OST- The Music Man

dscn5286-800x773This was $3.00.  It is not a stretch to say that this musical is perhaps the greatest of the last century.  At the very least, it would be in the top five.meredith_willson_1967

Meredith Willson wrote the music, lyrics, and book for this effort, his first musical.  Before this, he had worked in Hollywood, composing scores for movies, radio, and television.  He started adapting a story based on his Iowan boyhood for Broadway after being rejected for television and movies.a33cc024e00c9393de3fabbe4befc3c2

A smashing success in 1957, The Music Man ran for 1,375 performances and won five Tony awards.  This album also was a hit, winning a Grammy while remaining on the album charts for 245 weeks. In 1962, a film adaptation was made.  Numerous revivals and smaller productions have gone on thru the years and continue today. Wilson’s second musicals, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, was a modest success.  He made two more musicals with limited success.  Wilson would die in 1984 of heart failure.  He was 82.

Broadway Database info on The Music Man

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One of the things I found amazing about this musical is the background of its star, Robert Preston.  I was a bit shocked to find out that Preston had no background in vaudeville.  He had started acting after high school and to this point, had mainly been in a B-level actor in westerns.  Granted, he is no Gene Kelly, but he does manage to do a good job of both singing and dancing in his role of Harold Hill.  In one such anedote, it was his acting skills that helped him get the job.  Most singers trying out for the role had trouble with “Ya Got Trouble”whereas Preston nailed the song with little difficulty.  1101580721_400

For his efforts, he won a Tony for a role.  Furthermore, Wilson insisted he revisit his role for the movie version as Jack Warner wanted Frank Sinatra. I just can’t see Ol’ Blue Eyes doing the role justice.  Preston would die in 1987 of lung cancer.  He was 68. The clip below is pretty bad quality but I think it is one of the best in the movie version and it also illustrates Preston’s abilities in both song and dance. Granted, you don’t have to be a great dancer to perform the routine but you do need some level of skill.

I also came across this video of a flashmob doing the same act that I thought was ok. I really liked it when I first saw it. Now, a little less so.

As far as the musical goes, it is a lesson in syncopation, juxtaposition, and onomatopoeia. For an example of this, I would look no further than the opening number.

The songs are infectiously catchy and have become classics.  As stated before, the songs have been covered and parodied extensively.  Most notably in The Simpsons and The Family Guy.

For samples, I went with the perhaps one of the more popular numbers, the above mentioned “Ya Got Trouble”.  I also went with “Pick A Little Talk A Little/ Good Night Ladies” because it is a good example of the components I spoke of in the a couple of paragraphs prior.  I originally wanted to use “Piano Lessons” which features a great duet between Barbara Cook, who originated the role of Marion Paroo, and Pert Kelton, who performed the role of Mrs Paroo on both Broadway and on the screen.  Alas, it skipped and I was too lazy to go upstairs to clean it.f1649944a6e3719ae648ad2890c59b49

Top Rated album for sure.