Readers Digest Presents: The Great Musicals – From Broadway to Hollywood

Louise Gold appeared on Disc 1, Track 2, as Maria a Kit Kat Club Girl from Cabaret, The Readers Digest, 2006

Catalogue number: RDCD5141-2

 

Cast

Irfan Ahmad – as Artful Dodger (from Oliver!)

George Asprey – as Young Scrooge (from Scrooge)

Jim Baynes – as Billy Lawlor (from 42nd Street)

Gillian Bevan – as Dorothy Gale (from The Wizard Of Oz)

Graham Bickley  - as --(from Guys and Dolls)

Barry Bostwick – as Frank Butler (from Annie Get Your Gun)

Wayne Bryan

Clare Burt – uncredited as Frenchie a Kit Kat Club Girl (from Cabaret)

Mary Carewe

Len Cariou – as Tevye (from Fiddler On The Roof)

Clive Carter – as Rooster Hannigan (from Annie)

Tracy Collier

Judy Collins –as –(from Pal Joey), and others

Warren Covington

Gemma Craven – as Calamity Jane (from Calamity Jane)

Kim Criswell – as Miss Hannigan (from Annie)

Lorna Dallas – as Kim Ravenal (from Showboat)

Jacqueline Dankworth – uncredited as Fritzie a Kit Kat Club girl (from Cabaret)

Barbara Dickson – as Miss Adelaide (from Guys And Dolls)

Gregg Edelman –  as Billy Crocker (from Anything Goes), and, uncredited as Clifford Bradshaw (from Cabaret)

Ivor Emmanuel

Alisa Endsley  - as Adelaide Adams (from Calamity Jane)

Shaun Escoffrey – uncredited as Benjamin Pontipee (from Seven Brides For Seven Brothers)

Julian Forsyth – as Fagin (from Oliver!)

Maria Friedman – uncredited as Sally Bowles (from Cabaret)

Louise Gold – uncredited as Maria a Kit Kat Club Girl (from Cabaret)

David Green – as – (from Guys and Dolls)

Simon Green – as The Tinman (from The Wizard Of Oz)

Paul Greenwood – as The Scarecrow (from The Wizard Of Oz)

Joanne Heywood – as Isabel (from Scrooge)

Edmund Hockridge – as Captain Mike Malone (from Rose-Marie)

Jason Howard – as Ravenal (from Showboat)

Alison Jiear – as Lily (from Annie)

Joss Jones – as Simba (from The Lion King)

Janis Kelly – as Magnolia (from Showboat)

David Kernan – as  Bill Snibson (from Me And My Girl)

Doug LaBrecque – as Tony (from West Side Story)

Diane Langton – as Lois Lane (from Kiss Me Kate)

Adele Leigh

Paul Manuel – uncredited as Gideon Pontipee (from Seven Brides For Seven Brothers)

Claire Moore – uncredited as Rosie a Kit Kat Club Girl (from Cabaret)

Ann Morrison

Katrina Murphy – as Hope Harcourt (from Anything Goes)

Anthony Newley – as _Ebanezer Scrooge (from Scrooge)

Caroline O’Connor – as Ann Reilly (from 42nd Street), and, uncredited as Texas a Kit Kat Club girl (from Cabaret)

Tinuke Olafimihan – as Tuptim (from The King And I)

Trevor Peacock – as The Cowardly Lion (from The Wizard of Oz)

Paul Robinson – as Don Lockwood (from Singin’ In The Rain)

Jim Smilie – as Wang Ta (from Flower Drum Song)

Gay Soper – uncredited as Lulu a Kit Kat Club Girl (from Cabaret)

Jo Stafford

Don Stephenson – as Nicely Nicely Johnson (from Guys and Dolls)

Lorraine Velez – uncredited as Dorcas (from Seven Brides For Seven Brothers)

Carl Wayne

Elisabeth Welch – as Hannah Brown (from Easter Parade)

Margaret Whiting

Miriam Wilkinson – as Miss Adelaide (from Guys And Dolls)

 

Production Team

Produced by -  The Readers Digest, 2006

Conductors – Craig Barna, Richard Benson, John Coleman, John Gardner, Gordon Langford, Hank Levine, Leslie Lewis, Del Newman, John Owen Edwards, Stuart Pedlar, James Walker, Paul Weston, David Whitaker, and, Martin Yates

