Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well
Artist(s):
Various (Orig Cast Recording)
Label: Sony Classical
Publisher(s):
Sony Classical
Studio: Sony Classical
Manufacturer: Sony Classical
Binding: Audio CD
Format(s): Cast Recording, Soundtrack
List Price: CDN$ 10.99
Our Price: CDN$ 10.99
Availability: Usually ships in 7 to 10 days
Similar Items:
Infiniment
100 Plus Belles Chansons
Sacrificium (2 Bonus Tracks)
The Very Best of Peter, Paul & Mary
Wicked
We Ll Meet Again Very Best Of
Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: The Complete Collection
Moore;Mary Tyler Show S5
Cohen;Leonard 2008 Live in Lo
Track Listing
1.
Marathon
2.
Alone
3.
Madeleine
4.
I Loved
5.
Mathilde
6.
Bachelor's Dance
7.
Timid Frieda
8.
My Death
9.
Jackie
10.
Desperate Ones
11.
Sons Of.
12.
Amsterdam
13.
The Bulls
14.
Old Folks
15.
Marieke
16.
Brussels
17.
Fanette
18.
Funeral Tango
19.
The Middle Class
20.
You're Not Alone
21.
Next
22.
Carousel
23.
If We Only Have Love
Editorial Reviews
From Amazon.com
At the time of this show's 1968 Greenwich Village debut, French singer-songwriter Jacques Brel's body of theatrically insightful ballads was already an obscure but deeply influential treasure trove for many American musicians. The revue's success would go on to influence artists as diverse as Leonard Cohen, Bowie (who covered "Amsterdam" shortly thereafter), and Sinatra, and it may even be responsible for one-hit wonder Terry Jacks's revival of "Seasons in the Sun".
More important, the pioneering musical-without-a-book helped introduce Brel's oft-brooding, ever evocative art to a wider American audience--and arguably had an evolutionary influence on Broadway itself. This complete reissue of the 1968 boxed set cast album offers up a rich cross-section of Brel's songs about life, death, and love--and typically sharp-eyed observations about the human follies that season them--deftly performed by a cast that includes Elly Stone, Alice Whitfield, Shawn Elliott, and, crucially, rock pioneer, Brel associate, and co-producer Mort Shuman. This new edition fleshes out the set with the sessions' only unreleased song, a sprightly take on the deliciously cynical "The Middle Class." --Jerry McCulley
Customer Reviews
Love it
I have loved this musical for years - it's one of my favorites to sing along to when I am driving. Owning a record album, and then a cassette tape, it was time to get it on CD. Now I can listen to it all the time, Hard to say when I have been more thrilled to receive an order.
brings back memories
First heard Brel 30 years ago and fell in love with the album - I was heartbroken when my turntable died and I couldn't hear all of those wonderful songs. I was surprised to hear that it was out on CD and haven't stopped listening to it yet. Still as great as I remember.
JACQUES BREL for the ages
JACQUES BREL IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN PARIS brought Brel back into the spotlight (if indeed he ever left). The original off-Broadway production of 1966 became the toast of New York when it first appeared and featured a cast including the delicious Elly Stone.
For Elly Stone fans, this reissue is a must-own. For Jacques Brel fans, it is equally so. The masterful song-stylings of Stone with Mort Shuman, Alice Whitfield and Shawn Elliott cannot be beat.
Elly Stone delights with "I Loved" and later tears at the heartstrings with "You're Not Alone". Mort Shuman delivers the sobering "Next" with all the anger of innocence lost, and Shawn Elliott is superb with "Bachelor's Dance".
Highly-recommended.
--
For those of us English-speakers, it's a bit tough to really 'get' what Jacques Brel did and how good he was, so it's necessary for us to see this production and/or buy it, along with Scott Walker's English interpretations. There will always be criticisms of how well the cast represented Brel and his energy but I don't think that was really the point of the show. Shuman and Co. wanted to be as accurate as possible as far as conveying the spirit of Brel's work, but the intent of the production was to introduce the English-speaking world to Brel's work, and in that respect they succeeded.
You can't commend Mort Shuman enough for how seamlessly he translated Brel's original French into English without compromising any of the content or rhythm and it speaks volumes about how talented he was as a songwriter in his own right. Future generations are, and will be, grateful to him for it. Regardless of how one interprets the work of this cast, Shuman will always be responsible for anybody's English version of a Brel song because he was the one who sat down with Brel himself and worked it all out.
One thing this project experimented with to a good deal of success was using a female as Brel's voice for some of the more tender and vulnerable songs. I think 'Timid Frieda' and 'Old Folks' outshine Brel's originals due to that element and 'You're Not Alone' at least matches Brel. The two female cast members, Stone and Whitfield, sing throughout, but those solo performances are a nice touch.
Although Shuman and Elliott perform admirably, I find myself preferring Scott Walker's voice and sneer on 'Mathilde', 'Jackie', 'Amsterdam' and 'Next'. Walker projected more power and anyone who's into Brel should really seek out Walker's work if they haven't already.
Mortality is the foremost theme in all of Brel's work, and what made him so great is how he made death and poverty beautiful and not so much a tragedy. Still, for all the songs about dying and aging he'd still throw in a jaunty trot like 'Madeleine' or 'Brussels' to balance things out.
Moods aside, the music strikes the North American as very European and somewhat exotic for it has a richness of tradition and history that the Americas lack. Not necessarily in terms of time, but in terms of critical experience and culture. We don't know what it's like to live in a country that lost a war or to experiment with different forms of government or socialism on a grand scale. Brel's music comes from just such a place and it's interesting, leaving the listener somewhat jealous.
Brel's greatest talent in my opinion though is how he dealt with challenging and complex issues using such simple language that anybody can understand them, and not only that, but feel it in their heart. You just can't find anything more heartbreaking than 'Old Folks' and 'Fanette' anywhere and neither of them ever get dense or particularly poetic. They're like a raw feed, so to speak, from the center of existence.
Brel himself gets five stars anywhere but this particular interpretation gets four. That's a good four though.
Sparkling, engaging music, spirited lyrics, smart cast
Introduced to "Alive and well" in a college production in fall 1972, this album has captivated me for years, from young adulthood to middle age. The music is timeless, the energy is magnificent, the translated lyrics are moving, irony-filled, funny, spiteful, insightful and a whole lot more.
With this superb four-person cast, supported by a small number of instruments, the voices and lyrics make this a full-bodied hit. Mort Shuman's "Amsterdam," Brel's dedication to the night life in the port of the Dutch city, haunts and enlivens me. His "Next", a sad memory of his first sexual encounter, provided gratis by the army, makes it clear why he never wants to be "next" ever again. Elly Stone's voice leaves me near tears. Shawn Elliott and Alice Whitfield have slightly smaller roles and receive lesser accolades, but their contributions are memorable and make the production full, rich and well-rounded. The closing, "If we only have love," is a tribute to the author and to the cast. With 23 stylish numbers, this CD is one you can play endlessly, enjoying. Adding "The middle class" to this version is not only a nice 'extra', it is one of the best numbers, a memorable tribute to the terror of first despising the middle class, only to later find you are part of it, and despised as well.
These are 'show tunes' in the best sense of the term, and although there is no linear plot to follow, the music makes the show one worth repeating. Enjoy!
