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PS CLASSICS
CHARLOTTE RAE/Songs I Taught My Mother: After that dumb ass role on “Facts of Life” you would have never pegged Rae as a cutting edge stage pro once upon a time that liked being risque for the times, but here’s the proof in this new to cd release that first came out in 1955, right after she was tearing it up in “Three Penny Opera”. Not as naughty as you might be lead to think (just like Ed McCurdy’s stuff seems mild today), this is an off beat classic that show music fans will have a special affinity for as many of the top Broadway composers of the day contributed “specialty” material to this collection that you probably won’t find elsewhere. If you’ve got a sweet tooth for nostalgia, this is going to be a very tasty treat.
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JAMIE deROY and Friends/If I Sing-The Songwriters Album: Music fans that like to feel like Broadway insiders are going to dig this set as a bunch of contemporary show music composers get together to sing some stuff from their scratch pads. While some of the material has been around for a while, it’s all new performances for this collection, and when was the last time you heard something new from Lucy Simon or Cryer and Ford. A Broadway version of a guitar pull, show music fans are sure to have their ears perk up for this set.
645
CHARLES STROUSE/Charles Sings Strouse: Fatly tracked collection of mostly private recordings from the composer behind such shows as “Bye Bye Birdie”, “Annie” and “Applause” among others. Produced in conjunction with Library of Congress, this is another sterling addition to the label’s songwriter preservation series that showcases the works of the writers that have contributed so much to our musical lexicon. Obviously, originally not meant to be a record but certainly a great document and must listening for fans and students of real songwriting.
646
RHINO
DAVID CROSBY/If I Could Only Remember My Name: If you have any first hand memories of this set at all, it’s probably from the crappy pancake batter pressings you scammed off Record Club of America back in the day. This album was an enigma. You got it because it was 3 for $5, you liked CSN (and sometimes Y); Stills had the hits, Nash did the interesting album track album and Crosby, well what the hell was he doing here? You either wrote it off as self indulgent rock star and his hippy pals stuff or thought it was a stoner master piece. The bonus DVD-a with super audio mixes doesn’t do much to change this perception. The times and the drugs have changed and one wonders if you can appreciate this head trip on today’s designer drugs. Crosby took some real chances here, and if you decide this set is a stoner master piece, it still might be a few years ahead of it’s time.
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DAVID CROSBY/Voyage: How do we approach this three disc box set? Rhino did a three disc box set for Wildman Fischer too. Crosby is a great enigman. On one hand he’s single handed made himself the punch line for Conan O’Brien jokes. On the other hand, he’s got something that makes it possible for him to hold sway over cross-generational/cross-cultural females from Joni Mitchell to Melissa Ethridge. Fringe jacket jester or something more? This set, lovingly prepared by long time pal, Graham Nash, gives you an entire wrap around view and let’s you make your own decision. From his early folkie days right on though stuff with his son, he’s presented in a good light. The third disc is all unreleased material culled from the various phases. It’s a pretty interesting picture of a wayward son that was a seminal part of the 70’s.
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Volume 30/Number 39
December 9, 2006
MIDWEST RECORD RECAP
830 W. Route 22 #144
Lake Zurich, IL., 60047
CHRIS SPECTOR, Editor and Publisher
(c)2006 Midwest Record
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