Orchestras – The David Whitaker Orchestra, The Gordon Langford Orchestra, The Hank Levine Orchestra, The John Coleman Orchestra, The Leslie Lewis Orchestra, The National Symphony Orchestra / The NSO Ensemble, The Paul Weston Orchestra,  The Richard Benson Orchestra, The Romantic Strings Orchestra, and, The RSC Orchestra

Choruses – The Dreamers, The Gordon Lorenz Singers, The Lords And Ladybirds, The Pied Pipers, and, The Romantic Strings Voices

Pianists – Martin Yates

Compilation Created by – Andrew Humphries

Assistant Editor – Daniel Sankey

Technical Manager – Jon Archer

Print and Production by – Claudette Bramble, and, Richard Pankhurst

Booklet Notes by  - Stephen Barnard – The Write Line

Copy Edited by – Richard Lutterloch

Designed by – Andrew Briffett

Studio Designer – Pauline Austin

Picture Credits – Arena Pictures

 

Track Listing

Programme 1

1. There’s A Sunny Side To Every Situation (from 42nd Street) – Caroline O’Connor, and Company, with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Craig Barna

2. Telephone Song (from Cabaret) – Company (Gregg Edelman with Maria Friedman, Louise Gold, Gay Soper, Claire Moore, Jacqueline Dankworth, Caroline O’Connor, Clare Burt and others) with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards

3. The Oldest Established (from Guys And Dolls) – Graham Bickley, Don Stephenson, David Green, and Men with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards

4. You Stepped Out Of A Dream (from Singin’ In The Rain) – Paul Robinson, with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Craig Barna

5. Something’s Coming (from West Side Story) – Doug LaBrecque and the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards

6. Happiness (from Scrooge) – George Asprey, Joanne Heywood, and Anthony Newley, with Orchestra conducted by Stuart Pedlar

7. Nobody Else But Me (from Showboat) – Lorna Dallas, with Martin Yates on Piano

8. It’s Delovely (from Anything Goes) – Gregg Edelman, and, Katrina Murphy, with the NSO Ensemble conducted by John Owen Edwards

9. Button Up Your Overcoat (from Follow Thru) – Ann Morrison, and, Wayne Bryan, with the NSO Ensemble conducted by Craig Barna

10. Snooky Ookums (from Easter Parade) – Elisabeth Welch, with Gordon Langford and his orchestra

11. Easy Street (from Annie) – Kim Criswell, Alison Jiear, and, Clive Carter, with the NSO Ensemble conducted by Martin Yates

12. Spring, Spring, Spring (from Seven Brides For Seven Brothers) – Company (including: Lorraine Velez, Shaun Escoffrey, Paul Manuel and others), with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Martin Yates

13. I’m A Bad Bad Man (from Annie Get Your Gun) – Barry Bostwick, and, Girls, with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards

14. If I Were King Of The Forest (from The Wizard of Oz) – Trevor Peacock, Gillian Bevan, Paul Greenwood, and, Simon Green with the RSC Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards

15. Tis Harry I’m Planning To Marry (from Calamity Jane) – Alisa Endsley, with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards

16. To Life (from Fiddler On The Roof) – Len Cariou and Company with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards

17. Be Back Soon (from Oliver!) – Julian Forsyth, Irfan Ahmad, and Boys with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards

18. Why Can’t You Behave (from Kiss Me Kate) – Diane Langton, with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards

19. My Lord And Master (from The King And I) – Tinuke Olafimihan, and the National Symphony Orchestra conducted  by John Owen Edwards

 

Programme 2

1. Sweetheart (from Maytime) – Adele Leigh, and, Ivor Emmanuel, with Richard Benson and his Orchestra

2. Rose-Marie (from Rose-Marie) – Edmund Hockridge

3. You Are Beautiful (from Flower Drum Song) – Jim Smilie, with Orchestra conducted by Gordon Langford

4. You Are Love (from Showboat) – Janis Kelly, and, Jason Howard, with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards

5. You Were Meant For Me (from Singin’ In The Rain) – John Gardner conducting the Romantic Strings Orchestra, and Voices

6. You’re Getting To Be A Habit With Me (from 42nd Street) – The Dreamers  with Hank Levine and his Orchestra

7. I Believe In You (from How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying) – Jo Stafford, Warren Covington, and the Pied Pipers, with Paul Weston and his Orchestra

