Frequently Asked Questions > Not on CD

3.0 What albums have never been released on CD? Why not?

In most cases, the relevant record company feels that there is no money to be made in its release. The best way to remedy this situation is to buy the albums that are released, and to write letters (politely) asking for the albums you want to be released. In other cases, a label has gone out of business and the rights to its albums have gone to a company which (obviously) does not specialize in the field. In a few cases, rights are being withheld for special reasons particular to the situation (such as a high royalty rate for the top-billed star, or a rights holder's dissatisfaction with the album) -- you probably can't do anything to change this by yourself. And in still fewer cases, companies have every intention to release certain albums but have not yet gotten around to doing so.

But unless you read otherwise below, you can safely assume that it's merely the money keeping the albums you're wondering about from being reissued. There is, however, hope -- the dramatic changes in the structure of the recording industry necessitated by the growth of the internet may make it economical for more and more albums to be released. It is much cheaper to burn a CD on demand than it is to burn thousands of them and hope they sell well.

3.1 Sony / BMG (Columbia, Epic, Bell, BMG, RCA)

Ambassador OLC, Androcles and the Lion [TV], Ann Veronica OLC, Annie OLC, Annie Get Your Gun studio, Beatlemania, Believers, Blackbirds of 1928, Bonanza Bound, Brecht on Brecht, By Jupiter OBRev67, Charlie Girl [cast replacement - new song] [45] OLC, Clownaround, Cole OLC, Cowardy Custard, Cricket on the Hearth TV, Dames at Sea OLC, The Desert Song studio, Evening With Max Morath, Fire Angel (45) OLC, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf, Free as Air OLC, Godspell OLC, Half Horse Half Alligator, Half Past Wednesday, Hello, Dolly! OLC, How to Steal an Election, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying OLC, I Do! I Do! OLC, In White America, Inner City, Instant Marriage OLC, Jimmy, Joy, The Last Sweet Days of Isaac, Leaping Ginger (45) OLC, Les Poupees De Paris, Let It Ride!, Maggie Flynn, Man of Magic OLC, Manger, Maria Golovin, Max Morath At The Turn Of The Century, Me and Bessie, Megilla Of Itzik, Merry Widow BRev, Mine Fair Sadie OLC, Mother Earth (45) OLC, Mr & Mrs OLC, New Faces of 1956, Of Thee I Sing TV, Oh, Coward!, On the Level OLC, On the Town OLC (supposed release was incomplete 1960 studio cast with OLC artwork), On Your Toes studio, Paul Sills Story Theatre, La Perichole, Plain & Fancy OLC, Regina, Saint Of Bleecker Street, Say Darling, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Seven Come Eleven, Shelter (recorded but never issued), Simply Heavenly, Song & Dance LRev84, Song Of Norway OBRev58, Spoon River Anthology, Three for Tonight, Three to Make Music, The Threepenny Opera OBRev76, A Thurber Carnival, To Broadway With Love, To Live Another Summer, To Pass Another Winter, Travelling Music Show OLC, Twenty Minutes South, Tyger OLC, Words and Music, Young Visiters OLC, The Zulu and the Zayda

Special thanks to John Esche for proving conclusively that Shelter was indeed recorded, a question which had long been asked among many collectors.

Annie Get Your Gun and Anything Goes (and the now-issued Oklahoma!) were announced for release on the Broadway Masterworks label, but the release was cancelled in favor of a remastering of The Pajama Game, Bye Bye Birdie, and several others. Annie Get Your Gun is still available as a Japanese import and as part of a Doris Day boxed set collection.

Max Preeo was kind enough to explain the distinction between Columbia U.K. and Columbia U.S. to me. The former was actually a division of EMI, oddly enough, and it is up to Angel to issue them if it sees fit. (A long shot, of course, but then London cast albums have rarely been issued on CD regardless of label.) Pursuant to our conversation, I've moved many albums from the section above to the EMI/Angel section below. Thanks, Max! If you have additional corrections, you may send them to me.

The Medium / The Telephone has been released on Pearl Records, with other Menotti recordings to fill out a 2-disc set. (Special thanks to BroadwayTonyJ!)

The Threepenny Opera was announced for release between the demise of the original Sony Broadway label and the more recent Broadway Masterworks label, but was shelved when the project was reconceived to concentrate on remastering popular albums already in release. It has been rumored (but not confirmed) that the estate of Kurt Weill will not permit the rerelease of this recording; Lotte Lenya is known to have despised the translation and the production.

Mrs. Patterson is available as part of an Eartha Kitt boxed set.

