Leonard Bernstein - West Side Story

Released - 1957

Genre - Broadway Musical

Producer - Goddard Lieberson and Sylvia Drulie

Selected Personnel - Leonard Bernstein (Composer); Stephen Sondheim (Lyricist); Jerome Robbins (Director & Choreographer); Larry Kert (Vocals - Tony); Carol Lawrence (Vocals - Maria); Mickey Calin (Vocals - Riff); Rita Moreno (Vocals - Anita)
Standout Track - Somewhere

Admittedly, I don't know if I can really count an original cast recording as "an album." It's certainly pushing my rule about trying not to include soundtracks to breaking point. But the truth is, it's a musical release that's had a big effect on me and that I still love, so it makes the list. I'd also have to confess that listening to this music in the form of a cast recording robs it of a lot of what it was intended to do - this was music written to accompany a spectacle, a theatrical performance that was supposed to be seen, so listening to just the audio loses a certain something. It's probably barely worth my sketching out the history of West Side Story given how strong its hold on the public consciousness has become, but suffice to say that in the mid-1950s director and choreographer Jerome Robbins had the idea of updating Shakespeare's timeless Romeo & Juliet to a modern-day story of gang warfare set in New York's Upper West Side, telling the story of rival gangs the Jets and the Sharks, and the forbidden and doomed love that blossoms between young Jet Tony and Maria, the sister of the leader of the Sharks. Robbins originally conceived the idea to be a showcase for his own choreography, and any live performance of it is certainly built around the stunning setpiece dances, such as the much-imitated finger-clicking of the "Prologue" to the manic virtuosity of "Dance at the Gym." But it's probably the songs, courtesy of composer Leonard Bernstein and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, that have really taken on immortality.

Even without the visual element, it's very difficult to deny in listening to this recording that this is hugely impressive and accomplished music. So many of these songs have become indelibly ingrained with modern popular culture that it's easy to forget just how powerful they are when you first hear them. Songs like "Cool" develop from a whispered, sparse intro to a full orchestral jazz workout by the end, while "Something's Coming" is a real dynamo of nervous energy and excitement. There are also the achingly beautiful ballads "Maria," "I Have a Love" and the astoundingly wonderful "Somewhere" (later to be memorably covered by Tom Waits on his 1978 album Blue Valentine.) One of the great advantages held by a soundtrack to a Broadway musical is that the music will naturally take in a great sweep of styles and moods rather than attempting to make one single point, and the songs certainly run the gamut from the edgy jazz of the Prologue to the vibrant Latin rhythms of "America." There's even enough great stuff to forgive the inclusion of the atrocious "I Feel Pretty," a narcissistic and juvenile piece of nonsense that's both horribly inappropriate in the context of the show, coming as it does just after a murder, and pretty embarrassing and stupid even when listened to in isolation. That aside, it remains one of the most enduring and exciting musicals of all time, and the music really is good enough to forgive my breaking my own rules and including a musical on a list of great albums. Of course, for me, this is a piece of work that's always coloured by my own nostalgia, given that I was first introduced to it via school production in 2007 in which I played Riff, the leader of the Jets, and got to dance with all the girls and fight will all the guys and just generally act pretty boss the whole time while singing about whatever. But at the end of the day, all our appreciation of music is ultimately shaped by our own personal dealings and associations with it, and for me, whether or not this musical has become trite or obvious or cheesy with the passing years, it will always bring back a lot of fond memories, and it will always excite me and move me more than, I think, any other stage musical I've seen.

Track Listing:

All songs written by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim

1. Prologue

2. Jet Song

3. Something's Coming

4. Dance At The Gym

5. Maria

6. America

7. Balcony Scene (Tonight)

8. Cool

9. One Hand, One Heart

10. Tonight Quintet & Chorus

11. The Rumble

12. I Feel Pretty

13. Somewhere/Ballet Sequence

14. Gee, Officer Krupke

15. A Boy Like That/I Have A Love

16. Finale