Gym Playlists

It occurred to me yesterday, as I was pulling my iPod out of my pocket for the fifth time to find a more suitably-energetic song, that I really do need a gym playlist. I'd toyed with the idea over the weekend but nearly falling off the bike thanks to my distraction was the final straw. So I came home and put a couple together - 'Instrumental Gym' and 'Alternative Gym'. Now, I'll admit to cheating with the first one but I love the song so much (blame David Starkey's recent series for that) that it's a perfect start to an energetic biking routine.

Instrumental Gym

1. 'Zadok the Priest'
2. 'William Tell: Overture'
3. 'Overture - Austerity Britain' from Betty Blue Eyes
4. 'Overture' from Gypsy
5. 'Overture' from Mack and Mabel
6. 'Overture' from Mame
7. 'In the Mood' by Glenn Miller
8. 'American Patrol' by Glenn Miller 
9. 'Arrival' by ABBA
10. 'The Carousel Waltz' from Carousel
11. 'The March of the Siamese Children' from The King and I

Alternative Gym

1. 'Come Follow the Band' from Barnum
2. 'A Lot of Livin' To Do' from Bye Bye Birdie
3. 'Ever After' from Into the Woods
4. 'Impossible' from Cinderella
5. 'A Parade in Town' from Anyone Can Whistle
6. 'Join the Circus' from Barnum
7. 'Lionheart' by Betty Blue Eyes
8. 'You Can't Stop the Beat' from Hairspray
9. 'Big Time' from Mack and Mabel
10. 'Something's Gotta Give' by Ella Fitzgerald
11. 'I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do' from Mamma Mia
12. 'Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)' from Hairspray

My love of musical theatre really comes out there, doesn't it? Demonstrates why the usual music played in gyms has been driving me mad over the last few sessions.

At the moment I'm still trying to get into a routine. Five kilometres on the bike, with increasing effort levels' is taking me about twenty minutes. The rest of the playlist will be taken up with a spell on the cross trainer and resistance training. I have to endure the gym's own music while I'm on the rower because my iPod falls out of my pocket. As for the treadmill...no, thanks. I tend to have lapses in concentration so imagine a whoosh, thud and a yelp and you've got a decent picture of what would happen to me on there. 

Overtures

When I type 'overture' into my iTunes search box it comes up with 44 songs. There are a mix of stage productions and film productions, with a couple of concerts thrown in there for good measure (Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, John Wilson). Now, I have to face it, some overtures are a lot better than others. Some seem to give a perfunctory nod to the best songs of the piece ahead and finish quickly. However, some composers utilise the form properly, conveying the essence of the show in one simple orchestral piece. The best overtures are works of art in their own right, giving potential enjoyment to people who don't give a damn about the musical whilst pleasing fans immensely. Or is that just me? Am I the only one who gets overexcited at the three overtures I've picked as my favourites?

Mack and Mabel was a commercial flop for Jerry Herman but still contains some of the best songs he's ever written. Both 'I Won't Send Roses' and 'Time Heals Everything' come from this musical and the original cast of Robert Preston and Bernadette Peters conveyed them beautifully. However, I love the overture to bits. From the first bars of 'Movies Were Movies' the energy smashes into you then it trips into the delightful 'Look What Happened to Mabel' which fades into 'I Won't Send Roses'. I always get to that part and wonder how Herman can drag the listener out of the sudden doldrums but 'Wherever He Ain't' offers a wonderful brief contrast before the jazzier 'Big Time' enters the fray. 'When Mabel Comes in the Room' has always been one of my favourites from this musical and the overture makes good use of it. It ends with a brief reprise of 'I Won't Send Roses' but it's always interesting to note which songs weren't used in an overture. 'Time Heals Everything' was perhaps too much like another dip in the high energy but what's the reasoning behind leaving 'Tap Your Troubles Away Out'? Seems bizarre but I don't love the overture any less for that oversight.

My second favourite is another Jerry Herman, though this one was a phenomenal success. Mame starred Angela Lansbury and, again, is full of great individual songs. The overture ties them all together with a similar energy to that managed by Herman in Mack and Mabel. It starts off with a teaser of the title track before going into a light energetic version of 'Open a New Window' which then blends very briefly into 'My Best Girl', perhaps one of the lesser-know tracks from the show, then straight into 'If He Walked Into My Life'. Then we get the jazzy 'That's How Young I Feel', which invariably has me dancing, followed by the title track which takes us right to the end in classic Herman style.

Perhaps my all-time favourite overture is this last one. Jule Styne wrote the music for Gypsy and what a job he did. This overture has everything and, for whatever bizarre reason, I normally end up laughing halfway through at the sheer brilliance of it. It begins with the famous 'dream' bars then pushes on into 'Everything's Coming Up Roses'. Next up is the lighter 'You'll Never Get Away From Me' then we get a short tease of 'Small World' followed by a longer spell. Then all hell breaks loose as the tempo builds to the 'Gypsy Strip' number which blends into the equally energetic 'Mr Goldstone'. The final notes are a reprise of the beginning with a tremendous finish. If I heard this in a theatre I'd be tempted to go home from exhaustion before the curtain even rose.

Am I alone in my love for these overtures? And have I missed any classics? Slap me with a fish if I have.

Happy 80th Jerry Herman

It just came to my attention that Jerry Herman is 80 today. Wow. I probably shouldn't be surprised at his age, considering how many fantastic musicals he's been responsible for. It's quite a roll-call: Hello, Dolly!, Mame, Mack & Mabel, Dear World, La Cage aux Folles to name the most famous. How many amazing melodies have come from those? His songs have been interpreted by such luminaries as Angela Lansbury, Barbra Streisand, George Hearn and Bernadette Peters, to name a select few. His lyrics are both funny and poignant - and no one does a showstopper like Jerry. He's guaranteed to leave a song revolving in your head for days on end, not a bad thing when the songs are as good as his. So, without further preamble, here are a few of my favourites of his:

'Bosom Buddies'
It's a well-known crime that Angela Lansbury wasn't chosen to play the role of Auntie Mame in the screen version of Mame. She would've been truly amazing. Nevertheless, we still have her on the Broadway cast recording and this neat little performance with Bea Arthur gives a glimpse of what a wonderful film it could've been:



'I Won't Send Roses'
From Mack & Mabel, this is just a perfect song, one of the most unconventional and heartbreaking love songs you could imagine. Although the show was not a commercial success, the concert performances of it proved very popular and the remarkable score is still one of my favourites. Robert Preston's version of this song is probably my favourite but Howard Keel is almost as good here:



'I Am What I Am'
What can you say about this song except that it completely transcends the original musical. It's an anthem in its own right and George Hearn is one of many artists to perform it to perfection:



'I Don't Want To Know'
Even though Dear World was a flop, the score remains fresh and relevant. So many people have recorded this track - Angela Lansbury's version is beautiful but we won't make this post an Angela appreciation session - but Liza Minnelli's is pretty special:



'Whistle'
We will end with Angela though! The television movie Mrs Santa Claus is Herman at his light and breezy best as the title character accidentally lands in New York and begins fighting for employee rights. It may be aimed at kids, but I still love it! Here's my favourite song:



There are so many fabulous songs I'd love to mention. Jerry Herman - you are a genius of musical theatre. Thank you!