Gershwin - Girl Crazy [Soundtrack]

 

 

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Some people value the "integrated" musical, like "Oklahoma," in which the songs emerge from character and advance the plot. But the disintegrated kind can be a lot more fun. "Girl Crazy" is a wonderfully nonserious musical -- the "plot" is just an excuse for the numbers, a setting for some priceless Gershwin jewels. Unlike today's hit musicals, which yield at most a single semi-memorable tune, "Girl Crazy" is packed with brilliant songs that became standards. The overture alone is enough to cause blindness and insanity. For the kinda guy I'm, "Girl Crazy" is an essential and irreplaceable CD.

I suppose when I get a few more listenings in to this fabulously reconditioned bit of Americana, I'll think the rating to be 5 stars instead of 4, as was the case with my ultimate love of the Gershwins' "Oh, Kay" under these same auspices involving the Library of Congress. The tracks did not all sink in as they're starting to now, the first night I listened to this version of "Girl Crazy", but then I'm of the generation with short attention spans, raised on a diet of TV and action movies. I was first exposed to the notion of the Gershwins' musical comedies in 1980, when I bought an LP that appears now to be out of print, called "Gershwin on Broadway". This was at about the time of Woody Allen's "Manhattan", when I was only aware of "Rhapsody in Blue" and "Porgy and Bess". The record had six overtures, one after another, and it became something I'd listen to over and over on a monaural cassette player in the car. Giving a listen now, the music seems to pop up again and again, in contexts across the media spectrum, and the tale of the musical numbers themselves, indeed, is one of genuine "platform independence". In this particular CD, we have a real conservation effort and resultant treat on our hands, presented in full DDD format. The music vendors might call it "classical music", and I suppose there are some of the old Vaudeville-styled antics involved. But rather than being stuffy or staid, we have instead something of the real Gershwin Bros. and their production teams from the 1920's and 1930's, brought back from an entirely different time, when we were still chewing on the Old Deal. I suppose I date myself when the only voice impression in the "But Not for Me" reprise I don't instantly recognize is that of Eddie Cantor, but gosh, the folks that were out and about in those days were as young once as today's head-bangers and trend-setters. It is hard to believe, from some of the subject matter, that these songs are supposed to be set in Arizona, especially when we have on hand reminders of the "Barbary Coast" in San Francisco and NYC in "Goldfarb, That's I'm". It is also hard to read Mickey Rooney out of the role of Danny Churchill from his 1943 screen version of this show, but then I would have had a hard time redacting Ethel Merman from the original cast as well, had I ever seen her live. The musical stage, as first envisioned, was a place for the human spirit to run amok and find its authentic home, amid the good-natured and the sincere. The orchestral content of this soundtrack alone is enough to give the scurrying citizen of the 00's a taste of what it was like to scurry about in the '30's. I've now got 25 years in which "I've Got Rhythm" and "Embraceable You" have been in my head but now, we are treated to a fine slice of the stage as it once so fully was, in giving this gift to the heritage of America. You can't go wrong with Gershwin.

As with so many Broadway shows, the story behind Girl Crazy is concerned with the quest for love and romance built into a thin story. The setting of Girl Crazy in Arizona provided a more exotic locale for 1930's America. What makes Girl Crazy so memorable are the songs: "Embraceable You," "Sam and Delilah," "Could You Use Me?," "Barbary Coast," " But Not For Me" and "I Got Rhytm." This is a well-cast recording of Girl Crazy with Lorna Luft (a daughter of Judy Garland) as Kate, Judy Blazer as Molly and Frank Gorshin as Gieber Goldfarb, to mention a few. The "But Not For Me" routine where Mr. Gorshin does several impression is truly wonderful. The vocal quartet singing "Biddin' My Time" are fabulous.

The orchestra, conducted by John Mauceri, play with real affection. They sound a bit muffled, as if they were playing in an orchestra pit, which may be an attempt for accuracy. The voices are loud and clear. This was the first complete recording of Girl Crazy made with the cooperation of the Library of Congress. The accompanying booklet is highly informative about the musical, the Gershwins and the orchestrators who expanded George Gershwin's musical ideas for the stage. This is a very special recording that is a great introduction to the musicals of the Gershwins.

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5.0 out of 5 stars LORNA LUFT...AWSOME
This is the best cast album of "Girl Crazy" to buy...you will not be dissapointed! Sound quality is superb with lush orchastrations....everyone in the cast is GREAT! Read more

Published on July 27 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars Gershwin's Finest Done to a T
I have all the albums in this series. But "Girl Crazy," which kicked off the series, is by far the best. Read more

Published on Jan 9 2002 by Kockenlocker

5.0 out of 5 stars Gershwin's Finest Done to a T
I have all the albums in this series. But "Girl Crazy," which kicked off the series, is by far the best. Read more

Published on Jan 9 2002 by Kockenlocker

5.0 out of 5 stars Forget the Hollywood soundtrack and grab this one!
This cd is a must for anyone who loves 1930's music and/or George Gershwin. This is the complete restored broadway musical with all of the numbers as they were originally... Read more

Published on April 25 2000 by Jmark2001

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