Two Miles High Music

No Description AvailableNo Track Information AvailableMedia Type: CDArtist: DR. BUZZARD'S ORIGINAL SAVANNATitle: DR. BUZZARD'S ORIGINAL SAVANNAStreet Release Date: 12/06/1988

Disco rarely got more musically or lyrically sophisticated than on this self-titled debut album. Long before he took up the role of Kid Creole with the Coconuts, wordsmith August Darnell cushioned small, perfect truths--singer Cory Daye promises to get her "equivalency diploma" in love in "I'll Play the Fool"--in knowingly retro sounds. Stylish, honest, and completely one of a kind. --Rickey Wright

Karen Murphy and Shonn Wiley star in My Vaudeville Man!, the story of a boy born to dance and the mother who fought to keep him home! This "Pitch Perfect Musical" (NYTheatre.com), based on the life of legendary eccentric tap dancer Jack Donahue (played by Ray Bolger on film) and his mother who fights to keep her son off the wicked vaudeville stage, was the break-out hit of the 2007 NY Musical Theater Festival, tap-dancing its way into the hearts of audiences and critics alike -- what Talkin' Broadway proclaimed "a tour de force" -- as it made its way to its Off Broadway premiere at The York Theatre Company in November 2008. My Vaudeville Man! has a book by Jeff Hochhauser, music by Bob Johnston, and lyrics by Johnston and Hochhauser, based on Jack Donahue's Letters of a Hoofer to his Ma. Music produced by Doug Oberhamer.

It should be little surprise that of the three Prince of Egypt CDs, this one, which contains music actually used in the picture, is the best. The disc features songs written by Academy Award winners Stephen Schwartz and Hans Zimmer. It also showcases the always impressive vocal talents of Ofra Haza on several tracks. The disc also crams in a few singles--ranging from the solid Boyz II Men track "I Will Get There" to the average "The Prince of Egypt (When You Believe)" by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey to the dismal "Through Heaven's Eyes," by K-Ci & JoJo. But ultimately, Haza steals the show on tracks like "Cry" and the gorgeous "Deliver Us," performed with Eden Riegel. Other standouts include "Playing with the Big Boys," by Steve Martin and Martin Short, and a pleasant, if not unexpected, vocal by Michelle Pfeiffer on "When You Believe." --Aaron Tassano

Recounting the rich history and reliving the timeless sounds of the phenomenal Frankie Vallie & The 4 Seasons, the new Broadway musical Jersey Boys answers the musical-and philosophical question, "How did four would-be wise guys from Newark, NJ, become one of the greatest chart-topping successes in pop music history?" Jersey Boys celebrates legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito, and Nick Massi who, as the 4 seasons, wrote their own songs, invented their own identity, and sold 175 million records worldwide-all before they were 30.

Although it squarely falls in the "jukebox musical" category, Jersey Boys doesn¹t try to integrate its songs in an artificial plotline. The show tells the story of the early-1960s group the Four Seasons, and the musical numbers tend to be introduced in context, as when songwriter Bob Gaudio comes up with a tune, or the quartet performs a show. This allows Jersey Boys to flow better than some of ill-fated peers, and the actors can shine without having to bend backward to accommodate an inane book. The show's most (only) daring move is to start with a hip-hop-tinged French-language version of "December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)," an actual hit in France in 2000. After that it's all VH1-biopic territory, but it's done with so much flair, taste and energy that the ride's a fun one. The Four Seasons had enough hits ("Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Rag Doll," etc.) to easily fill an evening at the theater, so it's left to the cast to do right by them. And it does, particularly John Lloyd Young as the band¹s star lead, Frankie Valli. Young hits all the falsetto notes and brings real freshness to the part. His "Can¹t Take My Eyes Off You," a second-act peak, is signed, sealed and delivered with a star's acumen. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

What's left to be said about Andrew Lloyd Webber's adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera a decade after its premiere? That it's maddeningly ubiquitous? A stitch-up of various themes shoplifted from the Italian operatic repertoire? A critic-proof crowd pleaser that's probably being staged somewhere in the world as you read this? A megahit that will likely outlive Titanic in the pop-culture pantheon, Phantom has largely redefined--for better or worse--the manner in which modern musicals are conceived, staged, and marketed. Its influence has reached far beyond the traditional confines of London and Broadway. A favorite example: an abridged version that was the centerpiece of Los Angeles's longest-running transvestite revue, replete with 14-inch chandeliers and a man-playing-a-woman-playing-a-man in the title role. --Jerry McCulley

The original score, with music composed by A.R. Rahman, Värttinä and Christopher Nightingale, and lyrics by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus, from the The Lord of the Rings theatre production. This deluxe two disc set includes a 52 page illustrated booklet. The first disc is an 18 track CD with stereo mix. The second disc is a 19 track DVD with 5.1 surround sound and bonus features. DVD features the following: 1. Prologue ('Lasto I Lamath')2. The Road Goes On 3. Saruman 4. The Cat And The Moon 5. Flight To The Ford 6. The Song Of Hope 7. The Song Of Hope 8. The Song Of Hope 9. The Golden Wood 10. Lothlorien 11. The Siege Of The City Of Kings 12. Now And For Always 13. Gollum/Smeagol 14. The Song Of Hope (Duet)15. Wonder 16. The Final Battle 17. Epilogue (Farewells)18. Finale.

2008 five CD box. The Original Album Classics series, courtesy of Sony/BMG, packages together five classic albums from one of the most popular artists on the label's roster, housing them in an attractive slipcase. This set from the Irish guitar legend features the albums Deuce (1971), Calling Card (1976), Top Priority (1979), Jinx (1982) and Fresh Evidence (1988). 56 tracks.

The Originals languished on Motown's roster until Marvin Gaye took an interest in their career in 1968. Soon he'd produced and cowritten two Top 5 soul hits for the smooth quartet. The doo-wop-influenced "Baby I'm for Real" and "The Bells" are hardly the only highlights of this compilation, though--"God Bless Whoever Sent You" and the later disco smash "Down to Love Town" are near classics that deserve the new light that falls on them here. Most rewarding for Gaye fans will be an early, unreleased version of "Just to Keep You Satisfied," a song he later rewrote for Let's Get It On. --Rickey Wright