Newsies [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered, Soundtrack]

Jack Feldman, Alan Menken | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 30, 2001)
• Original Release Date: April 10, 1992
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered, Soundtrack
• Label: Walt Disney Records
• ASIN: B000056QE6
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (252 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,094 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #67 in Music > Children's Music > Disney
  • #97 in Music > Broadway & Vocalists > Musicals > General

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Arguably one of the oddest films to emerge from the modern Disney Entertainment empire, this scrappy 1992 live-action musical tells the tale of a turn-of-the-last-century labor uprising among New York City's newsboys (or "Newsies")--an especially ironic topic given the Mouse House's own historical labor relations problems. It was also a valiant attempt to revive the glory days of the Hollywood musical, and Alan Menken (fresh from his triumphs Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid) serves up a rousing retro slate of songs (with lyrics by Jack Feldman) that both evoke the Ragtime-era story and bring a musical revivalist's fervor to the task of reanimating one of filmdom's most endangered genres; a throwback to be sure, but an energetic and infectious one. --Jerry McCulley

Product Description

Newsies is Disney's 1992 return to that rarest form of film the live-action musical. With original music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Jack Feldman the music tells the story of the 1899 New York City newsboy rebellion against newspaper kings William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. The film was dead on arrival and played in some lucky local cinemas for two weeks. This was sad news considering that it could have been the beginning of a whole new musical generation. The music of Newsies has since gained a following and has a timeless appeal joining the roots of a great Broadway musical while attempting to fit the songs to their era. Despite the 1990s production we are expected to believe the songs might have been sung by newsboys in the 1890s. We don't of course -- the songs are too elaborate and pop driven (it is also likely that a newsboy who was more melodic than a hum or whistle would have been put in his place if the newsies are as rough as this film would have us believe).

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Soundtrack..... April 7, 2001

By Rebecca

Format:Audio CD

Probably one of my most favorite Soundtracks from one of my most favorite movies of all time. I didn't get to see NEWSIES until about a year ago (on video). And I loved it! The music was one of the best parts of this who film...bringing the film to life. What energetic, fun-loving music?! This is the kind of music that is easy to sing along to and makes you wanna get up and learn the dance moves from the movie so you can dance all the numbers while you listen to this Soundtrack! Allen Menken and Jack Feldman made one of the best Soundtracks ever. My personal favorite tracks on this Soundtrack are "King Of New York", "Seize The Day", "The World Will Know", "Carrying The Banner", and of course my absolute favorite, Christian Bale's solo, "Santa Fe". And this is the real thing, too...it's not some recorded voices, it's actually all the actors singing these wonderful, unforgettable songs. If you loved the movie, NEWSIES, than this is a Soundtrack you must get. It's worth every penny (and hey, it's cheap here on Amazon.com, too...so not a bad deal!). It's definitely a must-have.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Rejoice NEWSIES fans! And Welcome all Newcomers! May 16, 2012

By Rorschach

Format:Audio CD

I was fortunate enough to see the Newsies on Broadway before it's offical debut. Let me tell you- Disney finally got it right! It took them a long time to get another exceptional show on stage, but Newsies is it. They took a different approach- economical, focusing on the music, dance, and story (which is what they should always do, but we know that for such an enormous enterprise as The Walt Disney Company that does not always happen). They kind of had to spend a lot less on it cause of all that they lost on The Little Mermaid and Tarzan (Newsies= $5 million vs. Mermaid's $15 million)- but it really worked with Newsies. There are very very few musicals that I have seen that actually leave me with my mouth dropped open- this is one of them. Now there are a few irreplaceable actors from the movie- namely Racetrack and Crutchie- hey, Max Casella is one of a kind- but don't get worked up about those changes. There are also some lyrical changes (that will take a bit to get used to) and a few story/character changes, but a lot of the changes were much needed (Let's face it guys- "My Lovey Dovey Baby" was just not happenin'). The movie as much as I really love it, was not fully ironed out. The Broadway version has tied up the loose ends of the movie, making it much more fluent. I was always so disappointed that the songs in the movie weren't LONGER. For such incredible songs they were just too bloody short!! Don't worry, the stage version has added adequent length to all songs and given us even more of them. I will always love Christian Bale's Jack Kelly, but Jeremy Jordan (who is a long time huge fan of the movie himself) does not disappoint. This album is an absolute MUST HAVE for any Newsies fan- it's what we've been waiting for, for, what is it- 20 YEARS!! It's a true dream come true. If you're a musical lover who is not familar with it- take it, I really don't think you will be disappointed. I'm telling you these songs are musical classics. Personally I think it's one of Alan Menkin's finest jewels. The album comes with all the lyrics and even those special bonus tracks. Oh, and if you don't get to see the show in NYC (that's kind of really expensive), I have a really good feeling about it and am pretty sure it will tour.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of My Favorite CDs and Movies August 24, 2001

A Kid's Review

Format:Audio CD

I recently saw the movie Newsies for the second time, the first time when I was very young, and had to keep rerenting it to watch it again! I rewound the tape to see and hear the songs so many times I pratically have them all memorized! I think it's great that Amazon.com has released a soundtrack of all the wonderful music from the movie, my personal favorites being "King of New York", "Seize the Day", "Carrying the Banner" and of course Christian Bale's "Sante Fe". While I was watching the movie, chills ran up and down my spine and even just hearing the music makes me feel as if I am really there, in 1899, watching the Newsies peddle papers and listening to Jack and the others singing. This is a wonderful soundtrack, and I highly reccommend it. If you can find the movie or DVD, you should buy that too. Newsies is a wonderful movie that you won't want to miss out on.