No Strings – BROADWAY CAST****

The Sweetest Sounds/How Sad/Loads Of Love/The Man Who Has Everything/Be My Host/La La La/You Don’t Tell Me/Love Makes The World Go Round/Nobody Told Me/Look No Further/Maine/An Orthodox Fool/Eager Beaver/No Strings/Finale-The Sweetest Sounds

The Grammy winning Broadway musical No Strings starred Diahann Carroll & Richard Kiley. It opened in March 1962 at the 54th Street Theatre and ran for 580 performances. Based on a book by Samuel A. Taylor about a romantic entanglement between a fashion model and a novelist. Lyrics and music by Richard Rodgers. (US:5)

“A great recording of a beautiful score with a stunning cast. It is the only show that Richard Rodgers wrote both the music and lyrics.”

“No Strings was Richard Rodgers' first big project following the death of Oscar Hammerstein II. The score is youthful, peppy, romantic and quite modern for the time. The score is a real delight, featuring the classic Sweetest Sounds as well as several juicy numbers for Carroll and Kiley, both solo and as a duet.”

“Despite some weak lyrics here and there, the score is the finest of Rodgers in the post-Hammerstein era. You'll have little trouble following the story as most of the songs are laundry lists that give examples to support their titles, but the best tracks provide enjoyable listening experiences.”

“The songs on this album are all splendid. Perhaps Rodgers faltered in his musical writing abilities later on in his career, but not with this album. If you care about musical theatre, you must buy this. The voices are splendid and The Sweetest Sounds ranks with RR's top tune melodies.”

“From the first time I heard The Sweetest Sounds I knew this LP would be one of my favourites. Each song is unique and wonderful in its own way. There are some melancholy, haunting songs and also some upbeat and humorous songs. This is definitely an album you'll listen to over and over, and the songs will soon be stuck in your head.”

“There are some OK songs, Look No Further for example, but take the idea that No Strings is a great Rodgers score with a big grain of salt. Most of the other songs are completely forgettable.”