Sony Music 100 Years: Soundtrack for a Century

Complete boxed set 26CD  at Amazon  ($296.97 ) Yalplay (£143.97)

		List of contents In celebration of the end of the century, Sony Music has compiled perhaps the most extensive collection of recorded music ever. Drawing from archives of labels affiliated with Sony Music, Legacy Recordings has assembled an impressive historical sampler of music from the last 100 years. The result, Sony Music 100 Years: Soundtrack for a Century, consists of 547 titles on 26 CDs, packaged by genre into 12 volumes (multiple CDs per volume), which are sold both individually and as a boxed set. The boxed set includes all 26 CDs in a special binder, as well as a coffee table book (retails for $260 - $300 online). The individual volumes sell for $20 to $23 online and come with extensive liner notes on each title (Movie Music and Broadway have booklets over 60 pages long each.) The 12 volumes cover 10 major genres: Pop Music (Early Years, Golden Era, and Modern Era), Classical, Jazz, Folk Gospel and Blues, Country, Rock, R&B, International, Movie Music, and Broadway. This article reviews only the latter two volumes, focusing mainly on Movie Music, which is the only volume of interest to soundtrack lovers. Although the word "soundtrack" is used in the title of this compilation, only the Movie Music volume is dedicated to movie soundtracks. The rest are compilations of their respective genres. The Broadway volume might have tangential interest for fans who also enjoy Broadway shows. Movie Music: The Definitive Performances is an amazing collection of 44 selections representing 43 films (Titanic had two tracks) from the first decade of the century to 1998. Unfortunately for score fans, only six (maybe seven) of these selections are score tracks: "Music for Silent Movies," The Bridge Over River Kwai, West Side Story, Dances with Wolves, Forrest Gump, and Titanic. Giant by Dmitri Tiomkin is featured as well, but includes a generous amount of singing. Together (counting Giant), these tracks comprise only 21 minutes of score music. So if you are a strict score-only fan, this volume probably wouldn't be appealing. Besides, you probably already have the full score to each of these films. If your love for film music extends to movie songs that become inextricably linked to heart of the films (like me), then Movie Music is an exciting gem of a compilation. Every single song selected for this album is a priceless classic. From the original performance of "Singin' in the Rain" to "An Affair to Remember" to the famous "M*A*S*H*" theme to "My Heart Will Go On," each song is a cultural icon, a treasured slice of film music history. It is the immense memorial value of this collection, which captures the emotional essence of timeless movie classics, that gives this volume the bomb shelter rating. If the bomb siren sounds, this would be the one songtrack album I would take underground with me without hesitation. What could better remind us unequivocally of the intrinsic and indispensable role music plays in pictures, than songs that evoke instant nostalgia of the films we love? The first disc is full of golden age oldies, including "Inka-Dinka-Doo" by Jimmy Durante (for the younger audience, remember Greedy with Michael J. Fox?) and other songs performed by Mae West, Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Doris Day. The sounds are classic Americana (similar to early Disney music like Snow White and Cinderella), reminding us of a more innocent and romantic age in our cultural history. There is a soothing and carefree feel to these songs that make them a gentle pleasure to listen to. The first CD ends with the winding down of this innocence in 1960's, featuring songs such as "Mrs. Robinson" from The Graduate, "To Sir With Love," and "The Way We Were." The second disc moves through contemporary favorites such as Kenny Loggin's "Footloose," Berlin's "Take My Breath Away" from Top Gun, Bruce Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia" from Philadelphia, and closing with Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" from Armageddon. The only shortcoming of this album is that it