Annie Get Your Gun

Wonderful. Simply wonderful. Of course, having never heard any other recordings i cannot be said to be the definitive judge, but i can assure all prospective buyers that I have got a great deal of enjoyment out of this light larking piece, and would certainly reccomend it to any musical fan. In some ways it, like Cole Porter's Kiss Me Kate which dates from a similar period, is a breath of fresh air from the soaring romantic musicals of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Dont get me wrong, I adore R+H's work, but the music in many of their most popular shows, (South Pacific comes to mind, as does The King and I) is so powerful and overwhelmingly beautiful, that is is almost a relief to listen to this lighter, less serious piece, which to my mind echos back to an earlier era in Broadway history. The fun, catchy music, combined with the wonderful lyrics, help to make this piece the master piece it really is. Ethel Merman, who, i must admit is not my favorite Broadway performer, is superb; she was born to sing this part. Ray Middleton is slightly dissapointing, but nevertheless good. The overall feeling of the piece is especially well captured in such songs as: "You Can't Get A Man With A Gun", "There's No Business like Show Business", "Moonshine Lullaby", and "I got the Sun In The Morning". The bonus tracks are also delightful- "An Old Fashioned Wedding"is especially good. Overall this fun, sunshiny piece truly deserves all the fame it acquired and is a must for any serious musical fan.

Annie Get Your Gun has always been one of my favorite Broadway musicals. Ethel Merman definitely brings it to its best. All (or at least most) of the songs have enough bounce in them to interest me and my little sisters and to cause my dad to start singing like Ethel Merman. Even the slow songs are good, especially "I Got Lost In His Arms". My favorite is "I Got The Sun In The Morning" because the lyrics are original and the tune 9is catchy, but among the other good ones are 'Doin' What Comes Natur'lly", "You Can't Get a Man With a Gun", "Colonel Buffalo Bill", "I'm An Indian Too' and "Moonshine Lullaby".

Another good thing about this CD is that it left in all the songs that the 1950 movie cut like "I Got Lost in His Arms", "Moonshine Lullaby", "I'm A Bad, Bad Man", "An Old Fashioned Wedding", and part of "There's No Business Like Show Business". ALso cut and changed in the movie was "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly" and "I'm An Indian Too", which was much better in it's full version.

If you want a good original Broadway musical you should definitely get this CD. Ethel Merman rules, and she really put everything she had into the songs. Well done!

For Broadway aficianados, this CD is a must-have. Berlin and Merman together. What could be better? Well, to be honest, the 1966 revival CD is better. Stereo sound, lusher orchestrations, a better playmate for Ethel (Bruce Yarnell), and Merman in what might be the best recordings she ever made. But for historical purposes, put this one in your library as well.