Customer Reviews

Pal Joey (1950 Studio Cast)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Naming this in Amazon's records as an "original cast" recording is an error. This was the studio cast recording of 1951 that was such a hit it inspired a 1952 Broadway revival of this 1940 show. This recording features original cast member Vivienne Segal and KISS ME KATE co-star Harold Lang, who both went on to star in the 1952 Broadway revival. The orchestrations are alternately lively, jazzy and lushly romantic. The sound is incredibly crisp and "present" - a masterpiece of sound recording by Columbia. Every number is a winner and a fine recording achievement. Oddly enough the so called "cast album" of the 1952 revival for Capitol only features members of the supporting casts. Dick Beavers and Jane Froman fill in for Segal and Lang who were "unavailable" for the cast recording. No matter, the Capitol is far inferior. Froman sings beautifully and Beavers is acceptable but there is no excitement and the recording is pedestrian. Helen Gallagher is heard vivaciously in a few numbers - she won the Tony for this performance. The only standout is Elaine Stritch's hilarious ZIP. The CD pressing of the Capitol cast album seems to have been discontinued.

Of all Goddard Lieberson's great recordings this one stands with "My Fair Lady" and "Kismet" as his best. One may quibble with a few of his choices -- they weren't always the best -- but his gut instinct was so right this album could not have been anything less than brilliant.* Though made in 1950 it is redolent of the pre-war Broadway sound, before the arrangers slicked it up. Listening to this exceptionally atmospheric album one can't help thinking "Pal Joey" could have been the first "noir" film musical, had someone been enlightened enough to do it that way, rather than having Ol' Blue do some throwaway singing and cheap interpolations. Happily Jule Styne was so enthralled by this album he revived the show in '52, a smash hit that cemented its reputation.

The casting here is perfect. It's hard to believe Gene Kelly originated the role of the cad Joey Evans, and even if he'd been available (I'd doubt it) he might not have been the best singing choice. Happily we have the accomplished stage dancer Harold Lang, a dead-ringer for John Travolta who makes one pine for what Travolta would have been like if he could have sung. A veteran of several Rodgers-and-Hart shows, the beautiful Vivienne Segal, reprises her role of 1940 and I've no doubt she was a stronger presence in person than even on this recording. Lehman Engel conducts with unusual eloquence and brio (not unusual for him, I should say) and calls to mind a show that opened soon after the sessions: "Guys and Dolls," a "Pal Joey" with sunshine. (They also shared an excellent orchestrator, Ted Royal.) This new remastering concludes with two bonus tracks: Miss Segal singing a bowdlerized "Bewitched" for a Mike Wallace radio show, and Lang doing a thoroughly preposterous "I Could Write a Book" for a CBS color "spectacular." It's nice to have them, but really, this album is so overwhelming you should push the stop button after the finale. (Don't bother with Capitol's '52 "cast" recording with Jane Froman, currently on DRG; it's a mediocre studio album with different arrangements.)

Excellent transfers (except for the bonus tracks), although some may find the sound a little bright. Note: the disc and booklet give incorrect timings on the bonus tracks: they should be 2'38 and 4'23, not 2'00 on both.

*Some examples include lopping off the opening verse of "I Could Write a Book." One must keep in mind Lieberson was recording for three formats -- LPs, 78s and 45s -- and thus had to work with time constraints; as it happens, this song is quite effective without it. Also he replaced "Bolero" with "Tchaikovsky's '1812'" in "In Our Little Den of Iniquity," but that's just as well; "Bolero"'s not sexy anyway. I should like to have heard the "clark-jark" lyric in "Zip," but that surely appears elsewhere.

PAL JOEY is given a superb treatment in this 1950 studio recording starring Vivienne Segal.

PAL JOEY opened in 1940, and changed the face of the Broadway musical. It also made the reputation of the one and only Gene Kelly - as the title character. The show also featured Vivienne Segal as Vera Simpson and June Havoc as Gladys Bumps.

However, cast recordings were not a regular practice until the 1950's. Columbia's producer Goddard Lieberson rectified the situation 10 years later, recruiting Vivienne Segal to reprise her role as Vera and featuring a brand-new cast.

Harold Lang (who created the role of Bill/Lucentio in the original KISS ME KATE), is adequate as Joey, but was a much better dancer than he was a singer. He gives a rather fetching version of "You Mustn't Kick It Around", and his "I Could Write a Book" is lovely.

