Nov 062007
I’m not sure any of them don’t suck, but: what’s the best “rock” musical? I contnue to believe that “Jesus Christ Superstar” is patchily listenable, but in general it’s still a turd. Can it really be the best of the bunch?
I’m not sure any of them don’t suck, but: what’s the best “rock” musical? I contnue to believe that “Jesus Christ Superstar” is patchily listenable, but in general it’s still a turd. Can it really be the best of the bunch?
Quick clarification: best musical with original songs, or best repurposing of rock songs for a musical?
If Moulin Rouge can count then I say that wins by a longshot. If not, I’ll probably take Tommy. At least it’s got panache.
G48 asks:
Quick clarification: best musical with original songs, or best repurposing of rock songs for a musical?
I reply:
The former.
How about “Beatlemania” 🙂
Seriously, I would say “Hair”
Please, folks, a better suggestion than either of these hippie Jesus flicks needs to step forward. How about Saturday Night Fever? Does that count?
Although THE FULL MONTY deserves some props for the song “Big-Ass Rock,” I have to go with the Broadway production of HAIRSPRAY: great and reverent use of its girl-group era inspiration, sharp lyrics, and Marissa Jaret Winokur, both a terrific singer and — for those of us who know what’s good pulchritude-wise — a total friggin’ hottie.
“Fever” has original music in it, but it’s not a “musical”, is it?
For a production to qualify as a “musical”, don’t the characters have to sing songs related to their narrative, as they do in “Tommy” or “Godspell” or “JC Superstar”?
“hellooooo….frisco.”
Grease 2
PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE, a career highpoint for rocker Paul “The Look” Williams.
Am I the only person here who’s seen The Apple
Would “The Point” count (I ask myself)? And — I’m surprised nobody’s mentioned that “Hedgwig” thing, which I’ve never seen. Or “Rocky Horror,” which I’ve also never seen.
I’m also surprised nobody’s commented on the “Zoo Animals On Wheels” clip, which may be one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen on TV.
The first 1/2 of HEDWIG is pretty amazing, then it gets dull and wanders off somewhere.
SGT PEPPER’S with the BEE GEES and FRAMPTON is pretty craptastic (and very frightening)
That BOB DYLAN movie (title? anyone?) was pretty neat.
I love TOMMY.
FLASH GORDON is the best (non)ROCK OPERA.
ERG! A MUSIC WAR with KLAUS NOMI is the shit.
BREAKIN! and BEAT STREET both qualify and are awesome!
FAME, however, has them both beat.
HELP!, HARD DAYS NIGHT, and MMT both suffer tremendously from all sorts of problems…
…so I guess that leaves HEAD by THE MONKEES
Does anyone else find this the most depressing thread in the history of Rock Town Hall? Rock musicals blow!
GREASE!
DON’T LOOK BACK? MASKED & ANONYMOUS? I’M NOT THERE? I’m not sure any of them could qualify as a “musical”.
Pince nez: it’s URGH! A MUSIC WAR.
Sticking by the qualifier that characters have to express themselves/communicate through the songs to be a musical, Head really does qualify. Especially in that it’s only coherent when someone is singing or blowing up a Coke machine with a tank.
So there you go, Head is the greatest rock musical. Then Jesus Christ Superstar, then Grease 2, then Bugsy Malone. Seems pretty definitive.
I can’t get the clip to show up or play, so I didn’t know what it was, but yes, Zoo Animals on Wheels was great.
That’s it! MASKED & ANONYMOUS! That’s a musical, right?
I liked it. Jeff Bridges plays the Valania character.
Considering how popular it was at the time, i’m surprised Prince’s “Purple Rain” didn’t get a nomination. (I actually prefer him in full-on impenetrable mode like ‘Graffiti Bridge’, one of the worst movies you’ll ever see).
‘Hedwig’ starts off like Gangbusters with a lot of energy from the live vocals, then, (as most modern musicals do), forgets it’s a musical and has the characters talk at great length through events they should really be singing.
For some reason, ‘Rocky Horror’ doesn’t do much for me – I prefer its little-seen and much-unloved highly-stylised 1981 sequel ‘Shock Treatment’.
‘Grease 2’ is hilarious lyrically, because the writer’s keep using words that don’t rhyme, and can’t be possibly sustained by singers -the word ‘cool’ seems to be the main culprit they keep returning to.
Oh, avoid 1982’s new wave Aussie musical ‘Starstruck’, starring justly-forgotten Cyndi Lauper wannabe Jo Kennedy, at all cost. You think ‘Grease 2’ is bad? Try this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dehFyoR_X7g
(Yeah, it’s the Split Enz song).
I think of Spinal Tap as a musical. Quadrophenia too, even though the characters don’t burst out into song.
I recently watched Hedwig again, and I liked it better as a movie, but I do really miss those trash rock songs they play in the first half. So I kind of agree with Shawn.
One of Altman’s more obscure films is A Perfect Couple. The main characters don’t sing, but there’s a rock band somehow connected to the main plot, and their songs comment on the story. It’s been a long time, but I remember really liking it, especially Paul Dooley as the lead.
All Time WORST rock musical may be ONE FROM THE HEART, a Francis Ford Coppolla disasterpiece in which Fredrick Forrest, Terri Garr and Raoul Julia “sing” a bunch of Tom Waits/Crystal Gayle duets in front of the most depressing soundstage sets ever constructed(except for the ones in THE WIZ(oops there’s another)
Wow that was truly awful. I had no idea it even existed. One pince nez, though. Cyndi Lauper’s debut solo album She’s So Unusual wasn’t released until 1983 and wasn’t a big hit until the following year. Before that, she in an obscure new wave band called Blue Angel. Thus, I sincerely doubt that Jo Kennedy would be trying to imitate her. How about Olivia Newton John wannabe instead, or is that too obvious because of the Aussie connection?
Another one in the “bad musical” category would be “Abolute Beginners.”
Man, remember that Simpson’s episode where the girl plays MacArthur Park on the tabla? I have to use Krusty’s comment – “Wow, that just went on and on…”
(Yeah, it’s the Split Enz song).
I was speaking in terms of her later career. When Lauper appeared, Kennedy aped her out of success envy, much the same way Kylie Minogue aped Madonna for a good portion of her career.
Forced new wave wackiness was ‘in’ down here in a huge way, so i wasn’t surprised Lauper was successful, when a song as awful as this had already got to #2 on the charts the previous year:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY-QSGaW9NQ
(Yeah, that’s a young Nicole Kidman in the video).
Homefront, you are bringing it, my friend! Good stuff. I actually found that Pat Wilson song pretty catchy – and that’s without the glimpses of young Nicole. I’d never heard of Wilson. Who’s the Tim Finn guy in the middle of the song? He’s a real party-pooper.