Ira Gershwin - Girl Crazy (1951 Studio Cast)
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Artist: Ira GershwinComposer: George Gershwin
Conductor: George Gershwin
Performer: Mary Martin
Performer: Louise Carlyle
Performer: Eddie Chappell
Edition: Music CD
Format: Cast Recording, Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 1998-11-10
Music Label: Sony
Soundtracks:
- Overture
- The Lonesome Cowboy
- Bidin' My Time
- Could You Use Me
- Bronco Busters
- Barbary Coast
- Embraceable You
- Sam And Delilah
- I Got Rhythm
- But Not For Me
- Treat Me Rough
- Boy! What Love Has Done To Me
- Cactus Time In Arizona
- Finale
- But Not For Me
Music reviews of Girl Crazy (1951 Studio Cast)
Music Review: A Boatload of Bad Artistic Decisions Can't Sink the Talent Employed
Rating: 4 Stars
As most fans of the Broadway musical are well aware, "Girl Crazy" set some sort of record for all around excellence - between "Showboat" and "Oklahoma" it's probably the best musical going. Written right at the beginning of that "Other" Depression, it's marvelous music easily tops my list of favorite American musicals. Most song writers would consider it the highlight of a career to write any one of half a dozen of the songs from "Girl Crazy" - songs such as "I Got Rhythm", "Embraceable You", "But Not For Me", and "Bidin' My Time". Backing up George's music and Ira's lyrics the show enjoyed master orchestrator Robert Russell Bennett's arrangements. (He of Victory at Sea fame.)
Sadly, recordings of this unbeatable score have been forever plagued by compromises.
This nicely restored 1951 Mary Martin version, featuring an 'updated' smaltzy score for the fifties, is one of four albums of musicals that pre-dated the long-playing record Martin recorded for Columbia President Goddard Lieberson in 1950 and 1951. (The other three are Cole Porter's "Anything Goes"; Dietz and Schwartz's "The Band Wagon"; and Rogers and Hart's "Babes in Arms".) It's nearly impossible to explain to a modern audience just how popular Mary Martin was at this time in America. She had made a huge number of record hits, had already won two of the just-created Tonys, and was debuting on television. Martin was at the very pinnacle of her popularity and fame as the star of "South Pacific" and had yet to appear as Peter Pan. (For which she would receive an unprecedented third Tony Award, and a follow-up Emmy when a television version played to 65 million viewers on March 7th, 1955.)
These Columbia albums clearly are star vehicles for Columbia's star Mary Martin first; Gershwin and friends, second. As such the producers manhandled - to make a bad joke about one of Girl Crazy's funniest numbers - several songs for the musical's male cast into material for Mary Martin. Of course, she leaves no doubt why - she's that good - but it ruins any sense of what the musical as a whole was all about. The other singers are also extremely good; in fact the orchestra and chorus are equally fine - and given what's here it's all first rate as performance. Just that it's totally confusing, at times not at all what the Gershwin's were writing. All the beautiful voices and polished singing too often goes in place of what it should be as a sensible interpretation. Still, the samples give you a clear idea of what you're getting here, and thankfully so, as too often Amazon doesn't offer us a chance to listen before purchasing. If you really like Mary Martin you should definitely give this a listen!
Of course, most of us also are big fans of George Gershwin, and for his music as he wrote it one must turn with relief and thanks to a complete set of "Girl Crazy" conducted by John Mauceri in a real period style.Girl Crazy (1990 Studio Cast) Musical numbers sound right and period, and the stereo effects aren't excessive. One can follow along with the full story - and the booklet! Sensational! Easily worth the Cd price, one of the very best I've ever seen for any opera or musical. All this on but one Cd! It also correctly recreates the right way to sing the funny and totally delightful number, "Treat Me Rough".
Unfortunately the performers are far less vocally talented than those on the old Mary Martin album; after a short time one wishes we had a complete recording of the original cast, especially Ethel Merman in her first Broadway show, effortlessly belting out those big numbers, or Ginger Rogers insinuating a not so sly note of sex in her jazz-age syncopations. How so many people can listen to today's crop of second raters and praise them to the skies escapes me! And lets not go anywhere near the solo instrumentalists. In the original the orchestra pit had such luminaries as Benny Goodman playing a sax along with Pee Wee Russell, Glenn Miller was trombone, Band leader Red Nichols had Charlie Teagarden playing trumpet, there were a host of other great musicians and a very young Gene Krupa played drums. According to reports of the time, during intermissions the band would cut loose with a complete mini-show within a show.
So my advice is - grab both, the recent Nonesuch box set for its fabulous notes and completely restored original music, and the Mary Martin for examples of just how much the former doesn't enjoy in the way of pure talent. And to hear how some of these numbers sounded once many years ago at the very beginning of that 'other Depression' try seeking out a Cd of Ms Merman.
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