I Swear, There Were Some Changes
By Peter Filichia — Last week, we talked about the Robert Merrill-Patrice Munsel recording of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel that was made in 1955 – when the world wasn’t as frank a place as it has become. As a result, in “Soliloquy” where Billy Bigelow comes to terms with being a father, Merrill first sings […]
We’re on a Carousel
By Peter Filichia — This June is bustin’ out all over with a recording of Carousel that hasn’t been available for decades. Look around! Look around! Look around! The first studio cast album that was sanctioned by Rodgers and Hammerstein is with us once more. By 1955, recording technology had greatly advanced since Carousel’s original […]
How Mondegreen Was My Folly
By Peter Filichia — You learn something new every day – or you’re supposed to. And I did when “Scooterberwyn” and “BwayPassion” wrote to correct me on a lyric I’d cited. When I wrote about Damn Yankees last week, I said that the baseball widows rued that their husbands were “out praising the plays of […]
Green Grows the Damn Yankees
By Peter Filichia — It’s a record that will probably never be beaten: The New York Yankees’ Joe DiMaggio got a hit in 56 straight games in 1941. All the pitchers he conquered during that streak probably muttered to themselves, “That damn Yankee.” And speaking of Damn Yankees, it has reached a streak of 56, […]
Merry Widow: It Rolls Along
By Peter Filichia — More often than not, when the leads of a studio recording get into the recording booth, they’re meeting for the first time. Their lack of chemistry is far too obvious when one listens to them together in song. That’s certainly true of many recordings of The Merry Widow – but not […]
