The New Broadway Collection CD

[Sam]

Hi Folks,
Wayne sent me an advance copy so that I might review his new CD.
The review is on Jeff's site, but I wanted to share some exciting news
for fans that want everything Lanza. The last two tracks (without
chorus) have Mario speaking, clearing his throat, and laughing! I
believe this also means that he did not use an LP for the remastering.
I tried to be as honest as I could in my summation of the disc, but I
am sure criticism will follow regardless.

[Derek McGovern]

Sam: Sorry to dent your enthusiasm, but did you not realize that the
Damon Lanza Productions CD -- which has been around for ages -- also
features Lanza clearing his throat, humming, commenting to Aaronson,
etc? On And This Is My Beloved, for example, Mario stops the take
about two thirds of the way through, and then tells Aaronson where he
can restart the song from. There's also a false start on You''ll Never
Walk Alone.

I can't tell you how disappointed I am about the release of this CD.
When you think of all the wonderful recordings that Lanza made (many
of which are not readily available to the general public), rehashing
something as awful as this can only hurt his reputation.

[Armando]

Sam: What is the matter with you? EXCITING NEW LANZA CD: THE BROADWAY
COLLECTION ???

Why anyone would want to listen to the Broadway album, let alone
review it, is beyond comprehension. Are you that desperate for
attention or recognition?
Well, if so, you are certainly getting it and from some unexpected
sources! I thought Martino had more sense. I was wrong!
After being told repeatedly that the tracks have been speeded up he
still goes on with,

“I believe you when you say the album has been improved sonically
(without tampering with the vocal quality). Any improvement in quality
through professional remastering techniques is always a welcome thing,
be it audio or video, even if in this case Mario's singing faults are
more exposed because of it.”

But that’s precisely it! The tracks have been tampered with!

He further states,

“We must take the bad with good, there is no choice really. I don't
want to take a position in saying that some of Mario's records should
be left alone, others remastered, and others "buried" or hidden.”

No-one wants to bury or censor anything, but why promote what is the
low point in an artist’s life simply because a musical moron has
decided, not only to resurrect the album, but change the pitch and
then sell it on Amazon!

Don’t you people realise that by promoting this disaster you are
undermining all the good work that the likes of Derek McGovern have
done in trying to re-establish Lanza as a singer that should be re-
assessed and taken seriously?

What do you think will be the reaction of some poor unsuspecting
customers who buy this masterpiece? The answer, quite simply, is that
unless they belong to the Lanza Can Do No Wrong Club, or the Musically
Deaf Society, they will simply dismiss him as a rotten singer!

And for this, we can thank not only that musical moron Wayne
Allington, but also you for validating his idiotic undertaking.






On Jul 28, 10:15 am, Sam <s...@bee.net> wrote:
> Derek: I do get overly enthusiastic, don't I? I didn't have any
> knowledge of the DLP CD and now I feel a bit foolish for writing what
> I did. Perhaps you should read the post Martino made right after my
> review on Jeff's site. His thoughts might lessen your disappointment.
> I, too, hope many more and better releases will come our way!

[Derek McGovern]

Sam wrote:

>Perhaps you should read the post Martino made right after my
>review on Jeff's site. His thoughts might lessen your disappointment.
>I, too, hope many more and better releases will come our way!

Sam: Martino's post does nothing to lessen my disappointment about
this CD; quite the contrary in fact! You seem to have convinced him in
your review that Lanza's voice has not been sped up on these
recordings, when it's immediately obvious that such tampering *has*
occurred! I was just playing the sample of Falling in Love With Love
that Wayne supplied us with, and everything's up by at least a
semitone (if not more). Like the misguided efforts by Clyde Smith to
speed up the 1959 Student Prince, it *is* perilously close to Donald
Duck territory!

Heck, I could make even the dour 1959 Christmas album sound
considerably more vibrant if I wanted to, simply by applying a bit of
the old Allington "remastering". It's the easiest thing in the world
to speed up a recording. But it wouldn't be *real*, and, for the life
of me, I cannot understand why anyone would want to listen to "fake
Lanza". I stress again, though: Wayne could raise these Broadway
recordings by a whole *tone* if he wanted to, and yet he still
wouldn't be able to hide the overwhelming truth that they represent
poor old Mario in terrible vocal shape.

I wish I could understand why so many Lanza "fans" are obsessed with
defending this album. If only they would apply some of their crusading
zeal to promoting the truly memorable concept albums of Lanza's
legacy: the Cavalcade LP, the Mario! album, Caruso Favorites, etc.
(But when I say "promote", I certainly don't mean tamper with the
speed!)

