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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
'Seventy-six trombones led the big parade', 4 Jul 2005
Very good recording, on the whole. Unfortunately, the CD carries over some limitations from the vinyl record recording, such as arranging the first three songs as a single track instead of separate tracks, which is mildly annoying without detracting from the quality of the music itself. I've knocked off a star for that (and because the CD didn't incorporate the longer versions of some of the songs, but kept the shorter versions used on the vinyl record)."Main Title" (instrumental) - The opening title, a medley including instrumental excepts from "Seventy-Six Trombones" (which dominates the arrangement), "Being in Love", "The Wells Fargo Wagon", and "Till There Was You". "Rock Island" (the Travelling Salesmen) - Smooth segue from dialogue into singing as the travelling salesmen aboard the train move from talking about salesmanship generally to Professor Harold Hill and how he somehow manages to make a living selling boys' bands. "And when the man dances, certainly boys, what else? The piper pays *him*." "Iowa Stubborn" The townspeople ensemble upon Hill's arrival in River City. "We can be cold as a falling thermometer in December if you ask about the weather in July/And we're so by-God stubborn we can stand touching noses for a week at a time and never see eye to eye..." "Ya Got Trouble" (Trouble in River City) Professor Harold Hill singing with the ensemble as an occasional chorus, working up the evils of the billiard parlor's new pool table as groundwork for selling them the need for a band later on. "Trouble with a capital T and that rhymes with P and that stands for pool." "Piano Lesson & If You Don't Mind My Saying So" - Begins with Marian's spoken line, "Mama, a man with a suitcase followed me home," since the song essentially continues her conversation with her mother across the top of Amaryllis' lesson. :) "Goodnight My Someone" - Shirley Jones singing this alone, without the little girl who played Amaryllis as in the film joining in as a sung duet (although the piano is still there). "Ya Got Trouble & Seventy Six Trombones" - Much shorter version than that in the film, ending before the long instrumental segments that accompanied the dance scenes. "Sincere" - Omits Harold Hill's initial experiments with teaching the schoolboard to sing barbershop harmony to deflect them from inquiring into his credentials, so the "Ice Cream" portion isn't here; the song picks up with Hill's line, "How can there be" and the quartet joining in with "any sin in sincere." "The Sadder But Wiser Girl" Preston alone, although Hackett accompanies him for part of the song in the film. (The song continues their conversation, Hackett's character having just offered to set Hill up with a Sunday school teacher on a date.) "I hope, and I pray, for Hester to win just one more A - the sadder but wiser girl for me." "Pick-A-Little, Talk-A-Little" - The ladies' committee and the Buffalo Bills (who join in singing "Good Night, Ladies" once the professor deflects them from yet another inquiry into his credentials). The pause in mid-song when the ladies discuss Marian's scandalous relationship with "old Miser Madison" is actually longer in the film, when they went into further detail. "Marian the Librarian" - Like "Seventy Six Trombones", this is a truncated recording of the actual film version, stopping at the point when Marian forces Hill to sit down with a book (you can still hear him catching his breath as she shoves him into a seat); in the film, the song continues with a long instrumental passage accompanying a dance scene. "But when I try in here/to tell you dear/I love you madly, madly madam librarian/Marian/It's a long-lost cause I can never win/for the civilized world accepts as unforgivable sin/any talking out loud with any librarian/such as Marian..." :) "Being in Love" Marian singing to her mother to explain that she's been in love *many* times - it's just that nobody's ever been in love with her. "Gary, Indiana" Robert Preston as Harold Hill, singing to Pert Kelton (Marian's mother) about his "hometown". "Gary, Indiana as a Shakespeare would say/trips along softly on the tongue this way..." "The Wells Fargo Wagon" - The day the instruments arrived and Winthrop (Marian's little brother, played by Ronnie Howard) stopped caring about his lisp and began to talk to people. "Oh ho the Wells Fargo Wagon is a-coming now/I don't know how I can ever wait to see/It could be somethin' for someone who is no relation/but it could be/somethin' special/just for me..." "Lida Rose & Will I Ever Tell You" - The professor once again deflects the school board into barbershop harmony with a supposed testimonial by Lida Rose Quackenbush. Partway through, there's a cut to Marian singing another song, which is eventually overlaid with the Buffalo Bills as the board singing their song. Nice effect. "Gary, Indiana" (Ronnie Howard, joined by Shirley Jones and Pert Kelton) "Shipoopi" Buddy Hackett singing at the ice cream social; again, the long instrumental passages accompanying dance scenes have been trimmed. "Till There Was You" Shirley Jones as Marian explaining why she didn't give Hill away the day the instruments arrived. "Goodnight My Someone" - Preston as Hill begins whistling, then singing "Seventy Six Trombones" while waiting for Marian to come out and walk with him; listening to her sing "Goodnight My Someone", he eventually has a change of heart and begins singing that. (*She* then picks up the next "Seventy Six Trombones" line, a touch I've always liked.) "Seventy Six Trombones" - Instrumental version, the closing title music. Unfortunately, the CD has this on the same track with the previous song.
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~ Original Soundtrack
~ Various Artists
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