be mentioned in 1966 as something realistic or even a possibility. But blooming homosexuality/bisexuality was VERY prelevent in Weimar Berlin (it is even alluded to in the silent German classic: Pandora's Box, with Louise Brooks, which has modern cinema's first lesbian and remember, in Frankfurt there was a center for Studies on Human Sexuality that as early as 1925 said that homosexuality was natural...one of the first places to be destroyed by fascism and Hitler) and to me, that is why the story line and these songs work...it is realistic and also very true to Isherwood's stories. So if anything, blame the stage musical for glossing over the truth...not the film. Obvious critics also blast the cutting out of a lot of the original tracks, which again works because the story line has changed. Why include tracks of Sally's landlady singing about her love for a Jewish fruit vendor if it isn't even alluded to in the film?

Every track on this disc, makes you wish you could actually go to a Cabaret and see girls kicking up their heels...like the Cabaret girls did in the film. Joel Grey is priceless as the Emcee, a role he created and played to perfection. He is every bit as sleazy as the character on broadway, and even more so because the performance shows how the rise of nazism affected what was going on inside of the cabaret, and that slimy weasel just smiled and welcomed it into the performances. Both broadway and film versions are perfect in their own right.

One reviewer seems perplexed by the track "Tomorrow Belongs To Me" and where it fits. Hitler youth were groomed as aryan perfection, and the youth encouraged patriotism (be it false or not) amongst the Germans at a time when they were coming out of a depression. It is creepy watching the scene in the film, and even hearing it on the soundtrack, as it does stand out...the youth were persuasive and doing what they had been brainwashed to do: convince and create a hate filled patriotism. What is even creepier, is that "Cabaret" is written by persons of Jewish faith, and modern right wing and nazi/aryan groups have adopted "Tomorrow Belongs To Me" to sing at their rallies, and even skinhead punk bands (such as Skrewdriver) have covered the song as a tribute to their "perfect race", funny how a song that fuels the fire of their hatred is written by 2 jewish people (something I think they have forgotten) who are obviously of an "inferior race" (according to what nazism preaches)...(whats wrong here, couldn't the continuing people of anti-semitism and "white power" write their own track? ooh how hypocrisy is pathetic!) judging by their last names, so listening to this track is extremely disturbing on many social levels for this very reason today as it is presented in the film.

The opening track "Wilkommen"...wow what a way to open a show and get the juices flowing, informing everyone present that leaving your troubles behind and tasting some burlesque is a fabulous idea...and why not kick up your heels?

"Mein Herr" is one of the best tracks on the soundtrack, and remembering the sexy Fosse choreography makes it even more enjoyable. Performed in the film, it is intimate as if you are seeing the show first row. Yes, it works.

"Maybe This Time" Yes, this is obviously a Liza signature. But it does reflect Sally's character and her feelings of hope, that someone will believe in her and perhaps even love her, and making her feel worthy.

"Two Ladies" is obviously priceless.

The album does shortchange you in the fact that you aren't seeing it performed, but it gives you something else: the ability to remember what was going on. Remember, Fosse created this format into a "Concept" musical, and if the film is to be called "Cabaret" then gosh darnit, shouldn't the music be represented there?

This is a timeless classic.

I was required to study the 1972 Cabaret movie for year 12 english, and upon entering the theatre to watch the film I was utterly gripped and enthralled by its magic. The magic of its music. Afterwards, all my classmates groaned about the film and the music, not enjoying it at all. But the next day I ordered the CD from America, as I couldn't get it anywhere else, I just wanted the songs that much. Never have I listened to one CD in which every song is utterly brilliant and enjoyable! Each song is wonderfully crafted, especially by Liza Minelli and Joel Grey, whose talent I commend greatly. Liza sings with such emotion and energy that she is a joy to listen to. If I had to choose the two best songs, I would say 'Cabaret' and 'Tomorrow belongs to me.' Liza is fantastic in 'Cabaret', the music is fun and energy packed, as it builds up towards the end where she is utterly explosive, as in 'Mein Herr' and 'Maybe this time.' That I would say is the best part of the songs on this CD, the way they build up growing stronger and more exciting. 'Tomorrow belongs to me', although different to what I have heard before, is a wonderful anthem that really moves something inside of me. I cannot describe its beauty in words, it is just truly amazing the way it captivates you! I must urge, even those who have not seen the movie, to buy this CD. It is amazing, it is something different and wonderful that can be enjoyed by my generation as well as the experienced music listener. It cannot and will not dissapoint.

It really bothered me that a review below stated that Liza Minnelli wasn't Sally Bowles and that the song "Cabaret" is about Sally being upset that she lost her true love and that its about Sally coming to the realization that she is stuck in the awful cabaret.

Well, with all due respect, this is wrong. The reviewer probably got that idea by listening to Natasha Richardson sing "Cabaret" and believed that because Sally is crying, she must realize that she lost everything and that she is stuck in some god awful place. Well, the song "Cabaret" is really about Sally's desperate attempt to convince herself that everything is normal, that everything will remain the same. Sally is in deep denial and believes that her life will always be full of decadence, glitz, parties, and fun even as Germany falls under the control of the Nazi party.

