Customer Reviews

West Side Story (1961 Film Soundtrack)

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2 star:		(1)
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Most people are trying to choose between this (the movie soundtrack) and the Original Broadway Cast recording. I am here outlining the principal differences between these two CDs.

1) The movie soundtrack contains the entire Dance at the Gym sequence, some of the best music in West Side Story. PLUS there is an absolutely tremendous trumpet player who takes an extended solo in the Mambo that has to be heard to be believed. It's not in the music, so you won't find it anywhere but here. The Original Broadway Cast recording starts at the second half of the Mambo, and leaves out the Blues number entirely (among others).
[Edit 11/17/2005: I recently learned that trumpet player's name is Uan Rasey. He is the same guy who plays on lots of old movie soundtracks, including An American In Paris and Chinatown.]

2) Jim Bryant (on the movie soundtrack) goes up to this great high note at the end of Something's Coming that Larry Kert does not attempt in the Broadway recording. Again, not in the music, but amazing.

3) The movie version of America, pitting the Sharks against their girlfriends, is far superior.

4) The movie's Prologue has been revised, and now includes the "Cool" theme as well as *most* of the original material. The two themes are interwoven in an interesting way. But you do lose a couple of great moments from the original...

5) There is no ballet sequence in the movie! Very unfortunate.

6) Much of the singing is done more musically in the Broadway Cast recording, by Larry Kert and Carol Lawrence; pay attention to their diction and phrasing, it's no contest.

7) Many of the songs (e.g. Cool) were reorchestrated for the movie, adding things like electric guitar and bass, and they're a little tacky. (If you're familiar with the music from playing it, or just know the original really well, these will drive you crazy.)

The Symphonic Dances (bonus material on the Broadway recording) are of little interest. Bernstein apparently thought some of the most gorgeous themes were too sappy for the symphony audience, so you won't hear "Tonight" or "I Have a Love" in the entire suite. West Side Story without "Tonight" is just not West Side Story.

A note: stay away from ALL RECORDINGS BUT THESE TWO! Nothing else comes close.

West Side Story is as good as music gets. There's no excuse for skimping out here, do yourself a favor and buy two CDs of it.

I bought this assuming it would restore all the material cut for the LP, but was saddened to find it didn't. The same cut in the "Prologue" that was made for the LP appears here - about a minute. So one of Bernstein's nicer themes is never heard on the CD or LP.

There is new material, but a lot of it has dialogue over it! Who wants to listen to dialogue scenes over and over again? Bad decision.

Finally, it's nice to see Marni Nixon and Jim Bryant get their proper credit, but Betty Wand did >not< sing "America" or the "Quintet" - those are both Rita Moreno, who has a great voice but couldn't sing "A Boy Like That" since it was below her range. So let's credit the shadow-singers, but let's not get carried away!

Having grown up on the original Broadway cast recording, I was skeptical about the movie soundtrack, but its musical direction is impeccable and turning "America" into a boys v. girls number is inspired. The cd's addition of previously unreleased dance music makes the experience more complete. Even Bernstein's own recording with his hand-picked cast (Te Kanawa, Carreras, etc.) can't match the vivacity and excitement of the soundtrack. Bravo to all!

The movie soundtrack for WEST SIDE STORY is among one of the all time greats. A huge best selling LP, I cannot think of one individual who grew up with LPs that did not have a copy. I greatly anticipated this long-awaited "expanded and re-mastered" CD release, expecting generous underscore segments, which could not be included on the LP format. Unfortunately I was disappointed to learn that the new material is simply lifted off of the final, "mixed" film tracks, which come complete with dialog, sound effects and lengthy silent sequences. Therefore I can only recommend this release with reservations. The CD's producers have missed a great opportunity to give West Side Story's' soundtrack the ultimate audio presentation which would have been possible if the "unmixed" music masters were utilized.

"West Side Story" features some of the greatests music ever to reach both the stage and the big screen. Leonard Bernstein's incredible score and Stephen Sondheim's wonderful lyrics are what make both the play and the film memorable.

Hands down, this recording from the film is the best of all recordings for several reasons.

