The Songs That Got Away

Irving Berlin (Composer), Leonard Bernstein (Composer), Jerry Bock (Composer), Vivian Ellis (Composer), Peter Greenwell (Composer), Marvin Hamlisch (Composer), Andrew Lloyd Webber (Composer), Frank Loesser (Composer), Giacomo Puccini (Composer), Sarah Brightman (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Sarah Brightman
• Composer: Irving Berlin, Leonard Bernstein, Jerry Bock, Vivian Ellis, Peter Greenwell, et al.
• Audio CD (November 16, 1999)
• SPARS Code: AAD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Decca Broadway
• ASIN: B000005S0R
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #62,769 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #15 in

  Music > Opera & Vocal > Featured Performers, A-Z > A to B > Brightman, Sarah

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

For those Sarah Brightman fans who didn't spring for The Songs That Got Away when it was a pricey import, this domestic release will be a must-buy. Originally recorded in 1989 shortly after she achieved international fame in The Phantom of the Opera, the album spotlights obscure American and British musical theater songs that either were removed from shows or were "lost" when the shows themselves slipped out of the repertoire. (Of course, some of the songs aren't nearly as obscure as they were in 1989--the opening track, Stephen Schwartz's soaring "Meadowlark," has since been claimed by Liz Callaway, Patti LuPone, and Betty Buckley, while Stephen Sondheim's "I Remember"--well suited to Brightman's glasslike tones--is now recognized as one of his most gorgeous and haunting compositions.) Brightman performs well on this diverse collection of entertaining and often lovely songs, including an early draft of Frank Loesser's "Fugue for Tinhorns," here sung as a triple-tracked, lilting waltz, and the Puccini aria "Chi il bel sogno di doretta," which foreshadows her later, more ambitious crossover projects. There's also a tune from Jeeves by then-husband Andrew Lloyd Webber, who produced this album not long before he and Brightman divorced in 1990. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sarah got those songs back!, January 15, 2001

By	Anthony Morelli "Woofbear" (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I didn't really know what to title this review. The music is so different from what we're used to hearing from Sarah. The cd was created when Sarah and Andrew Lloyd Webber were together. "The songs that got away" is a collection of forgotten tunes of yesteryear, brilliantly written and perfect for Sarah's voice.

You'll only hear one operatic song. This song is "Chi il sogno di doretta". The opera quality in Brightman's voice is not very rich. Yet, this cd is beautiful in many ways.

The breakdown of the CD? Well, personally, track 1 "Meadowlark" has to be the best. As for the rest, the songs are either folk or broadway. This cd has a lot, variety-wise, recommending it to listeners with a "serious" ear.

Upon purchasing "The songs...", I already had the U.S. version of "Eden". My expectations were not met. I admit there was some disappointment. That's only because my ear for Sarah was much more operatic. Over time, the songs grew on me. I would have rated the cd 5 stars, but there are a couple of tunes I'm still not used to.

The material on "The songs..." is worth giving attention to. Some songs will take time to grow on you, like many artists' material does. Don't take my word for it. Buy this cd for the selection of material.

Did my review help you?

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent addition to a SB collection, December 28, 1999

By	"gplechuck" (Maryland) - See all my reviews

For those of you used to Sarah's voice from her albums "Eden" and "Time to Say Goodbye", you're in for quite a shock. This album is 10 years old and Sarah's voice is very young here, similar to when she was in "The Phantom of the Opera". This CD is a collection of songs that "Got away" from musical theater for some reason or another. Some of the songs are truly enchanting, like "Meadowlark", "I Remember", and "Silent Heart". For others, it's easy to see how they got away. Not worth the $ I paid for it some 5 years ago, but now that it's been released domestically with a reasonable price, it's worth a shot.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Songs that showcase Sarah's theatrical gifts, December 11, 2003

By	Daniel J. Hamlow (Narita, Japan) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Before experimental albums like Dive and Fly, as well as the ones where her classically-trained voice enchanted millions, Sarah Brightman did a collection of musical and theatrical songs originally released in 1989, but reissued when she made it big with Time To Say Goodbye. Her vocal style leans towards the theatrical Broadway side, but more mellowed. But on songs like the strings-laden mid-tempo "Meadowlark" from Stephen Schwartz's The Baker's Wife, the way she would later do splendidly interpret Lloyd Webber's songs is in the making. Here are other highlights, including those that were reissued on Sarah's Encore album (2002).

Stephen Sondheim's "I Remember" is a sad ballad told from the POV of a window mannequin remembering the sights it has experienced throughout the seasons, but the memories are now hazy and at the end, it sings, "At times I think/I would gladly die/for a day of sky."

Some songs like "Lud's Wedding" from Bernstein's failed bicentennial musical, only seem to work due to Sarah's voice. Ditto for the simple "Three-Cornered Tune." Consisting of three verses, each repeated twice. However, Irving Berlin's "Mr. Monotony", a tune understandably cut from Easter Parade, is not a particularly inspiring song.

Marvin Hamlisch's "Dreamers" is one of my favourites here, as I have affinity to it, and I'm sure Sarah is one at heart as well. "Only dreamers have wings with which to fly far away", as in their own fantasies, but unfortunately, "sometimes dreamers are forced to leave their dreams far away", i.e. the harshness of reality. However, it paints them in a positive light and states that everyone needs to have some sort of dream "to take time to find treasures and mountains we can climb."

"Silent Heart" really showcases Sarah's voices, on how some things the heart is best left silent, as in things that really thrill it. "If I Ever Fall In Love Again" is taken from The Crooked Mile and is a nice love song Sarah really wraps herself in.

"Chi Il Bel Sogno Di Doretta" from Puccini's La Rondine is a great showcase of the operatic voice that would come into full bloom on Time To Say Goodbye. This song would be reissued on Encore.

"Away From You" by Richard Rodgers, and taken from a musical biog of Henry VIII (!!!). "The clocks are frozen and time's a traveler who's lost his way" is one of the sentiments Sarah conveys effectively. Also reissued on Encore.

"If love were all, I should be lonely" sings Sarah from Noel Coward's Bittersweet, "If Love Were All" was the one song that stood out for me when I first heard this CD. The ability of a talent to amuse is seen as a solid standing for mental security. A definite standout here.

From Lloyd Webber's Jeeves, the lush strings of "Half A Moment" features the vocal stylings familiar enough to those who have Sarah's Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection. It focuses on how important the capture of a moment to bright up a future rainy day is. Also reissued on Encore.

Initially, I dismissed this as the songs that should've stayed away. Although they lack the magical punch of Time To Say Goodbye or La Luna, it's still a worthwhile collection, because Sarah's clear birdlike theatrical/musicals voice makes it all worthwhile.