Slade

This is one of the greatest examples of Musical Theater. The songs in this Film couldn't haven't been done any better than besides the greats; Fred Ebb and John Kander. Its sad that it took about thirty years after the Broadway Production for it to be made into a movie. But I guess it was worth it to get such great stars as Catherine Zeta-Jones, and newly introduced to Musical Theater, Queen Latifah.

I sadly would have to say that from what I have heard of Liza Minnelli's performances of songs in Chicago, are not as great as Zellweger's were in this film. Although Liza does a great "All That Jazz", Renee shows Liza how to get the number "Roxie" done.

One thing I really like about this soundtrack is that is olden type of music, and its not remastered old songs, but it old songs performed by Modern artists, and presented in Modern, "High Definition" audio quality. Its like Michael Buble, he does the old standards, but manages to share them with the old standards to us with great, new, modern, quality. And thats exactly what this film does, It still presents the great old classics; But does it in a great modern, and perfect audio quality way.

One part I think that could have been done better by someone else is the part John C. Reiley. From what I Heard he is a singer, but from what I have seen in this movie, he isn't the greatest one. "Mr. Cellophane" is one of my favorite songs from this film, and I think John C. Reilly makes the song look like a joke. It's supposed to be a very touching song, and I don't think his vocals met those requirements. And also, I think the whole vagabond outfit for his character was completely dumb. I think the whole lonely stage setup was great, but the whole, homeless, vagabond thing, just made the song look like a joke. When it really is a very touching song.

Besides that, the film and soundtrack where great. And I loved the two extra tracks on the soundtrack by Queen Latifah, and Anastasia are great.This album completely deserved the Grammy Nomination it got, and I would recommend this album to any Musical Theater fan.

The soundtrack arrived within about a week. (I never opt for faster delivery.) It was exactly what I wanted and, as far as I can tell, plays flawlessly.

This music is so faithfully performed by the very talented ensemble that it brings back the 1920's vividly. Each song reflects a specific style of the music popular at the time. After listening to this CD I had to see the movie (which was also terrific) and then I had to buy the sheet music. Usually I simply enjoy a CD and move on. This one reached me.

The cd is very good. There are only songs, no speaking parts really, even ones that precede certain songs. There are a couple of songs that are not in the movie or that were inspired by the movie. The first time you listen to it if you haven't read the fine print it kind of throws you for a loop. I highly recommend it for all who love the movie!

I truly loved the music with the movie is excellent. I was very impressed of the singing of the movie stars.

I wasn't sure what to expect. I know the cover art is a little cheesy. But the recording is fantastic. I think great pains were taken to make this as true to Hermann's original score as possible. It's clean, dynamic and really show how much contemporary film scoring was influenced by Bernard Hermann. And the thereminist on this is really first rate.
If you liked the original movie, are into film scoring or a theremin fan, this CD is highly recommended.

Listening to this soundtrack recreates a haunting story wherein a visitor with an important message was spurned-- to our dismay. Turn it up!

but I like it as well if not better. This is Bernard Hermann's original score performed by orchestra (including Theremin) at Abbey Road Studios in 2002. The attention to detail and consideration of original arrangement is exemplary. As a long time fan of this film classic (and if you haven't seen it, find it ! After 58 years, it still speaks volumes of the human condition and futile politics) I've heard the original soundtrack within the film many times. This is different, of course, but excellent within its own right. If you wish to study the Theremin exquisitly used in an orchestral environment, this is the score and one the best recordings I've heard. Hermann's composition is simply classic of the genre.

FANTASTIC----THIS IS EXACTLY FROM THE MOVIE. ALL ORIGINAL STUFF. NOTHING HAS BEEN CHANGED. I LOVE THE SOUNDTRACK AS MUCH AS THE MOVIE---TOTALLY UNCHANGED FROM THE ORIGINAL 1951 SCORE.

being a huge fan of the movie and having the original soundtrack already I decided to give this re-recording a listen as it had extra tracks, well I was pleasantly suprised by how joel mcneely had reproduced the sounds and style of herrmanns original soundtrack,
with it obviously being in stereo it gives you that extra depth and feel to the movie,
well done mr mcneely your a credit to the industry.

