Customer Reviews

Songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman's 'Whistle Down the Wind'

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This is a compilation of music from Webber's WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND, done in pop style, released before the 2-cd cast album. I much prefer this version. Tom Jones presents an incredible opening gospel number, followed by my favorite, and to me one of Andrew's best songs WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND, performed by the very under-rated Tina Arena. This is one incredible balled. It builds, and she blets. What a match! Other incredible songs are TIRE TRACKS, done in the true Bonnie Tyler form, KISS IS A TERRIBLE THING TO WASTE, a perfect song for MEATLOAF, and to me one of his best ever. Boyzone's NO MATTER WHAT is tops, I think their best song. I wish Andrew Llood Webber would continue to write albums like this between his shows for pop music stars, because this is one of the best CD's of pop music I have bought in a long time. There is no way you can be sorry you bought this one! Other artists provide great performances including Michael Ball, Elaine Page, and many more. DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS ONE!

Well it was much better than the London Cast Version. This is the one you really should get. The singers sound better with more emotion and it doesn't have to whole script being said in the middle of songs like the London version does. So this one is the better way to go.

Tina Arena is really unbelievable! Her voice is great!

I bought several copies of this CD so I'd have it forever. I never get tired of the songs, blasting them from my music system at least once a week. Tom Jones is at his best with Vaults of Heaven. You'll be tapping your toes and singing along. Boyzone's best song, "No Matter What" is on here, as well as Donny Osmond's version of "If Children Ruled the World". Every track is sung with feeling. Then, of course, there is Michael Ball singing "Unsettled Scores." That in itself makes this CD worth buying.

"Whistle down the wind" was Andrew Lloyd Webber's first fresh work after "Sunset Blvd" premiered in 1993. With this musical he decided to get back to his rock and roll roots that made him famous with "Jesus Christ Superstar", after which he was mostly known for his big, soaring and lush scores of "The phantom of the opera" or "Sunset". The result is very satisfying. Jim Steinman, the lyricist of "Meat Loaf" is credited with the lyrics and the director is Gale Edwards, who directed a very successful run of "Superstar" in the West End in 1996.

When it became known that ALW and Jim Steinman are working together on a new musical, an idea arose about a non-cast recording album of the material, featuring the artists ALW and Steinman have been separately collaborating for years. So what we have here is an album with the songs from a musical recorded in their own right, outside the context of the show, with totally different orchestrations more suitable for the occasion. This is actually something ALW has done in the past with most of his shows, when he would release the main songs with different orchestrations as the singles, usually sung by famous artists.

This album thus boasts the artists from the ALW's world like Elaine Paige, Michael Ball and Donny Osmond, together with the ones brought in by Steinman: Bonnie Tyler, Meat Loaf, Tina Arena and Tom Jones. There are a few others and one of the main assets of this album is the fact that all of the singers here have very strong vocals and a unique way of interpretations. Be it Elaine Paige's mature soprano, Michael Ball's famous warm voice or the husky vocals of Tom Jones and Bonnie Tyler, each of the songs is a little pop masterpiece. Some of them, like Michael Ball's rendition of "Unsettled scores", are actually better here than on the subsequent cast album.

Another benefit is the very good orchestrations, echoing the original sounds of the score, but in a more suitable pop and rock environment. Some of the songs, like Boyzone's "No matter what", topped the chart for a considerable time.

Besides being a remarkable pop album, this set of songs is another proof of the fact just how masterful composer ALW really is, the one that has no problem moving between the genres of the modern musical theatre and the contemporary pop. One would like to think that the days when a musical could produce a hit tune are not altogether gone. And ALW has written plenty of them.

This album, therefore, should have no trouble in finding its owners, be it the musical theatre devotees such as myself, the fans of a good pop piece or both.

Don't be afraid of buying this one, it's wonderful. I got interested in the songs from ALW 50th show. No regrets here.
Tom Jones is great, and Michael Ball never disappoints. I like
the combination of different style vocals.

After reading many of the reviews I bought this CD and have played it several times. Although I agree with some of the reviews my favorites are: Tom Jones, Boyzone, Elaine Paige,The Everly Brothers, Sound of Blackness and Boy George. I did not at all like Meatloaf's rendition and always skip it when I listen to the CD, but that's my personal taste. And, Tina Arena's song is all right but very lackluster. All in all, if you want to hear a very good score I would recommend you take a chance on this one.