Stephen Schwartz - Pippin (A Decca Broadway Original Cast Album)
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CD Details
Artist: Stephen SchwartzEdition: Music CD
Format: Cast Recording, Extra tracks, Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 2000-09-26
Music Label: Decca Broadway
Soundtracks:
- Magic to Do
- I Guess I'll Miss the Man
- War Is a Science
- Glory
- Simple Joys
- No Time at All
- With You
- Spread a Little Sunshine
- Morning Glow
- On the Right Track
- Kind of Woman
- Extraordinary
- Love Song
- Corner of the Sky
- Finale
- I Guess I'll Miss the Man -- The Supremes (bonus track)
- Corner of the Sky -- The Jackson 5 (bonus track)
- Morning Glow -- Michael Jackson (bonus track)
Music reviews of Pippin (A Decca Broadway Original Cast Album)
Music Review: Extraordinary? Maybe not, but wonderful all the same...
Rating: 4 Stars
It is impossible to underestimate the importance of this show, on the other hand, it is very easy to give it credit for something that it does not have. Pippin is magical, eternally youthful and wonderfully joyful but it is still a very faulty show, and this cast recording certainly reflects its faults as well as its unique qualities. Surprisingly, it is not the storyline itself with which i have a problem. In that respect the show is witty and clever and almost revolutionary. One can easily see why its poignant message has appealed to so many, particularly in the seventies and why it is still a perenial favorite today. No, it is Schwartz' score with which i have at times had problems. I feel, (and i realize that many people will immediately hate me for saying this) that as a composer, Schwarz is anything but original. His music is certainly catchy and entertaining but it is dreadfully predictable and while many of his lyrical efforts are wonderful, they cannot rival those of the great broadway lyricists. In many ways, i think that Schwartz ushered in an era of simple, repetitious broadway scores, each of which have redeeming features but which simply aren't comparable with earlier efforts. There have been some wonderful musical compositions over the years particular in the grand and great musicals of the eighties, but generally the quality of the scores, particularly lyrically, has fallen.
But enough deep analysis, let us consider the positive aspects of this show and particularly of this recording. Ben Vereen's performance as the Leading player immediately comes to mind. The intensity and the energy which he brings to many of the songs is extraordinary; Magic to Do and Simple Joys are great song in themselves and don't need him to save them, but weaker musical moments such as Glory and On The Right Track benefit greatly from his unique quality. John Rubinstein gives an acceptable performance as Pippin; he is perhaps not extraordinary but does at least he does not ruin Corner of the Sky which is afterall the true jewel of the score. My personal favorite is Extraodinary, i love that song so much that almost anyone could sing it and i would still enjoy it. Jill Clayburgh's voice is admitedly weak but it is certainly not unpleasing; I Guess I'll Miss The Man is the most touching song on the recording and Kind of Woman is also enjoyable. Her duet with Rubinstein, Love Song, is just that, lovely. Leyland Palmer's Spread a Little Sunshine is wickedly amusing and oddly beautiful and Irene Ryan's No Time at All is a true showstopper. I always loved the idea of holding up signs with the words so the audience could sing along. War is A Science is also fun, particularly if you're in a light, jovial mood. In general i would say that the positive things about this show far outweigh its defects and would heartily reccomend it to any prospective buyer.
Description of Pippin (A Decca Broadway Original Cast Album)
A young man graduates from college and wonders how to find real meaning in his life. What's an heir to the 9th-century Holy Roman Empire to do? If you're Pippin, son of Charlemagne, you decide to dabble in war, sex, and politics before finally finding love. When Bob Fosse directed the original Broadway production of Pippin in 1972, he transformed what had originally been a relatively innocent college project for composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz into a burlesque filled with broad comedy, bawdy characters, and magical but dark situations. John Rubinstein (best known for his TV work and son of pianist Artur) plays the title character, and Ben Vereen kick-started his career (and won a Tony) as the narrator figure known as the Leading Player. Schwartz's combination of Godspell-like ensemble energy with various pop-rock styles makes for a snappy, tuneful score, including the soul-driven opener "Magic to Do," the soaring "Corner of the Sky," the lovely ballads "With You" and "Love Song," and the romping "No Time at All" (delivered with saucy conviction by The Beverly Hillbillies' Irene Ryan as Pippin's grandmother).While the original CD release was somewhat notorious for its lack of liner notes, the 2000 remastered release includes an essay on the show's creation, a detailed synopsis, and full lyrics, as well as three bonus tracks. Pippin was originally released on the Motown label, so some of its songs were cross-promoted by Motown stars: The Supremes deliver a conventional take on the gentle "I Guess I'll Miss the Man," the Jackson 5 deliver a blast of high-pop energy to "Corner of the Sky," and Michael Jackson solos on "Morning Glow." --David Horiuchi
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