Whistle Down The Wind (1998 Original London Cast) [CAST RECORDING]

Andrew Lloyd Webber (Artist), Jim Steinman (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 21, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Cast Recording
• Label: Decca Broadway
• ASIN: B00000JJWL
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (83 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #21,939 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > Broadway & Vocalists > Musicals > Contemporary Musicals

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
At Christmastime of 1959, three Louisiana children discover a man with bloody hands and feet. Is he Jesus Christ, or is he the convicted murderer reportedly on the loose? This searing question is the basis of Whistle Down the Wind, Andrew Lloyd Webber's long-awaited new musical, and fans will find it worth the wait. A study of the faith of children contrasted with the caution and fear of adults, the story was adapted from a novel by Mary Hayley Bell and a 1961 film produced by Richard Attenborough, but its setting was transferred from northern England to the American South, giving Lloyd Webber a good excuse to indulge in rock & roll and gospel. Of course, he provides his usual supply of catchy melodies, including the rousing "Vaults of Heaven," the tender title tune, and the peppy children's number "When Children Rule the World." Longtime listeners will also recognize elements from earlier shows--the opening-scene anthem (Aspects of Love), the anguished potential savior (Jesus Christ Superstar), the climactic manhunt (Phantom of the Opera)--leading to a final collision of musical themes and overheated emotions. Whistle Down the Wind stumbled in its 1996 Washington, D.C. run and never made it to Broadway, but is realized here by its 1998 London cast, including Marcus Lovett as the mysterious man, Lottie Mayor as his most ardent believer, Dean Collinson as a James Dean wannabe, and Veronica Hart as Collinson's black girlfriend. The major drawback to this relatively unknown but solid cast is its anomalistic British accents or awkward attempts at American Southern ones. Listeners might have to use their imagination to fill in the story, as the libretto includes all the lyrics and dialogue, but no indications of song titles or track numbers, no stage directions, and no synopsis. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Andrew Lloyd Webber title not to be missed!, March 15, 2000

By	B. Elliot (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"~This is an outstanding musical, with an engaging storyline. It follows a teen named Swallow who is confronted by an escaped criminal who tells her he is Jesus. Swallow believes him, and she and the other children see him as a miracle. If the story is at all difficult to follow, it does not matter, because the cd comes packaged with a libretto, containing the entire script of the play and songs. would have heard some of the songs on these cd's. That is great, because one already has a taste for the music in this play. The best songs would include "The Vaults of Heaven," "Whistle Down the Wind,"Tire Tracks and Broken Hearts," "When Children Rule The World," "No Matter What," and "A Kiss is a Terrible Thing to Waste." The list is long, but could easily be longer. They are all great. Also, Swallow has a good singing voice, adding to the quality of the songs. To sum up, this is musical not to be missed. Most likely, one is worried about not liking the songs because one has never heard them. But trust me, there is nothing to fear.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, beautiful music!, November 15, 1999

By A Customer

Once again, I believe, Webber has written an extroadinary musical piece. I first became aware of some of the songs from this score from the video of TRIBUTE:ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER'S 50TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION and couldn't wait to hear them again on the soundtrack album. It was worth the wait. While the criticism is correct re: the British actors' bizarre Southern accents (I'm sure that American actors' British accents sound just as strange to English ears), it has nothing to do with the music or the singing which is wonderful. The accents actually remind me of 2 old American musicals:LIL ABNER and OKLAHOMA and from what I remember, the American actors in those 2 films don't sound very much more authentic than the British actors here! In any case, the music, lyrics and orchestrations are uniformly excellent. If you're a Webber fan, I feel strongly that you will enjoy this CD. My favorite tracks are the exquisite title song, THE VAULTS OF HEAVEN and the mesmerizing IF ONLY (what a simple, brilliant melody - Webber at his best). I see that there is an album of these songs recorded by other artists inc. Tina Arena, Elaine Page and Donny Osmond. Does anyone know where a copy of this compilation CD can be obtained?

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful musical, December 8, 1999

By	Kerri Laman (Colorado) - See all my reviews

Whistle Down the Wind is a wonderful musical. It has a mixture of songs, including, gospel, rock and typical musical type songs. My favorite songs are "No Matter What" and "Whistle Down the Wind" It is true this is a London recording but I don't notice their accents as much as I have on other albums from London. The really neat thing is there is a fair amount of spoken word along with the music. This helps you follow the story better. It is a great musical and I recomend owning it. It is well worth it!