Great album, it reminds me of the early to mid 1980's when things were going crazy and I was MUCH younger. The album is great and it has all of the tunes that I was looking for on it.... The shipping and handling was also fantastic and I appreciate it....

...that so much of the 1970s glam movement was some of the most godawful music of any era, and that attempts to revive it for younger audiences have little merit. Even if Roxy Music were undoubtedly one of the greatest rock bands of any era, the majority of glam was much more dreadful than even the "beautiful music" that emerged later in the decade.

Slade are no exception to the general rule about glam rock. Whilst they had many hits in Australia during the first half of the 1970s that have been played on and off on "classic rock" stations to this day, their music, purely and simply, is self-consciously childish and designed basically for a teenage audience. Although I have little problem with musicians who cannot play well, musicians who play badly in as self-conscious and calculated a manner as is evidenced by almost all of Slade's work are about the most annoying thing I have ever heard on commercial radio in Australia. Such songs as "Cum On Feel Tha Noize" and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now", with their deliberate misspellings, may have gained popularity as singalong anthems but their extreme shallowness both emotionally and lyrically has always been extraordinarily obvious to me. Holder's voice, which might aim at the spontaneity of Bryan Ferry, actually comes off on "Far Far Away" and other tracks as impotent and lacking in melody.

The comeback tracks "My Oh My" and "Run Runaway" are in some ways even worse, as Slade played upon the success of many dreadful alternative and pop-punk bands who were undoubtedly inspired by them. Even today's alternative radio bands often seem inspired by Slade - but that's in no way a good thing because they sound so bland.

In short, like so much power pop, way over hyped and really annoying, even childish and shallow. It has to be said, but people in the States had some good sense avoiding this band.

This compilation is great since it includes 14 hits from the years 1971-1975, but it stops at 1983. Why aren't there any tracks from "Rogues Gallery" or "You Boyz Make Big Noize"?

Essentially this collection is Greatest hits through 1975 plus the two American top 40 singles from 1983 slapped on the end. If you like Slade, then obviously this collection is very much incomplete but if you use this CD to get into Slade, then you will probably import some of their other Cd's anyway. The CD is only 60 minutes long so there were lots of missed opportunities to include other music released after 1975 or even include some choice album cuts from the early 1970's. Had I a chance to order this again, I would opt for importing one of the more complete greatest hits collections or gone after the box set. Too bad that Slade Cd's are so hard to find in the US. Those comments aside, the music on the CD is terrific.

This album is GREAT! I knew I liked Slade, but i hadn't heard some of these songs before. This album made me realize how amazing this band was. Literally. I had no idea these guys were so good.

You gotta love Slade. With a propensity towards raucous raving, these guys were among the pivotal glam bands of the early 70s. The first 2/3 of this collection attest to the yobbish hellraising these guys invoked. And yet, it was all in good fun. The sing-along nature of the work clearly shows how, beneath the tough-yet-glittery veneer, sugar and jollyness was at the core. Like I said, the early and middle portions of this compilations consist of classic after classic after classic. Wonderful.

Their 1980+ output varies in quality. Some is as great as anything they put out in the 70s. Other stuff is terrible. "Run Runaway" is like BTO's "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" meets Little House on the Prairie. Terrible. But the rest isn't terrible.

Overall, this set deserves 5 stars because it presents a great portrait of the band. It gives a greater emphasis to the good stuff, but it also acknowledges the highlights of their later days. And man, is the music great. Check it out. You'll love it.