1. Almost all of the music Bernstien wrote is available on this disc. This CD includes the Overture, the complete "Dance at the Gym" with the Blues, Mambo, and Jump that was missing from the LP release, the underscore for the "Rumble" sequence, and the "Finale" that underscores Tony's funeral procession. The only major piece that is missing is the "Ballet" sequence.

2. The orchestra plays the songs at reasonable tempos that are neither grudgingly slow nor lightning fast. Conductor Johnny Green knew what he was doing when he slowed the "Mambo" down from the original Broadway release; in the Broadway version, the "Mambo" is finished in less than 2 minutes!!!

3. In the movie, "America" features both the male and female Sharks; in the Broadway version, only the girls are in the song. With new lyrics and the guys, "America" is a much more memorable piece than it was before.

4. Finally, the music was re-orchestrated for the better. The orchestra sounds fuller and more powerful than in the Broadway release.

If you have any choice, buy the movie version; it is far superior to any other release. Or, buy both the movie and the Broadway versions, but stay away from any others. Only the originals are worth owning.

This would have been a masterful rerelease of the music from the film version of West Side Story with the addtional dialogue but the producers failed by abruptly chopping off the end of the tracks. The music by Bernstein is heavenly and those who love it would not mind waiting to reaching silence the way he intended. This needs to be remixed where the music trails away naturally.

This version far exceeds the Broadway soundtrack in that it contains tighter orchestrations and, in my opinion, better voicing. (Although I'll never understand why Rita Moreno was dubbed.) The "Overture" is one of the best tracks, included after absence from the original album. Here, the "Jet Song" excels, as does "Gee, Officer Krupke," in all its insane comic glory. "America" is a fun romp here, with almost completely different lyrics and vocal arrangement. "Cool" is much jazzier, and "A Boy Like That" has a dynamic arrangement, much stronger than the Broadway version, that really works wonders with the song, but the wonderful part where Anita's "A Boy Like That" is sung simultaneously with Maria's "I Have a Love" is cut--a big mistake. The "Dance at the Gym" track is alone worth the cost of the CD. The "Blues," "Mambo," and "Jump" numbers are better here than on any other recording. "Blues" really swings, and you can immediately tell that the film's use of a Latin/jazz band for the "Mambo" instead of the usual orchestra makes the song much more enjoyable, along with a more tense, fiery arrangement that is thankfully slowed down a bit. The "Tonight" Quintet is the best track, overpowering and knocking down any other version that dares to challenge it. My biggest problem with this soundtrack is all the ambient noise. One gets the impression that several of the tracks were never recorded in the studio, so they were recorded directly from the film's sound reel. While this adds excitement and fun to some tracks, like "Krupke," "America," "Cool," "Prologue," and the Quintet, it severly detracts from ones like the entire "Dance at the Gym" track, as well as the "Rumble," depending on your tastes. Background noise or not, however, this is still one of the best motion picture soundtracks around.

When I saw the movie at the theater more than forty years ago, I was blowed up. Such a great music, songs & dancing being shown in a film! For years I was keeping a watchful eye for any reposition show or festival including the movie.
Before VHS was invented the only souvenir from "West Side Story" that I was able to grab was the LP recording. I played time and again until it was almost inaudible.
Finally technology came in our rescue: VHS for the film itself and CD to keep the music going.

This is a great musical composition. There is not a single spendable track; each piece is a gem in itself.
Best of them, IMHO, are:
"Maria" full of romantic undertones, conveying the flash of love that overcomes Tony.
"America" contrasting male and female outlooks on "being in America" with an overwhelming dancing rhythm.
"Tonight" collects everybody's expectations for a "night of nights".
"I Feel Pretty" the almost naïve self praising of a teenage girl in love.
Last but not least the instrumental "Overture" that wasn't present in the original vinyl.

