Here I'll Stay - The Words of Alan Jay Lerner

London Musicians Orchestra, Julie Andrews, Ambrosian Singers | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 8, 1996)
• Original Release Date: October 8, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Philips
• ASIN: B0000041C5
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #252,722 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the fairest ladies goes out with a bang, June 9, 2001

By 

Tommy Peter - See all my reviews

This review is from: Here I'll Stay - The Words of Alan Jay Lerner (Audio CD)

"Here I'll Stay" has sad historical significance in that it is the last recording Julie Andrews made before a series of surgeries robbed her (and us) of that glorious voice forever. THankfully, this album is, for the most part, a grand sendoff, and, by touching coincidence, happens to be an album of songs with lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, who was, of course, a pretty important figure in helping Julie achieve stardom. Yes, Julie can't hit those high notes as well as she could 30 years ago, but there are still many thrilling tracks on this album, including "On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)," a stirring "From This Day On" in the suite of songs from "Brigadoon," the delightfully sly "My Love Is A Married Man" from the early Lerner-and-Loewe flop "A Day Before Spring," the moving "One More Walk Around the Garden" from the Lerner-Burton Lane "Carmelina," and "Take Care of THis House" from Lerner's collaboration with Leonard Bernstein, "1600 Pensylvania Avenue," that not only showcase Julie's voice, but reveal new depth and nuance in her interpretations. She also pays tribute to the shows with words by Lerner that launched her with suites from "My Fair Lady" and "Camelot;" yes, she sang these songs much better on the original cast albums, but it is a nice gesture. She is also ably supported by the Ambrosian Singers in a few tracks and some generally lovely arrangements by Ian Fraser (though he can go overboard sometimes). All in all, a nice way for one of the fairest ladies to ever grace the stage or silver screen to leave her golden voice behind for us to treasure.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Julie's voice is great, September 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Here I'll Stay - The Words of Alan Jay Lerner (Audio CD)

I love to hearing Julie's voice, that's why I bought it. Of course, it's wonderful. Especially, "On the clear day" and "Brigadoon" medley are good. But I was disappointed at the suites of "My Fair Lady" and "Camelot." They has many numbers sung by Julie once. Some of them are great, the other are not good. I like this album, but compared with the original recording made by her, I prefer these albums to this one.

But if you want to hear the recent Julie's voice, you must buy it. I hope her voice will recover someday.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An overstuffed bounty of treasures, November 20, 1998

By 

Jonathan Thalberg "Jonathan" (Hillsboro, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Here I'll Stay - The Words of Alan Jay Lerner (Audio CD)

As a companion piece to Andrews' previous Broadway disc featuring the music of Richard Rodgers, this is an invaluable tool. Her phrasing, accused of being mannered in the past, is perfectly suited to the cool bite and elegance of Lerner's words, yet the exquisiteness of her voice finds poignancy and nuance at every turn. Minor missteps: an arch "My Love is a Married Man," and a redundant "My Fair Lady" medley that can't touch the original recording. The album is also exceedingly long, and cutting the "Paint Your Wagon" medley (never Lerner and Lowe's best show) might have been a good idea. Almost everything else here, however, is glorious; an exquisite, shimmering "On A Clear Day" that ends with an overdub that can make you catch your breath; a mournfull "Brigadoon" medley, and a collection of songs from "Camelot" that yanks the score definitively out from under "My Fair Lady"'s show to stand as one of L & L's best. And in the face of rumors of Andrews' current vocal problems, listening to "One More Walk Around the Garden" becomes an almost unbearably moving experience. (What a pity it didn't close the album.) It's a little uneven and more than overstuffed, but "Here I'll Stay" is still more than a fair career sumnation from one of Broadway and the movies' fairest of ladies.