Customer Reviews

Side By Side By Sondheim (1976 Original London Cast)

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

 

 

I admit to being a little dubious before purchasing this recording: having heard the marvellous original cast albums of Sondheim's work (including the beautiful orchestrations of Jonathan Tunick) I was concerned that this album's setup might not deliver. This proved, however, to be a vain worry. This is an extremely fine and well-conceived exploration of the theatre's finest musical dramatist. The cast do great justice to a very well-chosen programme of Sondheim's work up to and including "Pacific Overtures". They are very individual performers, each contributing something special to the proceedings. Kernan possesses a glorious voice, warm and extremely sensitive. His rendition of the highly evocative "I Remember" would be hard to better; he also shows great skill in his gay version of "Could I Leave You" which has never sounded funnier. Julia McKenzie, showing ample evidence of her claim to being England's premier Sondheim interpreter, gives an extremely well thought-out version of "Broadway Baby", and her "Losing My Mind" is magic. Perhaps my personal favourite of these fine performers on this occasion is Millicent Martin, who shows a remarkable range of emotional attack, from an hilarious "The Boy From..." to a beautiful "Send In The Clowns" to a wonderfully dry and bare "I'm Still Here". Throughout all this fun, the two pianists give great support; in many ways, the spare accompaniament allows Sondheim's tremendous lyrics to shine through with uneuqalled clarity. All in all, do not miss this set. It's worth buying just for "Pretty Lady". Gorgeous.

I was reminded of this recording when given the CD of 'Hey, Mr Producer' recently (soundtrack of a celebration of Cameron Mackintosh productions). Hearing the original cast members of 'Side by Side' reassembled for the occasion, inspired me to track down this recording: it is literally impossible to obtain in Australia.

For any lover of Sondheim, this recording is an absolute must. It encapsulates the immense talent of the man - the unforgettable music and the delicious wordplay of his lyrics - up to 1976 at least. And for the uninitiated too - give this one a go. I can pretty much guarantee that you'll gain an appreciation for the work on first hearing. And the liner notes are insightful and informative too.

Of particular interest is the track 'The Boy From...'. If this doesn't have you in stitches, you need your funny bone checked out. I first heard it some years ago sung as an audition piece for the role of Squeaky in a Sydney (Aust) production of Sondheim's 'Assassins'. Each of the memorable numbers on this recording provided me with a great return visit to the work of a man who will surely be remembered as one of the greatest composer/lyricists of our time.

Sondheim is definitly one of the most amazing broadway composers of the 20th century hands down. And this MUSICAL REVUE displays some of his best pieces with great performers. The show goes through many of his early shows. The orchestration is just on piano which adds such simplistic beauty that Sondheim loves. I would suggest this CD to ANYONE. It displays great music, great theater, and a great lyricist/composer. Favorite songs: "The Little Things You Do Together" and "I Remember"

SSbS is a wonderful mix of songs written by a master composer lyricist who has been highly productive for many years. Even with that said, each piece is fresh, individual, and delicious. the cast presents every note and nuance with an incredible combination of technique and emotion. A must have for anyone who collects the best in modern show-tunes.

For anyone who is a fan of Stephen Sondheim this is a must have. I was part of a performance of this show recently and I loved the music. I would sing along with the cast as I stood backstage. This CD takes some of Mr. Sondheim's greatest works and puts them together in a wonderful way. My favorite song is "Send in the Clowns", but there are some other truly wonderful songs on here. I hope anyone that does buy the CD enjoys it as much as I have.

While America was celebrating it's independece, something great was brewing on the other side of the ocean. Sondheim himself had his share of doubts. He said in a telegram "Go ahead but I cannot think of anything more boring, other than the book of Kells". His doubts were soon removed. It moved to Broadway and went through many hosts. Still, the original is the only one recorded. All the songs are performed to perfection, except two. The first is "Comedy Tonight" It really needs the full orchestra to work. Second, "Losing My Mind" is not so performed so well.Otherwise this recording is great. The songs are great. Some are obscure, and some are mega-hits, i.e "Send in the Clowns". A must for anyone who wants to become more famillar with one of Broaways last giants.

the london production has dated considerably, and the customs tax payable (nearly £13) was exorbitant : frankly, given the original purchase price, the product was just not worth that sort of money.

Nobody should give Stephen Sondheim anything less than 5
stars because his music is the best but there was a poor
selection for the vocalist on Broadway Babe and I'm Still
Here. You'll know what I mean when you hear Elaine Stritch
sing Broadway Babe on another recording. Julia McKenzie
sings alright but nobody should take Elaine Stritch's place
singing Broadway Babe. Carol Burnette should have sung
I'm still Here. Listen to her pronounce Hoover sometime
and you'll know what I mean.

Generally, the first recording of a song will be your
favorite. There is only one person who can sing Could
I Leave You and I've found no recording by Liz Callaway
singing that song. I heard her sing it on Bravo and
you can't buy John Lipton's programs. Thankfully,
I heard Liz sing that song; it's one of Sondheim's
best and everybody else completely ruins it.

One of the things Sondheim does best is string together
rhyuming schemes that are unmatched. I found a site for
some of the lyrics of Sondheim, but unfortunately I can't
find The Boy From lyrics. Where are the cities that
boy was from? Millicent Martin is the star of this cd
She is great on The Boy from & I Never Do Anything Twice.
I found the words for Getting Married Today. I'm per-
plexed that a critic said Madeline Kahn didn't sing the
words fast enough, I couldn't hear all the words as it
is!

Sondheim runs the gamut of human emotions and is best
when he sticks to comedy. Most of this cd shows the

comedic side of Sondheim. Your next purchase after
this cd should be Comedy Tonight-Sondheim's Funniest.

Sondheim got morbid in Passion but most everything
of his shows brilliance. My next purchase of Sondheim
will be Assasins. I'm trying to buy all of Sondheim's
works because he is 73 and when he dies we will have
lost the creator of so much of the only really good
works since the musicals left the scene and the old
crooners died.

If I ever again rate Sondheim I'm sure I'll give him
5 stars but even at 4 you'd be making a mistake in
passing this one up.

Erratic performances mar this cast recording of a revue consisting of what was, up until then, the "best" of Sondheim. British accents make Sondheim's wonderful New York/Broadway vernacular sound way too prim and proper. Particularly egregious is the most overwrought "Losing My Mind" ever committed to tape. It's simply awful. Other peformances range from okay to "yawn." A better buy is the 1973 Sondheim benefit concert "Sondheim Evening: A Musical Tribute" (1973 Concert Cast)Warner Brothers CD (with a few bonus tracks; it's tough to beat Larry Kert, Angela Lansbury and other Sondheim show veterans' interpretations.