Friday, April 04, 2008

Doin' the Friday Shuffle

1. "See Me, Feel Me" - Pete Townsend - Tommy (Original Broadway Cast)
I'm always surprised by how much of the Who's signature sound survived the transition to Broadway.

2. "That Kind of a Neigborhood" - Stephen Sondheim - Saturday Night (World Premiere Cast Recording)
Sondheim's first score, which would have premiered before West Side Story had one of the backers not died, is easily his most traditionally Broadway-sounding. This is a fun, upbeat number featuring some barbershop-style slow harmonizing in the middle.

3. "I Know Things Know" - Stephen Sondheim - Into the Woods (Original Broadway Cast)
A great "I've learned a lesson" song sung by Red Riding Hood after her encounter with the wolf. "Nice is different than good" is a motto to live by.



4. "Baby Pictures" - Elvis Costello - Punch the Clock
Piano-heavy, old-styled rock.

5. "Never Broken" - Cassandra Wilson - Travelling Miles
I've never been able to really get into this Wilson album, for some reason.

6. "Act 2, Scene 4 'Who will walk with me' " - Jake Heggie - Dead Man Walking
Heartbreaking aria, as Sister Prejean looks in vain for someone to help her get through watching the execution.

7. "The Other Side of Summer" - Elvis Costello - Mighty as a Rose (Bonus Disc)
An acoustic, live version of Costello's Beach Boys homage.

8. "Sanctus" - Requiem - Mozart
Big choral sound at its best.

9. "20th Century Fox Fanfare" - Alfred Newman - Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope
Classic.



10. "The Ballad of Floyd Collins (Reprise) - Adam Guettel - Floyd Collins (Original Cast Recording)
A beautiful, heartbreaking ballad - acoustic guitar and a half sad/half angry voice singing about Collins' impending death.

Until Whenever

2 comments:

Roger Owen Green said...

I think I know what you mean about Travelin' Miles. I don't dislike it, but it feels at arm's length, somehow.

Tosy And Cosh said...

I wonder if I just haven't given it a fair shake, but based on your corraborating evidence, maybe not.