[Sam]

Armando and Derek:
I am not seeking fame, I simply promised Wayne I would review
his CD and I followed through on this promise. The title of the review
was the only misleading line (I purposely meant to attract attention
so people would read it). If you have read the entire review, you
probably have noticed that I called everything as I saw it and the
majority was negative. Could he have chosen a better album to work
with? Yes. But he chose an album that a great many fans love even if
they have no "ear". Fans also have the right to own the album on the
convenient CD format.
I guess the big question is whether or not the speed changes are
right or wrong. Can anyone say for sure that the speed was right to
begin with? If so, then I will be on the side of those who call it
tampering.
As to undermining Derek's efforts to promote the best and not the
worst of Lanza, I agree that Wayne should have picked a better subject
(and he promises to in the future). Let's hope that mostly die hard
fans will buy the album rather than people new to Mario's works.
I will say that his remastering system is excellent and the sound
is as clean as a whistle. Perhaps that doesn't come through on the MP3
files he posted. At the risk of you telling me where to go, I think
you should listen to the actual CD and judge for yourselves.
Finally, I hope you both realize that I meant well and always do
when it comes to Mario. He is my hero!

[Derek McGovern]

Sam: Yes, I'm sure you meant well, and no doubt this CD will find a
ready market among those fans who simply can't tell the difference
between good singing and bad, let alone that a recording is not
running at its correct speed. Sadly, there are an awful lot of them
out there. These tend to be the fans who are not interested in Lanza's
operatic recordings (for the simple reason that they can't appreciate
them), and are simply drawn to Mario the movie star and popular
singer. The Lanza Legend forum overflows with them.

As for your suggestion that I somehow haven't appreciated this album
because I haven't heard it properly, I can assure you that the sound
is crystal clear on the samples that Wayne provided. And the technical
trickery is also crystal clear! As for the remastering of the actual
sound (removing the echo, etc), well, that's simply a red herring.
Yes, the sound *is* better, but that's of no comfort when the singing
itself is bad.

> > speed!)- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[wayne.a...@googlemail.com]

Oh Derek and Armando...it really is the usual negative rubbish isn't
it?

You both need to either love him or leave him which I believe is an
Australian approach.
Who cares whether you or Armando like or loath these recordings? Do
yourselves a favour
and Mario for that matter and light up this forum with some
positivity. You both need and injection
of positivity and quite frankly you both need to stop being so
insulting.

I won't rise to both your idea's of so called intelligent discussion
but I shall re-iterate.....

If anyone wants to purchase the New Broadway collection go to
Amazon.co.uk or go to my website on
www.rosettaremastering.co.uk. Paypal is the preferred method but email
us for alternative methods.

Derek and Armando, you can wax lyrical all you want, but I am
interested in what Mario sang in his life and quite frankly not his
private life etc. So that is what I shall do........concentrate on his
singing.

This Broadway collection is one of many CDs that will appear in the
coming months and years and it does not matter whether you want to be
negative about it........the cds will be sold to those who want to
hear their idol.

Mario Lanza certainly does not need fans who want to spread negativity
in his name.

Wayne Allington
Rosetta Remastering

[Armando]

On Jul 29, 5:17 pm, "wayne.alling...@googlemail.com"
<wayne.alling...@googlemail.com> wrote:

“Mario Lanza certainly does not need fans who want to spread
negativity
in his name.”

Actually, what he doesn’t need is a moron like you who will destroy
his name!




On Jul 29, 5:17 pm, "wayne.alling...@googlemail.com"

<wayne.alling...@googlemail.com> wrote:
> Oh Derek and Armando...it really is the usual negative rubbish isn't
> it?
>
> You both need to either love him or leave him which I believe is an
> Australian approach.
> Who cares whether you or Armando like or loath these recordings? Do
> yourselves a favour
> and Mario for that matter and light up this forum with some
> positivity. You both need and injection
> of positivity and quite frankly you both need to stop being so
> insulting.
>
> I won't rise to both your idea's of so called intelligent discussion
> but I shall re-iterate.....
>
> If anyone wants to purchase the New Broadway collection go to

> Amazon.co.uk or go to my website onwww.rosettaremastering.co.uk. Paypal is the preferred method but email

[Derek McGovern]

OK, I think it's time we put this unhappy subject to rest. But Wayne:
please understand that some of us here (especially Armando) have spent
decades trying to promote the better part of Lanza's legacy, so it's
hardly surprising that emotions have been running very high over this
re-release. It's not "negativity" that drives our criticism of Lanza
on Broadway, but profound admiration for the man and his achievements.
And honesty. By touting much of this album as "magnificent", as you've
done elsewhere, and claiming that there are only "a few seconds" of
bad singing on the entire disc, you're not only misleading newcomers
to Lanza -- you're potentially scaring off anyone with reasonably
decent hearing from ever wanting to listen to him again. I know what
*my* reaction to him would have been had this
been my first exposure to his singing!

