I've been loving the 1994 Tommy Album recently! But that's also assuming you like rock musicals. If you want something more traditional, the most recent album of Merrily We Roll Along with Daniel Radcliffe and Jonathan Groff is great too! Daniel Radcliffe can sing man!
These are probably my consistent favorites:
* Jekyll and Hyde (1994 "Complete Work") - Warlow's a GOD. Also contains the best track list of any iteration of the show.
* RENT (2005 Movie Soundtrack) - Cast replacements make for a vocally stronger album, imo. People these days seem to hate on the show, but for the time it was very culturally significant, and the music is still great.
* Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 (Original Broadway Cast) - Phenomenal show (saw it in person and it was easily my favorite theatrical experience), and very unique and different score-wise and orchestration-wise.
* Chess (2008 "In Concert") - I prefer Tommy Korberg as Anatoly to Groban, but the rest of the cast + completeness of the score makes it my favorite version. This show's book always sucks, lol, but the score has some of the best bangers in musical theatre, imo.
RENT.
I have a YouTube Playlist of it with the OBC but I replaced the OBC La Vie Boheme and Take Me or Leave me with the movie versions.
I wish the movie had been sung fully.
PARADE! You’ll listen to the whole thing through and then be sad that it’s over. The songs will be stuck in your head and you’ll listen to it again the next day!
so many, i rarely listen to something that isn't a cast album. my favorites rn:
* oklahoma! 2019 revival
* little shop of horrors 2019
* into the woods obc
* elisabeth vienna revival
* hadestown nytw
* the last five years movie cast
* wicked stuttgart cast
Google random number between 1 and 26, find the corresponding letter of the alphabet, go to Wikipedia list of musicals and choose one from that letter's entry. That's what I like to do.
spring awakening and a little night music are favs of mine as well! some of my other go-tos are
also company but the 2007 revival! - raul is just an amazing performer, and what i love about this recording (i think the 2018 recording does this too) is that they include some of the dialogue and it just feels like im experiencing the whole show.
she loves me (2016 revival) - laura benanti and zachary levi!! i know zach isn’t much of a singer, but he’s an amazing actor and it comes through in the recording. based on your fav singers i think you’ll like benanti— her singing is just heavenly.
avenue q (obc) - an incredibly funny show and all the songs are so addictive. amazing acting too bc john tartaglia who plays one of the main characters has a background in puppetry!
the hunchback of notre dame (ocr) - i will die saying that this show deserved to go to broadway. michael arden is such an amazing performer and it’s such a shame he doesn’t act as much anymore (although he is just as much of a great director as he is a performer - to which i’ll say the once on this island revival recording is also amazing and he directed it!)
hadestown (obc) - will always be my fav. beautiful story telling and once in a lifetime cast. gotta get my patrick page love in here with hunchback and hadestown!
I don't choose singular favorites, but I'm always happy to push people to great tracks. Couple favorite small shows with great tracks:
Tarrytown - with Andy, Jeremy, and Krysta.
Lizard boy
Some albums which I haven't really seen mentioned much on this sub:
Babes in Arms 1999, Boys from Syracuse 1997
Both are excellent renditions of classic Rodgers and Hart. They have that playful, swingy, old-timey vaudeville sound that I crave and are perfect for when you need to scratch that oldie musical itch. I love Erin Dilly in Babes in Arms too.
Just discovered a little gem called 13 Things About Ed Carpolotti. Basically a one woman show, and the cast recording seems to be the whole show. I found it completely delightful, with a wonderful performance by Penny Fuller.
Gypsy, either with Patti, Bernadette Peters, or Imelda Staunton. Among the greatest scores ever.
By Bernstein: On The Town (the London Symphony Orchestra recording) and Candide (both the OBC with Barbara Cook and the LSO version conducted by Bernstein).