8. A Bushel And A Peck (from Guys And Dolls) – Miriam Wilkinson with Orchestra conducted by James Walker

9. Leaning On A Lamp Post (from Me And My Girl) – David Kernan

10. It Might As Well Be Spring (from State Fair) – Margaret Whiting, with David Whitaker, and his Orchestra

11. I Can’t Get Started (from Ziegfeld Follies Of 1936) – Judy Collins

12. My Funny Valentine (from Pal Joey) – Judy Collins

13. I Will Wait For You (from The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg) – Mary Carewe

14. Adelaide’s Lament (from Guys And Dolls) – Barbara Dickson, with Orchestra conducted by Del Newman

15. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire (from High Society) – Carl Wayne, and, Tracy Collier

16. Young And Healthy (from 42nd Street) – Jim Baynes, with Leslie Lewis and his Orchestra

17. The Black Hills Of Dakota (from Calamity Jane) – Gemma Craven

18. I Just Can’t Wait To Be King (from The Lion King) – Joss Jones, with the Gordon Lorenz Singers

19. On This Night Of A Thousand Stars (from Evita) – Carl Wayne

20. You’re The One That I Want (from Grease) – John Coleman and his Orchestra, with the Lords and Ladybirds

 

 

On the sleeve notes for this disc Alisa Endsley’s name is given as Alisa Ainsley, this mistake seems to have been repeated in a few other places (on the web).

 

The track Telephone Song comes from the JAY/TER recording of Cabaret.

The track It’s Delovely comes from JAY/TER’s recording of Anything Goes (Recording) – Website Recommended Album, which Simon Green, Paul Manuel also appeared on; This also involved The National Symphony Orchestra, with maestro John Owen Edwards.

Irfan Ahmad, Gillian Bevan, Clare Burt, Jacqueline Dankworth, Maria Friedman, Claire Moore, Caroline O’Connor, Tinuke Olafimihan, and, Gay Soper’s recording credits include Centre Stage Showtime; This also involved The National Symphony Orchestra, with maestros John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates.

Irfan Ahmad, Gillian Bevan, Graham Bickley, Clare Burt, Kim Criswell, Jacqueline Dankworth, Julian Forsyth, Doug LaBrecque, Claire Moore, Katrina Murphy, Caroline O’Connor, Paul Robinson, Gay Soper, and, Elisabeth Welch’s recording credits include Magic Of The Musicals; This also involved The National Symphony Orchestra, with maestros Craig Barna, John Owen Edwards, Stuart Pedlar, and, Martin Yates.

Gillian Bevan, Clive Carter, David Kernan, Diane Langton, and, Claire Moore may have appeared in Comedy Tonight

Gillian Bevan, Lorna Dallas, Maria Friedman, Simon Green, David Kernan, Claire Moore, and, Trevor Peacock appeared in Kids At Heart, which Paul Greenwood, and, Elisabeth Welch may possibly have appeared in. Stuart Pedlar was a musician on it.

Gillian Bevan appeared in Blood Brothers, and, The Boys From Syracuse.

Gillian Bevan, and, Gay Soper appeared in the Regents Park 70th Anniversary Gala.

Gillian Bevan, Clare Burt, Maria Friedman, Simon Green, David Kernan, and, Claire Moore may have taken part in Thing A Thon.

Gillian Bevan, Barry Bostwick, Len Cariou, Kim Criswell, Jacqueline Dankworth, Gregg Edelman, Maria Friedman, Diane Langton, Paul Manuel, Claire Moore, Caroline O’Connor, Tinuke Olafimihan, and, Elisabeth Welch’s recording credits include 100 Hits Musicals; This also involved The National Symphony Orchestra, and, The RSC Orchestra; with maestros Craig Barna, John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates.

Graham Bickley appeared in The Pirates Of Penzance (Stage Production), and its various galas: The Pirates Of Penzance (Royal Gala Performance), The Pirates Of Penzance (Royal Gala Preview), The Pirates Of Penzance (Benefit Preview).He has since appeared in Mexican Hayride.

