New York Rock (Yoko Ono)
Adam Grosswirth
obscure recordings of obscure shows. Well, I finally found one that
beats "Carrie!"
So there I was, in my favorite used CD store, browsing through showtunes
when I saw it. "New York Rock," by Yoko Ono. It looked like a
completely professional, official cast recording (sounds like it too),
except for the fact that I've never before seen it in a store and it had
a sticker saying it was the property of the record company, for
promotional use only, etc, etc. Needless to say, I bought it.
In case anyone missed it (did anyone NOT miss it?) "NY Rock" is a musical
by Yoko Ono, which opened off broadway last year and closed in about a
week. I'm honestly sorry I missed it, because I was really intrigued.
Which is why I had to buy the disc. It's about what I expected: IT SUCKS!!!!
However, to Ms. Ono's credit, the music is pretty good. There's clearly
a lot of John Lennon's influence in it and it would stand alone pretty
well if not for the ridiculous plot, which features characters named
Violence and Ignorance, and ends with all the Streetkids and Violence
throwing their guns in the trashcan after the leading lady's
impassioned speech. My roommate and I were ROTFL as we
read the synopsis. But again, I have to give her credit for trying to
make a statement about the state of the City (the world?) and do her part
to make it better. And there's clearly a lot of personal influence in
it, what with her husband's murder and all. And as far as I can tell the
main character is based on her son. Problem is, the story is too
ludicrous for the message to carry any weight.
Anyway, I just wanted to share my joy at finding such an obscure disc.
--
Adam Grosswirth
New York City, NY // Medford, MA
"You gotta have a real taste for maniacs!" -Stephen Sondheim
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Ernest Hughes
Adam Grosswirth <agro...@emerald.tufts.edu> wrote:
>Okay, so all these people on this newsgroup are always showing up with
>obscure recordings of obscure shows. Well, I finally found one that
>beats "Carrie!"
>
>So there I was, in my favorite used CD store, browsing through showtunes
>when I saw it. "New York Rock," by Yoko Ono. It looked like a
>completely professional, official cast recording (sounds like it too),
>except for the fact that I've never before seen it in a store and it had
>a sticker saying it was the property of the record company, for
>promotional use only, etc, etc. Needless to say, I bought it.
>
>
>--
>Adam Grosswirth
Sorry to burst your bubble Adam, but this CD is so obscure. I've seen at
least fifteen copies of it in the Tower Records here in D.C. I laughed
just looking at it, much less listening to it.
-Elton =)
--
Adam Grosswirth
new releases today. Well, at least I got it bfore it was in stores. And
for less money.
But now I have a question: This show bombed over a year ago. Why is the
album suddenly available? I can understand hoping the Yoko name will
help sell it, but as a show there's really not much to say for it. Or
the Yoko name, for that matter. I bought it out of curiosity but
wouldn;t have for full price. So what's the deal? Is someone trying to
produce it again?
Karen Mercedes
> Okay, so I'm feeling very UNspecial now because I saw NY Rock in HMV's
> new releases today. Well, at least I got it bfore it was in stores. And
> for less money.
>
> But now I have a question: This show bombed over a year ago. Why is the
> album suddenly available? I can understand hoping the Yoko name will
> help sell it, but as a show there's really not much to say for it. Or
> the Yoko name, for that matter. I bought it out of curiosity but
> wouldn;t have for full price. So what's the deal? Is someone trying to
> produce it again?
I'm not sure this is a direct answer, but I do know that my piano accompanist
has been working for Yoko Ono for the past year transcribing NEW YORK ROCK from
tape to sheet music (apparently the original show was done entirely
improvisationally by Ono and the pianist/music director).
I'm not sure *why* Ono is paying for the transcription, but it may be that she
does intend to either revive the show herself, or make it available to other
performers to produce.
Karen Mercedes
+-----------------------------------------------------+
| In the welter of conflicting fanaticisms, one of |
| the few unifying forces is scientific truthfulness. |
| -- Bertrand Russell |
+-----------------------------------------------------+
Adam Grosswirth
> has been working for Yoko Ono for the past year transcribing NEW YORK
> ROCK from
> tape to sheet music (apparently the original show was done entirely
> improvisationally by Ono and the pianist/music director).
This can't be true, 'cause each song has its own copyright date in the
libretto, and many of them date back to the mid-70s. So has this project
been going since then or do they just happen to fit together? I guess
she could have changed the lyrics. A lot of them seems connected to John
Lennon's death, and if they were written before that seems really creepy.
> I'm not sure *why* Ono is paying for the transcription, but it may be
> that she
> does intend to either revive the show herself, or make it available to
> other performers to produce.
It is in the Samuel French catalogue. I wish it were better, I'd like to
do it, just for fun. But it's really not that good....
Karen Mercedes
> This can't be true, 'cause each song has its own copyright date in the
> libretto, and many of them date back to the mid-70s. So has this project
> been going since then or do they just happen to fit together? I guess
> she could have changed the lyrics. A lot of them seems connected to John
> Lennon's death, and if they were written before that seems really creepy.
I believe she is transcribing the particular instrumentation (piano mainly if
not exclusively -- having not heard the tape, only my accompanist talking about
the project, I'm not exactly sure if there was anything on it besides Ono's
voice and the piano) as performed by the musical director of last year's
production. I imagine Ono had already written down her own lyrics.
KM
+-------------------------------------------+
| There's only one thing worse than the man |
| who will argue over anything, and that's |
| the man who will argue over nothing. |
| -- Edward Gibbon |
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