The Golden Apple - Original B'way Cast (1954) torrent

One of the most original shows of its era (or ever), "The Golden Apple" was a hit off-Broadway in 1954 but died a quick death when it transfered to Broadway. Not one but two original cast albums were made (one on Elektra off Broadway, one on RCA as a "Broadway production") with the same cast. Featuring a wonderful score by Jerome Moross (who'd soon be writing "The Big Country" and other film scores), lyrics by poet John Latouche and dazzling orchestrations by Hershey Kay, the musical reset the epic story of "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" in the Pacific Northwest at the turn of the century. Conceived as a folk operetta, the entire show was sung and the cast recording, limited to one disc, preserved only 50 minutes of the score. The recording was a much-sought-after collector's item for decades, until finally reissued on CD in the early 2000s. One number, "Lazy Afternoon," became a standard and has been recorded by numerous artists, but the entire score is a delight. Of the original stars, Kaye Ballard would go on to a major theater and cabaret career and Stephen Douglass next played Joe opposite Gwen Verdon in the original cast of "Damn Yankees." Perhaps one day a full recording of the show will happen - as happened with Sondheim's originally truncated "Follies." Until then, we can be thankful for this recording, especially Ms. Ballard's original version of the spell-binding "Lazy Afternoon."

To bridge awkward transitions caused by cuts to the score, the recording inserted a narrator reciting rhymed couplets to fill the story gaps. In order to remove annoying clicks and breaks between digital files, I have merged all tracks into a continously playing file, which is the how the show was meant to be heard.

Mono sound - lossless WAV file.