Customer Rating:  
Summary: Good if you're not already a collector
Comment: The Story So Far is a great collection of highlights from Sondheim shows, with alternate tracks, demos, and cut songs thrown in. If you don't already have at least one recording of a production of a show, then this collection is great. As someone who has, for example, the Original New York, The New York Revival, and London recordings of Into The Woods, I obviously collect Sondheim, and other, recordings. This duplication of material on other discs is abit repetitious. The recording proclaims all of these rare recordings, but many of the Sondheim recordings of his own he released on two CDs, and the Evening Primrose collection already came out on a disc of its own, so they're not that much obscurity there. All of the truly "unreleased" material could have been packaged as one CD, and perhaps sold as a companion to the excellent book content that was prepared for this compilation. The photos, stories, and information in the book is a treasure, and that, expanded, would be worth the purchase. Overall, the package oversells itself by including so many already available songs.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A little bit of everything.
Comment: Packaging was poorly designed with nothing holding the booklet in the folder. Many of the recordings are songs from different plays which you probably already have on the cast albums. His writing is excellent as expected but his voice will surely grate on you after a while. Contains many old, original recordings which were never previously released in which he sang and played piano. Would LOVE to hear professional singers perform the songs. This is a "must" for serious collectors of Sondheim.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Enchanting, enthralling, entertaining: must have!
Comment: "If they asked me, I could write a book . . ." oops, wrong songwriter. But that's the way I feel about Sondheim. Back in 1971 a college pal took me to see "Company" in LA. Thus began my life-long love affair with Sondheim. I am proud to say I saw "Follies" in LA back then too!
I own most of the available CDs (shows and compilations). I put "The Story So Far" into my refurbished, just purchased iPod. (I also created a whole playlist with just Sondheim's work.)
I cried, laughed, sang along for hours today, while riding buses and walking in downtown Santa Monica, doing errands. I feel as if I'm with my best friend, the wisest, wittiest person in the world.
I truly love the alternative versions to his songs. Really shows you the work he puts into his creations. So many settle for "whatev" these days. His craftsmanship, integrity, and pure genius shines through in this compilation.
The packaging is very elegant as well: clean layouts, large photos, beautiful cover, easy to read. I love the behind-the-scenes photos, capturing so many moods of his expressive face, which perfectly match his work. He is truly like wine: his face becomes more beautiful and interesting as the years pass by.
My only complaint is overlooking "Everybody Says Don't" from "Anyone Can Whistle." It's an amazingly life-affirming, courageous song, written in 1964, during a very turbulent climate of radical social change and dissent. I prefer Jerry Herman's "Before the Parade Passes By" from "Hello Dolly" to Sondheim's "A Parade in Town." Both musicals released the same year. I wish they'd retire the latter song and revive "Everybody Says Don't," a truly timeless and universal song of personal freedom and responsibility. Next boxed set, ok?
Love SONDHEIM SINGING! Yes, I know peeps have written re other Sondheim releases they prefer "real" singers. NOT I! I love hearing his voice -- the man behind my fave songs. I could listen to him for hours, longer and more often than trained voices who lack his personality, his warmth, his humanity.
Finally, please, Masterworks Broadway/Sony Legacy promote this wonderful package! I found out about this release because I blogged about Sondheim's Lifetime Achievement Tony Award earlier this year. A good friend read my entry and was surprised I'm such a "Broadway Baby." I'm known as an iconic punk rock photographer and Amazon sells my solo book, and many books and CDs with tons of my photos. But give me Broadway and Sondheim over any genre or songwriter! My friend sent it to me, hot off the presses, so to speak. So please get the word out!
"Sooner or Later" you're gonna buy "STEPHEN SONDHEIM THE STORY SO FAR." Buy it now!
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