The Wiz (original cast recording)
1975 cast recording by various artists
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The Wiz, subtitled The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard Of Oz",[1] is an album containing a recording of the musical The Wiz made by its original 1975 Broadway cast. The album was released by Atlantic Records in the same year.[2]
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Recording
The album was produced by Jerry Wexler[5] and recorded at the A & R Studios in New York with Phil Ramone as the chief engineer.[1]
Critical reception
Billboard reviewed the album on April 26, 1975, writing: "The black version of the Wizzard [sic] of Oz turns out to be far more than a soundtrack. The LP becomes a showcase for a number of exceptionally talented young performers, in particular Stephanie Mills, a big voiced Brooklyn teenager. [...] The set was cut as a regular LP (Jerry Wexler producing), not a one shot typical soundtrack – and the care taken shows." The reviewer also added that "the songs st[oo]d out equally well on their own as they d[id] in the context of the story" and that the set "contain[ed] a wealth of singles" and concluded: "Good material from basically unknown people with lots of excitement".[3]
In her retrospective review for AllMusic, Murrday Fisher rated the album 4.5 stars out of five, calling it "a joyous, vibrant celebration of life" and opining that it "far outshine[d] the movie soundtrack". She praised Stephanie Mills as "an absolute delight as Dorothy" and André De Shields as "an engaging, rascally Wiz" and concluded: "Very highly recommended, both for children and adults."[6]
In 2018, the album was inducted into the National Recording Registry.[7]
Chart performance
Track listing
LP – Atlantic SD 18137
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Prologue" | Company | 0:20 |
| 2. | "The Feeling We Once Had" | Aunt Em (Tasha Thomas) | 3:36 |
| 3. | "Tornado" | Instrumental | 3:25 |
| 4. | "He's the Wizard" | Addaperle (Clarice Taylor) & Company | 3:19 |
| 5. | "Soon As I Get Home" | Dorothy (Stephanie Mills) | 3:25 |
| 6. | "I Was Born on the Day Before Yesterday" | Scarecrow (Hinton Battle) | 3:20 |
| 7. | "Ease On down the Road" | Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tinman (Tiger Haynes), Lion (Ted Ross) | 2:26 |
| 8. | "Slide Some Oil to Me" | Tinman | 2:21 |
| 9. | "I'm a Mean Ole Lion" | Lion | 1:41 |
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Be a Lion" | Dorothy, Lion | 4:03 |
| 2. | "So You Wanted to See the Wizard" | The Wiz (Andre De Shields) | 1:53 |
| 3. | "What Would I Do If I Could Feel" | Tinman | 2:53 |
| 4. | "Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News" | Evillene (Mabel King) | 2:30 |
| 5. | "Everybody Rejoice" | Dorothy & Company | 2:48 |
| 6. | "Y'all Got It!" | The Wiz & Company | 2:14 |
| 7. | "If You Believe" | Glinda (Dee Dee Bridgewater) | 2:17 |
| 8. | "Home (Finale)" | Dorothy | 3:31 |
- "Music & lyrics by Charlie Smalls except 'Tornado' which is by Timothy Graphenreed & Harold Wheeler and 'Everybody Rejoice' which is by Luther Vandross."[1]
Charts
| Chart (1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Top LPs[8] | 43 |
Awards
| Year | Award type | Categories | Results | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Grammy Awards | Best Cast Show Album | Won | |