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Notes & Reviews |
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I've always found this Broadway cast album of Cats to be the better of the two major official English recordings. No offense to the London cast album with Elaine Paige but there's just this extra spark on this version. I feel that the Andrew Lloyd Webber score is better served on this version, and I tend to like the cast in their roles quite well. Buckley's Grizabella is different from Elaine Paige's portrayal, and I think I'm rather fond of the melancholic timbre in her voice that suits the role. I'm a lso fond of Ken Page's 'Old Deuteronomy', as it's warm and personable, and it feels as embracing as the character he portrays. Terrence Mann's 'Tugger' is suitably flamboyant compared to Paul Nicholas and I rather like Harry Groener's 'Munkustrap'. Of th e supporting cast, I rather like Stephen Hanan's melancholic 'Gus' that frames his theatrical 'Growltiger'. I think this version of Cats benefits from the revisions that were made for Broadway, as well as better orchestrations. I tend to like the newer version of 'Mungojerrie' and 'Rumpelteazer' that were introduced in this production, and tend to prefer the Italian opera pastiche duet for 'Growltiger' and 'Griddlebone' over the original 'Ballad of Billy M'Caw'. Granted, I would have liked 'Mungojerrie ' and 'Rumpelteazer' to sing their number rather than 'Mistoffelees' singing it while they mime it. I also know that it cuts some of the dance music and the 'Pekes' and the 'Pollicles' sequence. Even despite these small demerits, I tend to think this is the better version of the two. Soundwise I notice that this remastered release is an improvement over the original Polydor and Geffen CDs. There has been talk about the 'loudness war' but thankfully Nick Webb remastered the recording for it to sound punc hy and clear without being compressed. The sound quality on this release makes the voices and instruments sound more defined, and I think it offers more depth compared to the previous, muffled CDs. And I notice a subtle widening of the sound stage so tha t the recording has more space to breathe in.
- Yi-Peng Li, 01/19/2010, Singapore Full title is: Cats [Original Broadway Cast]
Now and Forever! This is the show which launched the blockbuster musical movement and played 18 years on Broadway. The unsurpassed original Broadway cast recording features the sensational Betty Buckley and her unforgettable rendition of the worldwide phenomenon hit, Memory. |
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Tracks and Sound Clips 
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Act 1. Overture - 2:50
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Act 1. Prologue: Jellicle Songs For Jellicle Cats - 5:17
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Act 1. The Naming Of Cats - 3:01
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Act 1. The Invitation To The Jellicle Ball - 2:09
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Act 1. The Old Gumbie Cat - 3:48
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Act 1. The Rum Tum Tugger - 3:42
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Act 1. Grizabella: The Glamour Cat - 3:05
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Act 1. Bustopher Jones - 3:08
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Act 1. Mungojerrie And Rumpelteazer - 4:28
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Act 1. Old Deuteronomy - 4:02
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Act 1. The Jellicle Ball - 9:34
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Act 1. Grizabella: The Glamour Cat - 4:22
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Act 2. The Moments Of Happiness - 3:11
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Act 2. Gus: The Theatre Cat - 6:31
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Act 2. Growltiger's Last Stand - 11:41
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Act 2. Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat - 4:51
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Act 2. Macavity: The Mystery Cat - 8:23
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Act 2. Mr. Mistoffelees - 4:25
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Act 2. Memory - 5:20
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Act 2. Journey To The Heavyside Layer - 2:43
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Act 2. The Ad-Dressing Of Cats - 4:22
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![[Cover Art for Andrew Lloyd Webber / Cats]]( http://pictures.cdconnection.com/covers/159577.jpg)
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