Customer Reviews

Movin' Out (Based on the Songs and Music of Billy Joel) (2002 Original Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I just recently saw the Broadway production of "Movin Out". This musical basically puts to life the music of Billy Joel. Characters such as "Brenda and Eddie" and "Anthony" (Tony) are put to life as it traces the story of a group of friends from the 60s, through the Vietnam War, and the after effects of the war. (I for one always wanted to know the story of what happened to Brenda and Eddie) The setup of the play is pretty interesting. The characters I mention tell their story through Dance - there is no dialogue and the characters do no singing. The singing is done the young Piano Player named Michael Cavanaugh (who really does play Piano). Cavanaugh and his backup band are actually suspended above the stage (on another stage) and sing and perform Billy Joel's music. The Dance numbers are nice (John Selya who plays 'Eddie' will really shine), but it is ultimately Cavanaugh's vocals that are going to be the really the stars of this show. Here is what is so great about this soundtrac - You get all of the vocals from the production on one CD - no editing, no shortening. This is as good as it gets on a soundtrack. You might be missing the visual dance of the production, but you are getting what is the best part. Even if you haven't seen this play before, you will probably still get blown away from Cavanaugh's voice.

At first I was skeptical about anyone doing Billy Joel vocals, but Michael Cavanaugh finds a way to pull this off. Cavanaugh doesn't attempt to duplicate Joel's style here, he brings a much different dimension to Joel's vocals and it works. While Joel has more of a blue collar style to his vocals, Cavanaugh has some powerful vocals - a true broadway quality. This is not meant to knock Billy Joel - who is one of the greatest vocalists of all time. The point is - Michael Cavanaugh's vocals truly come through on this soundtrack. With just a couple of exceptions, Cavanaugh is able to shine very brightly while bringing a new element to the song.

The catalog of the Billy Joel music library spans his full career. There are old songs from "Turnstiles" such as "Summer, Highland Falls", "I've Loved These Days", and "James" (who also is a character in the Play). Other old songs include "She's Got a Way", "Angry Young Man", and "Captain Jack". There are some classics from the peak of Joel's career including "Movin Out", "Only the Good Die Young" (an instrumental as part of a medley), "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant", "Just the Way You Are", "The Stranger", "Big Shot", "Big Man on Mulberry Street". Joel's best album "The Nylon Curtain" is represented by "Goodnight Saigon" and "Pressure". The retro style from "An Innocent Man" is central to the story of the play, thus songs like "Uptown Girl", "The Longest Time" (a shortened version), "This Night", "An Innocent Man", and "Keeping the Faith" are key. Other later works included are "We Didn't Start the Fire", "The River of Dreams", and "Shameless". Joel's recent venture into classical music is represented by five instumental cuts - these instrumental cuts fit very nicely into the story.

Cavanaugh does a great job on all of the vocals. One of the best cuts is a segue between "The Longest Time" and "Uptown Girl". Although "The Longest Time" is shortened, it is the perfect lead in to "Uptown Girl". Another medley that is sensational is the "The River of Dreams/Keeping the Faith/Only the Good Die Young". "The River of Dreams is a song done toward the finale and fits perfect. Cavanaugh and the band vocalize the harmonies perfectly. Then Cavanaugh and the Band have a smooth segue into "Keeping the Faith". I was never a fan of "Keeping the Faith", but the spin of this song is a much more uptempo version and it works perfectly. The medley wraps up by using instrumentals from "Only the Good Die Young". Other noteable performances are "This Night", "Captain Jack", "Movin Out", "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant", "The Stanger" and "Goodnight Saigon".

There are two songs where I think its hard for Cavanaugh to really capture the song. This is "We Didn't Start the Fire" and "Pressure". I think in these particular songs, they just don't work with Cavanaugh's style. The songs are included because they are central to the story in the play, but in reality a blue collar voice like Billy Joel's works much better for these particular songs.