The same guys that remastered the Who re-releases were responsible for the remix of this fine collection that covers Slade better than the latter day US version Get Your Boots On..but this is a pricey import but worth it if you are looking for a quality compilation of these boys who added a touch of glitter and rock to the whole glam rock scene.
Forget the influence they had on some of the metal bands, Slade were foremost a bunch of tough working class rockers steeped in the UK tradition of either rocking out with solid uncomplicated but loud catchy chords,clever tunesmiths of ballroom music or doing lovely ballads like Paul McCartney himself,using pianos and strings when needed.
Their parodies of using letters rather than words in their album and song titles were later copied by Prince and it's childishness was all in good fun and meant that way.
Their singles are well captured here and if you never heard Noddy's voice this is a great place to start. The rest of the band rocks on..hard to believe, I saw them open for ZZ Top once in New York a long time ago....they should have headlined, I went to the gig to see Slade.

Good old silly, irreverent Slade never really caught on in the US, but their melodic early-70s glam rock sounds as energetic and fun today as it did back then, and this is the best collection of their works, including all of the Slade's hit singles from the early '70s, from 1971's "Get Down And Get With It" to 1975's "Thanks For The Memory (Wham Bam Thank You Mam)".

Slade scored a whopping 11 Top Five hits between 1971 and 1974 (five of which topped the charts), and they're all here. So are their latter-day chart entries, like 1983's #2 hit "My Oh My", but Slade never got better than they did at their stomping glitter-rock peak, and "Feel The Noize" captures them in all their glory, filled with Noddy Holder and Jim Lea's big, dumb, misspelled shout-along hits ("Look Wot You Dun", "Mama Weer All Crazee Now", "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me" and "Gudbuy T'Jane").

This was a rock band folks. Say what you will about their "lyrics", this group was pure ROCK AN ROLL. I saw them as one of the groups at the Largo Arena in Md opening for Aerosmith way back in 74 or 75. Actually, I came to see them and was not disappointed. Noddy Holder is COOL - STILL! This is a great CD to own if you are just getting into the glitter rock of the 70's.
I have the lps and they are still among my faves to peruse.

OK, it duzn't include ALL my favorites, but lots of 'em. I'm more partial to the heavier stuff -- The SLAYED album especially. If you still have a turntable you can get all their LPs for like five dollars each in the used bins and pick 'em for 'yerselF. I had the pleasure of seeing 'um live in 1975 (yes, 1975) -- one of the first concerts I ever saw, I was 16 years old. They warmed up for ZZ Top in NY. Wow-ie. I was hooked ever since. And if this CD is all the SLADE you ever buy -- you can't go wrong. They're is a very, very, good chance that many of the songs on this CD will stick in your head for a lifetime.

The movie was sensational, it seems almost impossible to capture all of it in a soundtrack, but they did a wonderful job of it. Every sngle song captured the spirit of the movie, it was almost like going to a broadway musical because of the quality of this music. Catherine Zeta- Jones did a amaizing job of singing the songs "All That Jazz", "Cell Block Tango", "I cant Do it Alone",and so many more. This music is almost magical, I would recammend this soundtrack for anyone!

If you loved the movie Chicago I'll garenty that you'll fall in love with the soundtrack. You can never get to bored of "all that jazz" with Catherine Zelta Jones singing it, you can tell that she's the real star of the soundtrack. Don't be surprised if you run across "The cell block tango remix" and all that junk, it just didn't blend in with all the other songs, I always avoid it.

the movie had great songs and great music and this soundtrack captures all of it.

I'm surprised by the enormous volume of glowing, 5-star reviews here. This soundtrack isn't THAT great. Maybe I'm biased. I was fortunate enough to see "Chicago" on Broadway in early 1997 (the matinee right before the cast walked over to Radio City for the Tonys, of which it won 3 or 4). That was a few months after it opened, with the original revival cast: Bebe Neuwirth as Velma, Ann Reinking as Roxie, James Naughton as Billy, Joel Grey as Amos, Marcia Lewis as Mama Morton, and D. Sabella as Mary Sunshine. Right afterwards I bought the CD and have listened to it many times since. So I can't help but be stuck on it. (I even have the 1975 Broadway recording, which I like though not as much as 1997.)

