Search - Musical :: Hair / German O.C.R.

Dona Summer starts here

Christopher M. Nabity | USA | 07/02/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is the German original recording of the play, not the movie.



Good recording. Probably needs to be re-mastered, but still sounds good. On the inside of the booklette it lists the singers. Dona is one of them. Who is Dona? None other than Dona Summer. From my research I gathered that this, at the age of 19, was her first recording. It's not bad, but there are less songs here than on the English equivalent. If you like Hair, even if you do not speak German, this is at a minimum interesting."

HAARE

Jason | Raleigh, NC USA | 03/06/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I recently added this to my collection of other HAIR recordings--

London, Broadway, Off-Broadway & the 1979 Movie Soundtrack.



The musical arrangements are very similar to the Broadway recording,

but the sound quality seems more clear, and they've apparently added

a few extra touches of echo and reverb during the studio recording.

The tracks have also been mixed for full sterophonic effect--

more than a few songs feature background vocals which bounce back

and forth between the left and right speakers. Some of the songs

crossfade into each other, and a couple of them fade out at the end.



The cast members sing well, and they seem to be enjoying themselves

on this album, particularly on songs like "Hare Krishna", "Black Boys"

and "Good Morning Starshine."



This recording is of particular interest due to the presence of a young

Donna Summer (listed in the credits as "Donna Gaines"). She's instantly

recognizable as the lead singer on "Aquarius" and "White Boys," and she

has a lovely solo during "Walking in Space" sung in her high, breathy

falsetto (forshadowing the sound of "Love to Love You Baby" by about

five years). She can also be heard wailing in the background near the

end of "Let The Sun Shine."



The CD info is a bit of a disappointment. It's just an insert with a list

of songs and cast members. It would have been nice to have had a booklet

with some cast photos and the German song lyrics.



Aside from that, I was very pleased with the German Cast Recording.

In fact I think I might like it better than the Broadway Recording..."