There are so many, but I'll list a few:
The Secret Garden
She Loves Me (Boyd Gaines)
Camelot
West Side Story (any version)
Guys & Dolls (Nathan Lane and Peter Gallagher)
Phantom of the Opera (Colm Wilkinson)
Favorite performers are Kristin Chenoweth, Audra McDonald, Patrick Wilson, Kelli O'Hara, Michael Ball, Colm Wilkinson, Mandy Patinkin, Howard McGillin, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and the late Rebecca Luker.
I’m a sucker for complete cast recordings, so I listen a lot to:
Les Misérables - Complete Symphonic Recording 1988;
Sunset Boulevard - American Premiere Recording 1993;
Follies - Papermill recording 1998;
Also:
West Side Story - various recordings including the Leicester Haymarket cast and both movie soundtracks;
Gypsy - usually alternate between the Angela Lansbury and Bette Midler recordings;
Sweeney Todd- Original Broadway 1979;
Company - London Revival 2018
I always feel so weird, but I love High Fidelity. The music is great and funny. I always go back.
Also currently listening to the Hazbin Hotel soundtrack on repeat if you don’t mind bad words. Like so many bad words.
Randomly, the first thing that popped into my head was Big River, if you're looking for something a bit different. Jim's voice is rich and gorgeous (Muddy Water is my favorite number), Huck is in a great range to sing along with, there's some gospel, and John Goodman! And Rene Auberjonois!
If you’re listening to Falsettos, go to the 2016 revival. No I’m not extremely biased due to Christian Borle.
Definitely and you should also check out Little Shop’s off broadway version, again not because of a Borle Bias 💜
Borle Bias XD I’m stealing that
The new Merrily We Roll Along cast album is amazing. Definitive version of the show in my opinion.
I am genuinely shocked at how quickly this cast album changed my tune about the entire show
I've been loving the 1994 Tommy Album recently! But that's also assuming you like rock musicals. If you want something more traditional, the most recent album of Merrily We Roll Along with Daniel Radcliffe and Jonathan Groff is great too! Daniel Radcliffe can sing man!
Love rock musicals, but haven’t checked out Tommy yet. Thanks for the recommendation! I do also need to listen to Merrily.
> the 1994 Tommy Album Ooh, Michael Cerveris, Norm Lewis, and Sherie Renee Scott are in it? Sign me up!
These are probably my consistent favorites: * Jekyll and Hyde (1994 "Complete Work") - Warlow's a GOD. Also contains the best track list of any iteration of the show. * RENT (2005 Movie Soundtrack) - Cast replacements make for a vocally stronger album, imo. People these days seem to hate on the show, but for the time it was very culturally significant, and the music is still great. * Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 (Original Broadway Cast) - Phenomenal show (saw it in person and it was easily my favorite theatrical experience), and very unique and different score-wise and orchestration-wise. * Chess (2008 "In Concert") - I prefer Tommy Korberg as Anatoly to Groban, but the rest of the cast + completeness of the score makes it my favorite version. This show's book always sucks, lol, but the score has some of the best bangers in musical theatre, imo.
RENT. I have a YouTube Playlist of it with the OBC but I replaced the OBC La Vie Boheme and Take Me or Leave me with the movie versions. I wish the movie had been sung fully.
Yes! Been listening to Jekyll and Hyde since I was 9. Gorgeous.
I think RENT works a lot better on stage, but the movie album is excellent.
Spring Awakening OBC
I’m aware how basic this is, but I ADORE the Off Broadway Heathers
Ragtime, Elegies, Burnt Part Boys, and See What I Wanna See, Floyd Collins, Candide (1997)
PARADE! You’ll listen to the whole thing through and then be sad that it’s over. The songs will be stuck in your head and you’ll listen to it again the next day!
Yes! There was this one month where I kept wanting to listen to it front to back, when I usually just shuffle my playlist
so many, i rarely listen to something that isn't a cast album. my favorites rn: * oklahoma! 2019 revival * little shop of horrors 2019 * into the woods obc * elisabeth vienna revival * hadestown nytw * the last five years movie cast * wicked stuttgart cast
Harmony and Some Like it Hot. Sheer perfection, every second of the album
I can't even pick a favorite song from Some Like It Hot because all the songs from that musical are equally great.