Graham Bickley, Lorna Dallas, and, Diane Langton appeared in The Royal Variety Performance (1982).

Graham Bickley, Barry Bostwick, and, Don Stephenson’s recording credits include The Best Of Broadway Musicals; This also involved The National Symphony Orchestra, with maestros Craig Barna, John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates.

Graham Bickley, Wayne Bryan, Clare Burt, Kim Criswell, David Green, Claire Moore, Ann Morrison, Katrina Murphy, Tinuke Olafimihan, and, Don Stephenson’s recording credits include Encore – The Very Best From The Musicals; This also involved The National Symphony Orchestra, with maestros Craig Barna, John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates.

Graham Bickley, Gregg Edelman, Janis Kelly, Paul Manuel, Katrina Murphy, and, Tinuke Olafimihan’s recording credits include Great Duets From The Musicals; This also involved The National Symphony Orchestra, with maestros John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates.

Graham Bickley, Clare Burt, Gregg Edelman, Diane Langton, Katrina Murphy, and, Elisabeth Welch’s recording credits include Cole Porter – Night And Day; This also involved The National Symphony Orchestra, with maestros John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates. Which also included the same versions of It’s Delovely, and, Why Can’t You Behave.

Graham Bickley, Clare Burt, Kim Criswell, Gregg Edelman, Doug LaBrecque, Paul Manuel, Claire Moore, Katrina Murphy, Caroline O’Connor, and, Tinuke Olafimihan’s recording credits include Simply Musicals; This also involved The National Symphony Orchestra, with maestros Craig Barna, John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates.

Graham Bickley, Kim Criswell, The Gordon Lorenz Singers, Joss Jones, Diane Langton, Claire Moore, Caroline O’Connor, and, Tinuke Olafimihan’s recording credits include The Great Musicals – Wonderful Tales; This also involved The National Symphony Orchestra, and, The RSC Orchestra; with maestros Del Newman, John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates. This included a completely different version of Rose-Marie..

Graham Bickley, Kim Criswell, Lorna Dallas, The Gordon Lorenz Singers, Katrina Murphy, Jim Smilie, and, Carl Wayne’s recording credits include The Great Musicals – Glamour & Majesty; This also involved The National Symphony Orchestra, with maestros Craig Barna, John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates.

Graham Bickley, Mary Carewe, Lorna Dallas, Ivor Emmanuel, Edmund Hockridge, Jason Howard, Janis Kelly, Doug LaBrecque, Adele Leigh, Katrina Murphy, Caroline O’Connor, Don Stephenson, Carl Wayne, and, Elisabeth Welch’s recording credits include The Great Musicals – Dashing Heroes, Blushing Maidens; This also involved The Gordon Langford Orchestra, The National Symphony Orchestra, and, The Richard Benson Orchestra; with maestros Richard Benson, Gordon Langford, John Owen Edwards, James Walker, and, Martin Yates.

Clare Burt, Mary Carewe, Judy Collins, Gemma Craven, Kim Criswell, Lorna Dallas, Barbara Dickson, Ivor Emmanuel, The Gordon Lorenz Singers, Edmund Hockridge, Adele Leigh, Tinuke Olafimihan, and, Carl Wayne’s recording credits include The Greatest Musicals Of The 20th Century; This also involved The Gordon Langford Orchestra, The National Symphony Orchestra, and, The Richard Benson Orchestra; with maestros Richard Benson, Gordon Langford, Del Newman, John Owen Edwards, James Walker, and, Martin Yates. This album includes the same versions of Adelaide’s Lament, and, On This Night Of A Thousand Stars.

Clare Burt, and, Simon Green appeared in A Love Letter To Dan.

Clare Burt, Mary Carewe, Gemma Craven, Kim Criswell, Lorna Dallas, Jacqueline Dankworth, Barbara Dickson, Gregg Edelman, The Gordon Lorenz Singers, David Kernan, Doug LaBrecque, Diane Langton, Anthony Newley, and, Elisabeth Welch’s recording credits include The Great Musicals – Laughter And Tears; This also involved The National Symphony Orchestra, with maestros Craig Barna, John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates. This album includes the same version of Leaning On A Lamppost.

Mary Carewe, Lorna Dallas, David Kernan, and, Paul Robinson may have appeared in Broadway To Brighton, which Stuart Pedler was a musician on.