is limited to songs released by Sony Music, which means it failed to feature other soundtrack chart toppers such as "The Time of My Life" from Dirty Dancing, "What a Feeling" from Flashdance, or "Gangsta's Paradise" from Dangerous Minds. Still, over 75 minutes of music on each CD is not a shabby effort. They definitely had enough from their own archives to fill each CD up with only the best. The Broadway album likewise has a thorough and delightful representation of all the original (as in first) cast recordings of classics like Show Boat, My Fair Lady, South Pacific, West Side Story, Sound of Music, Cabaret, and A Chorus Line. Of course, all the major classics have been made into film, which has the recordings that are much more familiar to the present audience. The sound in original Broadway cast recordings is decidedly different from current styles. Even though they are performed by such notable voices as Ethel Merman, Julie Andrews, Chita Rivera, Richard Burton, or Dick Van Dyke, the performances have a corny formality that is easily overshadowed by their contemporary counterparts. Most of the time, the sound is somewhat spare and stiff, not as rich in orchestration or emotion as their more recent versions on either Broadway or film. Perhaps it is a result of familiarity or better technology, but I prefer the film versions to any one of these older performances. The value of this album is more because of its panoramic view of Broadway music history than in the sheer preeminence of the craft. Broadway fans, in particular, would enjoy this respectable sampler of the early days of the art. Depending on how much you love music, and how much history you enjoy as a part of your listening experience, you may either celebrate the release of the Movie Music and/or Broadway volumes or find them optional for your collection. For myself, I love hearing the delicate evolution of film music and owning a piece of our cultural heritage. If only Sony had made a Film Score volume, life would be perfect. Reviewer Helen San Movie Music Broadway Movie Music: The Definitive Performances (Total Score Time - 21:39) Disc 1 (Total Time - 77:29) 1. Music For Silent Movies - Traditional / Charlie Young (0:51) 2. Singin' In The Rain (from Hollywood Revue Of 1929) - Cliff Edwards 3. You Are Too Beautiful (from Hallelujah, I'm A Bum) - Al Jolson 4. A Guy What Takes His Time (from She Done Him Wrong) - Mae West 5. Temptation (from Going Hollywood) - Bing Crosby 6. Inka-Dinka-Doo (from Joe Palooka) - Jimmy Durante 7. Rock And Roll (from Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round) - The Boswell Sisters 8. Lullaby Of Broadway (from Gold Diggers Of 1935) - Dick Powell 9. The Way You Look Tonight (from Swing Time) - Fred Astaire 10. A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening (from Higher And Higher) - Frank Sinatra 11. Secret Love (from Calamity Jane) - Doris Day 12. The Man That Got Away (from A Star Is Born) - Judy Garland 13. Giant (from Giant) - Dmitri Tiomkin (3:15) 14. March From The River Kwai & Colonel Bogey (from The Bridge On The River Kwai) - Malcolm Arnold (march theme by Kenneth Alford) (2:28) 15. An Affair To Remember (from An Affair To Remember) - Vic Damone 16. A Certain Smile (from A Certain Smile) - Johnny Mathis 17. My Heart Belongs To Daddy (from Let's Make Love) - Marilyn Monroe 18. Overture (from West Side Story) - Leonard Bernstein (4:40) 19. With A Little Bit Of Luck (from My Fair Lady) - Stanley Holloway & Ensemble 20. To Sir With Love (from To Sir With Love) - Lulu 21. Mrs. Robinson (from The Graduate) - Simon & Garfunkel 22. Ballad Of Easy Rider (from Easy Rider) - The Byrds 23. Be (from Jonathan Livingston Seagull) - Neil Diamond 24. The Way We Were (from The Way We Were) - Barbra Streisand Disc 2 (Total Time - 75:24) 1. Suicide Is Painless (from M*A*S*H) - The Mash 2. Knockin' On Heaven's Door (from Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid) - Bob Dylan 3. Evergreen (from A Star Is Born) - Barbra Streisand 4. On The Road Again (from Honeysuckle Rose) - Willie Nelson 5. Tender Years (from Eddie & The Cruisers) - John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band 