Customer Reviews

Dreamgirls [Original Broadway Cast Album]

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

 

 

For all the fans of the original Broadway musical soundtrack of "Dreamgirls," their dreams have come true with this 25th-year anniversary special edition cd.

Included are all the original tracks from the Dreamgirls soundtrack and three previously unreleased recordings of "Driving Down the Strip" "It's All Over" and a reprise of the title track "Dreamgirls" for the finale.

A second cd has instrumental versions of some of the stand out tracks including "And I am Telling You I'm Not Going" and "One Night Only."

The album has been remastered and it does sound louder with more bass than the original, but there are some instances where Jennifer Holliday's voice begins to blare. That's probably due to the fact that Holliday is such a powerful singer and the decibel levels went into the red when they were recording the original master tapes, so it can't be helped. However, the added tracks sound very crisp and clear.

Also included in this special edition cd is a booklet containing an intro by Henry Krieger(song writer for additional music in the motion picture Dreamgirls), the original liner notes with photos from the stage production, and lyrics to all the songs.

I would have given this set five stars but the song "Heavy" isn't on here, neither is the disco version of "One Night Only." From what I understand, we're lucky to get the three previously unreleased tracks! Legend has it that Geffen did not want to produce a double length album with three virtually unknown singers, which explains the omission of some songs and the remixing of two different versions of "One Night Only" down to one track. Also, he wanted the best possible sound quality for the original album.

The inlcusion of "It's All Over" is well worth the price of this cd. The climactic show-down between the three girls, the replacement, and the boss brings a new perspective to the show stopping song "And I'm Telling You..."

One more thing, there seems to be some confusion between this cd and the one coming out for the motion picture "Dreamgirls." This is the ORIGINAL BROADWAY RECORDING of the musical. Beyonce and Jenifer Hudson are not on this cd. But Jennifer Holliday, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Loretta Devine shine as the original DREAMS.

With all the hoopalah surrounding the VERY EXCELLENT movie with same title, I just HAD to purchase the original soundtrack and stroll down memory lane. This CD has been digitally remastered and sounds WONDERFUL! Crisp, clear and potent. And to hear Jennifer Holiday in all of her unabashed tonsil-tossing vocal glory brings tears to my eyes today - as it did over 20+ years ago. If you are digging the current movie's soundtrack you deserve to provide yourself the gift of hearing the original. You won't be disappointed. Todd in San Francisco

I was surprized and felt very lucky when I saw this special version. YOu get three bonus tracks in this package, and it brings back great memories. The broadway original cast is far superior to the movie cast. In this cd you get that whole 15 minutes during the I'm telling you sequence starting with Jimmy's riding in singing "Driving Down the Strip" all the way through the fight sequence of "it's all over" straight into "And I am Telling YOU". You also get the finale where Effie joins the Dreams to sing Dreamgirls, which was left off the original cast album. One thing that is a joy is to get to hear Lorretta Devine sing "Ain't No Party" which was cut from the movie( Lorrell has no solo in the movie). Unlike the concert version where you get the whole score and show, but other than Lilias White the whole show is miscast, the original cast is the best by far for knowing what the show should sound like. There is a bonus cd with click tracks for singing with certain numbers for the show and a bonus disco version of Jennifer Holiday singing "And I Am Telling You" which was tremedously popular.

I have to admit, this soundtrack is far superior to the movie's. The only reason why I am not giving this 5 stars is because the only person in the movie who outshines his original counterpart on THIS CD is Eddie Murphy. He outdoes Cleavant Derricks by far as the character "Jimmy Early." But everybody else in the original cast sings with so much more vigor, energy, emotion, etc. The movie cast sounds way too pop, way too produced, too soft. I did not grow up listening to this musical, seeing as how I saw the movie before buying the original soundtrack, but for the first time, I like the original better (except for Eddie Murphy. Eddie is AWESOME and WILD).

Another reason why this doesn't quite get 5 stars is because this soundtrack is missing quite a few songs that were in the original play but not on here:

"I'm Looking For Something" (in the movie)
"Goin' Downtown" (which is in the movie)
"Takin' The Long Way Home" (in the movie)
"Party Party" (not in the movie nor the movie soundtrack. This is song where Lorrell begins her affair with Jimmy)
"I Want you Baby" (in the movie)
"Heavy" (in the movie)
"Love Love Me Baby" (in the movie)
"One More Picture Please" (not in the movie nor the movie soundtrack. Deena tells Curtis she wants to be come an actress. This particular subplot is portrayed in the film.)
"Got to Be Good Times" (not in the movie nor the movie soundtrack. This is sung by "The Five Tuxedos" right before Jimmy Early goes onstage to do his performance of "I Meant You No Harm" and then "The Rap." "Got To Be Good Times" has been replaced with "Perfect World," which is sung by a Jackson 5 imitation group in the movie).

So, if you want to experience this musical in it's entirety, you are probably going to have to find a bootleg recording or see it off-broadway or something. I know this soundtrack has an extra 3 songs that they didn't include before, but what about the leftover 9?

Oh well, I'm sure in about a decade we'll be able to finally listen to the COMPLETE musical, but in the meantime, if you want to experience as much as you can, see the movie, then buy both soundtracks. The movie soundtrack has somethings written that were never in the original play.

This CD is a perfect example of what musical theater is/should be. The CD let the listener understand who the characters are and what happening. You can feel the emotion throughout this CD. That being said, you don't necessarily get any of the songs stuck in your head, because these songs are so much more than just songs in this musical. Almost all the voices are fantastic. The music is somewhat in a Motown style so if that's not your thing, this probably isn't your thing either. Other than that I think this is a great CD for all musical theater fans, and this special edition version has extra tracks, sing along tracks, and a remix, so you can't go wrong getting this version. Definitely on for collectors, and some more listened musical fans. Favorite song: "And I Am Telling You"

I've been familiar with the movie for a while now. I went to see the stage show a few months ago and fell even more in love with the songs and characters! This particular recording is fantastic. My least favorite is the lady who plays Deena. But, Effie's and Curtis's voices are AMAZING. I would recommend this to any fan of the musical.

WHAT CAN YOU SAY? ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL AND IRREPLACEABLE! IF YOU LIKE THEATER, YOU MUST HAVE THIS!

IT IS GREAT TO HAVE IT REMIXED AND WITH SOME BONUS TRACKS AND KARAOKES AS WELL. WISH THE COULD DELIVER THE WHOLE SHOW IN TWO CDS OF THIS VERSION.

The Broadway recording of Dreamgirls is just as much a joy to listen to as when it first came out. I'm happy to own both the Broadway recording and the new movie recording.

This reissue is great for anyone who loves this excellent classic because you finally get to be the lead and sing all the great songs with superb backup! Inclusion of the heart warmingfinale is a great touch. I'd buy it twice