Hamilton

So I've had my time in the world of both volunteer and paid musical theatre, had a couple of people I knew when go on to be nominated for Tonys and such while discovering 'twasn't the life path for me. But back then I used to follow shows and cast albums like people used to hang on the Beatles' every move. Of late, I kinda got away from it and there just wasn't much that was exciting strictly as a cast album. Meaning I find that there haven't been many albums that you can listen to never seeing what's going on onstage and still be compelling. Um, this ain't one of those. I thought aw, a hip-hop musical. Well, I guess someone was gonna take a stab at it sooner or later. And hip-hop Founding Fathers. Sigh. I wouldn't have thought of the words 'hip hop' and 'twee' in the same sentence before. But I was wrong! I literally sat up and turned around to stare at the stereo about four lines into the first song. Got up to turn it up and stood there moving my head slightly to the beat and getting fired up about a guy no one nowadays cares about or could tell you anything about. At the last 'Alexander Hamilton!!' of the first song I was applauding like one would in an audience and I put down what I was doing and listened to the whole thing rapturously. Man it's been years since I was so jazzed about a show. The brilliance of the lyric writing and the arrangement is blinding. There's not a weak link up there in the cast. They're all on point bringing serious game. Anyone can listen to this. Don't like musicals? You'll still like this. Don't like hip-hop? You'll still like this. Don't like history? You'll still like this. And you'll say wow, if all history could be presented like that, maybe more people would be into it. You'll be right. I was already an admirer of the American experiment and the people (yes, women and children too) who were so brave as to undertake such a thing with no promise of their lives, let alone success. But man, I cried about eleven times, and not just at the 'sad' parts (and some of it is pretty sad) Sometimes I was simply weeping in appreciation for what they did for us. Sometimes it was in appreciation of the rarity of art that is truly inspired and singular. This is. If this show don't walk away with every 2016 Tony Award it's nominated for, the judges are amoebas, or possibly garden rocks. I wouldn't be shocked to see the composer (who is the guy playing Hamilton) get put up for the Pulitzer Prize. GET THIS ALBUM. This is the best record I have heard in ANY genre in at least the last seven or eight years. Play it for your kids, who deserve to have the fire of loving history and learning lit underneath them. Play it for you because it's never too late to do that for yourself either. Welcome back, Alexander Hamilton.

The music is amazing! It takes more than 2 hours to go through the album and we never seem to get to the end when driving around town with the kids, we seem to listen to the first 10 songs. Since we'll never get to see the play (omg the tickets are $$$$$) we talk a lot about what might be happening in the songs. The Explicit version has a couple of curse words and harsh F bombs, but the unexplicit version is still racy for a mom of young kids, with the illusion to one "Fuuu" , the songs that talk about sex is prominent throughout. The kids have friends that are religious and more filtered than our household, so I have to tell them, their family may not appreciate the music like our family. We listen to this also, because I don't remember any impact on sex and music in my life when I was 9, I survived and enjoyed the karaoke about topics I had no clue about. So, with this in mind, I decided we'll just enjoy this amazing music. No X-ray lyrics for them. As my kids start to analyze the lyrics, explaining what a whore is, explaining "no more sex" or explaining "lock up your daughters and horses, of course it's hard to have intercourse over four sets of corsets" have not come up yet. I do admit the very first line was very painful, because it's sooooo catchy, and the easiest to remember, and I explained I don't want the kids singing in the elementary school the very first line " How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore" (then kids slur the next few lines) and whore gets emphasized. My child doesn't know the word, so the malapropism turns into "son of a door, or son of a poor" - it works for now. I haven't had to explain the line "ladies - there are so many to deflower" yet either. :| But the songs move from sex to battle, then the affair (Say No To This), and that song is pretty steamy, and the kids & I love the tune, it's a beautiful song, and they can tell! (She turned red, she led me to her bed, let her legs spread and said, stay?" and "You see, that was my wife you decided to Fuuuu" "You can keep seeing my whore wife if the price is right" Our kids are coming from the world of Kids Bop, Disney Music, and more innocent Broadway tunes. it's our first forray into an adult topic. Oh, by the time tickets become available, and affordable, they will be young adults, so, what ever is shown in the play, they'll be ready for it!

Music is amazing. Plastic covers break thpugh.