Mary Carewe, Maria Friedman, David Kernan, and, Diane Langton appeared in Chicago & Company, which Stuart Pedlar was a musician on.

Mary Carewe, Maria Friedman, Simon Green, David Kernan, Claire Moore, and, Elisabeth Welch appeared in A Time To Start Living.

Len Cariou appeared in Ziegfeld (stage show) and on Ziegfeld (Recording).

Len Cariou, Kim Criswell, Julian Forsyth, Maria Friedman, Simon Green, Janis Kelly, Paul Manuel, Caroline O’Connor, Tinuke Olafimihan, and, Don Stephenson’s recording credits include The History Of The Musical; This also involved The National Symphony Orchestra, with maestros Craig Barna, John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates.

Len Cariou, Kim Criswell, Doug LaBrecque, Katrina Murphy, and, Caroline O’Connor’s recording credits include The Best Of The Musicals; This also involved The National Symphony Orchestra, with maestros Craig Barna, John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates. This album includes the same version of Something’s Coming.

Clive Carter has previously appeared in My Fair Lady, and, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (York Production), and, may have appeared in Dear Ralph.

Clive Carter, and, Gay Soper took part in Shopping With The Stars 2009.

Kim Criswell appeared in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, her radio credits include Let ‘Em Eat Cake.

Kim Criswell, Gregg Edelman, David Green, Katrina Murphy, and, Tinuke Olafimihan’s recording credits include On The Town; This also involved The National Symphony Orchestra, with maestro John Owen Edwards.

Lorna Dallas appeared in Happily Ever After, and, CLIC’s 18th Birthday Celebration, her radio credits include Let’s Do The Show Right Here.

Lorna Dallas, and, David Kernan appeared in the Side By Side By Sondheim 25th Anniversary Gala, which Stuart Pedlar was a musician on.

Jacqueline Dankworth, and, Maria Friedman, and, Louise Gold appeared in Merrily We Roll Along (Stage Production), and are featured on the associated album Merrily We Roll Along (Recording).

Jacqueline Dankworth, Claire Moore, Caroline O’Connor, Tinuke Olafimihan, and, Gay Soper’s recording credits include Let’s Go On With The Show – Hit Songs From The West End & Broadway; This also involved The National Symphony Orchestra, with maestro John Owen Edwards.

Shaun Escoffrey, and, Simon Green appeared in Flaunt It 2008.

Maria Friedman, Simon Green, David Kernan, and, Claire Moore may have appeared in Will-Aid.

Maria Friedman, David Kernan, and, Jim Smilie’s radio credits include Sondheim At The Barbican.

Simon Green, Alison Jiear, David Kernan, and, Gay Soper appeared in the Side By Side By Sondheim 30th Anniversary Gala.

David Kernan appeared in Side By Side By Sondheim, Noel/Cole: Let’s Do It, and, The Radio 2 Arts Programme Chichester Festival 1994 and on the album Noel/Cole: Let’s Do It (Recording).

Diane Langton appeared in Follies, and Mary Poppins, her recording credits include Defiant Dames.

Katrina Murphy’s recording credits include Stop The World I Want To Get Off, which also involved The National Symphony Orchestra with maestro Martin Yates; and for which Anthony Newley had written the lyrics.

Gay Soper had previously appeared in a concert of highlights from the Ratepayers Iolanthe & Metropolitan Mikado, where the orchestra was conducted by John Owen Edwards.

Gay Soper had previously appeared in The Soap Opera, whose score was played by its composer Martin Yates.

Gay Soper appeared at Dress Circle Grand Reopening.

Carl Wayne’s television credits include doing voices (as a backing singer) on Spitting Image.

It is not known whether the John Coleman conducting on this album could be the same person as the orchestrator for The Dark Crystal.

Gordon Langford played at Hubert Gregg’s Memorial Service.

John Owen Edwards had previously conducted the orchestra for The Metropolitan Mikado.

 

Review

by Emma Shane, October 2010

Yet another of misfit songs bundled together on a compilation album, on this occasion part of a series produced by The Readers Digest. The title of this compilation From Broadway To Hollywood indicates that the songs are likely to be largely from musicals that are both stage and film musicals. In some cases the film version came first, and in others vice versa. However, the actual recordings used in these compilations are generally not from either the film versions nor the original Broadway versions. Many of the recordings come from the JAY/TER catalogue of studio cast albums. Some of these are entirely satisfactory renditions of them, while others fail to cut the mustard.

