Flower Drum Song (2002) (Rodgers & Hammerstein)

Product Summary Label: Universal Records UPC: 00044006453125 Release Date: 9/24/2002 Buy.com Sku: 60569239 Item#: M33HTD Format:  CD Song Listing Disc 1 Song Title Sample 1. Main Title: Overture / Flower Drum Song ~ Original Soundtrack 2. Hundred Million Miracles, A ~ Original Soundtrack 3. Other Generation, The ~ Original Soundtrack 4. I Enjoy Being A Girl ~ Original Soundtrack 5. I Am Going To Like It Here ~ Original Soundtrack 6. Chop Suey ~ Original Soundtrack 7. Grant Avenue ~ Original Soundtrack 8. Gliding Through My Memoree / Fan Tan Fannie ~ Original Soundtrack 9. Love, Look Away ~ Original Soundtrack 10. Dream Ballet ~ Original Soundtrack 11. Sunday ~ Original Soundtrack 12. You Are Beautiful ~ Original Soundtrack 13. Don't Marry Me ~ Original Soundtrack 14. Finale: Wedding Procession / Wedding Ceremony / End Title ~ Original Soundtrack 15. Love, Look Away - Rosemary Clooney (bonus track) ~ Original Soundtrack   Album Notes and Credits Notes & Personnel Info Music composed by Richard Rodgers. Lyrics written by Oscar Hammerstein II. Principal cast includes: Nancy Kwan, James Shigeta, Juanita Hall, Jack SOo, Benson Fong, Miyoshi Umeki. Originally released on Decca (9098). Includes liner notes by David Henry Hwang. Flower Drum Song, that rarity among Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals, a moderate hit (otherwise, their shows were either smashes like South Pacific or flops like Me & Juliet), also became a moderately successful film in late 1961, three years after its Broadway opening; it just barely ranked among the ten highest-grossing movies of 1962. As with most Rodgers & Hammerstein cinematic adaptations, the film conformed closely to the stage work. Miyoshi Umeki and Juanita Hall appeared both on Broadway and onscreen, and the song score was transferred intact, but for the deletion of one song, "Like a God." As such, the differences between the original Broadway cast album and the original motion picture soundtrack have to do with casting and orchestrations. Rodgers & Hammerstein did not hesitate to use voice doubles for the movie actors, as they had in previous efforts. Nancy Kwan may be given star billing, but the voice you hear singing her songs belongs to B.J. Baker; similarly, John Dodson dubs Kam Tong, and no less a personage than Marilyn Horne sings the show's big ballad, "Love, Look Away," in place of Reiko Sato. That simply means that the soundtrack album is well-sung, of course, and Rodgers was able to use more musicians to fill out his music for the movie. The score is still an interesting combination of traditional Chinese elements and contemporary (for the late '50s and early '60s) pop in the Frank Sinatra/Nelson Riddle mold. The cast album still gets the nod over this re-creation, but both give a good sense of this enjoyable, if minor Rodgers & Hammerstein effort. (This 2002 CD reissue adds a pop recording of "Love, Look Away" made by Rosemary Clooney around the time of the show's Broadway opening in 1958.) ~ William Ruhlmann Flower Drum Song, that rarity among Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals, a moderate hit (otherwise, their shows were either smashes like South Pacific or flops like Me & Juliet), also became a moderately successful film in late 1961, three years after its Broadway opening; it just barely ranked among the ten highest-grossing movies of 1962. As with most Rodgers & Hammerstein cinematic adaptations, the film conformed closely to the stage work. Miyoshi Umeki and Juanita Hall appeared both on Broadway and onscreen, and the song score was transferred intact, but for the deletion of one song, "Like a God." As such, the differences between the original Broadway cast album and the original motion picture soundtrack have to do with casting and orchestrations. Rodgers & Hammerstein did not hesitate to use voice doubles for the movie actors, as they had in previous efforts. Nancy Kwan may be given star billing, but the voice you hear singing her songs belongs to B.J. Baker; similarly, John Dodson dubs Kam Tong, and no less a personage than Marilyn Horne sings the show's big ballad, "Love, Look Away," in place of Reiko Sato. That simply means that the soundtrack album is well-sung, of course, and Rodgers was able to use more musicians to fill out his music for the movie. The score is still an interesting combination of traditional Chinese elements and contemporary (for the late '50s and early '60s) pop in the Frank Sinatra/Nelson Riddle mold. The cast album still gets the nod over this re-creation, but both give a good sense of this enjoyable, if minor Rodgers & Hammerstein effort. ~ William Ruhlmann   Technical Info Release Date : 09/24/2002 Original Release Date : 2002 Catalog ID : 064 531 Label : Decca (USA) Number of Discs : 1 Studio/Live : Studio Mono/Stereo : Stereo SPAR Code : n/a UPC : 00044006453125    Product Image