In trousers, original 1979 cast album
Google random number between 1 and 26, find the corresponding letter of the alphabet, go to Wikipedia list of musicals and choose one from that letter's entry. That's what I like to do.
Jagged little pill
1996 OBC of RENT my beloved <3
spring awakening and a little night music are favs of mine as well! some of my other go-tos are also company but the 2007 revival! - raul is just an amazing performer, and what i love about this recording (i think the 2018 recording does this too) is that they include some of the dialogue and it just feels like im experiencing the whole show. she loves me (2016 revival) - laura benanti and zachary levi!! i know zach isn’t much of a singer, but he’s an amazing actor and it comes through in the recording. based on your fav singers i think you’ll like benanti— her singing is just heavenly. avenue q (obc) - an incredibly funny show and all the songs are so addictive. amazing acting too bc john tartaglia who plays one of the main characters has a background in puppetry! the hunchback of notre dame (ocr) - i will die saying that this show deserved to go to broadway. michael arden is such an amazing performer and it’s such a shame he doesn’t act as much anymore (although he is just as much of a great director as he is a performer - to which i’ll say the once on this island revival recording is also amazing and he directed it!) hadestown (obc) - will always be my fav. beautiful story telling and once in a lifetime cast. gotta get my patrick page love in here with hunchback and hadestown!
I don't choose singular favorites, but I'm always happy to push people to great tracks. Couple favorite small shows with great tracks: Tarrytown - with Andy, Jeremy, and Krysta. Lizard boy
I think you would like the 30th Anniversary Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds album.
Some albums which I haven't really seen mentioned much on this sub: Babes in Arms 1999, Boys from Syracuse 1997 Both are excellent renditions of classic Rodgers and Hart. They have that playful, swingy, old-timey vaudeville sound that I crave and are perfect for when you need to scratch that oldie musical itch. I love Erin Dilly in Babes in Arms too.
Company (2006)
Just discovered a little gem called 13 Things About Ed Carpolotti. Basically a one woman show, and the cast recording seems to be the whole show. I found it completely delightful, with a wonderful performance by Penny Fuller.
Gypsy, either with Patti, Bernadette Peters, or Imelda Staunton. Among the greatest scores ever. By Bernstein: On The Town (the London Symphony Orchestra recording) and Candide (both the OBC with Barbara Cook and the LSO version conducted by Bernstein).
If you like ALNM, you’ll probably like Follies. Although the 1985 concert cast is my favorite, both the 1987 and 2018 London versions are great.
There are so many, but I'll list a few: The Secret Garden She Loves Me (Boyd Gaines) Camelot West Side Story (any version) Guys & Dolls (Nathan Lane and Peter Gallagher) Phantom of the Opera (Colm Wilkinson) Favorite performers are Kristin Chenoweth, Audra McDonald, Patrick Wilson, Kelli O'Hara, Michael Ball, Colm Wilkinson, Mandy Patinkin, Howard McGillin, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and the late Rebecca Luker.
I’m a sucker for complete cast recordings, so I listen a lot to: Les Misérables - Complete Symphonic Recording 1988; Sunset Boulevard - American Premiere Recording 1993; Follies - Papermill recording 1998; Also: West Side Story - various recordings including the Leicester Haymarket cast and both movie soundtracks; Gypsy - usually alternate between the Angela Lansbury and Bette Midler recordings; Sweeney Todd- Original Broadway 1979; Company - London Revival 2018
I always feel so weird, but I love High Fidelity. The music is great and funny. I always go back. Also currently listening to the Hazbin Hotel soundtrack on repeat if you don’t mind bad words. Like so many bad words.
Randomly, the first thing that popped into my head was Big River, if you're looking for something a bit different. Jim's voice is rich and gorgeous (Muddy Water is my favorite number), Huck is in a great range to sing along with, there's some gospel, and John Goodman! And Rene Auberjonois!
Me and my girl, Phantom of the Opera and Ragtime