The Me Nobody Knows (The Original 1970 Cast Recording) [Cast Recording]

Gary William Friedman (Composer), Will Holt (Lyricist), Irene Cara (Performer), Beverly Bremers (Performer), Hattie Winston (Performer), Northern Calloway (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Irene Cara, Beverly Bremers, Hattie Winston, Northern Calloway
• Composer: Gary William Friedman
• Audio CD (September 5, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording
• Label: 150 Music
• ASIN: B00005NSV9
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #92,518 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #77 in Music > Indie Music > Broadway & Vocalists

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars *Sigh* If only this CD had the complete score..., May 26, 2002

By 

Alfonzo Tyson (Buffalo, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Me Nobody Knows (The Original 1970 Cast Recording) (Audio CD)

I performed in this musical at the Buffallo Arts Academy back in 1986. It is STILL one of my all-time favorite shows! The score is excellent and the performances powerful. The only drawback? About 1/3 of this beautiful score went unrecorded! Lost are such gems as "Rejoice, Children", Nell's gospel "Take Hold the Crutch" Lloyd and Lillian's beautiful deut "What Happens to Life?", "Fugue for Four Girls" and (a personal loss for me because I played Benjamin) "Flying Milk and Runaway Plates". If only recording technology back then allowed more recording time. Otherwise this CD is highly reccomended!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tuneful, touching, and charming., September 10, 2001

By 

Michael A. Benedetto (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Me Nobody Knows (The Original 1970 Cast Recording) (Audio CD)

I was initially worried that this album would be something along the lines of Liz Swados's Runaways, but that score had several drawbacks that this show does not, only one of which is Liz Swados herself. Both scores needed to have a contemporary and "with it" feel to be authentic as expressions of the angst of children and teenagers, but the earlier The Me Nobody Knows had the benefit of a more fertile pop/rock landscape.

That's not to slight the contribution of composer Gary William Friedman, though: his tunes are original and genuinely appealing, particularly on the up-tempo "Light Sings", the haunting "Sounds", and the stirring "Let Me Come In" finale. Lyricist Will Holt provides more of a mixed bag, perhaps inevitably given the melodramatic subject matter. The liner notes indicate, though, that the book and lyrics were directly adapted from transcripts of interviews they conducted with inner-city children, in which context his work seems far more impressive.

That's the one real problem with the disc, though: these are kids singing, and no matter what their problems or how cute and clever they are, there are limits to how much I'm going to want to hear from them. On the other hand, if they're going to be this insightful, it's not the bitter pill it might otherwise have been. What's more, the performers are all strong -- none stand out, as they're all children and none is allowed by the format to create a character through an arc of songs, but all have the voice required for their music.

The class of this album extends to its sound quality (analog distortion is at a minimum; but for the arrangements it could have been recorded recently) and to the dazzling package (extensive liner notes and beautiful photos). 150 Music put a great deal of loving care into this release, and I hope it pays off. It's lovely to find a new label which takes its work on theatre-related projects so seriously.

I'm looking forward to the proposed off-Broadway revival of this show.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you for putting this in cd format!, August 10, 2002

By 

Gale E. Bennof (Silver Spring, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Me Nobody Knows (The Original 1970 Cast Recording) (Audio CD)

I played Lillian in a production in Maryland in the late 70's. It was very difficult to find the LP, but after I bought it, I just about wore it out. Yes, it is missing some of the songs from the musical, but what remains is so meaningful to all ages, from teens to adults. For those of you who have not experienced the life of the ghetto, the songs in this musical were taken from authentic poems that ghetto kids wrote. They are so powerful and the voices on this cd show the torment and all the other emotions that go into this life with violence all around.