I was born without the Broadway musicals gene, so make of this what you will.
(And I know this thread is generally about soundtracks, not just musicals.)
But it occurred to me that there were a few oversights, omissions and
oh-my-God-they-forgot-thats in some of the responses to the desert island
thread. (Plus, I know a couple of these may have been mentioned, so forgive
me.)
These are really in no particular order. I just wanted to come up with ten.
#1: Porgy and Bess, with Louis and Ella.
I would include this recording in any desert island confinement, whether it
be soundtrack-specific or general. You can complain about the 50s
arrangements and Ella's too-perfect diction ("You're *going* to live easy,
you're *going* to live high), but I love these geniuses so much, they can do
no wrong. They were a generation or two before me, but I hope younger people
are lucky enough and hip enough to discover Joni in the same way I found and
loved these two.
#2. Midnight Cowboy
Everybody's talking at me, but when we get to Miami, call me Rico.
#3. Arthur, The Kinks
"Long ago life was clean, sex was bad and obscene, and the rich were so mean
. . . Victoria was my Queen." That just about sums up all of British history
and most of Western civ. Ray Davies is so underrated, he makes Joni look
positively worshipped.
#4. Animal House
The soundtrack to what may be my generation's most perfect comedy. (Even if
it is about the previous generation.) As Dean Wormer said, "Drunk, fat and
stupid is no way to go through life, son." "Louie, Louie," "Shout," and Paul
and Paula on one incredible album/CD/casette. How great is that? "Knowledge
is good."
#5. The Big Easy
Long before it was Michael Paz's nickname, the Big Easy was a great
soundtrack album to a movie I have still never seen. "Iko Iko" absolutely
does weird things to me, and "Tipitina" and "Closer to You" make me turn on
the air conditioning in December.
#6. The Fisher King
A very strange movie with an even stranger soundtrack which also has Ethel
Merman content. I'm there!
#7. Tommy, The Who
Being deaf, dumb and blind, I love this shit!
#8. The Wizard of Oz
You don't have to be gay to be a friend of Dorothy, munchkins. As Steve
Polifka mentioned earlier today, I am all over any Bert Lahr/Cowardly Lion
shtick. "If I were kingggggg of the forrrrrrrrestttt . . ."
And what's better than "Over the Rainbow?" People have been trying to top
Judy's rendition since 1939. Good luck. And by the way, you know when the
Wicked Witch's minions are singing that song that sounds like "Oreo,
oreeeeo?" Check it out next time you watch it. They're singing, "Oh we loathe
the old one." How cool is that?
#9. Chicago
Gotta be the Chita Rivera/Gwen Verdon version for me. I saw it on Broadway in
the early 70s. I thought Jerry Orbach was old then, and he was probably
younger than I am now! I was almost converted to a full-fledged,
high-steppin', Broadway-musicals-lovin' homo by this one. Then I went running
home to my mother.
#10. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
"Action . . . I like to give it, I like to get some too . . ." This may have
the happiest and the best of all the disco classics in one place. And lots of
kitsch, too. "Billy, Don't Be a Hero," "I've Never Been to Me," etc.
Just some thoughts,
--Bob
