New York, NY (Top40 Charts / UMe) Oklahoma! occupies a special place in the annals of American musical theater. With its distinctive mix of frontier Americana, earthy romanticism and the timeless songs of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, Oklahoma! remains one of the most beloved American musicals, maintaining its stature as a cultural landmark 75 years after its 1943 Broadway debut. Oklahoma! was equally innovative in its audio incarnation, marking the first time a Broadway musical's cast and orchestra were assembled in a recording studio to recapture the excitement of the original production. Originally issued by Decca Records in 1943 as a set of six 10-inch 78s, it was an instant success, selling over a million copies, and consequently pioneering a new musical genre, the "Broadway cast album."
On ,
Verve Records/UMe celebrates the 75th anniversary of with an upgraded deluxe edition of the show's groundbreaking original cast album. Remastered just for this occasion, the new 19-track collection, available on CD and digitally, presents the show's complete song program in its original sequence by combining the original 1943 album with the three-song second volume, which was released in 1945 to provide tunes from the production not included on the first record. These three songs - "It's A Scandal! It's A Outrage!," "Lonely Room" and "The Farmer And The Cowman" - were omitted when Decca reconfigured Oklahoma! as a 12-inch LP in 1949, and remained elusive until 2000, when the show's complete song program was released on CD in its original sequence. The 75th anniversary release will also include four alternate versions and new, authoritative liner notes by Ted Chapin, President of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization. For the first time in nearly four decades, the album will also be released on vinyl, featuring the original show sequence. Pre-order Oklahoma! now: https://UMe.lnk.to/Oklahoma75thAnniversaryPR
Oklahoma!, featuring such notable stage performers as Alfred Drake,
Howard Da Silva, Joan Roberts and
Celeste Holm introducing such immortal Rodgers and Hammerstein numbers as "Oklahoma!," "Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'," "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" and "People Will Say We're in Love," is widely considered to have revolutionized the stage musical, with its innovative approach of using the songs to make the action proceed ahead, which was not the case before. The original Broadway production was both a critical and popular success, running for an unprecedented five years on Broadway and inspiring countless revivals, touring productions, foreign stagings and an Academy Award-winning film version. On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, Oklahoma! became the first musical to be honored with a U.S. postage stamp.
As Ted Chapin writes in his liner notes, "Oklahoma! ended up being the right show, in the right hands, at the right time. The impact it had on the art form was monumental, even if its innovations strike us today as the norm. If it hadn't been for this show, it's hard to speculate what other musical would have pushed the dramatic possibilities of the American musical so far."
OKLAHOMA! CD TRACKLISTING
1. Overture (3:17)
2. Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin' (2:32)
3. The Surrey With The Fringe On Top (3:07)
4. Kansas City (2:48)
5. I Cain't Say No (3:02)
6. Many A New Day (3:06)
7. It's A Scandal! It's A Outrage! (3:15)
8. People Will Say We're In Love (3:10)
9. Pore Jud Is Daid (2:50)
10. Lonely Room (2:35)
11. Out Of My Dreams (2:47)
12. The Farmer And The Cowman (5:21)
13. All Er Nuthin' (3:08)
14. Oklahoma! (2:31)
15. Finale (3:10)
Bonus Tracks
16. The Surrey With The Fringe On Top (alt.) (3:10)
17. I Cain't Say No (alt.) (3:04)
18. Pore Jud Is Daid (alt.) (3:49)
19. Finale (alt.) (3:23)
OKLAHOMA! VINYL TRACKLISTING
SIDE ONE
1. Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin' (2:32)
2. The Surrey With The Fringe On Top (3:07)
3. Kansas City (2:48)
4. I Cain't Say No (3:02)
5. Many A New Day (3:06)
6. It's A Scandal! It's A Outrage! (3:15)
7. People Will Say We're In Love (3:10)
SIDE TWO
1. Pore Jud Is Daid (2:50)
2. Lonely Room (2:35)
3. Out Of My Dreams (2:47)
4. The Farmer And The Cowman (5:21)
5. All Er Nuthin' (3:08)
6. Oklahoma! (2:31)
7. Finale (3:10)
