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Bye Bye Birdie (1961 London Cast) | 
 enlarge | Artists: Charles Strouse, Lee Adams, Chita Rivera
Label: Decca Broadway
Category: Music
List Price: $14.98
Buy New: $7.55
You Save: $7.43 (50%)
New (30) Used (13) from $5.99
Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 339398
Format: Cast Recording, Original Recording Remastered
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 5.5 x 4.5 x 0.5
MPN: 586432
UPC: 731458643227
EAN: 0731458643227
ASIN: B00005O6KV
Release Date: September 25, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: SHIPS BY AIR MAIL FROM NYC - ESTIMATED DELIVERY TIME IS 7-14 DAYS
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| Tracks:
| • | Overture | | • | An English Teacher | | • | The Telephone Hour | | • | How Lovely to Be a Woman | | • | Put On a Happy Face | | • | Normal American Boy | | • | One Boy | | • | Honestly Sincere | | • | Hymn for a Sunday Evening | | • | One Last Kiss | | • | What Did I Ever See in Him? | | • | A Lot of Livin' to Do | | • | Kids | | • | Baby, Talk to Me | | • | Kids (Reprise) | | • | Spanish Rose | | • | Rosie |
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| Customer Reviews:
 Save your money, buy the Broadway Cast recording September 13, 2007
R. Bigelow (St. Petersburg, FL United States)
The only thing on the London recording that approaches the Broadway Cast album is Chita Rivera's performance as Rosie, which is also ON the Broadway version. Peter Marshall makes the character of Albert Peterson sound like a Jerry Lewis creation and Sylvia Tysick as Kim DOES sound like a teenager- one who can't sing. The kids on this album generally are awful. They screech instead of sing and many of them have pronounced accents. A lot of the singing is out of tune and the orchestra hits clams frequently. This album was recorded in an era where British versions of American musicals were frequently inferior vocally to their U.S. counterparts. Thankfully, that has changed. London has proven to be a haven for many discarded American musicals that deserve revivals here, but for financial reasons will probably never see the light of day. Perhaps someone in England will revive "Birdie" and produce a recording that does this underrated show true justice.
Why Can't the English? September 10, 2004
Mark Andrew Lawrence (Toronto)
This disc has the same content as was heard on the original Broadway cast album. The score is still enjoyable. the performances here are disappointing. Chita Rivera sounds tired and seems to be forcing her voice. Peter Marshall wrestles with his musical segments and lacks the charisma that Dyke Van Dick brought to the role. The kids are all terrible here, and several wrong notes slip through in the orchestra. Why is it that the British just can't do justice to American musicals??
 a fine recording March 11, 2003
Byron Kolln (the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This reissue of the London cast of BYE BYE BIRDIE is most welcome to any cast-album collector. Though I do prefer the Broadway cast (available on the Sony Broadway Masterworks label), the cast here is quite excellent.Chita Rivera reprises her role of Rose Grant; partnering her as Albert Peterson is Peter Marshall. Rivera's performance is a tad more polished on this recording, and the arrangements are paced a little more slowly here. When Rivera left the Broadway company she was replaced by Gretchen Wyler. However, those people who have criticised Susan Watson's performance as Kim on the Broadway recording should reserve their judgement for this Kim - namely Sylvia Tysick. Tysick has a terribly-thin upper register and really struggles with most of her material. Getting back to Susan Watson...she sounds so much better on the revival cast-album of NO, NO, NANETTE (available on the Sony Broadway Masterworks label) that her lack of vocal finesse in BIRDIE can be attributed to her young age. The rest of the cast are fantatic, with Angela Baddeley (Mrs Bridges in "Upstairs Downstairs") as Mae Peterson, and Marty Wilde as Conrad Birdie himself. Highly-recommended. (Decca Broadway)
 A very welcome re-issue October 23, 2001
Roger Rebec (Manchester, UK)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
In terms of content, this album is identical to the Broadway recording (apart from that recording's bonus tracks which aren't enought to tip the balance). Chita Rivera gives a definitive performance as Rosie in both recordings but is even better in the London recording. Peter Marshall sings better than Dick Van Dyke although as Van Dyke has a touch more personality, it is a close run thing. Susan Watson on the Broadway recording outsings Sylvia Tysack on the London but Tysack is the more convincing teenager. Broadway's Paul Lynde reigns supreme as Harry Mcafee but London's Robert Nichols isn't far behind. Marty Wilde as Birdie is a definite improvement on Broadway's Dick Gautier and "Honestly Sincere" and "One Last Kiss", the two rock 'n roll parodies, come off much better in his hands. He's helped in this because Alyn Ainsworth and his orchestra are also more in tune with this particular misical idiom than their Broadway counterparts. Up to this point, it's a very close run thing as to which is the better album. The deciding factor for me is the quality of the London recording which let's through much more orchestral detail than the Broadway. There isn't a huge amont of difference between the Broadway and London recordings. If you are about to buy your first "Birdie" recording, go for the London. If you have the Broadway and want another, again get the London. In any event, it is important to have a recording that features Chita Rivera as Rose. The TV soundtrack album has extra songs but Vanessa Williams is not Chita Rivera and most of the new material isn't as good as the original score. So it's a very big welcome back for the London recording.
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