Flower Drum Song (1961 Film Soundtrack) [Cast Recording, Soundtrack]

Oscar Hammerstein II (Performer), James Shigeta (Performer), Richard Rodgers (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Oscar Hammerstein II, James Shigeta, Richard Rodgers
• Audio CD (September 24, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording, Soundtrack
• Label: Verve
• ASIN: B00006JKCM
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,556 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Main Title - Overture 'Flower Drum Song'

2. A Hundred Million Miracles

3. The Other Generation

4. I Enjoy Being A Girl

5. I Am Going To Like It Here

6. Chop Suey

7. Grant Avenue

8. Gliding Through My Memoree / Fan Tan Fanny

9. Love, Look Away

10. Dream Ballet

11. Sunday

12. You Are Beautiful

13. Don't Marry Me

14. Finale: Wedding Procession Wedding Ceremony End Title

15. Love, Look Away

Editorial Reviews

Flower Drum Song has come back to Broadway, making this the perfect time to re-release the original movie soundtrack-now on CD for the first time! Bonus track: a rare Rosemary Clooney version of Love, Look Away !

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Alfred Newman's orchestrations are the highlight December 12, 2002

By Byron Kolln HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

This re-issue of the film soundtrack from FLOWER DRUM SONG coincides with the current Broadway revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein neglected masterpiece, which features an all-new book by M. BUTTERFLY's David Henry Hwang.

This recording is highlighted by wunderkind musical director Alfred Newman's orchestrations. I absolutely love the Overture/Main Title music, as well as the "Dream Ballet" which follows on from "Love Look Away" (surely one of Rodgers and Hammerstein's most heart-rending ballads).

However, although the film featured original Broadway stars Miyoshi Umeki, Juanita Hall, Jack Soo and Patrick Adiarte, it also featured a few OBVIOUSLY-DUBBED performers; Nancy Kwan (as sexy nightclub performer Linda Low) has an ill-fitting singing voice provided by B.J. Baker, and Reiko Sato (as the lovelorn Helen Chao) has a singing voice by the legendary Marilyn Horne (who was then a young up-and-comer).

There is also popular matinee idol James Shigeta, displaying his lovely, untrained singing with "You Are Beautiful" and joining Juanita Hall for the comical "Chop Suey". Miyoshi Umeki sounds more polished and confident here than on the original Broadway Cast recording. She is charming and lovely both on record and on film.

This recording also features a lovely cover version of "Love Look Away", delightfully sung by the late Rosemary Clooney.

A must-have recording.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely the best of the Flower Drum Song Albums October 2, 2002

By Roger Rebec

Format:Audio CD

At last, Universal have done fans of this score a huge favour by reissuing this soundtrack album. It's a very different listen from the Braodway Cast album. Several songs, eg You Are Beautiful, the Other Generation and Don't Marry Me performed slightly different functions in the film and frankly the placement of the songs works very much in this album's favour. You Are Beautiful, beautifully performed by James Shigeta, comes very close to the end and gives the score a heady romantic lift that doesn't happen on the Broadway album. Don't Marry Me coming immediately before the Wedding Parade adds a tension that wasn't there in the stage show too.

However, the real reason for buying this version, as other reviewers have rightly remarked, is the contribution of Alfred Newman and Ken Darby. The romantic numbers are beautifully orchestrated, the fun numbers sparkle and the swingers swing. The singers give first rate performances but the outstanding contribution comes from the orchestra. The overture and the dream ballet are two of the highlights of the album. Incidentally even the maligned Chop Suey is fun here. I don't think it's R & H's worst song myself. Rodgers produced a bouncy tune and while the lyric isn't world shattering, the song isn't the leaden experience of the Sound of Music's An Ordinary Couple or the embarrassment of Me and Juliet's Big Black Giant in each of which both partners lost it temporarily.

However, back to Flower Drum Song: given the orchestra's contribution is so good, it's a pity the reissue didn't include the dance arrangements of Chop Suey and Sunday in full but as a bonus, we do get Rosemary Clooney's fine reading of Love Look Away and a decent essay and some good pictures in the notes.

If you've only heard the Broadway album and were less than knocked out, do give this a try. It is a totally different experience and is immensely entertaining to listen to.

A sincere thank you to Universal for bringing this disc back to the catalogue and a request for a DVD issue of the film. Then we could see Hermes Pan's choreography as well as all the other treats that this underrated film contains.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "Sunday" Listening Pleasure February 12, 2005

By L. Shirley TOP 100 REVIEWER

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

This soundtrack from the 1961 musical "Flower Drum Song", has not lost one bit of it's charm. It's as lovely today as it was nearly 45 years ago.

The story is a charmer. Old meets new and East meets West as generations and cultures differ in opinion where matters of the heart are concerned. The older generation and those from the "Old Country"(China) want to make a marriage match the traditional way, and the younger generation, well, of course they have their own ideas about love and marriage.

Rodger's and Hammerstein's words and music tell this wonderful, comic and sweet love story perfectly. Long time fans of the film and the music will love the way their favorites sound on this CD(Decca). From the opening Overture, "Flower Drum Song", a great instumental that combines a little of the entire soundtrack, to the whimsical "Don't Marry Me", the dreamy "Love Look Away", and the sentimental and traditional Chinese style of the Wedding Finale, the music will have you reliving the film, and you might even find it difficult not to sing along.

Some fun numbers include "Gliding Through My Memoree", "Fan Tan Fanny" and "Chop Suey". "The Other Generation" is a cute song, that has the older and younger generations griping about each other. Of course, when I first saw the film, I was in agreement with the words of the younger gerneration, and now , well, you know...

James Shigeta's (younger fans will know him from "Die Hard"), "You Are Beautiful" is just that..beautiful. "Love Look Away" has a second rendition, a bonus track sung by Rosemary Clooney."Sunday" and "I Enjoy Being A Girl" will bring back some great memories of the film. And of course there is nothing sweeter than listening to Miyoshi Umeki's, "A Hundred Million Miracles" and "I Am Going To Like It Here"

There are 15 tracks in all. The songs range in minutes from 2:24 to 5:04. The artwork inside the case has a great shot of Nancy Kwan doing the "Fan Tan Fanny" number. There is a nice booklet that has some reissue notes, photos from the film and the track listings.

This album is a real treat. The songs are a great blend of fun romance, and Eastern flavor. So glide back through your memories, you are 'going to like it here' on "Grant Avenue, San Francisco, Calif, U.S.A.".

Enjoy with some "Chop Suey"....Laurie