6. Footloose (from Footloose) - Kenny Loggins 7. Take My Breath Away (from Top Gun) - Berlin 8. It Had To Be You (from When Harry Met Sally) - Harry Connick, Jr. 9. The John Dunbar Theme (from Dances With Wolves) - John Barry (3:43) 10. State Of Love And Trust (from Singles) - Pearl Jam 11. When I Fall In Love (from Sleepless In Seattle) - Celine Dion/Clive Griffin 12. Streets Of Philadelphia (from Philadelphia) - Bruce Springsteen 13. I'm Forrest...Forrest Gump (from Forrest Gump) - Alan Silvestri (2:41) 14. Childhood (from Free Willy 2) - Michael Jackson 15. The Sweetest Thing (from Love Jones) - Refugee Camp All-Stars/Lauryn Hill 16. Men In Black (from Men In Black) - Will Smith 17. I Say A Little Prayer (from My Best Friend's Wedding) - Diana King 18. Southampton (from Titanic) - James Horner (4:01) 19. My Heart Will Go On (from Titanic) - Celine Dion 20. I Don't Want To Miss A Thing (from Armageddon) - Aerosmith Broadway: The Great Original Cast Recordings Disc 1 (Total Time - 77:22) 1. Bill (from Show Boat) - Helen Mirren 2. Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man (from Show Boat) - Carol Bruce/Helen Dowdy/Kenneth Spencer/Chorus 3. How Are Things In Glocca Morra (from Finian's Rainbow) - Ella Logan 4. Wunderbar (from Kiss Me, Kate) - Alfred Drake/Patricia Morison 5. Some Enchanted Evening (from South Pacific) - Ezio Pinza 6. A Wonderful Guy (from South Pacific) - Mary Martin/Girls' Chorus 7. Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend (from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) - Carol Channing 8. Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered (from Pal Joey) - Vivienne Segal 9. Stranger In Paradise (from Kismet) - Doretta Morrow/Richard Kiley 10. Hey There (from The Pajama Game) - John Raitt 11. Hernando's Hideaway (from The Pajama Game) - Carol Haney/Ensemble 12. The Rain In Spain (from My Fair Lady) - Rex Harrsion/Julie Andrews/Robert Coote 13. I Could Have Danced All Night (from My Fair Lady) - Julie Andrews/Phillipa Bevan/Cast 14. I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face (from My Fair Lady) - Rex Harrison 15. Standing On The Corner (from The Most Happy Fella) - Shorty Long/John Henson/Roy Lazarus/Arthur Gilbert 16. The Party's Over (from Bells Are Ringing) - Judy Holliday 17. Tonight (from West Side Story) - Larry Kert/Carol Lawrence 18. America (from West Side Story) - Chita Rivera/Girls 19. Somewhere (from West Side Story) - Cast 20. Conga! (from Wonderful Town) - Rosalind Russell/Ensemble 21. I Enjoy Being A Girl (from Flower Drum Song) - Pat Suzuki 22. Everything's Coming Up Roses (from Gypsy) - Ethel Merman . Disc 2: (Total Time - 76:15) 1. My Favorite Things (from The Sound Of Music) - Mary Martin/Patricia Neway 2. Do Re Mi (from The Sound Of Music) - Mary Martin/Children 3. Put On A Happy Face (from Bye Bye Birdie) - Dick Van Dyke 4. Camelot (from Camelot) - Richard Burton 5. Anyone Can Whistle (from Anyone Can Whistle) - Lee Remick 6. Do I Hear A Waltz? (from Do I Hear A Waltz?) - Elizabeth Allen/Ensemble 7. Big Spender (from Sweet Charity) - Helen Gallagher/Thelma Oliver/Girls 8. Mame (from Mame) - Charles Braswell/Ensemble 9. Willkommen (from Cabaret) - Joel Grey/Cast 10. Cabaret (from Cabaret) - Jill Haworth 11. The Ladies Who Lunch (from Company) - Elaine Stritch 12. I Want To Be Happy (from No, No Nanette) - Jack Gilford/Susan Watson 13. Send In The Clowns (from A Little Night Music) - Glynis Johns 14. What I Did For Love (from A Chorus Line) - Priscilla Lopez/Company 15. One (from A Chorus Line) - Company 16. Tomorrow (from Annie) - Andrea McArdle 17. Folies Bergeres (from Nine) - Lilane Montevecchi/Stephanie Cotsirilos 18. Never Met A Man I Didn't Like (from Will Rogers' Follies) - Keith Carradine 19. My Friend (from The Life) - Pamela Isaacs/Lillias White We are grateful to Helen San (www.cinemusic.net) for giving us permission to include this review which is currently appearing on her Film Music site. Return to head of review	Reviewer Helen San Movie Music Broadway Reviews from previous months Reviews carry sales links but you can also purchase from:
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