There are some songs I would have liked to have seen on here. "Glass Houses" is not represnted at all. Other songs like "Vienna", "Laura" (they could have easily had a character called Laura instead of a character called 'Judy'), "Modern Woman", "Everybody Has a Dream", and of course "Piano Man". But this isn't a negative on the soundtrack - this is something that the play should have done.

The Liner Notes are sensational. You get full credits from the Broadway show and you get all of the lyrics from all of the songs. There are a couple of photos of the Piano Man himself with Director Twyla Thorp. It is also worth noting the soundtrack follows the same exact order as the songs are done in the play. You'll see the names of each scene along with the song that covers that scene.

The point is - this soundtrack is everything a soundtrack should be. It perhaps comes the closest to any soundtrack I have ever seen in capturing the picture of what the soundtrack is for. It's even fair to call this one of the greatest soundtracks of all time. Don't underestimate Michael Cavanaugh either - I have a feeling this man is going to have a very long and successful career in the industry.

When I first heard of the whole concept of "Movin' Out" - a ballet using the songs of Billy Joel played and sung by someone who is not Billy Joel- I thought it was a pretty stupid idea. I thought it was a cheap way to make money off of a great songwriter, performer, and his masterpieces. However, I listened to the CD, and while it does not take the place of Billy Joel (as nothing ever could), it is excellent in its own right. The songs are all wonderful, and are performed with energy and exceptional musicianship. The songs are so loyal to Billy's own versions (he did orchestrate them) but the performers give a little bit of their own character to the music. (My only complaint is this arrangement of "We Didn't Start the Fire"). Michael Cavanaugh, the pianist/lead singer, is amazing. His voice is incredible and soulful; he puts all of his heart into the music. His pianistic skills are flawless - listen to "Prelude" and you'll know what I mean. The other musicians are fabulous as well, and were handpicked by Billy Joel himself. I saw this musical on Broadway and was very pleased. I think it's better than London's "We Will Rock You" (based on the songs of Queen)and Broadway's "Mamma Mia" (based on the songs of Abba) in that the whole cast does not sing and the arrangements are not for a stage chorus. Rather, the one guy and his piano backed up by the band is as close to Billy Joel as anyone will get.

Having seen the show, "Movin Out", twice last summer in Chicago I was very anxious to get my hands on this CD. I was not disappointed...well, ok..maybe a little bit. Compared to the three song promo CD I'd acquired earlier, the sound on this CD seems a little tinny...not as rich as the studio recording I already had. This CD was recorded in Chicago in August- not sure if it was done on stage or not- but it does have a live quality to it that lacks the round richness of the usual studio recording. As I was mainly interested in the show because of the drummer, Chuck Burgi, I was a bit disappointed that the drums don't sound as clear and sharp as what I had before.

That said, Michael Cavanaugh is fantastic...I wouldn't call him a Billy Joel sound alike as some reviews have...he has a younger voice, perhaps not carrying the miles of Joel, but in keeping with the themes of the dance show- youth, hope, possibilities. His piano playing is quite proficient.

The band is brilliant! Tommy Byrnes is Joel's regular lead guitarist and Burgi and Greg Smith have very impressive resumes(Rainbow,Meatloaf,Brand X,Hall & Oates,BOC, Alice Cooper). I think Smith and Byrnes sing backup. Wade Preston is on the keyboards, the arrangements for which were done by Joel's own keyboard guy, David Rosenthal. Dennis DelGaudio is the other guitarist- he's been a part of the Long Island band scene for years. These guys have been friends for a long, long time. An awesome four man horn section makes up the rest of this amazing band.

It is unfortunate that the CD was rushed through and doesn't reflect the exact lineup of the tunes in the show, the worst case being that the finale band-only number of "NY state of mind" is left off the CD entirely. When I saw the show, this number led to standing ovations both times. Leaving it off was a mistake.

Anyone who sees "Movin Out" will want this CD. Heck, I wanted it just for the Burgi drumming. But if you forgive the choppy edits and instrumental dance bits thrown in for no reason, you can enjoy [this] band. When I saw the show, the dancing was fine but it was the band that brought the audiences to their feet every night. Billy Joel could do worse than to take these guys on the road with him next time.

