Customer Reviews

No Strings (1962 Original Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

NO STRINGS was Richard Rodgers' first big project following the death of Oscar Hammerstein II. The score is youthful, peppy, romantic and quite modern for the time, and indeed the orchestra featured no strings (and the title also referred to the relationship enjoyed by the 2 main characters). Rodgers was inspired to cast the beautiful Diahann Carroll as the model, breaking down the hackneyed and stereotypical depiction of African Americans onstage (in shows like SARATOGA, PORGY AND BESS and JAMAICA). He felt having Carroll as the stunning centerpiece in the show would add the glitter and gloss needed in this very modern musical.

Carroll was an adept musical theater veteran, who all but stole the show from star Pearl Bailey in the 1956 Broadway musical HOUSE OF FLOWERS. Joining Carroll was Richard Kiley, riding on the success of his acclaimed performance in REDHEAD. In fact, NO STRINGS made history for featuring the first depiction of an inter-racial romance in a Broadway musical (not counting the subplot of Joe Cable and Liat in SOUTH PACIFIC). As mentioned above, the score for NO STRINGS is a real delight, featuring the classic "Sweetest Sounds" as well as several juicy numbers for Carroll and Kiley, both solo and duet. DRG have done a lovely job in reissuing this often-requested cast album. And, as of this reviews's writing, the London cast album is being slated for release by Must Close Saturday Records.

This has been one of my favorite show recordings since purchasing the Capitol LP in the early 60s. Reading the liner notes as I listened to the album, I vividly imagined the show. The orchestra on stage with the actors; no strings not only in the orchestra but also between the two lovers. ("If marriage comes, we'll let it come as one of those perfect things with no strings at all.") From the liner notes of the Broadway Angel CD: "The show began with Carroll, spotlit in a glamorous white gown, singing what would become the score's hit song THE SWEETEST SOUNDS. Across the stage, her lover-to-be -- unknown to her at the moment -- picked up the song, accompanied by a clarinet." Such a simple but elegant concept! What great songs! What singing, especially from the leads, the marvelous Miss Diahann Carroll and Mr.Richard Kiley! (Three years later Mr. Kiley would become THE MAN OF LA MANCHA.) I was fortunate to catch the national tour with Howard Keel and Barbara McNair, both excellent in their roles. Seeing it on stage was even more magical that the show I had seen many times in my mind -- truly an "enchanted evening." When the CD was released in 1993, I grabbed it up. And it was a good thing I did, because it wasn't long before Capitol/Angel dropped it, along with a number of wonderful original cast recordings. But now I rejoice because DRG has revived it for a new audience. Buy it -- now!!!

Despite some weak lyrics here and there, the score is the finest of Rodgers in the post-Hammerstein era.

Capitol did a first-rate production of the original cast album and it remained in print for more than 20 years. Now, it has been brought back by DRG in a crisp sounding transfer. You'll have little trouble following the story as most of the songs are laundrey lists that give examples to support their titles, but the best tracks are provide enjoyable listening experiences: "The Sweetest Sounds" is the best known number (it was later interpolated into the DIsney remake of CINDERELLA where surprisingly it worked quite well!) Other gems: Maine, Look No Further, Nobody Told Me and the title song. In fact there is not a song here that one would label a dog.

DRG's reissue lacks the extensive bachground notes that Broadway Angel had in their 1993 CD edition. But the recording was and still is one well worth owning.

Ever since seeing ENCORES! do this show I have wanted a recording. The only thing I could find was the Capitol CD in the library since it was deleted from the Broadway Angel catalogue. I'm so glad DRG has released it. The score contains some nice gems and is a welcome addition to any theater score library.

I have never seen this show, but remember taking the album out from my local library when I was a teenager (okay I am dating myself). The songs on this album are all splendid. Perhaps Rodgers faltered in his musical writing abilities later on in his career, but not with this album (written a few years after The Sound of Music). If you care about musical theater-you MUST buy this CD. The voices are splendid and "The Sweetest Sounds" ranks with RR's top tune melodies.

I first heard the LP in at age 11 in 1962 at a freinds home but my parents did not have it. So after all these years I discovered Amazon had it on CD and I grabbed it ! and WOW! All those great songs, those wonderfull lyrics came back to me! It has that wonderfull bounce that all the great Rodgers songs have but with a modern (for 1962) touch . The fact that I could remember music I have not heard in over 40 years shows how good this was and still is. Anyone who was lucky enough to see the orig. Broadway production and hear this music live must have come out of that theatre dancing in the street!

This CD is absolutely beautiful. From the first time I heard The Sweetest Sounds, the very first song, I knew this CD would be one of my favorites. Each song is unique and wonderful in its own way. There are some melancholy, haunting songs and also some upbeat and humorous songs. This is defintitely a CD you'll listen to over and over, and the songs will soon be stuck in your head. Before you know it you'll have memorized the words and will be singing along- it's that good!

How nice to have No Strings available on CD again! A friend and I had searched for it several years ago to no avail. I certainly thought it would be issued at Richard Rodgers' centennial, since it was a milestone of sorts in his career. But it is here now and all is well.

I like the "big band" kind of arrangement to this score (no strings), and I have always enjoyed Diahann Carroll. My favorite pieces here are Sweetest Sounds and No Strings, but I had forgotten some of the smaller pieces that remind the listener of the story line.

Having grown up with parents who bought (and played -- a lot) every cast album of every show they saw (and they saw some on Broadway and almost all that came to Philadelphia to try out), knowing the story line was a big part of the listening experience. And the album notes are here! There were many times that I could not remember whether or not I had actually seen a musical, I got to know the music and had imagined the story (as told in the album notes) so well.

Enjoyable!

I bought this album out of loyalty to two songs Richard Rodgers wrote for this show, the title tune and the opening and closing song, "The Sweetest Sounds." Both are

great. There are also some OK songs--"Look No Further," for example. I don't know what happened to other reviewers--earwax in their iPods?-- but take their idea of "No Strings" as a great Rodgers score with a BIG grain of salt. Most of the other songs are completely forgetable (following Hammerstein's death Rodgers may have thought he could compose the noodly sort of lyrics that his partner was cranking out toward the end of HIS career, but Mr. Rodgers was, in this case, wrong. Some of Hammerstein's later simplicity actually gets by ["My Favorite Things" from "SofM" is an example], but Rodgers' own "comic" or light lyrics STINK). Richard Kiley was starred over Diahann Carroll in the original, but hers is the bigger contribution, at least to the music here.

I found the CD to be in good condition, and enjoyed listening to the music.