Musicals

Songs and albums in the musicals genre are audio recordings of a stage musical, play, or musical film. These are intended to document and emphasize the music in a musical show – as performed by the cast – but are typically recorded in the ideal and controlled settings of a studio, without live performance quirks and the audible audience reaction. The musicals genre often feature established or rising musical stars such as Julie Andrews, Liza Minnelli, Kristin Chenoweth, Mandy Patinkin, Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, and Carole Shelley; it can also showcase the works of composers like Rodgers and Hammerstein, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Cole Porter, Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, and George David Weiss.

The Sound of Musicals

The cast recordings of musicals are often high-profile productions of shows staged either on Broadway or in London, or of musical films. While musical albums may sometimes contain dialogue from the play, the focus of course is on the music, no matter if they come in the form of preludes, interludes, themes songs and show tunes. The musicals genre almost always consists of studio recordings rather than live recordings, which are produced for listeners who may be looking for an accurate souvenir of the live show experience or who may not have had the chance to witness the musical in person. There have been many notable musical albums ever since the trend of producing them began in the 1930s, and among them are cast recordings for Oklahoma!, Kiss Me, Kate, The Sound of Music, West Side Story, My Fair Lady, Funny Girl, The King and I, Into the Woods, Les Miserables, Cabaret, and Mamma Mia!

Show Tunes from Musicals

Songs that have been featured in musical shows and films are called show tunes, often recorded by original cast members of the show or by well-known singers, actors, and stars. Musical artists who have made a living from recording show tunes and memorable musical hits include Julie Andrews, Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Fred Astaire, Kristin Chenoweth, and Mandy Patinkin. There are also vocalist groups that specialize in interpreting music from Broadway or London shows, such as London Theatre Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, and Royal Shakespeare Company.

Top Composers of Musicals, Cast Recordings and Show Tunes

Just like the show performers, singers and cast members, composers have also yielded hits out of their work for musicals. There have been generations of commercial hit songs and show tunes from the musicals genre by artists and writers such as Rodgers and Hammerstein, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Cole Porter, Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, George David Weiss, and Stephen Sondheim. While these popular songs are useful in enhancing particular moments in a musical show, they always fit the context of the stories being told.

Top Musicals Record Labels

There are several major record labels commonly associated with musicals, cast albums, and show tunes. These include Capitol, which released album musicals for Oklahoma!, The King and I, and Young Frankenstein; Disney, which has been known to record cast albums for shows and films such as Beauty and the Beast, Lion King, and The Little Mermaid; and RCA-Victor, which has released album musicals for such shows as The Full Monty, Into the Woods, Cabaret, and The Sound of Music.

Musicals Cast Albums, Musicals Records, and Musicals CDs

Find popular and rare albums, records, and CDs from the musicals genre here at MusicStack. Julie Andrews CDs, Liza Minnelli CDs, Kristin Chenoweth CDs, Mandy Patinkin CDs, Judy Garland CDs, Rodgers and Hammerstein CDs, Andrew Lloyd Webber CDs, Cole Porter CDs, Leonard Bernstein CDs, George Gershwin CDs, London Theatre Orchestra CDs, London Philharmonic Orchestra CDs, and Royal Shakespeare Company CDs, as well as other musicals albums, records, and CDs from musical shows and films, are all available, as are musicals vinyl LPs.

Musicals Records and Musicals CDs

Find all kinds of rare, hard to find and out-of-print Musicals records and Musicals CDs on MusicStack.

Julie Andrews
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Liza Minnelli
Judy Garland
Mandy Patinkin
Rodgers and Hammerstein
Cole Porter
George Gershwin

Musicals Websites

Show tunes at Wikipedia A list of well-known show tunes at Wikipedia
Musicals at AllMusic.com Browse the musicals genre at AllMusic.com
Cast Recording Cast recording page at Wikipedia