City of Angels [Original Broadway Cast Recording]

by Shows-c

Overview

The 1989 Broadway musical City of Angels, with a book by veteran comedy writer Larry Gelbart and songs by another veteran, composer Cy Coleman, and first-time lyricist David Zippel, is a send-up of hard-boiled detective fiction and the Hollywood movies that were made from it in the 1940s, the main characters being Stone (James Naughton), the detective in a Sam Spade/Philip Marlowe mold, and Stine (Gregg Edelman), the novelist in a Dashiell Hammett/Raymond Chandler mold, both of them (and everyone else) wisecracking a mile a minute. A few examples of that snappy dialogue sneak onto the cast album, which is otherwise devoted to the Coleman/Zippel songs, a score very much in keeping with the script. Coleman, who started his career as a jazz pianist in the 1950s, is at home composing music in a post-World War II jazz-pop vein, with elements of swing, bebop, and vocalese. For the last, there is a vocal quartet that sounds an awful lot like the Manhattan Transfer. Of course, Coleman also brings in the style of the soundtracks to the film noirs of the period; in fact, one of his themes is so close to the one for Laura that composer David Raksin is probably owed some royalties. Meanwhile, as a lyricist, Zippel is a Stephen Sondheim wannabe who isn't above borrowing an idea or two from his idol, but also comes up with plenty of his own witticisms, along with some hilariously terrible puns. He has to to keep up with Gelbart's script. The cast, also including Rene Auberjonois (as a studio head), Kay McClelland, Randy Graff, and Dee Hoty, plays broadly, which is what is called for. City of Angels is a lot of fun, and at least some of that fun is transferred to the cast recording. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	02/09/1990
Label:	Cbs Records / Columbia
UPC:	0074644606720
Rank:	132211

Tracks

1. City of Angels, musical~Prologue - Theme from City of Angels
2. City of Angels, musical~Double Talk
3. City of Angels, musical~What You Don't Know About Women
4. City of Angels, musical~You Gotta Look Out for Yourself
5. City of Angels, musical~The Buddy System
6. City of Angels, musical~With Every Breath I Take
7. City of Angels, musical~The Tennis Song
8. City of Angels, musical~Ev'rybody's Gotta Be Somewhere
9. City of Angels, musical~Lost and Found
10. City of Angels, musical~All You Have to Do Is Wait
11. City of Angels, musical~You're Nothing Without Me
12. City of Angels, musical~Stay with Me
13. City of Angels, musical~You Can Always Count on Me
14. City of Angels, musical~Alaura's Theme
15. City of Angels, musical~It Needs Work
16. City of Angels, musical~L.A. Blues
17. City of Angels, musical~With Every Breath I Take [Duet]
18. City of Angels, musical~Funny
19. City of Angels, musical~I'm Nothing Without You
20. City of Angels, musical~Epilogue - Theme from City of Angels
21. City of Angels, musical~Double Talk Walk

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Jackie Presti   Primary Artist,Vocals
Scott Waara   Primary Artist,Vocals
Amy Jane London   Primary Artist,Vocals
Gary Kahn   Primary Artist,Vocals
Gregg Edelman   Primary Artist,Vocals
James Naughton   Primary Artist,Vocals
Lee Musiker   Primary Artist,Piano,Keyboards
Peter Davis   Primary Artist,Vocals
Kay McClelland   Primary Artist,Vocals
Gabby   Primary Artist
Jim Pugh   Primary Artist,Trombone
Glenn Drewes   Primary Artist,Trumpet
Mike Migliore   Primary Artist,Sax (Alto)
Rene Auberjonois   Primary Artist,Vocals
Dee Hoty   Primary Artist,Vocals
Randy Graff   Primary Artist,Vocals
Peter Gordon   French Horn
Dave Ratajczak   Drums
Karl Kawahara   Violin
Byron Stripling   Trumpet
Kenneth Hitchcock   Woodwind
Charles Descarfino   Percussion
Shawn Elliott   Vocals
Bob Steen   Woodwind
Susan Terry   Vocals
Astrid Schween   Cello
Eddie Salkin   Woodwind
Rachel York   Vocals
Sy Berger   Trombone
John Campo   Woodwind
Doug Tompos   Vocals
Jacquey Maltby   Vocals
Kathy Sommer   Keyboards
Tom Galantich   Vocals
City of Angels Cast Ensemble   Choir/Chorus
Evan Thompson   Vocals
Herschel Sparber   Vocals
Raymond Xifo   Vocals
Mike Miglioni   Sax (Alto)
Tony Migliore   Woodwind
Keith Perry   Vocals
Bob Rose   Guitar
Cenovia Cummins   Violin
George Flynn   Trombone
Dave Rogers   Trumpet
Alvin Lum   Vocals
Mike Miller   Synthesizer
James Hindman   Vocals
James Cahill   Vocals
Eleanor Glockner   Vocals
City of Angels Pit Orchestra   Orchestra
Gordon Lowry Harrell   Conductor,Musical Direction

Technical Credits

Michael Farrow   Engineer
Michael Berniker   Producer
Belinda Whitney   Concert Mistress
Bernard Fox   Sound Design
Peter Fitzgerald   Sound Design
Larry Gelbart   Book,Dialogue
John Miller   Music Contractor
Belinda Whitney-Barratt   Concert Mistress
Troy Halderson   Assistant Engineer
Cy Coleman   Composer,Producer
Gene Curtis   Digital Editing
David Zippel   Composer,Lyricist
Terrie K. Curran   Assistant
Martha Swope   Photography
John Berg   Package Design
Larry Abel   Copyist
Mike Miller   Programming,Synthesizer Programming
Marc Kirkeby   Liner Notes