This soundtrack simply does not feature the vocal chops to be found on the Broadway recordings. The music itself is comparable, but certainly not an improvement. And the rap version of "Cell Block Tango" is a too-obvious attempt to take modern pop "stylings" (if you can call it that) into consideration when they are NOT at all relevant here. (Okay, more bias, since I despise rap.) Plus that last track with Anastacia, or whatever her name is, is awful. She tries so hard to sound like a modern R&B singer, but she can't do it. (And, again, I hate modern R&B, so yet another pre-disposed strike for me).

I liked the movie, but it (and the soundtrack) don't hold a candle to the Broadway "original revival" cast. I highly suggest getting that recording instead. You'll hear Bebe Neuwirth wail even better than Chita Rivera did, and James Naughton blows away Jerry Orbach (and certainly Richard Gere, by FAR).

And the DVD version isn't worth it. It really only has a 10-minute featurette that I'm willing to bet is on the DVD that's about to come out. And I can see that some people here have taken Richard Gere too seriously when he mentioned that Renee Z has a Billie Holiday quality to her voice. I laughed when I heard it then, and I laughed again when I see people repeat it here (as if it's their own words--yet they spell her name Billy). Not that Renee is bad (nor is Catherine ZJ), but by no means is she anywhere near the ballpark Billie Holiday is still in 45 years after her death. (And before anyone else takes Richard Gere too seriously: no, Catherine Zeta-Jones isn't really like Dusty Springfield, either).

Wonderful sound track! Anyone, who enjoyed the movie, will certainly relive the experience listening to the CD. I cannot wait for the DVD to be released in August.

If you're already familiar with Slade's brand of unadulterated, balls-to-the-wall ROCK, then save yourself a bit of time and just buy it. You will NOT be disappointed.

If you've never heard of Slade until now, keep reading and I'll do my best to explain why this release is worth every penny. I'll leave it to others to pontificate on track lists and subjective opinion. Since I've never seen them perform live, I feel the only way to fully endorse your purchase is to start at the beginning and at least explain why I chose to buy this CD at 50 years of age. If my words strike a chord in your rock & roll heart then this exceptional release is probably for you.

I first bought "Slade Alive" on vinyl in the early 70's. Now, after seconds of wracking my brain, I can't for the life of me remember why I actually bought it. My parents' musical tastes ran from classical to easy listening so maybe I was just musically rebelling against whatever it is that adolescent teens rebel against when they've got nothing against which to actually rebel.

Leaning more to the rockier side of the road, I do recall owning record albums ranging from Chuck Berry's, "London Sessions" (Live), to The Stone's octagonal packaged, "Through the Past, Darkly" and "Led Zeppelin III" (with yet another gimmicky cover design).

Point is, when I first dropped the stylus on "Slade Alive" as a young teen, I was literally transformed. I thought I knew rock & roll until I heard these guys. They were RAW, RUDE & RAUCOUS - the perfect blend of soul-borne mania, jackhammer rhythms, solid bass lines, over-the-top guitar leads, and ferocious vocals. Most of all, their live recordings screamed of FUN!

"Slade Alive!" is a powerful force to be reckoned with - steeped in expert musicianship that refused to take itself too seriously. Unfortunately, while endearing themselves to European rockers, they were largely ignored in North America. The loss was entirely ours here in the United States & Canada.

This Slade release is actually a re-mastered, two disc version of four separate live releases. (The sound quality is extraordinary.) For anyone interested, these Slade tracks will have you up, dancing, and whipping your air guitar into a frothing, festive frenzy.

Hearing some of my favorite songs again for the first time in over 35 years, I'm amazed how well all of the tracks on, "Slade Alive!" hold up. Yes, they sound like pissed-stupid, soccer hooligans in a few places, but overall this release captures the pure energy of what their live shows must have been like during that grand, brief, and compressed era of early 70's POWERGLAMROCK&ROLL..