Enjoy one of the best musicals of all times!
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

THis is one of the best available recordings of West Side Story, but there are many things that have caused me to lower the rating. I'll go thru the Tracks
1. Overture - This is the ONLY place I have ever been able to find a recording of the Overture, Johnny (conductor) plays it very very fast, but nonetheless, musicians will love this track.
2. Prologue - I prefer this version to the Original Broadway version, but it has it's negative points. The bwest part is that the Fugue from "Cool" is weaved in and Out of this, as well as the music from the "Somewhere" Ballet and Nightmare.
3. Jet Song - Good version of the song, they change the words from "ever mother loving street" to "f***king ever lovin' street" at the end, which I think is unnecessary.
4. Something's Coming - They re-wrote the Song in a different key for the Movie, but it's a good version, with a very cool flute/oboe riff at the end.
5. Dance at the Gym - i) Blues - They totally rewrote this one too for the Movie, I like it, but the Trumpets have the melody the whole time rather than trading off with the Trombones, and they add a repeat in the song. . .but nonetheless it rocks. I'm glad someone finally played the guitar audibly on this track.
ii) Promenade - Nothing to say here, This is almost a filler, it is the scene where everyone forms two circles and walks around before dancing.
iii) Mambo - Slowest version I've ever heard in my Entire life, but it Works. It has an extended "D Trumpet" solo in it. It's not bad.
iv) Cha-Cha - Shortened significantly, bringing in the Vibraphone solo too soon.
v) Meeting Scene - Finally!!!! An album with the Meeting Scene!
vi) Jump - one of my favorites, it's nice to see this one too finally on album.
6. Maria - Very good perfromance both by the musicians and singers. Nothing changed here.
7. America - This scene and the lyrics were Completely re-written for the Movie, i don't know why. Instead of the girls only, it has The Sharks and their girls singing about the pros and cons of living In America. But this is the most well-known version and is enjoyable.
8.Balcony Scene (Tonight) - Nothing is changed, it's still the classic scene and classic song.
9. Gee, Officer Krupkee - This scene was rewritten from "Cool" to "Krupkee." Why? I don't know. But this is my favorite version of this song, although they change some lyrics.
10. Intermission Music - Was this even in the movie? Well it's the only version I've ever come across, but there's not much to complain about, only that the RUMBLE is supposed to be before intermission, but then again The Movie changed alot of things.
11. I feel Pretty - Extended version with Lines from the Movie, but I have yet to find an exact version. The Acoustic Nylon (Spanish) Guitar sounds good and is the foreground., the way I think Bernstein wanted this song to sound.
12. One Hand, One Heart -I never liked this song, but it sounds fine, nothing much changed here, if anything.
13. Tonight - Fast version, the Jets screw up their first line!! The actors cannot sing this one very well, and the lyrics and "who sings what" is all jumbled up and changed around severly.
14. The Rumble - Excellent Performance of the Rumble done by the Orchestra! This is the hardest song to play in all of West Side Story.
15. Somewhere - Talk about killing songs . . . Not only was the Ballet Sequence totally written out of the movie, but Somewhere was shortened and has Tony and Maria singing it rather than A Girl.
16. Cool - Almost made into A Rock song with the Electric "Plucked" bass and changing the Key to Bb until the Fugue, this song has changed for the better in my opinion. I love this version, the guitar can actually be heard, where as in the original you can't here it at all!! (Was it even there? It's written in the part). I love this song, CRANK IT UP!
17. Boy Like That/I Have a love - Superb performance, nothing changed.
18. Finale - Beautiful, except that in the last chord, the orchestra does not hit the low F# that is written in the part, so that annoys me, then again they didn't do it in the Broadway version either.
19. End Credits - Bernstein didn't write this, but It's nice music for the end of the movie.

So all in all i gave this CD a 4 out of 5, it's definitely worth buying, just aslong as you aren't looking for an exact performance of the original score, then go and buy a different version.

This is one of those movie soundtracks that will never die...I am sure that just about everybody is familiar with at least some of the songs. This release has been meticulously remastered with previously unreleased tracks. That alone makes it a must for people who love this musical. The 38 page booklet contains photos from the film, cast information and a 6 page essay on the film and music. "West Side Story" won 10 Oscars including Best Musical Score and for good reason. Recommended.