Customer Reviews

Stop the World - I Want to Get Off (1962 Original Broadway Cast)

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To say that 'Stop the World' was a revolutionary musical in the days of sugar and spice, nicey-nicey musicals would be an understatement. To suggest that Anthony Newley was one of the finest singer-songwriter-performers of our time would be like saying the Pope is Catholic. To say that Decca has done us all a favour by finally reissuing this tuneful cast recording on CD would however be ACCURATE!
Anthony Newley died in April 1999 after losing his battle with cancer. The battle of fame he never lost and left behind a wonderful collection of musicals, songs, tv and cabaret performances that we can love again and again. But the finest of all of Newley's output was this musical. Co-wrote with Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley made the role of Littlechap totally his own. Not even Sammy Davis Jnr, Joel Gray or Tony Tanner in the film version could match that unique quality of style and originality that Newley exudes in this fantastic tour de force role.
For fans of musicals unfamiliar with Newley's work, you will not be sorry when you buy this CD. For Newley fans - why haven't you already bought your copy!!
Enjoy, one and all, Anthony Newley at his very best.
Paul Goodhead - President
Anthony Newley Society Worldwide.

we fans of this musical have waited too long for the release of the original cast album on cd. we have worn out our vinyl lps while longing for this day. anthony newley's bitingly satirical lyrics capture the british workingman's attitude toward the upper classes -- sort of a cockney parallel to "how to succeed."

but it is much more than that. newley's littlechap is everyman, going through all of the stages, joys and woes of life and registering his wonderment at the profundity of it all in newley's memorable tunes and witty lyrics. you will marvel at his verbal gymnastics and chuckle at some of the topical references if you are of a certain age. and you will be humming and whistling more of these songs than you now know.

there are so many songs in this show that have become classics -- just once in a lifetime; gonna build a mountain; someone nice like you; but my personal favorite is "lumbered," as it captures the angst of a man thrust into unwilling fatherhood.

stop the world was part of the first british invasion -- before the beatles. there was "beyond the fringe," "look back in anger" and "oliver" on stage and "tom jones" in the cinema, all showing us that broadway and hollywood were not the only places where entertainment could originate and that the british could be funny and poignant, and lyrical, and more cerebral than we.

this show is all of that, and much more. and now, no doubt in response to the drumbeat from fans who have longed for the original cast album to be released on cd, it is here. at long last... so buy it. you will be enthralled by anthony newley as, with anna quayle as his foil and a greek chorus as his conscience, he puts on what is basically a one man show.

newley poured all of his energy and creativity into this show, and, with his inadequately mourned passing a couple of years ago, it is his legacy -- the mountain that he was able to build just once in his lifetime... and, it is an off-broadway classic, so buy it and add it to your showtunes collection. you will not be disappointed.

This Bricusse-Newley musical is still fresh today. Some of the songs are classic. They include "What Kind of Fool am I" and "Once in a Lifetime". Newley's voice and vocal range was at its height when this album was recorded. If you like the music in this show then you will also like the music from "Roar of the Greasepaint, Smell of the Crowd".

There are two kinds of people in the world -- Anthony Newley fans, and people destined to be Anthony Newley fans. This is the recording that evokes the wit, bawdiness, music hall exuberance, irreverance, and melodic invention of Newley the actor/writer/director at his best. Other reviewers have noted some of the musical standards from "Stop the World" that found a life of their own (thanks mostly to Newley and Sammy Davis, Jr.). "What Kind of Fool am I," of course, sold the most records. "Gonna Build a Mountain" and "Once in a Life" are among the songs that will seep into one's conciousness and never let go.
There are other recordings of "Stop the World." The British studio recording of 1995 is the least good of the lot. The video of the Tony Tanner film version is available (...) One might even find the videotape of Sammy Davis in the Anthony Newley role of Littlechap. None comes close to this one, the Anthony Newley/Anna Quayle original cast recording.
For those building a collection of Broadway's best, please include this rendition of Stop the World. Not only is the material impressive in its own right, it evokes an era when even a mainstream producer like David Merrick would risk opening an edgy little show on Broadway. (PS - Mel Brooks pays homage to this show in his musical, "The Producers" -- Leo Bloom has the line 'Stop the world, I want to get on').

I SAW ANTHONY & ANNA DO THIS SHOW ON BROADWAY IN OCTOBER 1962. IT REMAINS MY FAVORITE MUSICAL OF ALL TIMES - BETTER THAN FUNNY GIRL AND HELLO DOLLY - AND THAT IS SAYNG A GREAT DEAL. I AM HAPPY TO SEE IT IS OUT IN A CD AS MY RECORD HAS WORN OUT LONG AGO.

Hadn't heard this musical in over forty years and was delighted to find it as wonderful in 2007 as I did in the mid Sixties. I'd forgotten how brilliant a singer Newley was -- and how marvelous the score is. In this pre-election year, I was particularly impressed with how well "Mumbo Jumbo" still wonderfully satirizes all the bs re: politicians on the campaign trail. Do yourself a favor and buy this CD.

If you are a fan of Anthony Newley you will find this superb C.D. a welcome addition to your collection. It is easy to understand why this musical is considered Newley's finest. In addition to playing the lead role, he wrote, directed and composed many memorable pieces of music including "What Kind of Fool Am I", "Once I In a Lifetime", "Gonna Build a Mountain", and many, many more. His genious is well defined in this piece, it's a joy.

Dottie Conlon

STOP THE WORLD - I WANT TO GET OFF is one of the most fascinating musical theatre scores of the 1960s, the `new-style musical' was written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley and was largely tailored to Newley's vocal style.

Rarely has the score been bettered than on the original Broadway cast album, crisply reissued here on the Decca Broadway label. Anthony Newley and his pert leading lady, underrated British performer Anna Quayle, perform the score with flash and verve. The entire score is fantastic though the penultimate number "Someone Nice Like You" must count as one of the most beautiful love songs ever written for the musical stage.

Anna Quayle is a marvellous performer, sadly only really remembered for her role as the Baroness in the movie of CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG (a role that is great but does not represent all she was capable of), and Anthony Newley, who also headed the London company to perhaps ever greater acclaim, is in his element.

A top cast album.

I have the 1995 London cast recording, and purchased this once it hit store shelves, saying that it's better than the London one is such an understatement that even saying it's an understatement is an understatement! Anthony Newley is pure magic, and Anna Quayle is SO energetic, never a dull moment with those two! Newley brings so much to a song on this recording, my particular favorite song is I Wanna Be Rich. After the atrocity of the London cast, and the fervent pleas of several hundred Anthony Newley fans, this electric recording has been re-issued and is a wonderful memoriam to the late Anthony Newley. If you weren't impressed by the London cast, don't hesitate to get this recording! You'll be a Stop the World I Want to Get Off fan yet!

I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO LIKE HIM, SILLY ME . THIS WAS MY SECOND ALBUM I BOUGHT OF HIS ,IN A LONG LIST . NEWLEY'S STRONG VOICE AND PERSONALITY ARE THE VERY BEST.

YOU CAN ALMOST SEE THAT VERY EXPESSIVE FACE OF HIS, IT WA SA SHAME HIS PERFORMANCE WAS NOT CAPTURED ON FILM, STILL EVEN WITH OUT SEEING HIM. THE BLENDING OF SONG AND STORY ARE TIME LESS, THAT IT COULD BE ON BROADWAY TODAY WITHOUT BEING DATED.

THE STORY OF LITTLE CHAP AND EVIE , COULD BE ANY ONE OF US GOING THROUGH LIFE'S UP AND DOWNS.