Charles Strouse, Lee Adams, Marc Kudisch - Bye Bye Birdie: The New Soundtrack Recording (1995 Television Cast)

Absolutely Wonderful

I do not own this CD or any other Bye Bye Birdie soundtracks. However, just from listening to the samples on this website I can tell which one is obviously the best. If you don't believe me, just listen to them yourself. I am comparing the songs from this, the 1995 television recording, the 1960 Broadway, and the 1963 movie. Here is a list of *some* of the songs and my opinions:

An English Teacher
1995: Vannessa William's voice is lovely.
1960: I prefer the first one. I think Chita Rivera's voice sounds too old fashioned.
1963: not included

The Telephone Hour
1995: I am IN LOVE with this song, almost as much as I am with Harvey Johnson. (Yes, I am a hormone-riddled teenager, so I can relate to this song.) Whoever plays Harvey has a great voice and sounds charmingly vulnerable. It is hard to keep from smiling as you listen to this flock of gossiping teenagers.
1960: You have no idea how much I am cringing right now. Everyone, especially the girls, is more yelling than singing. The overall impression is very cheap.
1963: Though very upbeat, this rendition seems quite annoying and Harvey was obviously trying to sound as bad as possible.

How Lovely To Be A Woman
1995: Yes, Chynna Phillips is too old, although it's not that noticable. Also, though her voice has a nice tone, she goes off key occasionally and is not the best for the role.
1960: But then again, neither is this woman. Ugh.
1963: Despite the constant bashing of Ann-Margaret from other reviewers, I think she's pretty good. Am I missing something?

Put On A Happy Face
1995: Great!
1960: Also great!
1963: Not bad at all......

A Healthy, Normal, American Boy
1995: Very enjoyable.
1960: Er.....those girls seriously need to work on enunciating their vowels.
1963: N/A

Honestly Sincere
1995: Woot! Mark Kudisch is AMAZING! I can't think of anyone more perfect for this role. He sounds exactly like a renown Elvis impersonator. You can't stand still while listening to this song!
1960: Not nearly up to par with Kudisch's performance. Good, though.
1963: Are you kidding? (Although the background screams are mildly amusing.)

Hymn For A Sunday Evening (Ed Sullivan)
1995: I love the part where the chorus joins. The energy is awesome.
1960: Boring in comparison.
1963: Ditto.

One Last Kiss
See Honestly Sincere.

Kids
1995: I love this song! I think both parts were cast perfectly--yes, even George Wendt, especially George Wendt actually. His is a character role, and he does it perfectly, so that every teenager wants to strangle him. Kids sounds very lively.
1960: Not as polished or well-acted as the 1995 one.
1963: Enjoyable, actually. Very different from the other two.

Spanish Rose:
1995: Williams is very nice on here.
1960: Way too over-acted. It sounds pretty bad.
1963: absent

That's all I really want to write down........[...] August 9, 2006

The good outweighs the bad...

I should preface this review with a disclaimer of sorts. I've never seen the movies, nor have I seen the play staged professionally. I have yet to hear any other version of the soundtrack. This review is based solely from my very limited experience with the musical - I've seen a high school production.

Looking at the soundtrack solely on its own merits, it's pretty darn good. The leads of Albert and Rosie are filled, respectively, by Jason Alexander and Vanessa Williams. They each do a wonderful job. Alexander nails all of his songs. His version of "Put On A Happy Face" is undeniably goofy, but that adds immensely to its charm. Even better is his version of "Talk To Me," which is one of the album's highlights. This isn't a surprise, as he was an actor on Broadway before he moved to television, but it's impressive nonetheless. His vocals are simply amazing. Williams succeeds similarly; she conveys Rosie's exasperation at Albert perfectly in "English Teacher" and "What Did I Ever See In Him?" Again, this isn't a surprise - anyone with a recording career should most certainly be able to sing - but she is as important to the album's success as Alexander is.

The other actors fill their roles with varying levels of success. Chynna Phillips sounds a bit too old to be a teenager, but her version of "One Boy" impressed me enough to forget that. Marc Kudisch sounds like a sleazy Elvis impersonator...in other words, he's perfect for the role of Conrad Birdie. He manages to make the Birdie tracks (stupid lyrics and all) a lot of fun to listen to. George Wendt, on the other hand...Wendt just wasn't a good choice for the role of Harry. His rendition of "Kids," while not exactly atrocious, was probably the worst track on the CD. An older actor may have been a better choice for the film...or, since I'm talking about the soundtrack, perhaps someone who can actually sing.