3.2 Decca Broadway (Universal, A&M, ABC, Ampex, Decca, Geffen, Kapp, London, MCA, Mercury, MGM, Paramount, Polydor catalogues)

Ain't Supposed To Die a Natural Death, All In Love, Annie OLC (2 EP's, not the Strouse show), Anything Goes LRev69 (released on TER), Anything To Declare (LP & EP) OLC, Arabian Nights OC, Ballad For Bimshire, Bang Goes the Meringue! OLC, Bei Mir Bistu Schoen, Berlin To Broadway With Kurt Weill, Best Of Burlesque, Beyond the Rainbow OLC, The Billy Barnes Revue, Bugsy Malone (45) OLC, Canterbury Tales OLC, Carousel studio62, Catch My Soul OLC, Cindy, The Consul, The Cradle Will Rock Rev64, Do Re Mi OLC, Donnybrook!, Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope, Doonesbury, Down In the Valley studio, Dressed To the Nines, Evening With Beatrice Lillie, Fly Blackbird, Follow the Star OLC, The Four Musketeers OLC, Four To the Bar OLC, Gertrude Stein's First Reader, Hand is on the Gate, Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates TV, Happy as a Sandbag OLC, Hear! Hear!, High Tor TV, The Hired Man OLC, How Now Brown Cow? OLC [45], Irma la Douce OLC, Jeeves OLC, John, Paul, George, Ringo & Bert OLC, Johnny the Priest OLC (released on TER), Little Women TV, Man of La Mancha OLC, Man with a Load of Mischief, Mardi Gras, The Mitford Girls OLC, Mutiny! studio, On the Brighter Side OLC, The Owl and The Pussycat Went to Sea studio, Phil the Fluter OLC, Pickwick OLC, Pocahantas OLC (unreleased), The Prince And the Pauper, Riverwind, Rock Carmen (45) OLC, Ruggles of Red Gap TV, The Rupert Show OLC, Sing a Rude Song OLC, Sing Out, Sweet Land!, Smilin' Through OLC / When You're Young UKC, Space is So Startling OLC, The Stiffkey Scandals of 1932 OLC (45), Summer Song OLC, Survival Of Saint Joan, Swan Esther Studio, Tarot, Time Changes, Touch, Two Gentlemen of Verona OLC, The Vanishing Island OLC, Virgin, Wait a Minim! OBC, Wait a Minim! OLC, Your Arms Too Short to Box With God

Special thanks to Eli Jacobson for the information about the Carousel studio album.

The OLC of Man of La Mancha is being held up by complicated contract problems, though it was at one point announced for release.

3.3 EMI/Angel (Capitol, Angel, Columbia/UK, Parlophone, His Master's Voice, Regal, RegalZonophone, Virgin catalogues)

Aladdin OLC, And Another Thing (45) OLC, The Boy Friend LRev67, The Buccaneer OLC, Cambridge Circus OLC, Camelot OLC, Carissima (not as LP) OLC, Carnival OLC, Cranks OLC, Decameron 73 [45] OLC, Earl Of Ruston, Follow That Girl OLC, Four Degrees Over OLC, Grab Me a Gondola OLC, Gone With The Wind OLC, The Good Old Bad Old Days OLC, Happy Holiday (not as LP) OLC, Hooray For Daisy OLC, Hello, Solly!, Hooray For Daisy UKC [EP], The Hostage (EP) OLC, Irene LRev76, Jorrocks OLC, Lady at the Wheel [45] OLC, Living For Pleasure OLC, Look Who's Here OLC, Make Me an Offer OLC, The Man in the Moon (EP) OLC, Mardi Gras OLC, Marigold OLC, Merry Widow Rev78, The Most Happy Fella OLC, Mrs. Wilson's Diary OLC, The Music Man OLC (partly released), New Cranks OLC, Once Upon a Mattress OLC, Once Upon a Time OLC, 110 in the Shade [2 45's] OLC, Our Man Crichton OLC, Privates on Parade OLC, The Roar of the Greasepaint... [45] UKC, Romance in Candlelight [EP] OLC, Secret Record of Adrian Mole OLC, 1776 OLC, Show Girl, Song of Norway OLC (not as LP), Starlight Roof [not as LP] OLC, Sweet Yesterday (not as LP) OLC, Time studio, Two Cities OLC, Vanity Fair (45) OLC, The Wayward Way OLC, West Side Story (EP) OLC, When in Rome (EP) OLC, Wildest Dreams OLC, Wild Grows the Heather (10") OLC, Winnie OLC, The Wonderful Lamp [45] OLC

From Warren Seamans: "The original cast of BLESS THE BRIDE (almost complete) was released by AEI. This was based on three 16" BBC transcription discs that I found in a London shop in the 60s. The original cast recorded it for broadcast to the troups overseas--and David Cunard did a superb job of "cleaning up" the sound." Special thanks!