These are not words I toss around lightly, but seriously, Hamilton is a masterpiece that will change musical theater forever. This show is certain to sweep the 2016 Tony Awards and I would not be surprised at all if Lin-Manuel Miranda is awarded a Pulitzer Prize along the way. As for the soundtrack, let's just say this is one of those epics that gets better and better with every listen (and I've listened dozens of times already). Every member of my family has been addicted to it since the day it was released. It's a brilliant pastiche of musical and poetic styles, all perfectly tailored to each particular character, yet woven into an intricate narrative that will inspire, entertain, and break your heart. I was privileged to see the show the week that it opened, and can't stop telling people about it, so I was beyond thrilled that the production team, including writer/performer Lin-Manuel Miranda and producer Ahmir Khalib Thompson (aka Questlove) chose to produce a full-length soundtrack that skipped nothing from the original show. With such a beautifully-woven narrative, it would have been a shame to leave anything out. Now an entire generation of theater-goers will arrive at Hamilton already knowing the music and words, and that's probably a great thing, because it's incredibly complex and fast-paced. I can't wait to go again, because it's easy to miss so much on first listen. Is this soundtrack for everybody? I think so. I don't listen to hip hop music at all -- at least not until Hamilton. That's one reason this is so groundbreaking. It's a mix of hip hop, R&B, jazz, vintage pop and straight-ahead broadway tunes, all perfectly pushing forward a narrative of the founding of United States of America as an immigrant story -- a story of bold, daring, rule-breaking, enlightened thinkers, and of how they made a name for themselves and for the new world. I could go on and on, but I'm wasting your time. Just order it now!

I kept seeing references to Hamilton online in places but all the good mentions didn't stir me until I saw someone quote the first few words of the opening number and recognized it. Flashback to 2009: Lin-Manuel Miranda performs a rap about someone he thinks "embodies hip-hop: treasury secretary Alexander Hamilton" at a White House event. Small me catches the video as it enjoys brief virality and is captivated, to the extent that six years later, having not thought of it in about as much time, I see the words "how does a bastard, orphan..." and can recite the entire thing from memory. WAIT-- thIS is the Hamilton I keep running into? I'll confess to not being much of a musical buff. Oh, I appreciate our yearly forays up Mt. Tam to watch the ones they put on up there, and I've done my time (and enjoyed thoroughly) watching younger family members in productions studded with gradeschoolers who haven't quite grasped the concept of pitch. But I haven't actively listened to a musical's soundtrack—is that even the word for it? since probably sixth grade. And yet here I am. At first it seemed absurd to listen to the music from a production I was never going to get to lay eyes on, but I realized very quickly that I’d completely missed the point. Hamilton—the creation—is a masterpiece. This is two and a half hours worth of audio that tells a complete story, that’s funny and heartbreaking and delightfully clever, that I can sit down and listen to straight through without getting bored. Even better with a cup of tea and something to do with my hands. I’ve been through the whole thing in order at least four or five times, and the magic hasn’t worn off at all. Instead, I find more and more with each listen. If you’re into history, if you enjoy music, if you’re just looking for something to entertain you that’s a bit of a change of pace: I recommend this wholeheartedly. Just beware: you may find yourself yearning for the money and time off to fly to New York and see the production in person.

I used to be a normal person. That was before this musical. Now I'm kind of addicted to it. I have played this soundtrack over and over and over for the last many months, to the point where I am embarrassed to admit to 'regular' people how many times. They might think I'm kind of weird. But I love it. And for one straight month, this was all I was interested in listening to and it's all I had playing in my car. All the time. This is not typical behavior for me. So beware: You might not be normal after this musical. It is brilliant. Before the first U.S. tour came to my city in 2017, I had only heard a song or two. So I bought these original cast CDs to get familiar with the music and lyrics. I listened to the whole soundtrack five or six times during the month prior to seeing the show. Wow, was I ready to see the show! Lin Manuel Miranda took the key points of Alexander Hamilton's life and put them into this wonderful presentation. Once I saw the Hamilton live, all I wanted to do was see it again! And so I did. And one more time, too. And even after seeing the show, this soundtrack was on a loop in my car for many months. Crazy. I also read Ron Chernow's Hamilton biography, the inspiration for the musical. If you read the biography, you will pick up some nuances in the lyrics that aren't obvious otherwise. And you'll have a deeper understanding of the whole story when you hear the music or see the show. But even without the book, you will get what you need from the CDs. Oh, and there's Lin Manuel Miranda's book called 'Hamilton: The Revolution,' which has all the lyrics, with sidebar comments by Lin. It's also about the making of the musical, the original cast, the creative process, etc. Back to the soundtrack: Even if you don't think you like hip-hop music or broadway tunes or musicals, you may be surprised. You may see how accessible this music is, how wonderful it is. Hamilton has a mix of braodway-type tunes, R&B, pop, jazz and hip-hop. It's a beautiful recipe that serves up a tasty dish of awesomeness. What's also wild is that more often than not, when I pull out a $10 bill, I notice it's Alexander Hamilton on it and I see it in a different way. So, like I said--I used to be normal. If loving Hamilton is wrong, I don't wanna be right. Enjoy this soundtrack and read the lyrics. And if the show plays in your area, don't walk--RUN to get the tickets.