But I would have no argument with you if you had neither tampered with
the speed nor tried to present it as anything other than what it is:
Lanza's nadir.


On Jul 29, 7:17 pm, "wayne.alling...@googlemail.com"

<wayne.alling...@googlemail.com> wrote:
> Oh Derek and Armando...it really is the usual negative rubbish isn't
> it?
>
> You both need to either love him or leave him which I believe is an
> Australian approach.
> Who cares whether you or Armando like or loath these recordings? Do
> yourselves a favour
> and Mario for that matter and light up this forum with some
> positivity. You both need and injection
> of positivity and quite frankly you both need to stop being so
> insulting.
>
> I won't rise to both your idea's of so called intelligent discussion
> but I shall re-iterate.....
>
> If anyone wants to purchase the New Broadway collection go to

> Amazon.co.uk or go to my website onwww.rosettaremastering.co.uk. Paypal is the preferred method but email

> > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

[Vince Di Placido]

I was listening to Mario's outtake of "And this is my beloved" from
the "Lanza on Broadway" sessions that is on Damon Lanza's cd "Guardian
Angels" & I was struck again by how much better this track is than the
rest of the album & if I had heard it in isolation away from the rest
of the album I would have been happy enough with it. Ok Mario is far
from his best but this is definitely the ONE highlight of the album.
The outtake is quite interesting & as Derek said Mario tells Aaronson
where to pick up & Mario gently hums to tune back in & gently sings
the line "...and when she walks with me" before entering in full
performance mode on "Paradise comes suddenly near" it is just a
fascinating insight into the album sessions & it is such a shame Mario
wasn't in as good as form as he is here for the rest of the album. I
like the outtake "All that can stir, all that can stun" Mario is very
different on this attempt & it made me think of all the different
approaches & variations Mario was capable of, we know this of course
through different versions he recorded of quite a few arias & songs,
if only Mario had redone some of his takes & improved on some of his
recordings throughout his career it was great that he was a "one take
wonder" but a rethink or different approach would have been welcome on
some recordings.

here is the And this is my beloved outtake:

http://www.4shared.com/file/57607355/9868d7a8/and_this_is_my_beloved_-_outtake.html



On Jul 27, 10:49 pm, "Derek McGovern" <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com>
wrote:

[Lou]

On Aug 3, 5:47 am, Vince Di Placido <vincent.diplac...@gmail.com>
wrote:

>
> here is the And this is my beloved outtake:
>

> http://www.4shared.com/file/57607355/9868d7a8/and_this_is_my_beloved_...
>

Thank you so much, Vince, for this link. "And this is my beloved" has
always been one of my favorite songs, but this is the first time I
heard Mario's version. (I don't own a Lanza on Broadway album.) It's
not exactly vintage Lanza but not half bad either, what with its
seductive soft touches and trademark high notes. This one is
definitely a keeper in my book.

On Aug 3, 5:47 am, Vince Di Placido <vincent.diplac...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> I was listening to Mario's outtake of "And this is my beloved" from
> the "Lanza on Broadway" sessions that is on Damon Lanza's cd "Guardian
> Angels" & I was struck again by how much better this track is than the
> rest of the album & if I had heard it in isolation away from the rest
> of the album I would have been happy enough with it. Ok Mario is far
> from his best but this is definitely the ONE highlight of the album.
> The outtake is quite interesting & as Derek said Mario tells Aaronson
> where to pick up & Mario gently hums to tune back in & gently sings
> the line "...and when she walks with me" before entering in full
> performance mode on "Paradise comes suddenly near" it is just a
> fascinating insight into the album sessions & it is such a shame Mario
> wasn't in as good as form as he is here for the rest of the album. I
> like the outtake "All that can stir, all that can stun" Mario is very
> different on this attempt & it made me think of all the different
> approaches & variations Mario was capable of, we know this of course
> through different versions he recorded of quite a few arias & songs,
> if only Mario had redone some of his takes & improved on some of his
> recordings throughout his career it was great that he was a "one take
> wonder" but a rethink or different approach would have been welcome on
> some recordings.
>
> here is the And this is my beloved outtake:
>

> http://www.4shared.com/file/57607355/9868d7a8/and_this_is_my_beloved_...

