Search - Jonathan Larson :: The Best Of Rent: Highlights From The Original Cast Album (1996 Original Broadway Cast)

Almost Perfect Highlights: 4 and 1/2 Stars

01/09/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I saw four Broadway Musicals during the past two weeks, and I'm very lucky that one of them was Rent. This is one of the best and most popular musicals on Broadway, and excites and moves the audience like few musicals do. This highlights album is actually almost perfect. Despite what other people have written, there is only one good song, "Happy New Year", that is not included on the disc. This is too bad because the disc contains about 66 minutes of music (if you don't count the bonus track, the unnecessary Stevie Wonder version of "Seasons of Love"), leaving enough time for it. Oh well. I guess that's so people will have a reason to buy the double CD. But really, all you're missing from the double CD are a couple of forgettable songs (like "Christmas Bells" and "Halloween") and some tracks that are necessary only for plot development (e.g. the "Voicemail" numbers, which are similar to "Notes" from Phantom). An almost perfect album with a lot of good songs and a great cast!"

Missing Valuable Tracks

03/12/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Best of Rent CD was the first introduction that I had to Rent, and I loved it dearly (to the point where it got so scratched up I couldn't play it anymore), but after listening to the full-blown two CD version, I must say that some of the best songs were omitted, or severely cut down, on Highlights. For example, "Your Eyes" was cut from the Highlights list. In my opinion (and the opinion of several friends), this is one of the most powerful love songs on Broadway, much less the single rock opera from which it was derived. "Over the Moon", Maureen's infamous performance song, was also cut. "La Vie Bohem" was trimmed down, beginning with Mark's eulogy about the Bohemian spirit, instead of from the very beginning. Even then, bits of the end of "La Vie Bohem A" were cut, heading for a not-so-smooth transition into "I Should Tell You". The remaining songs are still good, however, but if you are looking to capture the full Rent spirit, get the full album. In the long run, it will save you money."

Missing Some Good Tracks from THE RENT

Matthew M. Yau | San Francisco, CA | 02/15/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I remember how THE RENT had rocked our our mind when it debutted in 1996. I flew to New York City for the debut. THE RENT had raised national attention on love and care issues for those who suffer from terminal sickness such as AIDS. The original THE RENT 2-CD set contains 42 tracks along with all coversations and scripts. This is merely a water-down version of the musical yet unfortunately misses some of the most valued tracks. Like many other Broadway muscials (i.e. Phantom of the Opera, Cats...) the music label decides to release a single CD "highlight" to satisfy those who don't want to pay for the complete musical. I'm surprised the compilation skips Maureen's infamous performance "Over the Moon". "Christmas Bells" is also missing from the compilation. If you're a die-hard musical lover and want to get the full spirit of THE RENT, you should get the original 2-CD set. On a side note, one of my favorite songs from the musical is "Seasons of Love". The compilation, however, skips the reprised version of "Seasons of Love". It touched my heart tremendously the first time I heard it performed live at the musical. Pay attention to the words and the message of love it delivers. "Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes...five hundred twenty five thousand moments so dear...five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes...how do you measure...measure a year?...""