Fred Ebb - Cabaret: Original Soundtrack Recording (1972 Film)

Cheated out of playing nightclub canary Sally Bowles on Broadway in director Hal Price's Cabaret, Liza Minnelli nevertheless delivered an Oscar-winning star turn in Bob Fosse's cinematic reinvention of the show (which had the good sense to retain perverse imp Joel Grey from the stage production). Although the 1972 film discarded several songs from the original score, the new ones sound even better: Minnelli's breast-beating "Maybe This Time," the sultry "Mein Herr," and the salaciously satirical "Money, Money." By placing almost all the pertinent musical action on the stage of the decadent Kit Kit Club, the Kurt Weill-like compositional nuances and political underpinnings bask in the spotlight...that is, when Minnelli stops eclipsing it with her no-holds-barred performance. --Kurt B. Reighley Amazon.com

Don't bother with a remake! Liza is simply perfect!

The film, Cabaret, based on the Broadway and West End musical only uses the music in the cabaret scenes during the decadent Berlin era before Hitler rose to power in 1933. Before Hitler's reign of terror, Berlin was host to nightclubs like the Kit Kat Club. In my opinion, the film and it's soundtrack are superior and perfect compared to the revivals. Only Liza can sing as brilliantly. To me, she will always be Sally Bowles, the tortured childlike singer who can sing dark and enchanting songs to melt your heart. The film also included Joel Grey who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor as the Cabaret's maestro. Even Tony Winner Alan Cumming can't come close to filling Joel's shoes. I'm sorry but I always get angry when they revise Cabaret as if Liza and Joel and their cast didn't do it and did perfectly in the film version by Bob Fosse. The chilling, Tomorrow Belongs to Me, always sends chills down my spine as the the war and the Holocaust are near to the unsuspecting Germans in Berlin at the time. As a child of parents who lived through the war, Cabaret is not a fun, silly light-hearted musical. It deals with prejudice particularly anti-Semitism, the Nazis, abortions, and sexual orientation. Despite all the dark subjects, Cabaret broke the traditional light-hearted musicals with the exception of West Side Story. Cabaret is about as dark as you can get without getting lost and trapped in a time of uncertainty. Cabaret with Joel Grey and Liza Minnelli is a masterpiece with the cast members and crew members. I don't have a desire to see Cabaret unless it's with Liza and Joel even despite their age. Nobody does it better or could come close to perfection as their partnership does in this film and soundtrack. September 8, 2008

Love Musicals

I had the original soundtrack on an album years ago and I remembered how much I loved to sing along with it. I decided to get the CD and despite the many years since listening to it originally, I still remember the words and find it is still wonderfully upbeat and fun. I am so glad I picked it up again!! March 26, 2008

Cabaret: Original Soundtrack Recording

I received my CD quickly, it was in good shape, and was what I ordered.
What more can you ask for? December 28, 2007

A Different Interpretation of Cabaret

It really bothered me that a review below stated that Liza Minnelli wasn't Sally Bowles and that the song "Cabaret" is about Sally being upset that she lost her true love and that its about Sally coming to the realization that she is stuck in the awful cabaret.

Well, with all due respect, this is wrong. The reviewer probably got that idea by listening to Natasha Richardson sing "Cabaret" and believed that because Sally is crying, she must realize that she lost everything and that she is stuck in some god awful place. Well, the song "Cabaret" is really about Sally's desperate attempt to convince herself that everything is normal, that everything will remain the same. Sally is in deep denial and believes that her life will always be full of decadence, glitz, parties, and fun even as Germany falls under the control of the Nazi party.

However, one must keep in mind that Liza's Sally Bowles and Natasha Richardson's Sally Bowles are two very different interpretations. Liza was almost a decade younger than Natasha Richardson when she played Sally Bowles (Liza was about 26 and Natasha was about 35 when they tackled the roles of Sally). Because of this Liza's Sally is more young and naive and when she is singing "Cabaret" she honestly does believe that everything will be okay. This does not leave the viewer with a happy feeling as one reviewer said, it leaves us feeling sad and a scared for Sally because we know what the future holds in store for her and for Germany.

However, Natasha Richardson's Sally is older and less naive. Because of this, when she sings "Cabaret" she has to make herself believe in what she is singing. She has to make herself believe that everything will return to normal and that she will continue living the way she does no matter what happens. That's the difference: Liza believes that everything will be okay, while Natasha has to tell herself that everything will be okay, even though deep down she knows that's probably not true. July 31, 2006

Love this album

Just got a new CD player for car and this is one of the first albums I had to have on CD. Now all I need is "Two Ladies". July 6, 2006

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