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It's Always Fair Weather [2004 Expanded Edition]

Original Soundtrack/Various Artists
1 disc

1. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: Main Title - MGM Studio Orchestra
2. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: March, March - Gene Kelly/Jud Conlon
3. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: Medley: Letter / Drinking Montage / The Binge - MGM Studio Orchestra
4. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: Time for Parting - Dan Dailey/Gene Kelly/Jud Conlon
5. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: Ten Year Montage - MGM Studio Orchestra (previously unreleased)
6. der schnen, blauen Donau, An (On the Beautiful, Blue Danube), waltz for orchestra (with chorus ad lib), Op. 314 (RV 314): [Excerpt] - Dan Dailey/Michael Kidd/Gene Kelly
7. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: After Blue Danube - MGM Studio Orchestra (previously unreleased)
8. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: Gene's Folly - MGM Studio Orchestra (previously unreleased)
9. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: Music Is Better Than Words
10. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: Stillman's Gym - Clark Burroughs/Ernie Newton/MGM Studio Chorus/Thurl Ravenscroft
11. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: Baby You Knock Me Out - Ernie Newton/MGM Studio Chorus/Carole Richards
12. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: Situation-Wise - Bob Stevens/Bob Wacker/Lee Gotch/Thurl Ravenscroft (previously unreleased)
13. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: Mike's Dream Place - MGM Studio Orchestra (previously unreleased)
14. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: Time for Parting / Once Upon a Time - Gene Kelly/Jud Conlon
15. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: I Thought They'd Never Leave (outtake) - (previously unreleased)
16. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: Love Is Nothing But A Racket (outtake) - Gene Kelly/Carole Richards (previously unreleased)
17. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: Twenty-Five Cent Analysis - MGM Studio Orchestra (previously unreleased)
18. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: Situation-Wise - Dan Dailey
19. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: I Like Myself
20. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: Madeline's Commercial (Klenzrite) (adapted from a piece by Franz Liszt) - (previously unreleased)
21. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: Thanks a Lot, But No Thanks
22. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: Time For Parting-TV Girls - Loulie Jean Norman/Ruth Clark/Betty Wand (previously unreleased)
23. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: Time For Parting (Finale)
24. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: End Cast (outtake) - MGM Studio Orchestra (previously unreleased)
25. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: The Binge (Alternate Version) - MGM Studio Orchestra (previously unreleased)
26. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: Jack and the Space Giants (Demo) - Andr Previn (previously unreleased)
27. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: Once Upon a Time (Demo) - Adolph Green/Betty Comden (previously unreleased)
28. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: Love is Nothin' But a Racket (Demo) - Adolph Green/Betty Comden (previously unreleased)
29. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: Music Is Better Than Words (Alternate Version) (Demo) - Betty Comden (previously unreleased)
30. der schnen, blauen Donau, An (On the Beautiful, Blue Danube), waltz for orchestra (with chorus ad lib), Op. 314 (RV 314): [Excerpt] - Adolph Green/Betty Comden (previously unreleased)
31. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: I Thought They'd Never Leave (Demo) - Betty Comden (previously unreleased)
32. It's Always Fair Weather, film score: Thanks a Lot, But No Thanks (Demo) - (previously unreleased)
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Additional Info

Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): 7766
Credits

Producer
Engineer
Lyricists: Michael Kidd; Adolph Green; Roger Edens; Betty Comden.
Adapter: Andr Previn .
Personnel: Clark Burroughs, Dan Dailey, Ernie Newton, Michael Kidd, Gene Kelly , Gloria Wood, Bob Stevens, Bob Wacker, Lee Gotch, Adolph Green, Jud Conlon, Loulie Jean Norman, Ruth Clark, Thurl Ravenscroft, Betty Comden, Betty Wand (vocals); Andr Previn (piano).
Liner Note Author: George Feltenstein.
Recording information: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Culver City, CA (09/17/1954-07/07/1955).
Photographer: George Feltenstein.
Arrangers: Conrad Salinger; Andr Previn ; Alexander Courage.
Even the most cursory examination of this edition of 1955's It's Always Fair Weather soundtrack will thrill enthusiasts, as the contents have been improved upon by leaps and bounds over every previous incarnation. For starters, Andr Previn's complete score -- enhanced by the words and music of Betty Comden and Adolph Green -- is presented for the first time. Plus, the entire affair has been mixed to stereo from the three-track master tapes, resulting in nothing short of a breathtaking presentation. The film -- nominated for Oscars in both the Best Score and Best Screenplay categories -- is an entertaining conduit for some high-energy antics, balancing what is an arguably contrived plot. The story, which undeniably seems like a revision of On the Town (1949), focuses on pals Gene Kelly (Ted Riley), Dan Dailey (Doug Hallerton), and Michael Kidd (Angie Valentine). Upon arriving home from a stint in the Army, a bet is made that the trio will not remain as tightly knit after readjusting to life in the United States. The movie then chronicles each, as Kelly becomes a less than successful boxing manager, Dailey has traded his fatigues for a business suit, and Kidd is the proprietor of a typical greasy spoon luncheonette. Their story catches national attention when a TV station decides to broadcast a "feel-good" reunion between the trio. Enter the hard-nosed television hostess Dolores Gray (Madeline Bradville), who is bound and determined to get them back together. Although two are willing to participate, getting Kelly is a sizable challenge. Showstoppers include the infectiously fun three-way dance number "Once Upon a Time," Kelly's unforgettable roller-skating sequence during "I Like Myself" -- in which keen-eyed viewers may spot sets recycled from his Singin' in the Rain (1952) appearance -- and Cyd Charisse (Jackie Leighton) on "Baby, You Knock Me Out." Among the never-before-available goodies are a handful of Previn's rare piano demos, alternate versions of "The Binge" and "Music is Better Than Words," the outtakes "I Thought They'd Never Leave" and "Love Is Nothing But a Racket," and a superior liner notes essay from cinematic authority George Feltenstein, who packs in plenty of details regarding the production. ~ Lindsay Planer