Sadly, no one is very likely to see Slade on stage any time soon. If you were one of the lucky few to have seen Slade perform live, my Noddy hat is indeed doffed to you! (If you're ever in Macon, Georgia, I'd be honored to pony up a pint or two just to hear what their live shows were really like.)

And before you write them off as a bunch of impotent geezers, let me tell you how far ahead of their time they were in at least one category. Slade appears to have pioneered the now popular habit of "urban" spelling for some of their song titles. To wit: "Mama Weer All Crazee Now," "Gudbuy T'Jane," and "Cum On Feel The Noize." Coincidentally, these are three of their most popular songs. Go figure.

So there you have it. If you love great Rock & Roll tempered by fine musicianship and unpretentious audacity, then this disc is definitely for you.

I've been listening to this album since it was given to me by my aunt in around 1973 (I've got it on CD now). This version of Born To Be Wild makes Mars Bonfire's version sound like Leonard Cohen on downers. It's the greatest noise I've ever heard. Pure Loud Noise with Brilliance. Dave Hill's guitar solo on Darling Be Home Soon is just sublime. After 24 years this is still my favourite live band, and that's really saying something.

When this record hit the shores of America it made even the dozing Sopor-freaks in Detroit set up and say "WHA!!????" Some called it "Album of the Year". During the years 1970-1972 Hard Rock music had been redefined to be spelled STOOPID music---but, oh well, loud, noisey and brainless it definetly was, and English ta-boot. Rock no longer had to be meaningful to have meaning---it was, in a way, a return to form after the excesses of Prog Rock. It was quite refreshing then, as it is now.

At the risk of not being Politically Correct, the London cast, while not bad, is simply not as good as the American cast. It's that simple.

This remake is crisper, and slightly different than the original, but I still like the original better.

CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, the cheerfully-mindless musical by the Sherman Brothers, was mounted for the West End stage in 2002, opened at the London Palladium and enjoyed a run of nearly three and-a-half years (the subsequent Broadway production fared less well). The Sherman Brothers score sparks either rapture or revulsion depending on whom you ask, but the musical does offer some quaint charms.

The stage version of CHITTY operates almost like a glorified pantomime, the story remains the same but the score has been re-jigged and altered. In this cast album of the original 2002 London Palladium cast, Michael Ball adds his own special touch to the eccentric inventor Caractacus Potts, with newcomer Emma Williams as Truly Scrumptious. Ball is at his best with the plaintive lullaby of "Hushabye Mountain". Emma Williams doesn't get all that much to warble as Truly (her big movie number "Lovely Lonely Man" was mercilessly cut from the stage score), however Williams has a charming way with "Doll on a Music Box".

Brian Blessed and Nichola McAuliffe push the 'camp' gear into overdrive with their performances as Vulgaria's hideous Baron and Baroness ("Bombie Samba", one of the additions to the stage score, has to be heard to be believed). Richard O'Brien of ROCKY HORROR fame plays the equally-odious Child Catcher with yet another bland addition, "Kiddy-Widdy-Winkies". Carrie Fletcher and George Gillies play Jeremy and Jemima. Stage veteran Anton Rodgers is wonderful as Grandpa Potts.

Happily though, all the best movie songs ("Me Ol' Bamboo", "Toot Sweets", "Posh", "The Roses of Success" and the Oscar-nominated title song) are all here, making the new additions to the score even more inferior by their presence.

[Sony Music/Chitty Records MRBB001]

Sickly, effeminate broadway adaptations of the movie soundtrack. The rendition of Hushabye Mountain is... it makes me sick thinking about it. Don't purchase if your looking for anything remotely similar to the original movie soundtrack. When in a rush, I mistakenly purchased thinking it was the original.

