Track Listings (20) - Disc #1| All Artists: Edith Adams, Gene DePaul, Johnny Mercer, Peter Palmer Title: Li'l Abner (1956 Original Broadway Cast) Members Wishing: 1 Total Copies: 0 Label: Sony Release Date: 5/28/2002 Album Type: Cast Recording, Original recording remastered Genres: Pop, Soundtracks, Broadway & Vocalists Styles: Vocal Pop, Musicals, Traditional Vocal Pop Number of Discs: 1 SwapaCD Credits: 1 UPC: 696998770027 |
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Search - Edith Adams, Gene DePaul, Johnny Mercer :: Li'l Abner (1956 Original Broadway Cast)
 | Edith Adams, Gene DePaul, Johnny Mercer Li'l Abner (1956 Original Broadway Cast) Genres: Pop, Soundtracks, Broadway & Vocalists
Such were the riches of a Broadway spoiled by the successes of Show Boat and Carousel in the 1950s that many a worthy show could get historically short shrift. That may well have been the case with the stage musical adapta... more » |
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Amazon.com Such were the riches of a Broadway spoiled by the successes of Show Boat and Carousel in the 1950s that many a worthy show could get historically short shrift. That may well have been the case with the stage musical adaptation of Al Capp's wildly popular syndicated comic strip, which had a run of nearly 700 performances starting in 1956. The show (music by Gene de Paul, lyrics by Johnny Mercer, book by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank) leaned smartly on Capp's hillbilly-humor-as-contemporary-satire bent, even if its well-crafted songs and score belied a musical sophistication that was anything but Ozarkian. Mercer's lyrics are playful and sharp (particularly on the political jab "The Country's in the Very Best of Hands"), and he and de Paul provide the show with both comic showstoppers (Stubby Kaye's "Jubilation T. Cornpone") and romantic ballads (highlighted by the zest of veteran trouper Edith Adams and newcomer Peter Palmer's "Namely You"). Previously released on CD only briefly in 1990, this newly restored and supplemented edition contains a wealth of rare materials: a rehearsal recording of the "Sadie Hawkins Day Ballet," a rousing reprise of "Jubilation T. Cornpone," the brief "What's Good for General Bullmoose." There are also two songs cut before the show's opening: "The Way to a Man's Heart" and "It's a Nuisance Having You Around," performed by Percy Faith and Rosemary Clooney, respectively. The "Hawkins Day Ballet" and overture are both presented in their original '50s binaural recordings. --Jerry McCulley Similar CDs
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CD ReviewsPure Entertainment Jaime J. Weinman | Canada | 06/03/2002 (5 out of 5 stars) "At long last, this must-own recording is available in a properly remastered, easy-to-find CD. This is the kind of show Broadway doesn't have any more: Not a blockbuster, but a good solid hit that made money and kept audiences entertained for two years with jokes, great songs, smart staging and a perfect cast. Much of the fun of the show is preserved on producer Goddard Lieberson's Broadway cast recording, which has now been improved by the addition of 10 minutes' worth of material that didn't make it onto the LP, including the big ballet and an expanded version of the finale. There's also a lot of good stuff here that was dropped in the movie version, such as the biting "Oh, Happy Day" and the encore verses of "Jubilation T. Cornpone." Apart from the overture and ballet, the recording is in mono, but the sound is excellent nonetheless, with the engineers capturing all the detail of Phil Lang's raucous orchestrations. Above all, this recording is to be savored for Johnny Mercer's lyrics, perhaps the finest -- and certainly the funniest -- work of this master songwriter. This CD reissue features plenty of photos and notes, and the only quibble I have is that it doesn't feature a plot synopsis. But if you like musical comedy, you've got to have this CD." Kickapoo Joy Juice! James M. Shertzer | Winston-Salem, NC USA | 11/01/2002 (5 out of 5 stars) "It's great to have "Li'l Abner" back in print and sounding so good. Columbia has pulled the stops out, and the overhauled sound is excellent. What's unusual is the inclusion of some true stereo tracks. (Until now, only the soundtrack from the 1959 film version, with many of the same performers, had been released in stereo). "Abner" was the last Broadway cast LP recorded by Columbia in mono, but eager stereophile engineers (who would record "Bells Are Ringing" a few weeks later in the label's first complete stereo recording) mulitracked some of the "Abner" tracks. Wisely the numbers with vocals, recorded with orchestra on one channel and vocals on the other) were not used here and the original mono versions were retained. But there are full stereo versions of the show's Overture and, glory be!, "The Sadie Hawkins Ballet," recorded at a rehearsal session and included here for the first time. Other material has been slightly expanded, a song added after the Broadway opening is included and other Columbia artists' renditions of two songs cut from the score are here too. Johnny Mercer and Gene de Paul has worked together the previous year in Hollywood on "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," another project for choreographer Michael Kidd, and are in sharper form here. Too bad it was their final collaboration. The songs are true toe-tappers, and Mercer's lyrics are still as sharp as ever. Grand Americana and grand Broadway." Well worth the wait J. Marontate | windsor, ontario Canada | 07/08/2002 (5 out of 5 stars) "I have been hoping this CD would be re-released, as I missed it when it came out a decade or so ago, and my vinyl version has been worn out over the years. It was certainly worth the wait. Mercer's lyrics are top-notch, and the tunes are the kind that stay in your head long after you've heard them. The bonus material on this CD is loads of fun; hearing Rosemary Clooney croon a song cut from the show is a joy. I only wish that the lyrics to the other cut number, "The Way to a Man's Heart", had been included in the booklet. But, there are some nice publicity stills in the booklet, and an informative commentary as well. Any fan of either Al Capp's comic strip or Broadway shows will love this CD."
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