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Les Miserables Original London Cast | 
 enlarge | Artist: Various Artists
Creators: Victor Slaymark, Brent Forbes, Paul Klegg, Peter Halling, Claude-michel Schoenberg, Martin Koch, Peter Boita, Christopher Lacey, Ian Laws, Brian Newman, Duncan Hollowood, Caroline Marwood, Tony Mcvey, Peter Washtell, David Hissey, Peter Wright, Roderick Tearle
Label: Red Ink
Category: Music
List Price: $24.98
Buy New: $15.99
You Save: $8.99 (36%)
New (25) Used (9) from $15.97
Rating:  133 reviews
Sales Rank: 1462
Format: Cast Recording, Soundtrack
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 5.4 x 4.9 x 0.9
MPN: 73362
UPC: 766927336225
EAN: 0766927336225
ASIN: B0002E5L5S
Release Date: June 1, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new, factory sealed. Fast shipping!
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| Tracks:
Disc 1
| • | Prologue: Work Song | | • | Prologue: Valijean Arrested/Valijean Forgiven | | • | Prologue: What Have I Done? | | • | At The End Of The Day | | • | I Dreamed A Dream | | • | Lovely Ladies | | • | Who Am I? | | • | Fantine's Death: Come To Me | | • | Fantine's Death: Confrontation | | • | Castle On A Cloud | | • | Master Of The House | | • | Thenardier Waltz | | • | Stars | | • | Look Down | | • | Little People | | • | Red & Black | | • | Do You Hear The People Sing? |
Disc 2
| • | Love Montage: I Saw Him Once/In My Life/A Heart Full Of Love | | • | Plumet Attack | | • | One Day More! | | • | On My Own | | • | The Attack | | • | A Little Fall Of Rain | | • | Drink With Me | | • | Bring Him Home | | • | Dog Eat Dog | | • | Soliloquy | | • | Turning | | • | Empty Chairs At Empty Tables | | • | Beggar At The Feast | | • | Finale |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
This recording captures the 1985 London cast that transformed an obscure French musical based on Victor Hugo's gargantuan novel of pre-Revolutionary France into a worldwide phenomenon throughout the late-'80s and '90s and became one of the best examples of the era's trend of blockbuster musical spectacles. Yes, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schoenberg's score tends to recycle its themes, but the beautiful melodies and stirring anthems rarely fail to captivate and touch its audience. Colm Wilkinson is the heroic Valjean, Patti LuPone is the tragic Fantine, Michael Ball is the love-struck Marius, and Frances Ruffelle is the despondent Eponine, with Roger Allam (Javert), Alun Armstrong and Sue Jane Tanner (the Thenardiers), Rebecca Caine (older Cosette), and David Burt (Enjolras) filling out the excellent cast. Fans will want to take note that this recording includes some material that was revised when the show crossed the pond to Broadway--"Little People" was lost altogether, while the "Love Montage" was significantly rewritten. Les Miserables sounds especially vivid in its 1998 remastering, and a synopsis and full lyrics are included. --David Horiuchi
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| Customer Reviews: Read 128 more reviews...
 Poor recording November 19, 2008
This may be the original London cast; but the recording is poorly done. I went to answer the telephone twice, before I realised that the ringing was a cell phone recorded on disc two of this set. I would return it, but it just is not worth the effort. It is most disappointing
I do not recommend this item to anyone.
 Back to the source July 6, 2008
I agree with most of the reviews - the London staging is the very best of the English language versions of 'Les Miserables'. Forget the New York (Broadway) production, much too polished (sanitized ?). It pales in comparison. The American version benefits from greater sophistication but at the cost of the original book.
HOWEVER, for the first production of this musical, go to the recording on the 'Anthology' (French) label, issued by FGL Productions (the complete 1980 version). It has the cast of the premier, with 'guest appearances' by some big names in yesterday's French popular music, Michel Sardou, Salvatore Adamo, and Michel Delpech. And a list of superb actor-sings, like Maurice Barrier (Valjean), Rose Laurens (Fantine), Yvan Dautin (Thenardier), and Richard Dewitte (Marius), the list is long.