3.4 MGM/UA

Anya, Doctor Selavy's Magic Theatre, Illya Darling, House of Flowers OBRev68, Isabel's a Jezebel OLC, Kurt Weill Cabaret, Maybe That's Your Problem OLC [45], Promises, Promises OLC, Tarot, Twang! OLC

3.5 Original Cast/Take Home Tunes

2, Alec Wilder - Clues To a Life, Beauty And the Beast 72, Christy,, Downriver, Nefertiti, Piano Bar, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Bruce Yeko of Original Cast is interested in reissuing Nefertiti, but other parties (notably Yeko's former wife Doris Chu) must agree to the terms before it can happen, and this appears to be a slow process.

3.6 Jay/TER

Betjemania OLC, Boogie Woogie Bubble 'n' Squeak [45] OLC, The Girl Friend UKRev (partly issued as part of 'The Musicals Collection'), Hell can Be Heaven OLC, Jingle Jangle OLC (described as TER/Class), Mr Cinders LRev (Kings Head version), Nashville New York OLC, Pull Both Ends OLC, Swan Down Gloves OLC.

3.7 First Night

Bodywork studio, The Gambler OLC, Ziegfeld OLC, Around the World in 80 Days (45) UKC, Girlfriends (45) OLC, Someone Like You (45) OLC

3.8 Rhino (Warner Bros. catalogue)

Dad's Army OLC, Eubie!, Exchange, Golden Boy OLC [EP], Gospel at Colonnus, Leader of the Pack, One Mo' Time, Poppy OLC, Rugantino, Stop the World, I Want to Get Off BRev78, A Time For Singing

3.9 Miscellaneous smaller American labels

A 5 6 7 8 (Spotlight), Ain't Broadway Grand (private recording with members of the B'way cast), Aloha (a/k/a Heathen on B'way) (Hawaiian), Amen Corner (no label name), Angel (GUA private recording with OBC), As The Girls Go (Box Office), Beehive (RockDreams, available as a Japanese import), Beg, Borrow Or Steal [the album was called "Clara"] (Commentary), Beggar's Holiday / Hippodrome (Blue Pear), Below The Belt (UD37W56), Body In The Seine (Alden Shaw), Brainchild (RFO), Bubbe Messe (BMC), Captain Crash vs The Zzogy Women (Web), Carmilla (Vanguard), Catch My Soul film (Metromedia), Charlie Sent Me (Glendale), Christmas Rappings (Judson), Cleavage (BI), Connection (Blue Note and Parker), Cottonpatch Gospel (Chapin Prods.), Cry For Us All (Project 3), Crystal Heart (Blue Pear), Dandelion Wine (private recording), Dawgs! (Glendale), Demi-Dozen (Offbeat), Different Times (Painted Smiles), Dime A Dozen (Cadence), Drat! The Cat! (Blue Pear), 81 Proof (CYM), El Grande De Coca Cola (Bottle Cap - 7" lp), Evening with Yves Montand (Vanguard), The Faggot (Blue Pear), Feathertop TV (Mars), Follies Bergere (Audio Fidelity), Front Street Gaities (AEI), Golden Land (no label name), The Golden Screw (ATCO), Good News (Private recording - '73-'74 revival), Goodbye Dear, I'll Be Back In A Year (Glendale), Hard Job Being God (GWP), Hark! (Theatre Archives), Hot September (Blue Pear), The House Of Leather (Fontana), In Circles (Avant Garde), International Soiree (Audio Fidelity), Jericho-Jim Crow (Folkways), Joan (Judson), A Joyful Noise (Blue Pear), Just For Openers (UD37W56), Ka-Boom (CYM), The Karl Marx Play (Kilmarnock), King Of The Entire World (Fourth Wall), King Of The Whole Damn World! (Blue Pear), Kittiwake Island (private recording), Kosher Widow (Golden), Let My People Come (Libra), The Lieutenant (private recording), Lolita, My Love (Blue Pear), Love And Let Love (Private recording), Lovers (Golden Gloves), Man In The Moon (Golden), Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (Manhattan), Man In the Moon (Golden), Mixed Doubles (Upstairs), Mother Earth (ER), My Cousin Josepha (Harlequin), Nite Club Confidential (Confidential), No Man Can Tame Me TV (Empire), O Marry Me! (Blue Pear), Peace (Metromedia), Philemon (Gallery), Pieces Of Eight (Offbeat), Pomegranade (Patsan), Preppies (Alchemy), Sandhog Studio w. members of OC (Vanguard), Sap Of Life (Blue Pear), Sing Muse! (Blue Pear), Smiling The Boy Fell Dead (Sunbeam), Snow White And the Seven Dwarfs (Buena Vista), Snow White And the Seven Dwarfs (Simon Says), Sparkles (Web), Steeltown (Flying Fish), Streetsongs (Painted Smiles), Studio cast looking for a show, Take Five (Offbeat), Tall Tom Jefferson (Golden), Thief Of Bagdad (Golden), Tambourines To Glory (Folkways), Tea Dance (Pyramid), Ten Percent Revue (Aboveground), That Other Woman's Child (Web), 13 Daughters (Mahalo) [Hawaiian cast of B'way show], Tinseltown (Web), Touch (AMP), Turnabout (Pelican), Tuscaloosa's Calling Me... But I'm Not Going! (Vanguard), We'd Rather Switch (Varieties), You Never Know (Blue Pear), Young Abe Lincoln (Golden), Zizi (Philips)

