Customer Reviews

Damn Yankees: 1994 Original Broadway Cast Recording

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

THIS disc of the 1994 Broadway revival offers a more thorough recording with a fine cast led by Victor Garber, Bebe Neuwirth and Jarrod Emick.

It is a very different recording. For starters, the revival featured a somewhat re-written script and new orchestrations. The show as it played in 1955 just would not work in 1994. Some of the changes are improvements: The new Overture, the revised opening number, the scenes that better establish the releationship between Joe and Meg, and the entire Trial montage. Other changes, however, seemed needless and arbitrary: Why was "Two Lost Souls" given to Applegate and Lola?? Applegat had no sould to lose. And a crucial plot change has Young Joe hit a homer at teh climatic moment (in the original Applegate changes Joe back to his middle-aged status during a play, yet it is Old Joe who catches a pop fly and wins the game for the Senators.)Still, even with the changes, the revival was well recieved and had a successful run on broadway and an even more successful tour starring Jerry Lewis.

This recording is also different from the previous albums which just showcased the songs. CD technology allows record producers much more latitude and Thomas Shepard has laid this disc out like a radio tab version of the show with much dialogue, some of it heavily rewritten and abridged. The illusuion is that you are hearing not just the score, but the whole show. It is a style of production he used before in THE SECRET GARDEN and one that has enormous possibilities. Of course not everyone wants to hear all the dialogue, but the songs have been tracked to make it fairly easy to isolate them.

Although the performances on the 1955 original cast disc can't be beat, and I miss the curtain call reprise of "Heart" that closed the original Lp. But this is an interesting and worthwhile alternative and easily has the best sound of all three YANKEES albums.

I have this recording and I've listened to it so many times I could sing and act out the whole show. The cast of the revival is wonderful, they really did well with their characters. The quality of the sound on this newer recording is better than the original recordings, but if you're a huge fan of the original damn yankees you might want to get the other cd first. I love how the new recording has all of the songs and a lot of the dialogue, too. You can listen to the entire story, or just the music if you want. Either way, this version of damn yankees is witty and very entertaining!

From the first notes of the overture to the stunning finale words of "A Man Doesn't Know" this CD keeps packing the punch! The cast shines in the new orchestrations of the songs. This is a revival at it's best! Victor Garber is devilishly delightful and Bebe Neuwirth can tempt anyone as Lola. This cast shows what the musicals of the 50s were like; outstanding casts working together to bring a story to life for two hours. Plus, everyone on this cast can belt out those well known tunes. Ms. Neuwirth really worked hard on her Lola and her characterizations really show up on this recording. If you're looking for the best recording of Damn Yankees, this is it! I don't think anyone can beat this cast out! The emotions, fun, and excitement of live Broadway shows really shines in this exemplary cast recording! Everyone should get this CD!

Sure, it's not the original, but it is a lot of fun. There is a lot more material on this CD, though (the advantage of digital, hooray), and it's well sung. And it's great to get to hear the dialogue and reprises. Victor Garber and Bebe Neuwirth are great fun (his version of "The Good Old Days" is fantastic, and you know that whatever THIS Lola wants, she'll get!), along with the whole cast. If you don't already have a CD of the show, you might want to look at the original first, but if you are already a fan of Shoeless Joe, you'll love this recording.

If it weren't for Chicago, this would be my all-time favorite musical. Damn that revival. :P The cast is amazing. (As a huge Bebe Neuwirth fan, I'm biased, but still. ;) The story is so cute, and the songs are priceless. I swear, they'll be stuck in your head, each one, at random, and it'll drive you nuts. But in the best way possible. :) A total classic, and a wonderful revival.

Having listened to several other recordings of this well-aged musical, this has to be the best! Many modern productions drag and take a long time to get going if they get going at all! But this 1994 version is fresh, alive and a joy to listen to every time!

Unfortunately its true, the Damn Yankees revival took many, many liberties and changed quite a bit of the show. However I happen to like this recording better. "Near To You" as a three way song, is AMAZING. Its worth it just for that song. I'll say the original Old Joe, was better than on this recording, but this recordings Lola is better. So, get both, I did. If you can only choose one though, I would go with this one. The orchestra is so much fuller. Favorite Song: "Near To You"

Damn Yankees had never really been one of my favorite musicals untill I bought this CD. Revivals can usually put too much of a twist on the songs, but actually this one didn't. I really enjoyed how they added the dialouge to the disc too. It helped me to understand the entire story quicker. I would not recomend it to someone who is a new musical lover, because it may get too campy, but for someone who likes older musicals, you would probaly enjoy this!

Having listened to both the 1955 original broadway cast album (Ray Walston/Gwen Verdon) and this 1994 version, I'd have to say that I prefer the original. This version is not very true to the original score. However, there are some interesting additions, especially the "Trial" track. If you get this version, make sure to also get the original.

This CD is a terrific collection of all the songs in the new Broadway revival of the show, and is cleverly linked with plenty of stage dialogue to give the listener a flavour of whats happening in the show, The orchestration is excellent -very modern with a large amount of additional music which was never in the original recording. It's a good addition to your collection, and as I have the job of directing a production of this show, it's an invaluable help! Buy it!