Search - Irving Berlin :: Call Me Madam (1995 Broadway Concert Cast)

You're Not Sick, You Just Miss Ethel!

onthe20thcent | Virginia | 08/28/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I recommend finding the Merman-Decca release of 12 Songs from Call Me Madam, whereupon you can hear the greatest Berlin interpreter, Merman, singing the songs she made famous on the Broadway stage. However, having the original orchestrations is some consolation for the substandard, though competent, Daly renditions."

To correct Jeff-BroadwayJ@aol.com

01/05/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ethel Merman had an exclusive contract with Decca. However, RCA Victor had the rights to the cast album, and Decca wouldn't let Merman sing for RCA Victor. So RCA Victor hired one of their biggest stars, Dinah Shore, to sing all of Merman's songs. Merman, in turn, made her own album entitled "Ethel Merman: 12 Songs from Call Me Madam." Dick Haymes accompanied her."

I miss Ethel, but I love Tyne

Ted Ficklen | Saint Louis, MO USA | 06/17/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Its nice to read so many reviews here by Ethel Merman fans. Indeed, it is hard to listen to Ethel Merman singing Irving Berlin and not believe those two were perfectly matched. Merman had a voice made for beltin' it out to the balconies and Berlin gave her plenty of wonderful opportunities, Still, I hope I do not speak heresy to say that Ethel Merman lacked a certain subtlety. It is refreshing to hear some of these old Berlin standards given a slightly different spin. WhatTyne Daly lacks in volume and lung capacity, she makes up in wit and tenacity. She doesn't sing like Merman, but she is better with a gag line. Sometimes she makes Berlin seem more like Cole Porter.Like the new Bernadette Peters version of Annie Get Your Gun, this is a great addition to the Irving Berlin catalog. Enjoy!"