Track Listing

1. Runyon Land
2. Fugue For Tinhorns
3. Follow The Fold
4. Oldest Established Craps Game In New York
5. I'll Know
6. Bushel And A Peck
7. Adelaide's Lament
8. Guys And Dolls
9. If I Were A Belle
10. My Time Of Day
11. I've Never Been In Love Before
12. Take Back Your Mink
13. Adelaide's Lament (1)
14. More I Cannot Wish You
15. Craps Shooter's Ballet
16. Luck Be A Lady
17. Sue Me
18. Sit Down You're Rockin' The Boat
19. Marry The Man Today
20. Guys And Dolls (1)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4656 in Music
• Released on: 1992-11-23
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack

Amazon.co.uk Review
When Meredith Brooks broke through with her 1997 single "Bitch", you could pretty much cut the irony with a knife: a song that was meant to show off her multidimensionality (as well as that of all women) instead became a song that defined her, and in many ways limited her. With Deconstruction, Brooks seems to be trying to take down that graven image piece by piece. Sure, there's plenty of energetic, melodic guitar rock similar to that with which she scored on Blurring the Edges ("I Have Everything", "Shout", "All For Nothing"), but there's also a funky edge to her take on Melanie's "Lay Down" (featuring a guest appearance by Queen Latifah), and some lovely ballads ("Nobody's Home", "Back to Nowhere"). Her lyrics aren't particularly deep (notably the overreaching and unfortunately titled "Cosmic Woo Woo"), but Deconstruction is a follow-up effort that should put an end to the name-calling. --Daniel Durchholz

Customer Reviews

Fabulous!
This is a fabulous recording of one the greatest musicals ever written. I have other recordings of Guys and Dolls (including the recent Broadway revival) but this National Theatre version knocks them all for six. Julia Mackenzie, in particular, is wondrous in all her numbers, and I defy anyone to listen to this recording of 'Sit Down You're Rockin' The Boat' without feeling total joy. I saw the original at the National Theatre in the early 80s and it remains the most exhilerating experience I've ever had in a theatre - though I've been to many great shows since. Ignore some of the other reviews here - this is a brilliant CD.

Good but not brilliant
To start there is no brilliant album of this show (and most definitely not a film) but this album is the best you will get. Strong performances from all; the only down side is that the recording is not as rich as it would have been if it had been recorded today - it needs a richer orchestra - but don't let it put you off. Adalaide's Lament is excellent and my favourite "Sit Down" is very good. All songs are done with gusto and the enthusiasim is infectious. A brilliant all round performance: Julia Mackenzie is in fine voice, as is David Healy, Julie Covington and the wonderful Ian Charleston, and the ensemble is very good. This is the best recording you will get to date (August 2005) so get it because who knows when perfection will arrive!

Lacklustre Guys and Dolls
Unfortunately, this National Theatre cast does not live up to expectations. On the whole, the interpretation of such great musical numbers as 'Fugue for Tinhorns', 'I'll Know', and 'Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat' leave a lot to be desired. The performers sound bored much of the time and the sound engineering on this recording is thin and lacking in dynamics. A very cheap highlights CD I bought from a newsagent in Australia leaves this very lacklustre recording for dead.