South Pacific 1996 Studio Cast First Complete Recording

I am a radio host. I played vinyl from 1968 to 1979. I know the range of quality one can expect. This disc had no visible flaws, no dust or dirt, and played with no discernible surface noise. The original cover art sleeve was in excellent condition. Brought back tons of memories. Thanks for meeting all my expectations.

I wanted a cd, not a record

This is an excellent recording of this beautiful score. The best thing going for it is that it is a complete recording. This is a great asset. Unfortunately the weak link in this recording is Paige O'Hara. Her voice is thin and nasal and, to be honest, aggravating. The rest of the cast is superb. If you can skip Nellie's numbers, the recording is well worth it. Pat Suzuki stands out here as Bloody Mary as does Justino Diaz as Emile.

Love it perfect sound and quality!

Great CD ,

As with the complete recordings of Guys and Dolls and The Pajama Game, this double CD brings together the full score including uncut dance-breaks and incidental music. The orchastrations are fantastic but, like the others in this series, the cast suffer due to the 'studio' nature of the recording. There is little of the vibrancy and excitment of a Broadway Cast Recording because the cast are only singing the roles and have probably never seen the script at all. This means that many of the performances, while technically good, are characterless. Paige O'Hara, excellent as the voice of Disney's Belle, plays the part a little too twee - yes, I know Nellie is a hick but she goes too far in that direction. Justino Diaz, as Emile, has a good voice that does not cover the lack of a personality. The rest of the cast are equally too note-perfect. The people who will find this recording the most useful will be people, like myself, who are performers. When performing in a production of South Pacific this CD was very useful, more for the not-available-anywhere-else material than anything else. The dance music and the incidental stuff is useful to rehearse with. On the whole, a worthy CD for the completist but if you want a more character-driven recording, search out one from an actual stage performance.