Oklahoma! (original Broadway cast recording)
| Oklahoma! | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Cast recording by members of the original New York production | |
| Released | 1943 |
| Genre | Show tunes |
| Label | Decca |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [2] |
Selections from the Theatre Guild musical play "Oklahoma!" featuring members of the original New York production, or simply Oklahoma!, is an album containing the original studio cast recording of the 1943 Broadway musical Oklahoma!. It was released by Decca Records on December 1, 1943.[3]
The album was commercially successful and paved the way for future "original cast albums" of musicals.[4]
Release
[edit]The album was originally issued as a set of six 10-inch 78-rpm phonograph records (cat. no. A-359).[5] It contained 12 songs across 12 sides.[1]
In 1949, the album was made available on LP (cat. no. DL 8000).[5]
Reception
[edit]William Ruhlmann (AllMusic) credits this album with "establishing the popularity of original cast albums".[4] He explains that "although there had been a tradition of recording music from stage works in their original form with the stage performers in Great Britain, such recordings were only occasional in the U.S." Therefore, "the idea of putting together an album of several 78-rpm records containing a show's major songs as performed on-stage was relatively new."[1] According to him, the album's huge commercial success "forever changed the record business" and laid the foundation for the future "domination of record sales by the cast and soundtrack albums" that lasted 20 years.[1]
Track listing
[edit]Album of six 10-inch 78-rpm phonograph records (Decca A-359)[6]
All lyrics are written by Richard Rodgers; all music is composed by Oscar Hammerstein II.
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Oklahoma overture" (1) "The Farmer and the Cow Man" (2) "Pore Jud Is Daid" (3) "Many a New Day" (4) "People Will Say We're in Love" (5) "Oklahoma" | Oklahoma orchestra |
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" (Act 1—Scene 1) | Alfred Drake with Oklahoma orchestra |
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" (Act 1—Scene 1) | Alfred Drake with Oklahoma orchestra |
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kansas City" (Act 1—Scene 1) | Lee Dixon with Oklahoma male chorus and orchestra |
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Cain't Say No" (Act 1—Scene 1) | Celeste Holm with Oklahoma orchestra |
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Many a New Day" (Act 1—Scene 1) | Joan Roberts with Oklahoma girl chorus and orchestra |
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "People Will Say We're in Love" (Act 1—Scene 1) | Alfred Drake and Joan Roberts with Oklahoma orchestra |
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Pore Jud Is Daid" (Act 1—Scene 2) | Alfred Drake and Howard Da Silva with Oklahoma orchestra |
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Out of My Dreams" (Act 1—Scene 3) | Joan Roberts with Oklahoma girl chorus and orchestra |
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "All 'er Nothin'" (Act 2—Scene 1) | Celeste Holm and Lee Dixon with Oklahoma orchestra |
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Oklahoma" (Act 2—Scene 2) | Alfred Drake with Oklahoma chorus & orchestra |
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Finale" (1) "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" (2) "People Will Say We're in Love"" | Alfred Drake and Joan Roberts with Oklahoma chorus & orchestra |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d William Ruhlmann. "Oklahoma! [Selections] - Original 1943 Broadway Cast". AllMusic. Retrieved 2025-05-06.
- ^ William Ruhlmann. "Oklahoma!/Show Boat - Original Casts". AllMusic. Retrieved 2025-05-06.
- ^ "Oklahoma! - 1943 Original Broadway Production Record". rodgersandhammerstein.com (Rodgers & Hammerstein). Retrieved 2025-05-06.
- ^ a b William Ruhlmann. "Annie Get Your Gun [Original Cast Album] - Ethel Merman". AllMusic. Retrieved 2025-05-06.
- ^ a b "Richard Rodgers And Oscar Hammerstein II / "Oklahoma" Orchestra And Chorus Directed By Jay Blackton – Oklahoma!". 1946 – via Discogs.
- ^ "Oklahoma Orchestra Under Direction Of Jay Blackton – Oklahoma! – 6 x Shellac (10", 78 RPM), 1943". 1943 – via Discogs.
