Hair (Original London Cast Recording + Extras) [CAST RECORDING] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Gerome Ragni, James Rado, Hair (Related Recordings), Galt MacDermot

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 6, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 1968
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording, Original recording remastered
• Label: Decca Broadway
• ASIN: B000008131
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #194,042 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

"America's first tribal love-rock musical" went the advertising, and nobody could argue with that. Hair opened on Broadway in 1968 and immediately became a smash, although no one could quite discern what it was about. Something like, "War is bad, drugs are good, racism bites the big one, and nudity is nice." Like the show itself, not all the sentiments expressed on the album have dated well, but the quality of the music is undeniable. The songs weren't really classifiable as rock, but they accomplished what all good pop songs set out to do: stick in the craw. Indeed, several of its tracks later became hits for pop acts, including "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" (Fifth Dimension), "Hair" (Cowsills), and "Good Morning, Starshine" (Oliver). This re-release compiles the original 1968 London cast recording with 1970's Fresh Hair and includes songs cut from the original stage production. --Dawn Eden

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Good, However....., May 23, 2004

By	K. Brown "El Rudo Lucky Pierre!" (Walnut, Ca USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

If you are an avid collector of Ragni & Rado's Hair items, this is a definite item for your collection. Several disappointments though: the exclusion of "Flesh Failures/Let The Sun Shine In" that was on the LP version of The London Cast. Granted, the Original London Cast did an unusually weak job of that number, which may be why they left it off the CD release. In its place is a somber but beautiful combo of "Ain't Got No/Let the Sun Shine In," which was taken from a lesser known LP called "Fresh Hair," which featured songs for the musical that did not make the final edit.

Which brings me to my second disappointment... with the material from "Fresh Hair" in their hands, it would have been fun to include more tracks from that album like "2000 Year Old Man," "Washing the World," and "Mess Of Dirt." Not all the lyrics in these songs were the sharpest (and a few were really bad!), but the music was great; it would be a shame to see these lesser known pieces of "Hair History" vanish completely.

These personal Guajardian gripes aside, this is a really good soundtrack, with occasional dialogue from the play. The rendition of Aquarius is even more exotic than the Broadway Cast. Their spin on "Hare Krishna/Be In" includes verbal assaults from Hippie Haters thrown in, which is a nice touch. And the title track rendition is right up there with that of The Broadway Cast.

I won't go as far to say I like The London Cast as much as The Broadway Cast, but it is very good, and comes in a comfortable second. If you are a casual "Hair" fan, I would say go for the Broadway soundtrack. If you are even just a tad more than just a casual fan, this is definitely a soundtrack you should add to your CD rack.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Fortunate Mistake!, August 17, 2001

By	Ramon Grupe Cacho "oligodermie" (Makati, Metro Manila, The Philippines) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Foremost, this is not the soundtrack, as the caption says, but the 1968 Original London Cast Recording reissued along with the 1970 additional songs previosly released as "Fresh Hair." The caption is deceiving, because I really liked the way the movie soundtrack was recorded, and I thought that this was an expanded version of that particular recording, so I ordered it. I was disappointed to find out that it was not the soundtrack when I received it, but it's a great compilation. Granted, these are not fabulous singers, but, more importantly, they do capture the spirit of this great musical, which makes it a gem of a recording. If you like "Hair" you must have this. It's rather rough on the edges, somewhat annoying and shrill, but an interesting listen.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Something you'd hear in a high school theatre production, June 6, 2001

By A Customer

"Hair" in general is a brilliant thesis on the peace, love, and freedom movement of the 60's. The original Broadway cast recording is outstanding. This recording unfortunately fails to do justice to the great music that is "Hair". The songs are poorly mixed, with overpowering background vocals, which in retrospect are probably a blessing, as the lead vocals are poor at best. The lead singers are unable to cover the range the songs require, and on some of the pieces their voices crack, screech, and change octaves like teens going through puberty. Ultimately it's the director who is at fault though, since apparently they believed they could arrange these pieces better than the songs' creators. They couldn't, and we the listeners suffer.