Album musical

An album musical is a type of recording that sounds like an original cast album but is created specifically for the recording medium and is complete in itself, rather than being just musical highlights from a book musical, stage revue or soundtrack.Fact|date=July 2008 Although there has been no one term consistently used to describe this type of recording, the genre predates the use of the term "concept album" by several decades, dating back to the era of 78-rpm records with such original works as Gordon Jenkins' "Manhattan Tower" (1946) and "The Letter" (1959) starring Judy Garland, and Stan Freberg's "" (1961).Fact|date=July 2008

On most contemporary concept albums, the performers or bands are singing as themselves, whereas on an album musical the performers are playing characters in a story. On most Judy Garland albums, for example, Garland sings as herself, but on "The Letter", she is playing a character. Some original album musicals have later been expanded into full stage musicals, including "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" (which was specifically labeled an "Original Album Musical") and, beginning in the late 1960s, such notable rock musicals as Tim Rice, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson's "Chess" and The Who's "Tommy".

An important distinction should be made between original album musicals and studio recordings made to promote upcoming stage shows. Examples of the latter include early recordings of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens' "Ragtime", Frank Wildhorn and Leslie Bricusse's "Jekyll and Hyde", Cy Coleman and Ira Gasman's "The Life", Paul Simon and Derek Walcott's "The Capeman" and Elton John and Tim Rice's "Aida". Although Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice may have been anticipating later stage productions when they recorded their two-LP concept albums of "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Evita", at the time of their initial release they were, in essence, original album musicals.

Recordings

The album musical as a distinct type of recording was popularized by composer/conductor Gordon Jenkins who created a set of 78 rpm records in 1946 called "Manhattan Tower" [ [http://www.timegoesby.net/weblog/2005/04/manhattan_tower.html timegoesby.net] blog on "Manhattan Tower"] and later expanded the dialogue and music in 1956 to take advantage of the longer playing time of LP records.Fact|date=July 2008 Although "Manhattan Tower" was performed in concert halls, Las Vegas, on television (with Ethel Waters, Cesar Romero and Phil Harris) and later re-recorded on separate record albums by both Patti Page and Robert Goulet, it was never actually presented as a stage musical. Jenkins later created the album musicals "", "Seven Dreams", and "The Letter" starring Judy Garland.

In 1954, David Lippincott, a jingle writer at McCann-Erickson, an advertising agency, wrote the music and lyrics for an album musical called "The Body in the Seine", featuring Broadway performers Alice Pearce and George S. Irving, among others, in the hope of finding a book writer to expand his score into a Broadway musical. Because of the limited release of the album, "The Body in the Seine" is one of the rarest album musicals. [ [http://www.shrosemusic.com/2007/11/19/the-body-in-the-seine/ Second Hand Rose Music] ]

A 1957 MGM recording, "Frankie and Johnny," with music by Robert Cobert and lyrics by Dion McGregor, featured Danny Scholl ("Top Banana"), Joan Coburn ("Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"), Nat Frey ("Damn Yankees") and MGM recording artist Mary Mayo. Also in the cast were Frank Aletter ("Bells Are Ringing"), Peggy Cass ("Auntie Mame") and William Lanteau ("Newhart"). The recording, which features dialogue and songs, is a complete musical drama with orchestrations by Philip J. Lang. [ [http://www.castalbums.org/recordings/2464 castalbums.com] on "Frankie and Johnny"] It is unrelated to the 1966 movie starring Elvis Presley.

A 1959 album musical called "Clara", featuring Broadway performers Betty Garrett ("Call Me Mister") and James Komack ("Damn Yankees"), was subsequently expanded into a Broadway musical called "Beg, Borrow or Steal" that played five performances at the Martin Beck Theater in February 1960. Betty Garrett, repeating her role from the record, was joined on stage by her husband, Larry Parks, Biff McGuire and Eddie Bracken.

One of the best-selling album musicals of the early 1960s was "", released in 1961 on Capitol Records and billed as "An Original Musical Review Created Specifically For Stereo" (or "For Records," in the monaural version). Stan Freberg's extravagant musical comedy dealt with the birth of the United States of America in satiric terms and featured original songs, sketches and even dancing (tap-dancing Indians). Freberg had planned to release at least two follow-up albums, but he was approached by producer David Merrick with an offer to move the work to Broadway. [ [http://www.holeintheweb.com/drp/bhd/Stanfreberg2.htm holeintheweb.com] Stan Freberg’s United States of America] By the time the proposed production was cancelled, Freberg had moved on to other projects and "Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America, Volume Two" was not released until 1996, with several of the surviving cast members from the original album, along with several new performers.

ous Julie Hamilton. of the stage show.

Melvin Van Peebles' darkly comic and explicit 1970 album, "Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death", became a Tony-nominated Broadway musical in October 1971, interpolating material from two of Van Peebles' other albums, "Br'er Soul" and "As Serious as a Heart-Attack", as well. .

An interesting variation on the album musical is "A Complete Authentic Minstrel Show" released in both monaural and stereo in 1958 on the budget label, Somerset Records. [ [http://forbiddeneye.com/labels/somerset.html Somerset Records discography] ] The album is a compilation of classic songs and jokes featured in American minstrel shows, a form of entertainment that was popular during the later 19th and early 20th Centuries. Because of the often negative stereotypes of African-Americans, the genre quickly lost public favor with the birth of the civil rights movement. Although the recorded material is not original, the fact that the album simulates a live stage performance (without actually be derived from such a performance) makes it a form of album musical. Epic Records released two minstrel show recordings of its own a few years later called "Gentlemen, Be Seated!" and its sequel, "Gentlemen, Be Seated! (Again)". Similar albums were created that simulate old vaudeville and burlesque shows.

ee also

* Concept album

References

External links

* [http://books.google.com/books?id=MDX1V3cap-MC&pg=PA354&lpg=PA354&dq=%22gordon+Jenkins%22+%22california+suite%22+%22seven+dreams%22&source=web&ots=eOQIeqbr2i&sig=swSjk363A6nAf508AVGkUF4UlwA&hl=en Sinatra: The Singer is You (on Gordon Jenkins)]
* [http://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?ID=2093 IBDB: "Beg, Borrow or Steal"]