Elly Stone, Mort Shuman - Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (1966 Original Off-Broadway Cast)
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Music Reviews of Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (1966 Original Off-Broadway Cast)
Music Review: Brel was Alive & Well in Paris, but Not On This Disc !
Rating: 1 Stars
In 1967 Brel stopped doing concert tours, giving rise to the title of this off-broadway revue based on his songs, which opened Jan. 22, 1968 at the Village Gate in Greenwich Village.
Unfortunately many of these songs translated just a phrase or two from the original Brel song and then went on to write entirely new lyrics that went far afield of Brel's original songs and lacked the stunning poetic beauty and raw emotional power of the original songs.
I believe the glowing references to Mort Shuman and Eric Blau's translations were written by people who don't know much French and were not very familiar with the original songs. What this revue amounts to is a set of American songs that may have been inspired by Brel but bear little relation to the powerful poetic songs Brel wrote.
That the production was very successful in its own right (2000 performances!) is perhaps a testament to the wit and abilities of the Schuman/Blau team. However, these performances leave the knowledgeable Brel fan hugely disappointed, and it leaves American audiences with a very distorted view of what Brel's lyrics and music were really like.
Much better English translations of 40 Brel songs were published last year with the release of a new 2-disc compilation "Infiniment", but be careful because only the 2004 release on DRG records contains the translation, not the 2003 release on Universal. The ASIN number for the DRG release with English translations is: B0002PUHGU. The translations were done by Thelma F. Blitz.
For those who wish to use the original French songs to improve their knowledge of French, I recommend the book of all his French lyrics, "Jacques Brel, Oeuvre Integrale" published by Robert Laffont S.A. in 1982 (ISBN 2-221-01068-X or -8).
Music Review: If You Want to Hear Jacque Brel, Buy Jacque Brel Hisself!
Rating: 2 Stars
This CD is interesting and a "noble effort".....but mediocre. I admit, I couldn't do what the writers of this CD did: take great music and lyrics in French, pretend to translate Brel's French into English---English words that have little if anything to do with the original French, and then "sell" the effort to the unknowing English speaking public as "the work of Jacques Brel." I knew something was very wrong right at the beginning of this CD when the cast sings Brel's "Les/ Fla/mandes" which is actually about "The Flemish Women"....and they sing instead "Mar/a/thon", "Mar/a/thon". What does "Mar/a/thon" have to do with "Les/ Fla/mandes" except that both words have 3 "beats" or 3 syllables and thus they both can fit into Brel's music? I ask you, why don't you buy Brel...the REAL Brel...the REAL THING? His actual renditions of his OWN SONGS are 100 times "greater" than anything on this CD. Gratitude is due to the cast and writers of this CD because you probably never would have heard about Brel except for this show. But, now that you are at least this close to the REAL Brel, WHY NOT GO ALL THE WAY AND BUY AN ACTUAL CD OF BREL HIMSELF SINGING HIS OWN SONGS IN FRENCH WITH GREAT PASSION AND FEELING? The CD entitled "Infiniment" is recently out----buy the 2004 non-imported edition of "Infiniment" because that is the ONLY CD that has English translations for any of Brel's lyrics---do NOT buy the 2003 Imported edition because there are no translations included. (...)Email:boland7214@aol.Music Review: Sparkling, engaging music, spirited lyrics, smart cast
Rating: 5 Stars
Introduced to "Alive and well" in a college production in fall 1972, this album has captivated me for years, from young adulthood to middle age. The music is timeless, the energy is magnificent, the translated lyrics are moving, irony-filled, funny, spiteful, insightful and a whole lot more.With this superb four-person cast, supported by a small number of instruments, the voices and lyrics make this a full-bodied hit. Mort Shuman's "Amsterdam," Brel's dedication to the night life in the port of the Dutch city, haunts and enlivens me. His "Next", a sad memory of his first sexual encounter, provided gratis by the army, makes it clear why he never wants to be "next" ever again. Elly Stone's voice leaves me near tears. Shawn Elliott and Alice Whitfield have slightly smaller roles and receive lesser accolades, but their contributions are memorable and make the production full, rich and well-rounded. The closing, "If we only have love," is a tribute to the author and to the cast. With 23 stylish numbers, this CD is one you can play endlessly, enjoying. Adding "The middle class" to this version is not only a nice 'extra', it is one of the best numbers, a memorable tribute to the terror of first despising the middle class, only to later find you are part of it, and despised as well.
These are 'show tunes' in the best sense of the term, and although there is no linear plot to follow, the music makes the show one worth repeating. Enjoy!
Music Review: Still alive!
Rating: 5 Stars
I first heard Brel's music around 1971, when I was too much of a young stripling to understand much of what he wrote and sang about. But something in his music hooked me. Perhaps its sad joyfullness, which resonated with my adolescent psyche. Perhaps the sexiness and rebelliousness, which resonated there as well. I picked up the album later. And when I met my future wife, I was surpised to find that she was also a fan -- a happy and unexpected coincidence.
Brel's music is a bit dated, and its gentle, folksy melodies are out of synch with our more persussive age. But due to the constancy of the human experience, Brel retains much of his freshess. "Carousel," decrying the ever-more rapid pace of modern life, certainly has much to say about the way we cell-phone-wielding, internetted human beings find ourselves trapped on a carousel of work, consumerism and responsibility. "And then we go around" indeed. There are heavy songs of love and loss ("Alone") as well as naked idealism ("If We Only Have Love") and bitingly-humorous swipes at egoistic lovers ("Madeleine").
After not having heard "Jaques Brel is alive and well" for the better part of twenty years, this upgrade to a well-mastered CD was a welcome change from the scratched LP from which I last heard these songs. "Vive" Brel and "vive" his world-weary, optimistic eye and his vulnerable, musical heart.
Music Review: Jacques Brel Cast Album can never be replaced...a 'Must Have'
Rating: 5 Stars
On a Sunday afternoon, I was dragged to the Village Gate to see this show for the first time over 35 years ago. Thus began an odyssey for me that changed my life forever. I bought a ginger ale at the bar, sat down and listened for two hours as my life was morphed. I listened to Brel and learned about love, happiness, despair, sorrow, gut-wrenching pain, delight, and in the end, hope. And I cried...oh did I cry. And I myself fell in love. And I would come back to the Village Gate every weekend, sometimes twice a weekend (yes, you're reading this right) until I lost track when I saw the show well over 100 times. And I was there in 1972 at its final performance, when Elly Stone got up and sang once again. And that Fall, I was also at the Royale Theatre on opening night when it was resurected. Elly Stone and Brel have been close to me in many ways since that time and I miss them both. It's my fault I don't see Elly more, but that's another long story. Buy this disc, and experience something you can't get today from the junk that popular music pretends to market to America. This is the soul of music. This is what life is about. Brel understood it all. Blau and Shuman knew how to work it. And Elly Stone will transfix you if you really listen to her. LISTEN to 'Old Folks', 'Marieke', 'I' Loved', 'My Death', and so many more. Amazing.