[Lou]

On Jul 29, 1:17 pm, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> OK, I think it's time we put this unhappy subject to rest.
>

Hi Derek: You must forgive me for beating this dead horse of a
subject, but I can’t resist sharing a mind-boggling excerpt from
Clyde Smith Essays, which I recently found in the Internet. (Who
exactly is Clyde Smith, by the way? Jeff Rense refers to him as “one
of the world’s foremost Lanza experts” and, I understand, he has some
official connection with the Lanza children.)

Mr. Smith writes, “Do you remember the Jim Carrey film wherein his
face could “stretch”? That trick was done with a computer used to
“morph” his face. Such computer technology could yield an incredible
exciting future for Lanza fans! Imagine replacing Oreste’s face with
Mario’s in the 1956 film, The Vagabond King. Even Gordon McCrea’s in
The Desert Song. I admit Gordon’s performance was superb but imagine
these two films as Lanza movies. It could happen.

“Let’s take it a simple step further and think about recordings. Take
every frequency that made up the voice of Oreste and replace them
with
the frequencies that comprise all of the range and sound of Mario’s
voice – imagine the new recordings we might hear of Mario singing any
song you can imagine – for the very first time (No pun intended!)
However, I realize that not every fan may approve of this idea.”

*This* fan definitely does not approve! For me, a Frankenstein Lanza
is too horrible to contemplate, and even more so is the thought that
serious Lanza fans like Clyde Smith could actually find the idea
exciting. But I’m realistic enough to accept the possibility that
such
an abomination may be lurking just around the corner, given the state
of the art in computer technology. I think of Rense's CD with the
lengthened high notes. And Wayne’s New Broadway Collection. What’s
that saying again about the longest journey beginning with one small
step?

[Jan Hodges]

Thank you Vince for And This Is My Beloved. I agree with Lou .Apart from being a tad slow ..quite good.  In fact very enjoyable.. Some beautiful soft singing. No trash bin for this one. Light years better than the woeful "Why was I Born." Why couldn't we have a Lanza on Broadway with all the shockers removed? Jan

[Armando]

It would be a pretty small album, Jan! The only other numbers that are
reasonably acceptable are, On the street where you live, Younger than
springtime, and You’ll never walk alone.

> faint_grain.jpg
> 1KViewDownload

[Derek McGovern]

On Aug 4, 7:33 pm, Armando <cesar...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> It would be a pretty small album, Jan! The only other numbers that are
> reasonably acceptable are, On the street where you live, Younger than
> springtime, and You’ll never walk alone.

Ciao Armando: Actually, I wouldn't even include Younger Than
Springtime on that little list of "highlights"! :-) I was just playing
it now, and it's not very good at all, with Mario having pitch
problems and sounding quite out of sorts (& mucking up "gayer than
laughter" both times, among other things). The most interesting thing
about it is the moment (on the outtake) when Mario chastises Aaronson
for not giving him his cue on "Then"! The arrangement is poor too,
with that silly decision to start with the refrain, thereby sticking
the poor old verse ("I touched your hand...") in the middle of the
song. Thank goodness he re-recorded it only 18 months later!

I've always maintained that And This Is My Beloved is the best thing
on the album, though as Vince points out, Mario is still a long way
from being in top form here. I just find this rendition OK. While the
soft touches are quite beautiful (and I agree with Vince about the
outtake), overall there's just a little too much strain in Mario's
singing here -- and that includes the ending, which is a bit of a
belt. The uncertainty in the middle of the song when his usually
excellent sense of rhythm falters ("Music!...Mystery!", etc) doesn't
help matters either; Aaronson must have been asleep at the wheel!

Here's how I'd rate the 12 selections on the album from best to worst:

1/ And This Is My Beloved (OK)
2/ On the Street Where You Live (just passable)
3/ You'll Never Walk Alone (just passable)
4/ Younger Than Springtime (poor)
5/ More Than You Know (bad, but with a couple of appealingly Lanzarian
moments, surprisingly enough)
6/ So In Love (bad)
7/ September Song (bad)
8/ Speak Low (very bad)
9/ My Romance (awful)
10/ Why Was I Born? (awful)
11/ Falling In Love With Love (appalling)
12/ This Nearly Was Mine (appalling)

Incidentally, apart from the fact that the singing is definitely at
the right speed on both the raw tapes and the LP (& CD), it should
have been abundantly obvious to Wayne just from hearing Lanza's
speaking voice that LOB is not running slow!

