Editorial Review:

Amazon.com:
At Christmastime of 1959, three Louisiana children discover a man with bloody hands and feet. Is he Jesus Christ, or is he the convicted murderer reportedly on the loose? This searing question is the basis of Whistle Down the Wind, Andrew Lloyd Webber's long-awaited new musical, and fans will find it worth the wait. A study of the faith of children contrasted with the caution and fear of adults, the story was adapted from a novel by Mary Hayley Bell and a 1961 film produced by Richard Attenborough, but its setting was transferred from northern England to the American South, giving Lloyd Webber a good excuse to indulge in rock & roll and gospel. Of course, he provides his usual supply of catchy melodies, including the rousing 'Vaults of Heaven,' the tender title tune, and the peppy children's number 'When Children Rule the World.' Longtime listeners will also recognize elements from earlier shows--the opening-scene anthem (Aspects of Love), the anguished potential savior (Jesus Christ Superstar), the climactic manhunt (Phantom of the Opera)--leading to a final collision of musical themes and overheated emotions. Whistle Down the Wind stumbled in its 1996 Washington, D.C. run and never made it to Broadway, but is realized here by its 1998 London cast, including Marcus Lovett as the mysterious man, Lottie Mayor as his most ardent believer, Dean Collinson as a James Dean wannabe, and Veronica Hart as Collinson's black girlfriend. The major drawback to this relatively unknown but solid cast is its anomalistic British accents or awkward attempts at American Southern ones. Listeners might have to use their imagination to fill in the story, as the libretto includes all the lyrics and dialogue, but no indications of song titles or track numbers, no stage directions, and no synopsis. --David Horiuchi









Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

---

Related Items:
     see more

Related Items:

• Aspects Of Love (Original 1989 London Cast)
• The Beautiful Game (2000 Original London Cast)
• Songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman's 'Whistle Down the Wind'
• The Woman in White
• Noel
• see more

---

Disc 1:

1. The Vaults of Heaven
2. Overture
3. I Never Get What I Pray For
4. Home By Now
5. It Just Doesn't Get Any Better Than This
6. Whistle Down The Wind
7. The Vow
8. Cold
9. Unsettled Scores
10. If Only
11. Tiretracks and Broken Hearts
12. Safe Haven
13. Long Overdue for a Miracle
14. When Children Rule The World
15. Annie Christmas
16. No Matter What

Disc 2:

1. Introduction Act Two
2. Try Not To Be Afraid
3. A Kiss Is A Terrible Thing To Waste
4. If Only (Reprise) - Lloyd Webber, Andre
5. Charlie Christmas - Lloyd Webber, Andre
6. Off Ramp Exit to Paradise - Lloyd Webber, Andre
7. Safe Haven (Reprise) - Lloyd Webber, Andre
8. Wrestle With the Devil - Lloyd Webber, Andre
9. The Hunt - Lloyd Webber, Andre
10. Nature of the Beast - Lloyd Webber, Andre
11. Whistle Down the Wind - Lloyd Webber, Andre
12. If Only (Reprise)
13. Charlie Christmas
14. Off Ramp Exit To Paradise
15. Safe Haven (Reprise)
16. Wrestle With The Devil
17. The Hunt
18. Nature of the Beast
19. Whistle Down The Wind

Rating: - * Excellent music! ... Excellent service and excellent music, Enjoyed re-living my night at the 5th Avenue theatre enchanted by the musical. Rating: - * Wonderful orchestration ... This is another example of the genius of Andrew Lloyd Webber. The music is haunting and the story is involving. There are some differences between this version and the version now touring the U.S. The songs have been changed a bit, and although the lead (Marcus Lovett) has a good voice, he can't hold a candle to the young man currently appearing as "The Man" in the touring company, Eric Kunze. Still, it is a wonderful addition to any Broadway collection. If you get a chance to see this play in person, it is well worth the price of the ticket. Rating: - * Andrew Broke His Whistle ... I bought this CD (that was rejected by Broadway) for curiosity sake. I knew I had made a big mistake after listening to it. It is a patchwork of mismatched scenes, characters and songs and should come with a 400 page book to read entitled Whistle Down the Wind: An Explaintation Of How To Decipher and Listen to My CD by Andrew (who cares what I release I'm loaded) Llyod Webber. One reviewer suggested reading the original book, seeing the original movie, downloading info and then listen to it a few times and you'll get it. Why should a listener and once big fan of ALW do all this work to enjoy a cd? If it truly was 5 stars then I should be able to listen and lavish it like Evita or Phantom of The Opera. Those classics didn't need you to take a class to enjoy them. They are ALW's best. Even Sunset Blvd was absolutely fantastic till Glenn Close destroyed it. (Who said she could sing?) If I sound mean-spirited it's because I'd like a refund. Time for AWL to retire? I think so. "Andrew, bow out gracefully while you still can." Rating: - * Good Music, Bad Swallow ... When I saw Whistle Down the Wind on London's West End, I was amazed by the vocals with the exception of the man who played...well...The Man. However, when I bought the soundtrack to the original cast (not the one I saw), I was very disappointed by the actress who plays the part of Swallow. Her voice has a very whiny, crying quality about it that is not intentional, and this is very noticeable as she sings. Her voice also does not fit the innocence of the 15-year-old lead, nor does it attempt to. There is also a song on the soundtrack called Wrestle with the Devil, and one of the female soloists messes up badly with the lyrics: "He's anything he wants to be/but he's never WHAT HE SEEMS!" The female soloist screams hoarsely and accidentally, and I'm surprised that they did not try to redo the song or at least touch it up in the recording studio. I have to quickly turn down the volume every time I hear this part coming up. The children in this musical are pretty impressive for their age, though they have a habit of belting everything, no matter how unnecessary (they did this when I saw it on stage too). When it comes to the song No Matter What, I haven't seen such a wussy attempt at hitting low notes since my high school tried to do Miss Saigon. One song I thoroughly enjoy, however, is Tire Tracks and Broken Hearts. Candy has an unusual, sassy young voice, and Amos fits well with her. This song is incredibly catchy and is easily my favorite in the whole musical, though Cold is a close second. The fake-Southern accents, however, made me cringe. This is proof most British people cannot do Southern accents. There is some speaking at the end of A Kiss Is A Terrible Thing to Waste that proves this: Amos: What's in the package that's so important? Swallow: Promise you wouldn't tay-yell. Say it! Promise you wouldn't tay-yell Amos: Ah promise. Ah promise Ah wouldn't tay-yell. The word "tay-yell" instead of "tell" made me cringe, and the accents were so blatantly obvious I'd rather if they dropped it. Rating: - * Give this Item a Second Shot ... If you are looking at this item thinking it is a feelgood ALW score, DO NOT BUY IT. That is not to say it is bad, quite the contrary. However, its subjects are tough and hard to consider. This score forces us to consider what love is, how there are many different kinds of love, the impact of grief on the mental state of humanity, and what the true nature of humanity is, good or evil. Although the music is fabulous, there is no real "chorus line song" to make us feel good, such as ALW's "Go Go Go Joseph!". It is at times a violent score, but not unrealistic. In short, it is a fabulously compelling work, altough it is not what you would expect from the creator of Cats and Joseph.