So according to my less than scientific calculations, here'e our TOP TEN ROCK AND ROLL ALBUMS OF ALL TIME (Counting votes, Honorable mentions, and my own wheel greasing...)
10- ALL THE BEST COWBOYS HAVE CHINESE EYES- Pete Townsend (SHOCKER!)
9- REVOLVER- Los Beatles
8- TEN- Pearl Jam
7- AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE- REM
6- PURPLE RAIN- His Royal Badness
5- BACK IN BLACK- AC/DC
4- THRILLER- His royal weirdness
3- JOSHUA TREE- U2
2- PHYSICAL GRAFFITI....
and the #1 album of all time....WHO'S NEXT by the WHO*
This method is niether scientific, nor accurate, as I've had a hard day, can't really add that well, adn have been drinking beer all night....
SIGNED...The management
WHAT ABOUT THE 5 GREATEST MUSICALS...maybe????
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25 comments:
That is such a mans list. Total Male Bias as usual.
5 greatest musicals? You MUST be drunk, Tim. haha.
logansmommy,
Of course. What do you expect from a genre whose signature instrument is a huge phallic symbol?
Tim, the Indigo Girls have hacked into the blog.
Yea! A total nerd list. Love it. Here is my fave musical list, not in any order, I guess.
Sweeney Todd, Caberet, Chicago, Wild Party
(Whoa, all semi-dark ones. Imagine that.)
John Lithgow's Sweet Smell of Success is also very good. I do like J.C. Superstar, too. And I still like Phantom of the Opera and West Side Story.
But I tend to lean toward those that have not been played so much that if you hear someone sing one of those songs in an audition, you don't want to claw your ears away - Chicago being the exception, of course.
My taste in musicals is kinda like my taste in classical: I know so little about it and am not very conversant so I end up picking typical stuff. But, Erin is tutoring me, so based on what I have been hearing:
Sweet Smell of Success
Hair
Cabaret
Chicago
Rent
As long as I'm setting myself up for a fall here, I hate:
Baby
South Pacific
Any "musical" version of Twelfth Night
Baby
and... Baby
I really hate "Baby".
Not a HUGE fan of musicals, though I've done my share. Still, if it's a list you want.......
My list for the crappiest......
5. Scrooge
4. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
3. Jeckyl and Hyde
2. Titanic
1. Big (yes, the Tom Hanks movie)
And the ones I kinda dig.......
5. Me and My Gal
4. JC Superstar
3. Guys and Dolls
2. Camelot
1. Les Miserables
honorable mention:
Tommy
Godspell (Don't. Just don't.)
Sweeny Todd
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Avenue Q
Well, when one says "Greatest" what does one mean...most influential...? Those that changed the landscape? Then you have to say stuff like OKLAHOMA (and, sorry, Steve, Oklahoma is a Great musical..yeah, I used to have this thing about Rodgers and Hammerstein too, but as I get older I now understand when Hammerstein broke into tears every time he heard Surrey With the Fring on Top..."The sun is swimming on the rim of a hill, the moon is taking a header..." is a great lyric. I still a bigger Rdgers & Hart fan and that's why I disagree with you on BABES IN ARMS...I don't even know the stage show, but it contains some of the greatest songs of the American theatre and the American songbook ever written), SHOWBOAT, FANTASTIKS...
But I'm going with the five musicals that most impressed me...
SWEENEY TODD (The Greatest Musical ever! Period! No debate!)
1776 (Everything about it says it shouldn't work and it does. In spades!)
KISMET (Yeah, the book may be silly, but Haj is a charismatic lead and the score is simply glorious!
FANTASTIKS (Simpe,melodic, effective, poetic, stylish story-telling...I also Schmidt/Jones' 110 in the Shade)
LI'L ABNER (The Johnny Mercer- Gene DePaul score is cheeky and witty and more timely than ever. If ever a show cried out for a revival, in this era of blatant..indeed arrogant...Bush corruption and incompetence, it is now)
RUNNER-UPS
SHE LOVES ME...wonderful musical based on the wonderful SHOP AROUND THE CORNER
BRIGADOON...I'm quite taken with its whimsey
MAN OF LA MANCHA...still a very effective piece when done well.
ONES I'D LIKE TO SEE REVIVED:
HAZEL FLAGG...always been curious about it and I like the score
THE GOLDEN APPLE...I don't find the score a standout, but it has one of the most perfect songs ever written...WINDFLOWERS, especially if you've ever heard Judy Kaye sing it.
BEST MOVIE MUSICALS...keeping with the theme of original for screen, no Broadway adaptations.
SINGING IN THE RAIN...one of the best five movies ever made, let alone musicals.
THE PIRATE...Gene Kelly making like John Barrymore & Doug Fairbanks.
SHALL WE DANCE...Astaire, Rodgers, Gershwin. What else does one need?
SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS...Dancing doesn't get much better than this...
THE JOLSON STORY...Larry Parks doing a great impersonation of the amazing Jolson before he (Parks) got blacklisted in the McCarthy witch hunt.
WORST MUSICALS...
Les Miz, Miss Saigon, most anything by Frank Wildhorn, most of Lloyd Webber. Tinny repetitive, rockish music where they try to graft false emotion into their music by have their singers go up an octave and sing louder. ZZZZZZZ!
The above anonymous post is POGUE. I inadvertantly sent it before I had logged in
Ok...I'm no musical guy either (never knew so many of you fell into this category!) but here goes:
5- They're Playing Our Song- Neil Simon musical from the 80's - only 2 main characters, and some pretty good pop songs, as I recall.
4- Les Miz- Yeah, yeah...I know...
3- Chess- LOVE the music for this one, but never actually seen a full production...it's the ABBA dudes, though!
