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Monty Python's Spamalot - UK Cast Album
by SWSt The stage version of Spamalot is an inspired infusion of the madcap humour of Monty Python (based around the Quest for the Holy Grail film) mixed with some catchy and funny songs that make a very satisfying comedy-musical Surprisingly, because the songs are so strong, they are worth listening to on their own, divorced from on-stage ... antics. Here, music lovers are spoiled, as there are two versions of the Spamalot sound track available - one performed by the original US Broadway cast; the other taken from the UK stage show that has been touring the country for the last couple of years. You can find my review of the Broadway recording elsewhere on Dooyoo, but to cut a long story short (and much though I wish I could fly the flag for the UK) this version is inferior by quite some distance. What particularly lets this CD down is the level of musicality. Obviously the budget is inevitably a lot lower (the US version is a full-blown, fixed Broadway musical; the UK one a travelling stage production). It's inevitable that this will be reflected in the production values. What's not so inevitable (but immediately obvious) is that the quality of the singing is also a lot lower. In many cases, singers appear to have been chosen on the basis of their TV appearances (Marcus Brigstocke as Arthur, Jodie Prenger as The Lady of the Lake), rather than their ability to sing or their suitability for the role. This inevitably impacts on the "musical" aspect of this comedy-musical. Marcus Brigstocke was disappointing when I saw him in the show on stage. He lacked any real stage presence and his singing voice was merely passable. The flaws in his voice become even more apparent when the songs are divorced from the on-stage antics and presented on this CD. Brigstocke's voice just doesn't have any power or character; everything is sung at pretty much the same level, leaving it all rather curiously flat and expressionless. He might know how to deliver some of the comedy lines, but he really doesn't know how to deliver a song. For someone who has made her name in musical talent shows, Jodie Prenger is a massive let-down in the crucial role of The Lady of the Lake. The first time we saw the stage show, The Lady of The Lake was played by Hayley Tamaddon, who was simply brilliant. Prenger isn't even a pale imitation. The role needs someone with a hugely versatile voice, capable of singing in a massive range of styles ranging from soft rock and show tunes through to jazz and scat. Unfortunately, Prenger lacks this versatility. As with Brigstocke, she sings pretty much everything in the same style and at the same volume. Her voice lacks the power and authority needed for the role and she struggles to hit some of the high notes. I also think there is a slightly harsh edge to her voice which is not always pleasant to listen to. Sadly, the same is true of most of the other members of the cast (save for Lancelot and Todd Carty as Patsy, merrily sending himself up). The singers just don't seem to bring the same sense of fun and joy to proceedings as their US counterparts. Detached from their on-stage antics, the songs too often come across as uninspired, lacking any real sparkle. As a standalone CD, this is just not as much fun to listen to (or sing along to) as the Broadway recording. In fairness, there are some good reasons for this. For starters, this is a recording taken from live performances of the show, whereas the US version was a special studio version where multiple recordings could be taken to splice together the "perfect" version. On the plus side, this means that the UK Cast version has more atmosphere - you can hear the audience laughing which gives you a better sense of what the stage show is actually like. However, it also means that this is a "warts and all" performance that highlights any errors made by the cast and exposes the relative weakness of their voices. Where the UK recording scores better highly is that it contains more dialogue than the US version. This means that the links between some songs or sections of the CD are more obvious. It also means that there are a lot more laughs, since some of the show's very funny dialogue (including some excellent ad-libs) is included. Thanks to this, the CD flows better and has a more coherent feel than the US version. Thankfully, whilst the actual performances might not be the greatest, the songs are as good as ever. Putting aside the curious decision to change some of the lyrics they retain that brilliant combination of genuinely funny lyrics and surprisingly catchy tunes spread over a wide range of musical genres. If you've never heard them before, there are songs that will have you laughing out loud. If you have, you will be smiling in anticipation of what is coming and singing along. There's one final blow in this US vs. UK battle: my favourite song from the original show has been ruined. Presumably make it more relevant in the UK (and possibly to avoid causing offence) the song "You Won't Succeed on Broadway If You Don't Have Any Jews" has now been changed to "...If You Don't Have Any Stars". The hilarious lyrics of the original have been seriously weakened as the new words just don't provide the same opportunity for fun. The need to find lots of different words that rhyme with "stars" completely alters the rhythm and sense of the original song and robs it of its musicality. Whoever came up with this decision needs to take a long, hard look at themselves - in one fell swoop they have ruined both the tune and the lyrics to the best song in the show. Much though it pains me to say it, if you like the madcap songs of Spamalot, you're better off going for the US Broadway recording in preference to this. The production values are considerably higher, the singing more polished and musical and it's a lot more fun to listen to. If I've not convinced you yet, here are two final facts. I've played the US version dozens of times (although in fairness, I have owned it longer) and the UK version just once. Factor in that the US version is around half the price (around £5 new versus £10 for the UK version) and it's a bit of a no-brainer, really. © Copyright SWSt 2012 Read the complete review |
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Ready For This - Tim Minchin
