My Fair Lady is the original cast recording of the musical with the same name, released in 1959 by Columbia Records. The album features performances by the original Broadway cast, including Rex Harrison, Julie Andrews, and Stanley Holloway. Composed by Frederick Loewe with lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, the musical was a major success on Broadway.
Produced by Goddard Lieberson and conducted by Cyril Ornadel, the album was praised praised by the critics. Commercially, it topped Billboard's Best-Selling Stereophonic LPs chart for three weeks in 1959 and later earned multiple certifications, including Gold in the 1960s and 3× Platinum in 1986. It was reissued several times over the decades, notably on CD in 1998 by Columbia Legacy with bonus tracks and archival material.
Contents
Album details
The album features the performances of the original Broadway cast, including Rex Harrison, Julie Andrews, and Stanley Holloway. The musical, composed by Frederick Loewe with lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, was a success on Broadway. The London cast recording, which moved into the Drury Lane Theatre in April 1958, is very similar to the original Broadway recording. The production was conducted by Cyril Ornadel, and the recording was produced by Goddard Lieberson.
The stereo version of the album, recorded in London with the original cast, was released as Columbia OS 2015 and was praised for its high-quality sound and packaging. It was completed in London in February 1959, featuring the original New York cast, and was noted for opening up a new market for the original cast LP.
The recording was later reissued in various formats, including a compact disc (CD) version in 1998 by Columbia Legacy, which included bonus tracks such as "The Embassy Waltz" and extensive liner notes with memorabilia and previously unpublished photos.
Critical reception
Billboard wrote that the album is "splendid" and it "greatly fulfills all expectations" adding that "worth waiting for". The Dispatch wrote "if you have the original monophonne recording of the Broadway show you will want the stereo counterpart which Laeberson recorded in 1959. Cash Box magazine pointed out that the recording retained all the "original charm and wit" of the musical.Sunday Herald wrote that "Ornadel conducts with conviction and the recording is topnotch" and "a real triumph for its producer".
Commercial performance
The album spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard chart Best-Selling Stereophonic LPs in 1959. Starting May 25, 1959, separate charts were listed for albums in mono and stereo formats, called Best-Selling Monophonic LPs and Best-Selling Stereophonic LPs, respectively. In 1962, the album peaked at number 49 on the Cash Box chart.
It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the 1960s, and later 3× Platinum in November 21, 1986.
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of My Fair Lady original cast recording.
Book and Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by Frederick Loewe
Musical arrangements by Robert Russell Bennett and Phil Lang
Musical Director, Cyril Ornadel
Cast
Julie Andrews
Rex Harrison
Stanley Holloway
Robert Coote
Betty Woolf
Leonard Weir