However, one must keep in mind that Liza's Sally Bowles and Natasha Richardson's Sally Bowles are two very different interpretations. Liza was almost a decade younger than Natasha Richardson when she played Sally Bowles (Liza was about 26 and Natasha was about 35 when they tackled the roles of Sally). Because of this Liza's Sally is more young and naive and when she is singing "Cabaret" she honestly does believe that everything will be okay. This does not leave the viewer with a happy feeling as one reviewer said, it leaves us feeling sad and a scared for Sally because we know what the future holds in store for her and for Germany.

However, Natasha Richardson's Sally is older and less naive. Because of this, when she sings "Cabaret" she has to make herself believe in what she is singing. She has to make herself believe that everything will return to normal and that she will continue living the way she does no matter what happens. That's the difference: Liza believes that everything will be okay, while Natasha has to tell herself that everything will be okay, even though deep down she knows that's probably not true.

For those who have become fans of the musical "Cabaret" due to the 1998 revival (starring Natasha Richardson) then you must have this CD. Nothing compares to Joel Grey as the "Emcee". And also, get the video! The Fosse touch to the movie based on the musical is special.

This soundtrack is absolutely perfect, without one throwaway track. You needn't even have to have seen the movie to enjoy these marvellous songs, but it certainly helps. I consider the movie and this album the highlight of Liza Minnelli's career. It starts with Joel Grey's Wilkommen, after which Sally Bowles is introduced and lets rip with Mein Herr. Two Ladies is risqué and very funny, while Maybe This Time is a sad love song. Money Money is energetic and very funny while Heiraten sounds like a real period piece, a German love song from the 1930s. If You Could See Her Through My Eyes (the love song to a gorilla maiden) is full of irony, while Tomorrow Belongs To Me is as chilling and sinister as it is anthemic. The title track Cabaret needs no comment as it is so familiar, but it does encapsulate the mood of the film very well. Even the two instrumentals, Tiller Girls and Sitting Pretty are memorable and charming. The Cabaret soundtrack is a masterpiece, as is the movie, a true work of art.

There is something about Joel Grey and Liza Minelli together in one CD that is just amazing. Joel Grey is the EMCEE and his renditions of Wilkommen and Two Ladies can't be beat. Liza Minelli's "Maybe This Time" is for anyone who's been a failure in love but wants to try again even if it will be a failure. "Heiraten" which was placed in the movie almost as an afterthought (the schmaltzy romance that went with it was cut out) is given full play and it is a beautiful Marlene Dietrich type song.

Like the musical, this CD combines the fun and decadence with the creepy underpinings of living in pre-Nazi Germany. The happy "Tommorrow Belongs to Me" is a sweeping song that enraptures and seduces the audience. By the end when you hear the shrill backup singers and you know that this is a Nazi Propaganda song, you are both horrified at yourself and understand the attraction of Nazism. The train sound at the end of the mostly Burlesque "Tiller Train" could stand for the entire musical.

Great soundtrack. Great movie. I recommend both.

To the point : A classic collaboration between Liza and the composer Kander and Ebb. Two extra songs - Money, Money and Maybe This Time - were written for the film version. But eight songs were cut out from the show that I urged you to hear either in the original Broadway show or the recent revival which is equally good. Cabaret is also avalible in DVD, so not only can you hear Liza's fantastic singing but see her Oscar performance in Cabaret. Liza is a legend on her own , every show she's done is to perfection . Just hope Amazon.com will carry more of her CD's like Liza live from the Radio City Music Hall, Minnelli on Minnelli etc.

Even though "Cabaret" is DEFINATELY my favorite musical, I have to say the movie version is my favorite recording. Yes Lotte Lenya and Joel Grey were excellent in the original recording, there were some pretty so-so songs that didn't stand out as the ones on this soundtrack do. First of all, the movie version of "Cabaret" was NOT the Broadway version. The only songs taken from the original are "Wilkommen", "Money, Money", "Two Ladies", a translated version of "Married and the concluding title track. Two new Bob Fosse tunes are included which spruce up the score: the sultry "Mein Herr" and the unforgettable "Maybe This Time" performed FLAWLESSLY by Minnelli. Another original tune is the delightful yet disturbing "If You Could See Her" by Joel Grey. Overall as I said earlier this is my favorite recording as it's the best vocally. The instrumentals are also incredible and are an improvement over the Broadway. Granted, classics like "Don't Tell Mama", "So What" and "Perfectly Marvelous" were omitted, but who cares? Fosse, Minnelli and Grey make this show their own. "Cabaret" will always remain my favorite musical and the movie soundtrack my favorite recording. A+

HERE IS THE COMPLETE INFORMATION FOR THE SOUNDTRACK ALBUM FOR CABARET (THE FILM)

01. Willkommen Joel Grey 4:28
02. Mein Herr Liza Minnelli 3:32
03. Two Ladies Joel Grey 3:10
04. Maybe This Time Liza Minnelli 3:08
05. Sitting Pretty Ralph Burns 2:25
& Orchestra
06. Tiller Girls Ralph Burns 1:38
& Orchestra
07. Money Money Liza Minnelli 3:01
08. Heiraten (Married) Liza Minnelli 3:31
09. If You Could See Her Joel Grey 3:50
10. Tomorrow Belongs To Me Joel Grey 3:05
11. Cabaret Liza Minnelli 3:31
12. Finale (Auf Weidersehn) Joel Grey 2:27