Vivienne Segal, as in the original production, is luminous as Vera, and sings the most glorious version of "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" that will never be bettered. She also sings a rather plaintive "Take Him" in a duet with Beverly Fite (as Linda English).

So successful was this recording that a new revival was brought to Broadway in 1952, starring Vivienne Segal and Harold Lang (though the cast album of the revival features Jane Froman and Dick Beavers) in the lead roles. The show also featured Helen Gallagher, Elaine Stritch and Barbara Nichols.

Rodgers and Hart's PAL JOEY is still one of the most-beloved and admired Broadway musicals, and this recording, sung with love and affection by a stellar cast, is a worthy tribute to it.

Of all Goddard Lieberson's great recordings this one stands with "Kismet" as his best. One may quibble with a few of his choices -- they weren't always the best -- but his gut instinct was so right this album could not have been anything less than brilliant.* Though made in 1950 it is redolent of the pre-war Broadway sound, before the arrangers slicked it up. Listening to this exceptionally atmospheric album one can't help thinking "Pal Joey" could have been the first "noir" film musical, had someone been enlightened enough to do it that way, rather than having Ol' Blue do some throwaway singing and cheap interpolations. Happily Jule Styne was so enthralled by this album he revived the show in '52, a smash hit that cemented its reputation.

The casting here is perfect. It's hard to believe Gene Kelly originated the role of the cad Joey Evans, and even if he'd been available (I'd doubt it) he might not have been the best singing choice. Happily we have the accomplished stage dancer Harold Lang, a star in the original production of "Kiss Me, Kate," who looked more than a little like John Travolta and makes one pine for what he would have been like if he could have sung. A veteran of several Rodgers-and-Hart shows, the beautiful Vivienne Segal, reprises her role of 1940 and I've no doubt she was a stronger presence in person than even on this recording. Lehman Engel conducts with unusual eloquence and brio (not unusual for him, I should say) and calls to mind a show that opened soon after the sessions: "Guys and Dolls," a kind of "Pal Joey" with sunshine. (They also shared an excellent orchestrator, Ted Royal.) This new remastering concludes with two bonus tracks: Miss Segal singing a bowdlerized "Bewitched" for a Mike Wallace radio show, and Lang doing a thoroughly preposterous "I Could Write a Book" for a CBS color "spectacular." It's nice to have them, but really, this album is so overwhelming you should push the stop button after the finale. (Don't bother with Capitol's '52 "cast" recording with Jane Froman, currently on DRG; it's a mediocre studio album with different arrangements.)

Excellent transfers (except for the bonus tracks), although some may find the sound a little bright. Note: the disc and booklet give an incorrect timing on the last track: it should be 4'52, not 2'00.

*Some examples include lopping off the opening verse of "I Could Write a Book," but one must keep in mind Lieberson was recording for three formats -- LPs, 78s and 45s -- and thus had to work with time constraints; as it happens, this song is quite effective without it. Also he replaced "Bolero" with "Tchaikovsky's '1812'" in "In Our Little Den of Iniquity," but that's just as well; "Bolero"'s not sexy anyway. I should like to have heard the "clark-jark" lyric in "Zip," but that surely appears elsewhere.

Since musicals weren't really being recorded when Rodgers and Hart's Pal Joey premiered on Broadway in 1940, there was no original cast album. Ten years later, Goddard Lieberson changed that by producing this superb studio album that gives what is often called the duo's best score its due in full- and then some! The fast, lively, and not necessarily sympathetic telling of the tale of a small-time con man who lies, cheats, and sleeps his way to the top shows both musicians in top form. Rodgers can be beautifully romantic in the familiar "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" and "I Could Write a Book," and just as easily switch to the low-down bump and grind of such songs as "That Terrific Rainbow" and "Zip," and his work is never less than great and mightily entertaining. Likewise, the great Hart uses his trademark clever and acerbic wit at full force here (He's just so darn funny that surely Lieberson and 40s and 50s audiences were shocked but no less delighted when he-by their standards, I imagine-frankly mentioned sex and sexuality in his lyrics and got away with it without being censored), but still shows us that, in spite of his knowing air, he is still in love with love and romance. This show also went a step further in the direction of integrated musicals pointed toward by Show Boat and most fully realized in Oklahoma! and most that came after it. There are the then-usual "in-performance" numbers (Set in a nightclub) like "Rainbow" and "specialty spots" like the wickedly delightful "Zip," but songs like "You Mustn't Kick It Around," "Bewitched," "Pal Joey (What Do I Care for a Dame?)," "Den of Inequity," and "Take Him" relate to the characters and the plot while not losing the melodic and lyrical genius of their writers. It is a testament to the genius of Rodgers and Hart (and the integrated musical) that "I Could Write a Book" can be and has been sung outside the context of this show as another lovely Broadway love song, but in the context of the show is Joey's smooth-talking, false pickup line, intended to get something quicker than romance out of the girl he's singing to. It works like a charm (Pun intended) either way.