I don't know the play well enough to comment on the newly added tracks, but I don't see why "A Mother Doesn't Matter Anymore" was added. It took the play's monologue and turned it into a song, but it didn't really add anything in the process. Strange, to say the least.

It's probably just me, but I find the ensemble of teenage girls used in the title track and "Telephone Hour" to be incredibly grating. It bothers me so much I skip those tracks. I can't explain why that is, but that is definitely not a good sign.

Weak spots aside, I've got to give the CD a positive review. I've listened to it repeatedly over the past week, and I've had it stuck in my head for the majority of that week. The tracks that feature Alexander, Williams, and Kudisch are all very well done, and outnumber the weaker ones like "Telephone Hour" and the hideous version of "Kids." I can't compare this to the movie or any other versions of the soundtrack, but it manages to hold its own well enough. November 27, 2004

bye bye birdie

Wow the movie is great and so is the soundtrack!!!!!!
one totally awesome cd. my personal fav is telephone hour . May 23, 2004

Vanessa Williams and Jason Alexander sing BIRDIE

BYE BYE BIRDIE was dusted off for a television version in 1995, featuring a cast made up of Broadway veterans and newcomers alike. The soundtrack album is a bouncy and enjoyable delight.

Vanessa Williams takes on her second Chita Rivera-originated role, as beleagured secretary Rose Alvarez. Jason Alexander (THE RINK) returns to his musical theatre roots as Albert Peterson. The rest of the cast is sensational: Marc Kudisch (reprising his national tour role) as Conrad Birdie; Tyne Daly (GYPSY, CALL ME MADAM) as Mae Peterson; George Wendt as Mr MacAfee, and Sally Mayes (SHE LOVES ME) as Mrs MacAfee. The only shortcoming is the sorely-miscast Chynna Phillips as Kim, who hardly convinces as a teenager.

Several new songs were written for this new version of the Broadway classic, including "Let's Settle Down", belted to perfection by Miss Williams; and "A Mother Doesn't Matter Anymore", a great character-turn for Tyne Daly as the grasping Mae. The other numbers, including the classics "An English Teacher", "A Lot of Livin' to Do" and "Kids" are all performed to perfection. And yes, Vanessa Williams even performs "Spanish Rose", with some slight lyric alterations.

A must-own for BIRDIE fans. March 4, 2004

Great Soundtrack, Only a few dissapointments!

Let me just say this is a wonderful soundtrack for the TV remake of the classic musical "Bye Bye Birdie". Jason Alexander, Vanessa Willams, Chynna Phillips, George Went, Marc Kudisch and Tyne Daly are the lead singing roles, and they are all fantastic. Jason and Vanessa were FANTASTIC as Albert and Rosie, and their singing was very impressive. Jason does great with "Put On A Happy Face", "Talk To Me", "A Giant Step", and others. Vanessa blew me away with "An English Teacher", "Lets Settle Down", "Spanish Rose", and others. Chynna Phillips...well, I think she has a nice voice she sounds pretty good with her songs, but she is bit too old for the role of Kim. But she did good with "How Lovely To Be A Woman", "One Boy" and others. George Went is fabolous as Kim's father, and does very well with "Ed Sullivan", and "Kids". Broadway star Marc Kudisch makes a GREAT Conrad, I was very impressed with his performance he does great with "Honestly Sincere", and "One Last Kiss". And.. Tyne Daly as Mae Peterson is just fantastic, she just so great, and her song "A Mother Dosent Matter Anymore" is wonderful!

The only thing that dissapoints me with this soundtrack is... Not all the songs from the movie are included on this CD. The wonderful "Bye Bye Birdie" in the malt shop with the Sweet Apple Girls, isn't included here, which really dissapoints me, because that was a great song and wonderful arrangement of "Bye Bye Birdie". Also Alberts "What Did I Ever See In Her?" isn't here, and also Rosie's reprise of her "Lets Settle Down". I would've been so happy if those songs were included, but what can we do now...

So Overall, this is a GREAT disc... a wonderful arrangement of the classic "Bye Bye Birdie" songs. I must say if you don't have this soundtrack yet, get it soon..because its becoming increasingly rare and hard to find now. So go get a copy, because its wonderful!!! January 31, 2004

More reviews at Amazon.com ...