I'm a musical purist, some would say a musical snob. I love all genres of music except for rap/hip-hop. To me, that stuff is just annoying noise. That's why I thought I was going completely insane when I was "forced" by a friend to listen to this CD and I was in love before the opening number had finished. This is a work of pure genius. I did not care for Lin- Manuel Miranda's first show, "In the Heights" , but this is on a whole other level. The rap isn't thugish. It's smart and witty and amazing. Miranda shows a mastery of language, rhythm and rhyme that is beyond imagination. The great thing is that while the rap material is brilliant in it's own right, there are some great songs with melody that are just as brilliant. They range from R&B, to pop to pure Broadway goodness and I cannot stop listening. Every time I listen, I hear something new that I didn't hear before. And while the material is stellar, the voices are just as great. It's hard to really choose a favorite because every number is different and spectacular in it's own way. However, there are some stand outs. Miranda doesn't have the greatest Broadway voice, but since most of his material is spoken/rap and Alexander Hamilton is a "scrappy" character, his voice is perfectly suited. A new star is born in Renee Elise Goldsberry and when Jonathan Groff sings "You'll Be Back" you can't help but smile from beginning to end and then the showstopper of all showstoppers is "The Room Where It Happens" sung by the mega-talented Leslie Odom, Jr. When I heard all the of the headlines about how this show was "changing the face of Broadway musicals", all I could do was roll my eyes. Well, they've stopped rolling and I'm dying to see this show LIVE. Trust me, this show will challenge all of your preconceived notions about "street" music and in the best way possible. Just go ahead and start engraving those Tony Awards now.

Michelle Obama said of the musical Hamilton, "I'm sitting in the theatre, watching it when suddenly I realize: This might be the best piece of art I've ever seen in my life. Ever." Similarly, I feel this IS the best story, not just the best soundtrack of a Broadway production, I've ever heard told. Ever I listened to it for the first time a month ago on a very, very long drive up 95 thru Jersey, through that amazing, exciting NYC where You Can Be a New Man. It was beyond entertainment, it was transformative. A historical story of our country's roots to modern day political challenges that loom just as large today as they did then. It is important to listen to the CD as a captive audience like you'd watch a movie on the big screen --all at once, with perhaps only an intermission taken between the two CDs. It helped that I'd already watched the PBS film about the making of Hamilton, but I had no idea of all the emotions and ground it would cover: Love story plus triangles, political debates with nuanced heroes, heroines, villians in shades of gray. I went to University of Virginia where Thomas Jefferson was lauded as a hero... this soundtrack compelled me to research him more and see why he was at odds with Hamilton in so many debates, but also "Jefferson in Paris" and learn that Sally Hemings was 30 (!) years younger than he and only 16 when he got her pregnant for the first of many times (fathering 6 children). Meanwhile, our hero Hamilton was anti-slave when few were calling out the abomination... and yet he also admired and served as right hand man to founding father General George Washington, slave owner. And the Skyler sisters! What beautiful voices and personalities! Their depiction MAKES the story. The actions of the founding fathers suddenly become interesting because of the women they are bragging to, gold digging, seducing, coming home to, betraying. Fascinating stories...all. We can fully imagine the men and women of the times as real people with the same emotions and problems and butterflies in their stomachs as we have, maybe for the first time. And this story succeeds in is making rap fans of people like me who thought I didn't like it (the brilliant instrumentals help and the mixing it up with Jazz and pop. King George especially in his Beatles-like catchy tunes and hillarious words and punchlines that made me LOL.) I REALLY can't wait to see the play, but I'm glad I listened to this first. It is such a singular pleasure of the hearing senses, I can only imagine it would be overwhelming to ALSO try to also SEE and try to focus on the words as well as the choreography and costumes and staging of the play. I listened to this in total from start to finish 4 times on that very long road trip and its return, sharing it with my 19 year old daughter on the return trip and she, like me, loved it and now can't wait to see the show. Because she knew its style of music better than I she pointed out Rap Battles and artists some songs styles were imitating. Since then I've subscribed to a Hamilton podcast and checked out the Hamilton Revolution book about the making of the musical...all send me back to the CD for yet another listen to my favorite songs and increasing my anticipation to see the show itself. It truly is a revolutionary work of art. You've got to hear --start to finish--to appreciate how Lin Manuel Miranda makes these characters in history come alive and makes us see how much we still have in common with them, from ambition, friendships and love, grieving our losses, working hard before we run out of time, failing, forgiving, and making fatal "damn fool" mistakes--like Aaron Burr--despite all our best intentions.

