Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Overture/Backstage Dreamland
2. Heat Is On In Saigon
3. Movie In My Mind
4. Transaction
5. Dance
6. Why God Why
7. This Money's Yours
8. Sun And Moon
9. Telephone Song
10. Deal
11. Wedding Ceremony (Dju Vui Vai)
12. Thuy's Arrival
13. Last Night Of The World
14. Morning Of The Dragon
15. I Still Believe
16. Back In Town
17. Thuy's Death/You Will Not Touch Him
18. If You Want To Die In Bed
19. Kim & Engineer
20. I'd Give My Life For You

Disc 2:

1. Entr'acte
2. Bui Doi
3. Revelation
4. What A Waste
5. Please
6. Chris Is Here
7. Kim's Nightmare
8. Room 317
9. Now That I've Seen Her
10. Confrontation
11. American Dream
12. Finale

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1728 in Music
• Released on: 1990-11-26
• Number of discs: 2

Amazon.co.uk Review
Miss Saigon rather surprisingly turns out to be a tour de force for its star, Jonathan Pryce. In the midst of Boubil and Schönberg's "girl-meets-boy-with confused-emotions-in-Vietnam" rewrite of Puccini's Madama Butterfly, Pryce's Engineer's bright tenor provides a nasty yet humanely pragmatical focal point for more logically tuned minds. Daring to tackle the controversial theme of doomed lovers during the misguided American war efforts, Miss Saigon was a thematic and stylistic breakthrough of the 1980s, just like Jesus Christ Superstar had been in the previous decade. But the lyricist, Richard Maltby, previously a young man with alleged off-off-Broadway street cred, could only do so much with Boubil's French original platitudes--it is Schönberg's music paired with producer Cameron Macintosh's storyboard vision that secured the deserved success of Miss Saigon. On this complete recording, an orchestra on form shows off William D. Brohn's skilful orchestrations, and a fine ensemble supports Lea Salonga's tender yet determined Kim. And in the male camp, apart from the prancing Pryce, Peter Polycarpou (John) is crystal clear as the struggling American marine soldier, curbing all tendencies to over-emotionality. --Yngvil V.G.

From Amazon.com
It's probably best known for raising the stakes for 1980s blockbuster shows by landing a helicopter on stage, but Miss Saigon is also a good show with good music. As a follow-up to their international smash Les Misérables, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg (with an assist from Richard Maltby Jr.) adapted the tale of Madame Butterfly to the Vietnam War, realized here by the original 1989 London cast. While it may seem overheated at times, the despair and passion fit the tragic story, and Schönberg's pop-flavored style receives its most appropriate setting. Leading the cast are Jonathan Pryce as the Engineer (a Eurasian character whose casting generated some controversy when the producers wanted to have Pryce, a Caucasian, reprise the role on Broadway), Lea Salonga (in her first major role) as the young Vietnamese bride, Simon Bowman as her beau, and Claire Moore as his American wife (and a young Ruthie Henshall as one of the sweaty bargirls). The songs include the bawdy opener "The Heat Is on in Saigon," "The Movie in My Mind," "Why God Why," the romantic duet "The Last Night of the World," the female duet "I Still Believe," the male chorus number "Bui-Doi," and the Engineer's mocking "The American Dream." The booklet includes photographs and full lyrics. It's also available in a 58-minute highlights version. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

A repeat of the original and the latest tour
Having seen the original show with Jonathan Pryce and Lea Salonga, I also saw it a year later when the understudy was playing Kim and was not disappointed. All those years ago I brought my 5 year old up with the soundtrack and always promised her that if it came back to the stage I would take her. Now she is 15 and I was able to keep my promise at the Milton Keynes venue of the current tour and she was absolutely blown away. Jonathan Pryce was fab as the engineer in the original show, and I'm glad I saw him in that part, but the current cast, although doing a variation of the original is certainly not a disappointment. My daughter Hannah is desperate to see it again, with her friends, and the only down side is it is realistically not close enough to go again. If you are a musical lover and can't get to the show, sit down after dinner with a nice bottle of wine and with the synopsis let the soundtrack take over, not as good as being there but certainly a good substitute if you can't get to the show - But, if the show does another tour - DON'T miss it!

Bit Slushy
This was the first show I saw in London, and to my husbands shock I wasn't blown away. The special effects make this show(you hear the helicopter on the CD)but the lyrics are a bit sickly. It is a great musical if you are someone who likes a good cry but not if you like good music.
Certain songs are brilliant like "The heat is on in Saigon, Movie in my mind You will not touch him" and the Engineer is a fab character.
Anyway it is set in Saigon during the end of Vietnam and the soldiers are getting ready to leave but for Chris that is not going to be easy as he has fallen in love with Kim, a dancer in a club. Chris has no choice but to leave and thus leaving Kim behind.
Years later his friend John is struggling with the guilt of what happened in Vietnam and decides to try and help the children they orphaned and goes back to Vietnam with Chris and Chris' new wife!!!
As you can imagine everything blows up when they go back and the ending isn't the happiest ever. It is a good CD for music lovers who grew up with Miss Saigon or people new to musicals, but for me this is just OK,(and really slushy!).

Brilliant
You dont have to see this show to apreciate its music. Each song is as unique as the next with some heart renching ballads, to some immensley powerful numbers that will literally send chills down your spine. ok so its not the kind of show that will be to everyones taste as it is 'thru-sung' (no speaking), but those who are fans of the great genre of 'musical', this is a must for your collection. Its hard to imagine that the same people who wrote this stunning score were also behind the daddy of musicals; Les Miserables, (if you loved that, you'll love miss saigon).