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Lou: Clyde Smith is a well-meaning fellow with, shall we say, an
over-active imagination :-) He knew Callinicos, and he also had
contacts at BMG at some stage in the 1980s/early 1990s. I could be
wrong, but I think that much of the material put out by Damon Lanza
Productions was in his possession at some stage. (Armando may know for
sure.) Actually, he was responsible for choosing the selections on the
1993 BMG Coke compilation Don't Forget Me. Sadly, it wasn't a very
good collection at all (lots of very rough Neapolitan renditions such
as Canta Pe' Me and Santa Lucia Luntana & other poor choices), and it
wasn't long after that that Mannering managed to gain a position of
influence at BMG.

Frankly, I couldn't imagine anything worse than the "Frankenstein"
technology that you referred to in his essay! He's certainly in good
company on that site with "stretchy" Jeff :-)

[Stefan Huber]

Hello Sam,

the second recording of "Younger Than Springtime" is on the 3 CD set "The Mario Lanza Collection".

Best regards,

Stefan
-------- Original-Nachricht --------
> Datum: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 09:37:17 -0700 (PDT)
> Von: Sam <s...@bee.net>
> An: The Mario Lanza Forum <mario...@googlegroups.com>
> Betreff: Re: The New Broadway Collection CD

>
> Hi Derek,
> I can't recall a later version of Younger Than Springtime. Was it
> released as a single? Is it possible I have never heard this
> recording?!

> > ...
> >
> > read more »- Hide quoted text -

> >
> > - Show quoted text -
>

--
GMX Kostenlose Spiele: Einfach online spielen und Spaß haben mit Pastry Passion!
http://games.entertainment.gmx.net/de/entertainment/games/free/puzzle/6169196

[Vince Di Placido]

Here is Mario's 2nd attempt at "Younger Than Springtime"

http://www.4shared.com/file/57788039/668d0a6e/younger_than_springtime.html

[Armando]

On Aug 4, 6:56 pm, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:

Ciao Armando: Actually, I wouldn't even include Younger Than
Springtime on that little list of "highlights"! :-)

Quite right, Derek. I was being overly lenient!

[shicorp]

I wholeheartedly agree that the 1957 version of "Younger Than
Springtime" is much better than its predecessor. I made my first
acquaintanceship with the LOB recording through a British sampler.
Since BMG had added some reverb, I originally thought that the 1956
version was a later version.

Two Lanza recordings I have been looking for some time now are the bi-
lingual version of "Arrivederci Roma" and the second version of "The
Loveliest Night Of The Year". I've tried my luck through public domain
pressings and itunes, but they've always used the original recording -
and sometimes the Coke version. Does anybody know where I can find
these two recordings?

Best regards,

Stefan

On 5 Aug., 05:46, Armando <cesar...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> On Aug 4, 6:56 pm, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
>

> Ciao Armando: Actually, I wouldn't even include Younger ThanSpringtimeon that little list of "highlights"! :-)

>
> Quite right, Derek. I was being overly lenient!
>
> On Aug 4, 6:56 pm, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > On Aug 4, 7:33 pm, Armando <cesar...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > > It would be a pretty small album, Jan! The only other numbers that are
> > > reasonably acceptable are, On the street where you live, Younger than
> > >springtime, and You’ll never walk alone.
>
> > Ciao Armando: Actually, I wouldn't even include Younger Than

> >Springtimeon that little list of "highlights"! :-) I was just playing

[Vince Di Placido]

Stefan, here is Mario's lovely alternate version of Arrivederci Roma,
enjoy...

http://www.4shared.com/file/58515009/95a32e3/Arrivederci_Roma-english.html

> > > speaking voice that LOB is not running slow!- Hide quoted text -

[Maria Luísa]

There another wonderful link. How can one resist at such a voice?! His
sound of voice is like a true pearl, perfect in tone, precious for its
rarity, unique because there is no equal the same you cannot find two
true pearls equal. His Italian words sound heavenly, in arias or
songs. I prefer Mario singing in Italian although I love almost all
his English songs because he always pronounces the words most
perfectly. As I wrote once in youtube and for me there is not a more
acute term of comparison, his singing voice, in timbre and perfection
diction, can only be compared to the Boemian crystal which is the most
precious, delicate, beautiful, perfect, expensive glass in the world.
Thanks Vince for one more jewel.

On Aug 10, 7:32 pm, Vince Di Placido <vincent.diplac...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> Stefan, here is Mario's lovely alternate version of Arrivederci Roma,
> enjoy...
>

> http://www.4shared.com/file/58515009/95a32e3/Arrivederci_Roma-english...

[Sam]

Thanks Vince. I had not heard this fine recording either. I noticed
the diminuendo on the last note, which we had discussed on an earlier
thread!

> > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -