Easter Parade: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered, Soundtrack]

Irving Berlin (Composer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Composer: Irving Berlin
• Audio CD (May 23, 1995)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered, Soundtrack
• Label: Rhino
• ASIN: B0000033JD
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,748 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Main title (medley)

2. Happy Easter

3. Drum Crazy

4. It Only Happens When I Dance With You

5. Happy Easter (reprise No. 1)

6. Everybody's Doin' It Now

7. I Want To Go Back To Michigan (Down on the Farm)

8. Happy Easter (reprise No. 2)

9. Making Faces (medley)

10. Beautiful Faces Need Beautiful Clothes

11. This is the Life (Dog Act)

12. Along Came Ruth

13. Call Me Up Some Rainy Afternoon

14. A Fella With An Umbrella

15. Vaudeville Montage: I Love a Piano

16. Vaudeville Montage: Snookey Ookums

17. Vaudeville Montage: The Ragtime Violin

18. Vaudeville Montage: When the Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves For Alabam'

19. Mixed Greens

20. Easter Parade, film score: That International Rag (Fanfare and Montage-Ziegfeld Follies)

See all 31 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The great American musical, January 31, 2001

By 

"pspa" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Easter Parade: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Audio CD)

Reservations about the recording quality are inevitable, and of course when Astaire was involved the songs are always better when you can watch him dance and hear his tapping, but that said, there is no greater American musical in my opinion than this one. The title song, simple as it is, is so evocative of New York and the 40s and the hope of a new season that I almost cry every time I hear it. To me, it is the best song Berlin ever wrote and one of the very few best American songs ever written. The rest of the disc is one great number after another, with Judy Garland in top form and Fred Astaire constantly revealing that it is phrasing and timing more than a great voice that make a great singer, which he undoubtedly is. Indispensible music.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for any season, December 12, 2000

By 

Bluebird (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Easter Parade: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Audio CD)

This is one of the first MGM films to receive the full soundtrack treatment from Turner/Rhino. All of the songs and underscoring are included, plus two outtakes and an extended version of one track. The results are wonderful and with the exception of a couple of tracks the sound is very good. Unfortunately the original multi-miked recordings did not survive, resulting in the inablility to mix the music to true stereo as has been done with so many of the subsequent MGM soundtrack releases. The only surviving recordings are the monaural mix down tracks of the orchestral parts and a separate vocal track. Fortunately these tracks do not include the dialogue, tapping, and foley of the final film soundtrack elements. There is a noticable lack of fidelity on "A Couple of Swells" due to the fact that a recording disc was all that survived. No version of "I Want to Go Back to Michigan" could be found, so the version heard here is straight from the film soundtrack and includes the applause at the end of the song. No dialogue or other distractions were used in the sequence, thank goodness, so the result is fine. "Mr. Monotony" and the extended "Better Luck Next Time" will thrill the Garland fans out there.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Treat for Astaire/Garland Fans, August 9, 2000

By 

Formidable Opponent (Santa Clara, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Easter Parade: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Audio CD)

Easter Parade, one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) musical ever produced, has it all! The wonderful songs of the inimitable Irving Berlin and of course, the classic performances of its stars, the great Fred Astaire and the enchanting Judy Garland. The music continues to thrill and entertain audiences decades later. The songs are as fresh as when the film made its debut. Everyone knows that Fred Astaire is synonymous with dance, but this was the first time I had the opportunity to actually really listen to his singing, and I was impressed. You'll enjoy this soundtrack.