In anticipation of seeing this show, I picked up a copy of the cast cd. The orchestrations were crisp and Michael Cavanaugh's voice was quite good as the "piano man". Best Tracks include:

Scenes From An Italian Restaurant
Movin' Out
We Didn't Start The Fire
Goodnight Saigon

But after attending the show in Chicago last weekend, it was clear that the focal point is (and should be) Twyla Tharp's amazing choreography and the music merely forms a quaint storyline as background. And now? I'd just rather hear Mr. Joel's original versions instead.

I went to go see the show in new york in may, and I have to say, I loved it. I went in not knowing anything about the show, i thought that it was your typical broadway musical, so i was initially very disappointed with what turned out to be a ballet. until i started getting into the story. and by intermission, i'm crying enough that one of the guys i went with was laughing at me. if you dont' know the plotline, you might not be big on the cd, but once you've seen the show, it's a must-have. I recommend that anyone goes to see this show if the opportunity presents itself.

I was intrigued to purchase this CD after watching the cast performance on the Tony Awards. I'm not a Billy Joel fan, but I find the music energetic with the best musicians I've heard in a long time. The sound recording is superb and vocalist Michael Cavanaugh is passionate with all the lyrics he sings. It's a CD that you don't want to put away, but listen to over and over again. You won't be dissappointed by purchasing "Movin' Out!"

The pre-Broadway performances of "Movin' Out" in Chicago were incredible, and so is this cast recording. Michael Cavanaugh never fails to capture the spirit of Billy Joel's classics, even while adding his own flair to each number, and he's backed by an extremely talented band. Every Billy Joel fan should have this in their collection!

Two weeks ago, I saw the show Movin Out. I loved the entire production. I felt the music and the choreography were fabulous, the dancers were beyond excellent. My daughter bought the album on Amazon since it cost $25.00 at the theater.
When we played it on our high end stereo system, it was horribly muted, compressed and Michael Cavananugh's voice was pushed to the background. When we were in the theater, each song he sang had soul, punch and wonderful delivery. Not so on this album.
It is almost as if it was from a totally different show.
In fact, it was! The "Live" performance was done at the pre-Broadway opening in Chicago. That was the first mistake. The second was the way the CD was mixed, losing the dynamics of the band and the singing. Perhaps Mr. Cavanaugh had not yet gotten into the "role" that he was playing/singing when recorded in 2002.
By 2003, watching the show, he was more than comfortable with each song. He projected the each song with the right amount of delivery which helped to create the mood, and storyline for this amazing musical ballet.

I hope the Producers of the show will realize that this "old live" version does not represent the true dynamics of the show as it is on Broadway; that they will release a new, better version of this great show, which will highlight the wonderful job done by Mr. Cavanaugh.

I recently saw the incredible show "Movin' Out" here in Boston. This is the soundtrack from the original Broadway production, featuring Michael Cavanaugh on vocals and piano. He's
smoother than Joel and does a fine job. As noted, the lively opening number "It's Still Rock n'Roll to Me" isn't on it, and a few familiar hits are medley-ized. But Billy Joel is such a great songwriter that this unique, dance-driven piece really works. (Most of the dancers I saw were the originals.) That said, I'd love to see a new CD (or DVD!) of "Movin' Out" with the
vocalist I heard, Darren Holden. Darren's from Ireland but sings with real "Lawn-Guy-Land" soul- he's amazing! If I ever get to see Joel live, he'd better be as good as Darren. Meanwhile, if you loved the show or love Joel, this CD's still essential.

Movin' Out is not the best Billy Joel album to buy, however it is good. I saw the show, and I must admit, the way it is performed is much better with Twyla Thwarp's choreography. If you are just using this to listen to Billy Joel's music, I would highly recommend choosing his greatest hits or one of his original albums. Movin' Out is great as it does include some of Billy Joel's classical music as "William Joel," and there is no denying Michael Cavanaugh's incredible talent, however it will never compare to Billy Joel singing his own music on his own albums.

I would recommend seeing the musical and appreciating it for it's artistic excellence that the album does not quite provide.