But now to this recording. Mr. Andersen has told you all you need to know about the orchestrations and the sound; I agree with everything he said. I would like to go a little more in-depth about the performances on this recording. Vivienne Segal reprises her original role of Vera, the society lady who, with no reservations about her married status, is bewitched by Joey. Segal has a somewhat odd, pseudo-operetic voice (Reminiscent of Gertrude Lawrence, although Segal certainly sings better than Lawrence ever did), but she gives an intelligent and witty reading of Hart's lyrics and, for that reason, "Bewitched" is a joy. It would have been interesting to hear what Gene Kelly (who won stardom as Joey in the original production) was like in the role, but Harold Lang is a worthy substitute. Not much of a singer, but the role calls for a dancer and Lang apparently fit that bill and has the confidence and charm the role needs in spades. This recording was so successful that it inspired a 1952 Broadway revival, and these performers were so good that they were hired to recreate their roles in that revival. You can hear why here. The supporting cast of singers seem to be "studio ringers" who clearly have never sung anything this fun before and are loving every minute of it. They got me caught up in their enthusiasm, and they and this whole recording are sure to do the same for you. So, what are you waiting for??

One final note: As I think Mr. Andersen mentioned, the CD release of this album seems to be trying to pass itself off as the cast album of the Broadway revival (Which is, more or less, reviewed by Mr. Andersen below). Segal and Lang are the only performers the two albums have in common, and they were apparently even "replaced" on the official cast album of the revival! The packaging of this CD labels it "Broadway cast." Also, Kenneth Remo sings the part of Ludlow Lowell, who in the original production sang "Do It the Hard Way," and Remo sings it on this recording. However, apparently for the revival, it was reassigned to Joey, so the liner notes for THIS recording credit Remo both as Ludlow Lowell and "Joey Evans (in 'Do It the Hard Way')." Weird, huh?

If you've never heard Vivienne Segal sing "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," then you've never really heard it sung before. And Harold Lang has the most infectiously appealing singing voice that is absolutely perfect for Broadway musicals. Considering that Harold Lang was known more for his dancing than singing, what a brilliant dancer he must have been. If you want to be taken back in time to another era of Broadway musicals, this CD will put you there. The only reason I did not give this recording 5 stars is because a couple of the supporting actor-singers did not give what I consider to be stellar renditions of their songs.

Maybe I shouldn't be writing this review just yet, as although I've heard other versions of Pal Joey, I've not heard any except this one in a long time, so I can't compare and contrast versions to recommend one over another very well. I did see the film again not too long ago, and believe that I preferred those versions of these songs, but I'd have to hear it again, and as far as I know, the film soundtrack isn't available on CD, anyway. At any rate, no matter how good other versions are, this one is good, too, so it's worth picking up if you're a fan of this music, or older Broadway music in general.

Track 1, "Overture" 4/5
This is your standard Broadway overture. There's nothing particularly unusual about it, but it's certainly competent with a couple interesting rearrangements of the songs that will follow.

Track 2, "You Mustn't Kick It Around" 4/5
Harold Lang, who sings the part of Joey on this "studio cast" recording, has a very pleasant, "clean" tenor voice. This is not one of Rodgers and Hart's best melodies in the show, especially as a couple of them are masterpieces, but it's nice enough, and the arrangement/orchestration of the verses is very unusual and effective with the "start/stop" chords. The instrumental bridge features impressive horn ensemble work.

Track 3, "I Could Write a Book" 5/5
One of the masterpieces from the show. It's a gorgeous, serpentine melody. This is a song that has deservedly become a jazz standard. The arrangement here is very mellow, heavy on strings and woodwinds, with a bridge sung by Beverly Fite that's almost classical. The second time through the principal melody, also sung by Fite, the arrangement retains some of those traditional classical nuances. Very nice, and very different from the typical jazz standard way of approaching the song.

