Customer Reviews

Starting Here, Starting Now (Original 1977 Off-Broadway Cast)

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

 

 

Starting Here, Starting Now is a musical review from the 1970's examining the ups and downs of human relationships. The CD is, in fact, the show. The music encompasses the gamut of emotions that accompany family,friendship, dating, love, marriage, separation. "A Little Bit Off" is an amusing number recounting the first feelings of attraction between two people. "I Don't Believe It" is a sardonic look at all those "perfect" relationships out there. "I Hear Bells" is a lyrical tune about looking beyond the not-always-beautiful surface of life and seeing the goodness deep down. "Song of Me" is a haunting melody about a dysfunctional family and the resulting emotional scars. "Today is the First Day of the Rest of My Life" and "A New Life Coming" end the show and CD by reinforcing the lesson that time does heal our wounds and allows us to move on in our lives. No matter what the state of your relationships with family, friends and spouses, there will be something in this CD for you.

I was recently in a revue consisting only of Maltby & Shire songs. The songs were taken from Big The Musical, Baby, Closer Than Ever, and of course Starting Here, Starting Now. This CD contains some of the most beautiful songs in musical theatre. "I Hear Bells" is phenomenally lovely, a tune anyone would love to live to. "Song of Me" is hauntingly beautiful and achingly brief. "Travel" and "One Step" are entertaining numbers with engaging melodies. "I Don't Remember Christmas" is amusing and intriguing in its own way. Each song here is worth listening to. Starting Here, Starting now is certainly a good buy.

I've had the Starting Here Starting Now album since it was first issued way back when and I've played it constantly since then, always finding something new to wonder at in the witty lyrics and always being swept away by the glorious melodies and show stoppers. I can't believe that Shire and Maltby never had a hit show (except this one)! Their failures must have been the fault of poor books or whatever, certainly not the words and music, which are dazzling. No matter how many times I play this album, the songs are forever fresh, new and exciting. A must for any lover/collector pf the genre.

If you enjoy songs with a great lyric and heart, there's no better than "Starting Here, Starting Now." Most of the songs are faintly familiar, but sung as they are on this recording of the original cast, but you will surely start humming or "belting" along.

This is one of those CDs i wish i could share with the entire world. it's just plain fun! These are songs from failed musicals, but what a collection of songs! Whenever I play Starting Here, Starting Now, i just feel happy. Great songwriting and the cast singing them is marvelous. This CD is kind of a record of the what writing songs for Broadway used to be like.There isn't a bad song on this CD. How many original cast albums can you say that about?

A excellent CD of an overlooked revue-style musical. Although the recordings are excellent, the overall quality of the show cannot be realized without seeing it...the disparate songs don't make sense otherwise.

"Starting Here, Starting Now" contains some wonderfully written songs about human relationships and emotions. Maltby and Shire give us good tunes and well crafted lyrics (touching and catchy, too). The combo plays very well. The dissapointment comes from the out-of-tune singing done by all three of the cast members. Loni Ackerman, George Lee Anderson, and Margery Cohen throw themselves into their characters (which change every song), delivering their messages loud and clear. But, there isn't one cut that is not affected by flat intonation. Too bad, really.

In April of 2000 I was a student at Santa Fe Community College, Gainesville, Fl. During that semester I was one of the performers starring in Starting Here, Starting Now put on by the college's theater department. We performed the show with four females and four males. I had the honor of singing