by blackviolets My sister has a massive crush on Tim Minchin and this has two benefits. The first being that she no longer babbles on about Noel Fielding and the second is she'll buy his DVDs and albums so I get to watch and listen to them for free. His appearance on Never Mind The Buzzcocks was the first time I saw him but on a show which isn't all ... about the guests he wouldn't of had the chance to of made any sort of impression. Then he was on Friday Night With Jonathon Ross which I didn't bother watching. In fact I didn't have a clue as to who he was until youtube videos of his shows were shoved down my throat. Finally this album was forced upon me by said family member but it wasn't one I instantly took to. British born Australian musician/comedian (think that's in the right order!) Tim Minchin has become quite well known over here in the UK. Singing mainly funny songs he has a recognizable voice, not unlike a more tuneful yet darker mixture of James Blunt and Daniel Bedingfield. Although that isn't something I'd dare to say out loud to a die hard fan. Ready For This is a 15 track album with songs taken from his show of the same name. The majority of these are a bit quirky, includes piano playing and in some places might cause you to laugh...or frown depending on your sense of humour. They can also include swearing, occasionally of the more extreme kind, smutty lyrics and what could be portrayed as slight mockery of religions. So you might want to be hesitant as to who you listen to it with. When our Gran popped round it was swiftly replaced with Jamie Callum. My two favourite tracks are ones where the lyrics couldn't be anymore different. Song For Phil Daoust was penned because of a non too complimentary review. The name meant nothing to me but I did a bit of googling as you do and I believe I have found the journalists opinions. (http://tinyurl.com/c8wn9y) Make of it what you will. It's quite aggressive and isn't backwards in coming forwards with the lyrics. A song which doesn't slow down and is very in your face musically wise. Although there is piano playing, it is largely the drums and guitar which comes through. Containing lyrics such as 'I still want to cut big chunks of flesh out of your stupid face' it wasn't one I liked from the start but it is infuriatingly catchy and a bit of a grower. Canvas Bags is another of my favourites. This one has the possibility of being a bit bland but when you get about 90 seconds in, the track uplifts and what is technically known as getting louder changes the whole song. It's more vocal and although not really amusing, focusing on getting rid of plastic carrier bags, it's probably one of the strongest on the album. Other songs include the very sweet and sentimental White Wine in the Sun, a lengthy piano pounding track called Darkside and The Good Book, one which wouldn't be out of place in a folk club. So overall a really wide selection of songs and styles of music to listen to. To me this isn't a perfect album and there are a few tracks which I could do without. Encore and Interval songs are fine for when you're actually at his show but just seem a little pointless being included on the album. They aren't really songs and although very brief they don't exactly fit in. Bears Don't Dig on Dancing is another which I tend to skip. Simply because the music is a style which I can't stand. A bit jerky, almost an electric/dance/disco theme which I think has a bit of a weak tune. But then that's what the 'next' button is for. If you want an album to make you smile and don't mind swearing or crude lyrics then you might just enjoy this. However if you don't then I'd suggest you have a quick visit to youtube and watch some of the Tim Minchin videos. I was (and still am to a certain extent) someone who thought such things were a bit unnecessary and for singers who lacked imagination, wanting themselves to sound more edgy for want of a better word. Even after my first few listens of this album I though he was a bit of a wally. My opinion swiftly changed after a bit though which is why I'm suggesting you give it a quick look rather than being put off straight away. I normally show little interest in comedy songs but I think he has ever so slightly convinced me that I should give them more of a try. He isn't a mainstream artist so it's highly unlikely you'll find this album in the shops. You can however download it through Amazon for £4.99 or visit his official site www.timminchin.com and buy it for £10 Either way it's not one to miss out on, an album which I should be sick of it betime now after my continual listening of it. Read the complete review |
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So Rock - Tim Minchin
by elainemilton If you haven't heard any Tim Minchin yet, please do give him a try. He is a quirky Australian comic singer - I am often quite turned off by people who combine comedy and song, but in Tim's case it really does work, mainly due to the intelligent and offbeat nature of the subjects. He sails quite close to the wind sometimes and ... some people may be a bit upset by some of the lyrics, but I feel that this is mainly the case if you are sensitive or take offence easily. Every track has something to recommend it, though there are a mixture of traditional songs combined with some stand up routine (not as strong as the songs) and "beat poems". My stand out tracks would be Some People Have It Worse Than I (track 2) and You Grew On Me (track 15), though his "Canvas Bags" anthem has also got me taking along my reusable shoppers to Tesco lately. Probably not his strongest album overall but still well worth a listen, if you can get your hands on a copy. Read the complete review |
Comedy Recording Music Album |
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1 review Artist: Cast of Spamalot / Music Album / Label: Ocean Music Ltd. - Recording of the UK stage show |
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Genre: Comedy Recording / Music Album / Artist: Monty Python / Live / Audio CD released 2006-09-04 at Virgin/EMI |
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Genre: Comedy / Music Album / Box Set |
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2 reviews Genre: Comedy Recording / Music Album / Artist: Tim Minchin / Audio CD |
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4 reviews Genre: Comedy Recording / Music Album / MP3 Download released 2009-07-20 at Laughing Stock Productions |
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Genre: Comedy / Music Album / Artist: Caroline Rhea / Audio CD released 2008-08-26 at CD Baby.Com/Indys |
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