WOW!! I have no clue what is happeneing to broadway? What is with the boring show of this year like, Little Women, The Light in the Piazza, The woman in White and this crap, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Now just from the title this show should be a romping, roaring, good-time musical. Instead we get half-assed atempts at being cute which in turn are syrupy enough to keep New York in pancakes FOR-EV-ER! The sappy-ness goes way overboard when the KIDS, sing "Truly Scrumptious" to , you guessed it! Truly Scrumptious.
Other AWFUL songs include:
You Two
Them Three
Toot Sweets
Think Vulgar!
Hushabye Mountain
Come to the Funfair
Me Ol' Bamboo
Posh
Vulgarian National Anthem
The Roses of Success
Kiddie-Widdie-Winkies
Teamwork
Chu-Chu Face
The Bombie Samba
Doll on a Music Box/Truly Scrumtious (Reprise)
You Two/Chitty Prayer
Chitty Flies Home

The only good song in the entire show is the title one and it came from the original movie, As did some of the others but you would never be able to tell because they are done so badly.

PLEASE SAVE YOU MONEY AND GET A GOOD MUSICAL FROM LONDON'S WEST END LIKE
MARY POPPINS OR ALMOST ANY THING FROM ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER.
OR SOME GOOD ONES FROM BROADWAY LIKE
SPAMALOT
DIRTY ROTTEN SCOULDRELS
THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE
AVENUE Q
WICKED
HAIRSPRAY...ANYTHING!!!

I've owned this since was first released. It is just really FUN rock and roll music. Very energizing and contagious in terms of creating a good mood. Did you ever want to listen to a band just for fun? Well, Slade were really a band of Rock and Roll Rogues and they'll kill you with their straight ahead rock, simple but tasty guitar solos, and Noddy's great sandpaper iron lunged voice. Dare I say...Party Music? I like How to you ride, Were All Crazee Now, G'bye to Jane, and the second cut "we all get our kicks playing in a rock and roll band." Great lyrics abound such as "I got a rock and roll reputation I got to try alot of new things today" "you know I turned my first car over" "don't you think it's funny we're only in it for the money?" These guys will have you laughin and smilin. Every song on the album is a winner and the stand out tracks out number the very good ones. Lotsa chrunchy guitar. Yum!

Noddy and the boys at the top of their glam-rock game. This album was a breath of fresh air in 1972, when all the US had to offer was dross. Bonus tracks like My Life Is Natural make this CD a real bargain. RRR

For the first time ever remastered and re-released with 4 bonus tracks (4 singles b-sides appear on CD for the first time ever on official release. The correct label is SALVO (not SLAVO) which is a new British label and the batch of three Slade's re-releases is the first CDs this label ever released. Sound quality is better than on old regular issue of this famous 1972 album released on CD way back in 1991 on Polydor. Contains a very beautiful and informative booklet with lots of unseen colour snaps including covers of their singles released in different countries and nice essay written by Classic Rock Magazine man Dave Ling. Highly recommended for all Slade fans. You may at last replace your old CD with this one ! The slipcase also inserted into additional paper jacket wich adds nothing to the release itself becauce it exactly repeats what is already shown in the booklet. From the other hand if somebody wants this album in paper jacket as mini-LP version try to find this only in Russia. I now own both versions.

This album was intended to lure in a larger American audience when it was first released. The song Nobody's Fool is a lost 1970's classic. The album is solid, with touches of country,soul and hard rock throughout. For fans of the goup, T-Rex, Cheap Trick, etc.

In the early 1970's Slade was the band that converted me to rock and pop music. Ever since then, I bought their seven singles and/or LP's of which "Nobody's Fools" was one. After vinyl disappeared, I bought Slade CD's selectively and mainly their Greatest Hits. Nobody's Fools is not one of their greatest albums but in particular, I like 2 of the catchy sing-a-long songs which is great to play at parties. I also play in a gig band were we will do these songs to create atmosphere and get the crowd involved to sing-a-long. The 2 songs are "I'm a talker" and "Did your mama ever tell ya". You can't help tapping your feet and get a smile on your face.