Weak And Amateurish
From the opening song, "Aquarius," a
powerful number on the Broadway version,
the album comes out sounding weak and
amateurish. Ronald Dyson's booming
"Aquarius" simply outclasses Vince Edward's
in the London recording. "Donna,"
sung by second lead Oliver Tobias in the
London cast, sounds like Robert Preston (in
the "Music Man") with a chorus of throaty
high schoolers behind him. The tight,
precisioned chorus of the original cast is
missing from this recording.
A lack of singing ability is enhanced by
generally poor recording technically. The
accompaniment sounds like it was recorded
in the WTJU studios. The emphasis on horns
and an organ on the London "Hair"
attempts to add depth, but they only
jumble the pure rock sound the show is
supposed to exemplify. In contrast, the
musical background of the original "Hair" is
as much a part of the recording as the
singing. Particularly on "Walking In Space,"
the instrumental backup on the Broadway
album stands out as an achievement in itself.
Gerome Ragni and James Rado, the
original leads (who have had scenes replaced
by Joe Butler and Barry McGuire of
previous rock fame), comprised two-thirds
of the show's writing team. Singing their
own material, they provided authenticity in
the Broadway version, while the London
stars merely try to emulate their originality.
Much the same is true for the entire London
album.