Track 4, "That Terrific Rainbow" 3/5
This is a bawdy, burlesque number. The intro is played with a lot of appropriate near-overblowing by the horn section, and there's a nice clarinet solo weaving its way through the changes. Barbara Ashley takes the vocal with a very campy delivery. It fits the song. The main flaw here is that this type of material was already fairly clichéd in the early 50s. Although it's competently done here, I would have preferred some artistic stretching from Rodgers and Hart.

Track 5, "What is a Man?" 4/5
There are a number of very unusual, subtle-but-hip harmonic changes in this song, which also has a nice melody. The harmonic changes often suggest key or modality changes without actually being key or modality changes. The bridge takes a brief stylistic left turn that works for the show dramatically.

Track 6, "Happy Hunting Horn" 5/5
Lots of interesting stylistic and rhythmic changes throughout this song. It has a catchy, bouncing groove overall, and also a very catchy melody that quotes from/modifies a couple different folk/traditional melodies, including traditional hunting horn and bugling melodies, appropriately enough.

Track 7, "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" 5/5
The other masterpiece from this show, and my personal favorite. In fact, it's one of my favorite songs of all time, and also a jazz standard that I love playing. The principal melody employs one of my favorite devices--a kind of ostinato with changing harmonies beneath it. Like "I Could Write A Book", this has a lush string arrangement, with some nicely contrasting muted brass parts, that fits well with the show overall. Vivienne Segal approaches the vocal almost operatically.

Track 8, "Pal Joey (What Do I Care for a Dame?)" 5/5
An intriguing melody in that the verses consist of a single note repeated for four bars before rising chromatically with another repeated note for the next four bars, then suggesting it's going to do it a third time before resolving into a more standard melody. The second verse repeats the theme, but with higher pitches, reflecting the structure more broadly. This is a very catchy song, well arranged. The instrumental bridge is especially impressive, with some very modern sounding orchestration and harmonies--almost Stravinskian at times. The coda features a beautifully and bombastically orchestrated reprise of "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered".

Track 9, "Zip" 4/5
Speaking of Stravinsky, there's a reference to him in the lyrics to this song, with a very funny orchestral blast right after his name. This is the primary novelty number of the show. It's fairly traditional as that, but there are a couple wonderful outside pitches--again inserted pretty subtly--in the melody. Nicely orchestrated. The singing, this time by Jo Hurt, is campy again, as it should be.

Track 10, "Plant You Now, Dig You Later" 3/5
The second low point. It's not a bad song, but it's fairly generic.

Track 11, "(In Our Little) Den of Iniquity" 4/5
If anything could be called "Broadway Opera", this song would fit that description perfectly. There's nothing particularly unusual happening musically, but it's an attractive song, nicely arranged and performed.

Track 12, "Do It the Hard Way" 4/5
The beginning of the phrases on the chorus are very unusual rhythmically, especially given the arrangement, and pleasant melodically. A nice song, overall.

Track 13, "Take Him" 3.5/5
Very traditional, but competent. Maybe a trifle overlong.

Track 14, "Finale" 5/5
The two best songs, "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" and "I Could Write a Book" are reprised again and combined in maybe the best arrangements of them in this version of Pal Joey. A beautiful ending to a very good show.

It was the first recording of the great 1940 show and it has an original member of the cast in VIVIENNE SEGAL.It was unfortunate that CHICAGO and THE FLOWER GARDEN OF MY HEART were not recorded in the session.As a whole,it is slightly better than the 1952 version,although i prefer DICK BEAVERS as singer to HAROLD LANG in the part of JOEY.The 1952 recording is snappier in tone,but also more like a comic book.This one will always remain the ultimate reference to the show.It would be fun to know how many singers recorded I COULD WRITE A BOOK and BEWITCHED since 1950.Those songs are so well known by now,they have been transformed into clichés.

And by "H" I mean HART! Every music theatre person should be familiar with this show, and this recording is well worth having.

Sorry gang but I can not possibly disagree more with the majority view. I greatly prefer the Jane Froman/Dick Beavers "Pal Joey" (ASIN B00000DR94, sadly, mostly out of print CD) to the Vivienne Segal. Jane had a most beautiful voice. She sings 'What Is a Man?' and 'Bewitched...' with just the right combination of yearning and cynicism. Vivienne was the original 'Vera' but who cares? Her deep basso has, trust me, turned off many theatre
addicts to "Pal Joey" entirely. The neutered '57 film is NOT to be hated; it has helped to keep the "real" play alive. Thanx, H