Of course, it is all in French, but this IS a French musical, and this is what the composer, Claude-Michel Schonberg, and the librettists, Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, created. Here you have it, without embellishments added to please 'Anglo-American' tastes. A much more raw interpretation, closer to Victor Hugo's very thick novel (interestingly written in France, and in England, when the author was in self-imposed exile). The words in the French production are quite different from the English-language versions. The recording on two cds comes without a text, but the actors enunciate perfectly. Every word is audible, if you understand the language. Great stuff !
Les Miserables Original London Cast July 4, 2008
Beautiful Music, Beautiful Voices. I have thouroughly enjoyed it. We saw the show when it came to Atlanta several years ago and it also was wonderful.
NKG
A huge disappointment February 18, 2008
3 out of 7 found this review helpful
We have owned the Les Miserable music book for quite a while and play them on the piano ourselves. Some of those songs are so grand and emotional that I was looking for a great treat from the "Original London Cast". We also bought the Les Miz movie and loved Liam Neeson in it. After watching it, I was really excited to listen to the London CD. I should have saved my money and time.
The singing was like a high school musical -- Shallow, immature, Broadway Imitation voices; too rapid delivery; lacking in emotion and expression. Cosette's song, which should be a tear-jerking, plaintive plea sounded like a kindergarten kid rushing to get it over with. Jauvert's song should have been passionate and deeply emotional. Instead it had all of the emotional depth and expression of a junior high-school rock band's home-grown rant. Wait for someone to do it right.
I'm biased toward the Broadway cast, but... January 25, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This isn't every single musical note from the show, but it's the full cast recording from the 1985 London version, spanning 2 discs. It includes more of the songs than the Broadway highlights album and is similarly priced.
This London production was the first English-language version of Les Mis and some songs have been tweaked for the later Broadway productions.
My first exposure to the wonderful music of Les Miserables was through the Broadway cast highlights CD, so I am a little biased toward that version (although this is the original).
This version is a little different from the Broadway version. "Who Am I?" is sung a little slower and seems more thoughtful. "A Heart Full Of Love" has differnt lyrics and is incorporated into a three-song "Love Montage".
This cast includes Colm Wilkinson as Valjean (he also played that role on Broadway and in the Tenth Anniversary Concert), Roger Allam as Javert, Patti LuPone as Fantine, Rebecca Caine as Cosette, Michael Ball as Marius, Frances Ruffelle as Eponine, David Burt as Enjolras, and Alun Armstrong as Thenardier.
I prefer Terrence Mann's rendition of "Stars" (from the Broadway cast) to Roger Allam's version on this CD. I really do. Maybe it's because I'm used to that one.
And Thenardier has a strong British-type accent on this CD, so "Master Of The House" will sound a little weird if you're used to the American version.
The actress who plays Eponine in the London cast is the same one from the Broadway cast (Frances Ruffelle). But for the people who were annoyed by her whiney performance on the Broadway CD, she sounds a little better on this recording.
CONCLUSION:
This is a pretty good recording of Les Mis and is available for a reasonable price. The Complete Symphonic Recordings includes even MORE of the show's music, but the cast is different (no Colm Wilkinson!). If you are used to the Broadway (American) version, I'd recommend you stick with that (although the Broadway equivalent of this 2-disc recording is a lot more expensive). The Broadway highlights CD is cheaper, but has only about half of the songs.
I'd also recommend you check out the Tenth Anniversary Concert CD. It features an all-star cast of Les Mis alums (plucked from the London, Broadway, and other casts). The recording spans 2 discs, so it includes songs that the highlights CD doesn't (similar to this London recording), AND it's about the same price as the London disc or the highlights disc. If you're looking for more music than the highlights CD offers, but you're not familiar with the London cast and you don't want to shell out $30-something, the Tenth Anniversary Concert CD may be the way to go.
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