Several Blue Pear albums, never officially available for sale in the first place, have just as unofficially been given CD transfers. Zenda, Pleasures and Palaces, The Body Beautiful and Look to the Lilies can be found through various internet sources, if not through major distributors.

Ain't Broadway Grand was available out of the producer's office for a short while, but never made it to the stores. (Debbie Gravitte, nee Shapiro, said in an on-line chat that this recording was merely a demo for which the vocalists never received royalties--there would surely be major complications to a potential commercial release.)

Beehive saw a CD issue in Japan in the late 1980s.

3.10 Castle Communications U.K.:

British cast albums: The Lord Chamberlain Regrets..! OLC, Kookaburra (45) OLC, Rock Nativity (45) OLC [one track on Hey Mr Producer - 1st version]

3.11 London cast albums with uncertain rights situations

Enormous thanks are due Max Preeo, who gave accurate information about many recordings formerly listed below.

Big Sin City OLC (Logo), Andy Capp OLC (Key), Colette OLC (Sepia), Bernadette OLC (Sunbelt), Mutiny OLC (Telstar), Ride! Ride! OLC, Monza/Multimedia Hiawatha OLC, Swann With Topping OLC, Tomfoolery OLC, Worzel Gummidge OLC (Grapevine), Aladdin OLC, Drake's Dream OLC, His Monkey Wife OLC (President), Dear Anyone (45) OLC, Dear Anyone studio (DJM), Troubadour OLC (Lyntone), Bordello OLC (RFO), Liza of Lambeth OLC (Thames), What's a Nice Country Like You Doing in a State Like This? OLC (Galaxy), The Black Mikado OLC (Transatlantic), Elvis OLC (Astoria), Shylock (EP) OLC (adaptation of Fire Angel) (Zforzando), G.B. (45) OLC, Give a Dog a Bone (2 EP's) OLC (Westminster), The Gingerbread Man LRev, Humpty Dumpty OLC (KH Records), The King & I (EP) LRev79 (Rediffussion), Leave Him To Heaven OLC (Chrysalis), Listen To The Wind (EP) OLC (World Records), Lonesome Stone OLC (Reflection), The Mr Men Musical OLC (Stylus), Oh, Boy! OLC (PRT), Peter Pan OLC (EP) (Dakota), A Star Is Torn (EP) OLC (Cube), What a Way To Run a Revolution OLC (Grosvenor), Great Expectations (45) UKC (Tour), Lauder Studio (one track on Hey Mr Producer - 1st version) (EMI), The Knotty UKC (Stoke) (Argo), The Mayflower UKC (Plymouth), Paddington Bear's Magical Musical Studio (TV Records), The Wind in the Willows UKC (Tour) (Calvacade Productions), Blondes & Bombshells OLC (58 Dean St Records), The Cuts Show UKC (Counteract), From a Jack to a King (EP) OLC (MacRock Records), The Secret Garden (Haines) UKC (Manchester) (Playback)

As Max Preeo pointed out, many of these labels no longer exist or are no longer interested in cast recordings they may have the rights to. It is likely that many items listed in the above two categories may no longer have usable master tapes, meaning they could only be released as transfers from old LPs after falling out of copyright.

Last updated 2/15/2007. Send comments to Mike Benedetto.