| Mort Shuman | Musical Direction |
| Shawn Elliott | Vocals, Track Performer |
| Elly Stone | Track Performer |
| Wolfgang Knittel | Conductor |
| Jacques Brel | Lyricist |
| Mort Shuman | Production Concept |
| Didier C. Deutsch | Reissue Producer |
| Edward Kleban | Producer |
| Fred Plaut | Engineer |
| Murray Zimney | Engineer |
| Bob Cato | Cover Photo |
| Ken Fredette | Art Direction |
| Richard Jay-Alexander | Liner Notes |
| Gérard Jouannest | Composer |
| Wolfgang Knittel | Arranger |
| Moni Yakim | Director |
| Eric Blau | Production Concept, Additional Music |
| Stacey Boyle | Tape Research |
| Pete Dauria | Engineer |
| Dodie Pettit | Composer |
EdDR
Posted October 1, 2010
The english interpretations of the French master songwriter Jacques Brel by Mort Shuman and Eric Blau for this cabaret of Brel's songs are done very nicely. The cries of Marieke and the forcefullness of Amsterdam bring out the raw emotions of Brel to the forefront. Carousel is Brel's interpretation of the lives of the individual spinning faster and faster with hardly catching his or her own breath to really truly enjoy life. Old Folks brings out the tenderness of life's last moments. The recording is truly faithful in the distortion free sound through the digital remastering of this show. For those who love musical theatre, this is a nice addition to their library. For those who love Jacques Brel, this belongs in their collection of his music.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 1, 2010
On a Sunday afternoon, I was dragged to the Village Gate to see this show for the first time over 35 years ago. Thus began an odyssey for me that changed my life forever. I bought a ginger ale at the bar, sat down and listened for two hours as my life was morphed. I listened to Brel and learned about love, happiness, despair, sorrow, gut- wrenching pain, delight, and in the end, hope. And I cried...oh did I cry. And I myself fell in love. And I would come back to the Village Gate every weekend, sometimes twice a weekend (yes, you're reading this right) until I lost track when I saw the show well over 100 times. And I was there in 1972 at its final performance, when Elly Stone got up and sang once again. And that Fall, I was also at the Royale Theatre on opening night when it was resurected. Elly Stone and Brel have been close to me in many ways since that time and I miss them both. It's my fault I don't see Elly more, but that's another long story. Buy this disc, and experience something you can't get today from the junk that popular music pretends to market to America. This is the soul of music. This is what life is about. Brel understood it all. Blau and Shuman knew how to work it. And Elly Stone will transfix you if you really listen to her. LISTEN to 'Old Folks', 'Marieke', 'I' Loved', 'My Death', and so many more. Amazing.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 1, 2010
I have been waiting and waiting, hoping that someone would bring that exquisite performance at the Village Gate to life! This CD captures all that it was and still is! I saw the show twice at the Gate and once when it was in DC with a different cast. To hear those beautiful voices, especially Elly Stone's, bring back the glory and range of all of the different songs¿ is not nostalgia that is evoked, but a richer appreciation and deeper understanding of the many joys and sorrows of life. Hearing it again after 30+ years¿the songs touch places in the heart that can only have been carved out over many years of living, loving, and loss. Bravo! Listen to it again and again!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 1, 2010
This site incorrectly mentions that this is a film version. It is NOT. It is the original cast that appeared at the Village Gate in Greenwich Village of NYC in the 1960's. Still unequalled. Elly Stone is magnificent, as is Mort Schumann et al! This is a re-issue...finally!!! there was a video version done for a special theatrical experiment (which included Zero Mostel in Rhinocerous"....all of them lost!) Though there was a soundtrack lp that accompanied that theatrical presentation that was part of a theater/movie hybrid, this is not it, though the casts were identical or similar. Final word....GET THIS CD!!!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 1, 2010
It's hard to believe it's been 35 years since this production played the Village Gate in New York. I still remember the review in the New Yorker that prompted me to see it: "See it with someone you love. Especially if the relationship is complex and disquieting." All the songs are good, but the ones performed by Elly Stone are the real treasures. Sons of. Marieke. Old Folks. Get this one. 12 bucks. What a steal!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 27, 2009
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted April 3, 2010
No text was provided for this review.
![The Fantasticks [1960 Original Off Broadway Cast]](http://img3.imagesbn.com/resources/images/common/blank.gif?cb=1.50.6)
Editorial Reviews
All Music Guide - William Ruhlmann
Jacques Brel occupied a position in French popular music roughly comparable to that of Bob Dylan in the U.S., writing and singing personal, serious songs of greater depth and individuality than most pop. Unlike Dylan, however, Brel's music, drawing upon cabaret styles, had an overtly theatrical flair. America in the winter of 1968 was well-primed for such an artist, and veteran songwriter Mort Shuman, along with associate Eric Blau, hit upon the idea of translating Brel's songs and presenting them in a musical revue. Using only four performers including Shuman, they staged Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris at a Greenwich Village nightclub starting on ...