Oklahoma! (1955 Film Soundtrack)

I would love to recommend this "expanded" reissue of the OKLAHOMA! soundtrack. However, I am disappointed to report that the added material is simply "lifted" from the final "mixed" movie soundtrack. This means you get extraneous sound effects along with meaningless dialog which have no place on a music only recording. The new selections ARE NOT from the original music masters. To make matters worse the CD producers edited bits and pieces from the long standing Capitol records tracks to accommidate the new material which insults rather than enhances the original recordings. KANSAS CITY and the FARMER & COWHAND BALLET come complete with hand clapping, foot stomping, train and "horse" sound effects which drown the music. Both the FINALE and LET PEOPLE SAY WE ARE IN LOVE reprise include too much dialog and sound effects. OUT OF MY DREAMS is completely different from the original album which utilized a longer alternate version without chrous...Read more

This new expanded version of Oklahoma is long awaited for conisseurs of the marvelous 1955 film. It includes not only all music (which has been remastered) from the previous release, but many previously unreleased tracks as well.

On this album we have Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones in the lead roles that would put them over the top. This is the film for which they probably are both most famous. They were paired up again for Carousel the following year. Jones went on to appear in the 1962 film The Music Man. Gloria Grahame is nice as Ado Annie, but she pales in comparison to Celeste Holm from the OBC album. The cast here is in top vocal form and excellent performances are had throughout.

My only gripe is the presence of extra sound effects in the previously unreleased material. Hand clapping, foot stomping, extra dialog, and shouts and cheers have no place in a soundtrack album. As another reviewer stated, if we wanted the effect this CD gives, we can grab a...Read more

My disappointment with this expanded soundtrack reissue of OKLAHOMA is based on my belief, which is shared by many other people who grew up with and have grown to love these magnificent performances for their musical excellence, not as a mere souvenir of a movie for casual listening. If I want to experience the movie, I watch the movie on DVD or tape. If I want to enjoy the music on a recording, I want the music to be allowed to speak for itself without sound effects mixed in meant exclusively for the visual presentation. The film versions of the three Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals from which these Angel CD reissues are derived, showcase the finest performances, before or since, that these magnificent scores have ever received. The additional music on the expanded editions of these albums is NOT from the original multi channel vocal and music separation soundtrack master recordings stored in the 20th Century Fox vaults but instead recorded directly from a final mix print soundtrack...Read more