2- Pippin- LOVE Stephen Schwartz!
1- Godspell- LOVE Stephen Schwartz! This is the play I saw as a 10 year old that made me wanna do Theatre...I still like it better than SUPERSTAR- is that sacralige???
That is strange you say that X-man. I remember seeing Godspell when I was 9 or 10 and I still remember the set and some of the action vividly. That and the Adventures of Winnie the Pooh were te first shows I reember seeing. I played Jesus in high school and again (much to my protesting) in College, and THEN AGAIN (much MUCH to my protesting) touring it. Needless to say, I am pretty tired of it now. But "Light Of The World" is such a funky tune. And "By Your Side" is a pretty tear jerker.
Steve, I was in the Rodgers and Hammerstein were schmaltzy and gooily sentimental camp for a long time...never a huge fan of Oklahoma...until I did it. I played Jud Fry (though I don't consider myself a singer, I can carry a tune...my singer wife tells me I have perfect pitch, whatever that is...and almost anyone can croak through Poor Jud is Daid...We cut his other song -- one of the best in the score, in my opinion -- Lonely Room). Going through that show in rehearsals made me realize that it is much better crafted than I thought it was, darker than I thought it was, and more resonant than I thought it was...While some of the music may not be to my particular taste, I couldn't dismiss any of it as crap. I also saw the Trevor Nunn revival with Hugh Jackman in London and I gotta tell you, the damned thing works and was pretty solid to me!
Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hart, the Gershwins...it's a coin toss as to which is the best. NIGHT & DAY is one of my favourite songs ever! But Hart's smart, clever lyrics pack much more emotional punch than a lot of critics would have you believe. Oddly enough (or perhaps not so oddly enough, since Hammerstein was virtually his surrogate father and show biz mentor), Stephen Sondheim seems to carry an extreme dislike for Hart's lyrics...but I've always found his own wordsmithing closer in tone and style to Hart than Hammerstein.
Steve, Les Miz...yeah, based on great literature, but plenty of things are that stink. I think Les Miz works better than most of the rockish, sung-through, crank the emotion up another octave muscials out there, but once Javert is dead the damned thing's over. Yet it goes on for another interminable twenty minutes.
Aaahhh the musical...The crowd pleasing, actor teasing, singer wheezing that is the irksome past of most of us who grew up in middle size towns with community theatres.
Whats with you guys and the Jesus plays? I just dont get it. My hubby loves the Godspell. And evidently Lexington loves Jesus with the highest attendance ever at the Shakespeare Festival. But personally i just have never liked Jesus plays. Can i get an amen?
Anyway...heres my list...again i dont think these are neccessarily the GREATEST or most groundbreaking or whatever..they are just musicals that i still can stomach or that made an impression..
in no order:
Chess - I loved ABBA so it goes that i would love this music. The story is waaaay dated...will forever be stuck in the 80s Russia/USA cold war thing though.
The Secret Garden- took my mom to see this one for her birthday one year and just loved the music. Its got those standard belty songs for the men and the character actors and the beautiful angelic songs for the dead chick. Plus a plucky little girl and a crippled boy...even the heartless would be moved.
Once Upon a Mattress- Just a good old fun romp.
Brigadoon- I just love the story. Even a cursed town cant keep the lovers apart. I saw this one when i was young...my sister was in the production and i remember just loving the costumes and the mist they covered the stage with to get the "ireland" effect.
BUFFY the musical- I dont care what you haters say, Joss Whedon wrote himself a damn good musical. He managed to move the story arc of the season along , reveal things about the characters , and entertain us...plus who knew Spike could sing?
Grease- did any other musical effect my adolesence as much? Tell me more tell me more....
Man i have been in some lame musicals over the years...here are just a few:
Hans Christian Anderson
Carousel
Fame
Crazy For You
The Adventures of Edam Stilton
and JAL666 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a classic.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang:The Musical? Maybe the Disney movie, but the live stage musical? No.
Uh... I had Rent on my list. It was kinda my introduction to "modern" musicals. We used to listen to this during strike every two weeks because our Mexi-TD was obsessed with Daphne Rubin-Vega.
"Would you bite my candllllle?" Heh.
Good! Someone else appreciates Sweeney Todd! What a great piece of work. The story - and the music. Incredible. And dark. And fun. I need a couple more years on me to be Ms. Lovett, though!
Scotland...Ireland....its all the same when you have a 9 month old leaching off you night and day.
Geez. Here goes...
Bat Boy
Carrie: The Musical
Sound of Music
Into the Woods
Catfish Moon
POINTS PLEASE.
Bat Boy is good.
Sound of Music? Once a person is in it, they become not so fond of it anymore. :)
5 pts to Millsy for pimpin C Moon!!!!!!!
Drama Mama,
I have heard that before and, ironically, I didn't like it until I was in a production of it. I'm not really into musicals. I got called in as a favor to fill the role of the non-singing butler, Franz, and the entire cast was so cool and so much fun that I still sing some of the songs (quietly) to myself. I prefer a live production of it as opposed to the Julie Andrews movie.
I saw Bat Boy in Atlanta and it is the most outrageous musical I have ever seen. I can't wait to see another company do it.
Millsy,
I was IN Bat Boy here in LEX back in 03- played the Sherriff...Ironically, the same semester, Danny Dauphin AND adam Traylor were plying the SAME ROLE in two different states...weird...
Diva Master...
Yes, sometimes the cast does make a show fun. That's one of my favorite parts - bonding with the cast members. For example, I have been in ANNIE twice - once as Hannigan and once as Lily St. Regis. The first time I loved it. Great cast. Very fun. The second time I didn't have as much fun. The cast wasn't as professional and fun-loving. It makes a difference.
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