Recebi os Vinis no dia seguinte ao pedido. Estavam perfeitos.

La música maravillosa de principo a fin. La compré tras ver el musical. La pega es que vino con una raja la caja de los CD y con dos libretos del CD repetidos, faltando el primero. Eso no desmerece la calidad de la música por eso no le quito estrellas. Merece tenerlo a disposición de una manera tangible y no tanta nube con poca calidad de sonido.

Excellent

It's Hamilton!! Lol, what more do you need? Original cast album with the most amazing songs from the best broadway musical. I love it so much, listen to it every day.

Wir haben den Tipp von Freunden bekommen uns das Musical Hamilton anzusehen. Ein Hinweis war noch wenn euch "Rap" gefällt ist das etwas für euch. Aber keine Angst es geht in ein paar Liedern ein wenig in die Richtung und es gibt Ansätze von ein Rap aber mit richtigem HipHop hat es nichts zu tun. Aber was schon auch das besondere an diesem Musical ist, ist dieses Thema bzw. die Geschichte über Alexander Hamilton mit solchen Liedern zu verschmelzen. Aber super gelungen bevor ich euch Angst mache. Es ist kein sonst typischer Soundtrack wie manchmal passend zu Filmen man hört meist schon den Musical Sytle heraus. Wenn euch z.B. das Musical bzw. besser gesagt die Musik bei Greatest Showman gefallen hat dann seit ihr auch hier nicht falsch. Einige Lieder gehen in diese Richtung. Bei Greatest Showman gab es mehr Lieder oder "Hits" zum mitsingen, mehr Hits würde ich sagen wie bei Hamilton. Diese Hamilton hat ja auch 2CDs da sind auch mal Lieder dabei die mehr gesprochen sind wie eben das Musical während die Greatest Showman CD / Soundtrack rein die Lieder sind. Hamilton geht permanent Richtung Gesang es gibt keine langen Passagen ohne Gesang/Musik. Aber der 1.Song "Alexander Hamilton" ist der perfekte Start gleich mit viel Power wird man eingestimmt und will mehr hören. In diese Richtung geht auch My Shot - super Song einer meiner Lieblingssongs der auch mega abgeht, mal ruhige Passagen dann eben "My Shot" bam cooler Refrain."The Duell Commandments" auch zum Titel genial gemachtes Lied da sieht man im Kopf die Bilder eines Duells vor sich und ist direkt wieder im Musical. Es gibt aber auch viele schöne Balladen oder langsamer Lieder wie "The Story of Tonight", "Washington on you're side" , "Blow" oder Wait for it das schön langsam anfängt und dann richtig Fahrt aufnimmt. oder auch Mid-Tempo Songs wie "The Schuyler Sisters" da bekommt man lust sich zu bewegen und zu tanzen und "You'll be back" super zum mitsingen was ich beim Autofahren einfach machen muß. Dieser Song war auch einer der Highlights beim Musical. Da kann man auch ohne den Text zu kennen mit summen/singen. Genauso "Helpless" und "You'll be back" und ein highlight natürlich "The room where it happens" tolle songs die gute Laune bringen. Es gibt natürlich auch genug Lieder die einfach typisch Musicalsongs sind wie z.B.: "Farmer Refuted" oder "Take a beak" oder "The Election of 1800". Aber es ist ja auch ein Musical! also es passt. Einige gehen zumindest in Richtung Rap wie Right Hand Man (auch ein Song mit super power - cool) oder "Guns and ships" aber für mich liegen die Songs irgendwo zwischen rap und einem musical Lied bei dem halb gesprochen halb gesungen wird aber vom beat her könnte man dazu auch einen reinen Rap machen wie evtl. einem Eminem Song. Aber wie gesagt diejenigen die keinen Rap mögen, keine Angst dies ist absolut kein Rap Album. Und glaubt nicht ich hab jetzt m Prinzip alle Songs hier beschrieben und sehr gut gefunden. Es gibt auch einige die ich ganz ok fand denn insgesamt sind auf jeder der beiden CDs "23" Songs. Fazit: 2CDs mit insgesamt 46 Titeln auch wenn die 2 CD für mich ein wenig hinter der 1 CD zurückbleibt. Wenn man ein wenig ein Musicalfan ist lohnt es sich absolut. Eine richtig gute Mischung mal flott mal langsam mal zum mitsingen und trotz älterem Thema passend leicht modifizierte Musik an die heutige Zeit. Macht wirklich Spaß zu hören.