What happens when ABBA fights the Cold War. The next disc is what.
Disc 156 is...Chess: Original Broadway Recording
Artist: Various
Year of Release: 1988
What’s Up With The Cover?: The star-crossed lovers of our tale run, James Bond-like in front of their respective flags. I kind of like it.
How I Came To Know It: "Chess" is another of Sheila's modest collection of musicals. I've already reviewed "Les Miserables" back at Disc 111, and there's yet two more to come.
How It Stacks Up: I have about 23 soundtracks. When I recently reviewed "Moulin Rouge", I hinted that there was one or two albums possibly worse than it. At the time I was thinking of "Chess" but having listened to it, I must confirm it is better than "Moulin Rouge" by a reasonable margin. I'd still say "Chess" is bottom five of 23 soundtracks, but it is ahead of "Moulin Rouge" and may not even be the worse musical. I'll put it a distant third to Les Mis' second place.
Rating: 2 stars.
"Chess" is an ambitious project, that was a flop on Broadway, but I think was fairly brave. It is written by the guys from ABBA (Benny and Bjorn) along with Tim Rice, or so Sheila tells me. This makes sense, you can definitely hear a pop/disco sensibility in some songs.
A quick plot synopsis - there is a Chess tournament at the height of the cold war. During this, the understudy of the US champion (and the daughter of a Hungarian involved in the '56 rebellion), falls in love with the Russian champion, and he with her. Of course, against the backdrop of the Cold War, even though they have an undeniable attraction, they are uncertain if they can trust each other.
As it happens, they can really only trust each other, as all around them people scheme their Cold War schemes. As musicals go, it is pretty depressing. Between this and "Les Miserables" it is amazing how much tragedy this genre squeezes into the ordinarily joyous experience of people singing.
I liked the premise of the story, but for some reason the complex themes that they try to develop never quite come together.
The music is similarly uneven. There are a few good tracks (mostly the ones sung by the female lead, Florence (played by 'original cast member' Judy Kuhn). Kuhn sings her pants off. Well - I'm not sure about that last part, since the liner notes don't have stage directions, but let's just say she can really work the pipes.
I didn't find the same thing with the rest of the cast, who paled in comparison. I mostly found myself wanting these other guys to shut up so Kuhn could belt out a few more lines.
I also had my usual reaction to musicals, wondering why everyone felt the need to sing their entire conversations. It makes for a lot of filler.
This album also is the source of the eighties hit "One Night In Bangkok", made famous by Murray Head. Trivia moment: Murray's brother, Anthony Stewart Head played Buffy the Vampire Slayer's handler, Giles, on the Josh Whedon TV show - but more about that when I roll it (consider that a teaser).
I like "One Night in Bangkok". It has a good tune and many good double entendres:
"I'd let you watch, I would invite you
But the queens we use would not excite you."
And also one of my favourite lines in music, "I get my kicks above the waistline, sunshine."
A guilty pleasure is "Nobody's Side." A discoesque anthem of despair that Kuhn belts out with enthusiasm. That part is OK, but it edges close to sounding like Celine Dion. It doesn't cross that line, but it gets close enough to make me feel like I need a shower after enjoying it. Not surprisingly, this record had a high embarassment factor in the convertible the last two days.
While "Chess" was a bit of Broadway flop, (I think it only had a two month run), but received a reasonable amount of critical acclaim. I certainly wouldn't have known how to market it back then, and I don't think I can recommend it now, but it has its moments.
Best tracks: One Night In Bangkok, Nobody's Side
Disc 156 is...Chess: Original Broadway Recording
Artist: VariousYear of Release: 1988
What’s Up With The Cover?: The star-crossed lovers of our tale run, James Bond-like in front of their respective flags. I kind of like it.
How I Came To Know It: "Chess" is another of Sheila's modest collection of musicals. I've already reviewed "Les Miserables" back at Disc 111, and there's yet two more to come.
How It Stacks Up: I have about 23 soundtracks. When I recently reviewed "Moulin Rouge", I hinted that there was one or two albums possibly worse than it. At the time I was thinking of "Chess" but having listened to it, I must confirm it is better than "Moulin Rouge" by a reasonable margin. I'd still say "Chess" is bottom five of 23 soundtracks, but it is ahead of "Moulin Rouge" and may not even be the worse musical. I'll put it a distant third to Les Mis' second place.
Rating: 2 stars.
"Chess" is an ambitious project, that was a flop on Broadway, but I think was fairly brave. It is written by the guys from ABBA (Benny and Bjorn) along with Tim Rice, or so Sheila tells me. This makes sense, you can definitely hear a pop/disco sensibility in some songs.
A quick plot synopsis - there is a Chess tournament at the height of the cold war. During this, the understudy of the US champion (and the daughter of a Hungarian involved in the '56 rebellion), falls in love with the Russian champion, and he with her. Of course, against the backdrop of the Cold War, even though they have an undeniable attraction, they are uncertain if they can trust each other.
As it happens, they can really only trust each other, as all around them people scheme their Cold War schemes. As musicals go, it is pretty depressing. Between this and "Les Miserables" it is amazing how much tragedy this genre squeezes into the ordinarily joyous experience of people singing.
I liked the premise of the story, but for some reason the complex themes that they try to develop never quite come together.
The music is similarly uneven. There are a few good tracks (mostly the ones sung by the female lead, Florence (played by 'original cast member' Judy Kuhn). Kuhn sings her pants off. Well - I'm not sure about that last part, since the liner notes don't have stage directions, but let's just say she can really work the pipes.
I didn't find the same thing with the rest of the cast, who paled in comparison. I mostly found myself wanting these other guys to shut up so Kuhn could belt out a few more lines.
I also had my usual reaction to musicals, wondering why everyone felt the need to sing their entire conversations. It makes for a lot of filler.
This album also is the source of the eighties hit "One Night In Bangkok", made famous by Murray Head. Trivia moment: Murray's brother, Anthony Stewart Head played Buffy the Vampire Slayer's handler, Giles, on the Josh Whedon TV show - but more about that when I roll it (consider that a teaser).
I like "One Night in Bangkok". It has a good tune and many good double entendres:
"I'd let you watch, I would invite you
But the queens we use would not excite you."
And also one of my favourite lines in music, "I get my kicks above the waistline, sunshine."
A guilty pleasure is "Nobody's Side." A discoesque anthem of despair that Kuhn belts out with enthusiasm. That part is OK, but it edges close to sounding like Celine Dion. It doesn't cross that line, but it gets close enough to make me feel like I need a shower after enjoying it. Not surprisingly, this record had a high embarassment factor in the convertible the last two days.
While "Chess" was a bit of Broadway flop, (I think it only had a two month run), but received a reasonable amount of critical acclaim. I certainly wouldn't have known how to market it back then, and I don't think I can recommend it now, but it has its moments.
Best tracks: One Night In Bangkok, Nobody's Side
1 comment:
Yes, Florence has the best songs in the musical - I do have a huge soft spot for this disc.
I remember when the original Murray Head version of "One Night in Bangkok" was a hit on the radio! My favourite line, "some are set up in the Somerset Maugham suite" - it just flows so nicely.
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