The album gets off to a very good start with a wonderful Harry Warren & Al Dubin song There’s A Sunny Side To Every Situation; which is one of those songs from their other Warner Brothers Busby Berkley musicals that was interpolated into the stage version of 42nd Street; and a very good thing it was for it’s a wonderful song, and very suitable both for the era in which it was written and indeed any financial recession. It is also very seldom included on compilation albums. This is followed very well by the Telephone Dance from Cabaret under John Owen Edwards’s masterful baton. Though this is one of the least distinctive numbers in that score. One can just about pick out the uncredited voices of Maria Friedman and Gregg Edelman, but trying to pick out the voices of any of the other chorus girls in it is well neigh impossible. A good standard of performance continues to be maintained with The Oldest Established Permanent Floating Crap Game from Guys and Dolls, but after that things begin to drop.

Quite a few of the numbers of this disc are of the sort where they are satisfactory, but do not really do the songs concerned justice.  These include: Something’s Coming (which seems a bit dull), It’s Delovely (well the song was written for Ethel Merman and Bob Hope to sing in Red Hot & Blue and never quite sits so well interpolated into Anything Goes as a duet for the juvenile leads as it does in it’s original context, as it doesn’t get sung by a woman with the sort of voice Cole Porter intended it to be sung with), Spring Spring Spring (nothing wrong with this number, but after hearing what a certain Muppeteer did with an excerpt from this song on a quiz show, no version could quite match that), A Bushel And A Peck (Miriam Wilkinson is adequate, but somehow not a patch of Kim Criswell), Young And Healthy (well Jim Baynes isn’t exactly Dick Powell, but its still a good song), and, The Black Hills Of Dakota (Gemma Craven is ok, but well she’s not Doris Day. The performance lacks verve and spirit. If only the 1994 Leicester Haymarket production had been made into an album, sadly it wasn’t). While Be Back Soon is actually a good performance by Irfan Ahmed and Julian Forsyth, under John Owen Edwards’s baton, something about the music, but during the final bars the image flashed into my mind of a certain lady with a hat barrow on the Drury Lane stage. It must’ve been a good performance of the piece to make me think of that.

Then there are the numbers which while not perhaps completely terrible are rather irritating. This include: Snooky Ookums (Apart from the fact that Judy Garland was a hard act to follow, it doesn’t help that there have been some lyric alterations, and Elisabeth Welch’s performance just doesn’t seem to put this song across very well), I’m A Bad Bad Man (Barry Bostwick is one of those singers, like John Raitt and Tyne Daly, who has a tendency to some very peculiar diction at times, and Irving Berlin songs often need to be pronounced properly in order to make sense), I Can’t Get Started (I’ve never heard this song before, and if this recording is indicative of it I don’t think it has much going for it), Adelaide’s Lament (one has to ask what on earth Barbara Dickson was doing with it, give me Kim Criswell or Faith Prince any day).While as for You Were Meant For Me, and , You’re Getting To Be A Habit With Me both are classic songs but here they’ve been rearranged to death, but worst of all is the final number on the album a most peculiar arrangement of You’re The One That I Want.

However it is not all bad news, scattered around there are a few treasures. Easy Street (excellently performed by Kim Criswell, Alison Jiear, and Clive Carter delivers the goods, though I would rather have had NYC because its a better song from that show), Diane Langton’s Why Can’t You Behave (actually better than Ann Miller, and nearly as good a Lois as Kim Criswell), Rose Marie (finds Edmund Hockridge at his best, even if you love Howard Keel’s recording of that song, you will find that Edmund Hockridge is almost as good with this number), You Are Love (Janis Kelly and Jason Howard actually do a better job of this song than Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel did in the film), and Leaning On A Lamppost (is expertly delivered to perfection by David Kernan).

So all in all is this album worth getting? Well, as usually with these things, it can make for satisfactory background music, and the sleeve notes are surprisingly informative about the origins of the songs, but most of the tracks (including the better ones) probably appear on slightly easier to get hold of albums, although it has to be said they don’t turn up so much on compilation albums.

 

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