Today in Music (1967): First stage production of Hair

Hair (cast album/soundtrack) Galt MacDermot, Gerome Ragni, & James Rado (composers)

First Stage Production: October 17, 1967 Cast Album Recorded: May 6, 1968 Cat Album Charted: August 3, 1978 Soundtrack Recorded: December 1978 – January 1979 Soundtrack Charted: April 7, 1979 Peak (cast album): 113 US, 114 CN, 128 AU Peak (soundtrack): 65 US Sales (in millions): 5.0 US (cast), 0.5 (soundtrack) Genre: show tunes/rock

Tracks (Cast Album): Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts. Aquarius (3/8/69, 1 US, 11 UK – the Fifth Dimension) Donna Hashish Sodomy Colored Spade Manchester England I’m Black Ain’t Got No I Believe in Love * Ain’t Got No (Reprise) * Air Initials * I Got Life Going Down * Hair My Conviction Easy to Be Hard Don’t Put It Down Frank Mills Be-In * Where Do I Go? Electric Blues Manchester England (Reprise) * Black Boys White Boys Walking in Space Abie Baby 3-5-0-0 What a Piece of Work Is Man Good Morning Starshine The Bed * The Flesh Failures (Let the Sun Shine In) * unique to cast album Tracks (Soundtrack): Aquarius Sodomy Donna/ Hashish Colored Spade Manchester England Abie Baby/ Fourscore ** I’m Black/ Ain’t Got No Air Party Music ** My Conviction I Got Life Frank Mills Hair L.B.J. ** Electric Blues/ Old Fashioned Melody ** Hare Krishna ** Where Do I Go? Black Boys White Boys Walking in Space Easy to Be Hard (4/28/79, #64 US – Cheryl Barnes) 3-5-0-0 Good Morning Starshine What a Piece of Work Is Man Somebody to Love ** Don’t Put It Down The Flesh Failures (Let the Sun Shine In) ** unique to soundtrack

Rating (Cast Album): 4.634 out of 5.00 (average of 7 ratings) Rating (Soundtrack): 3.801 out of 5.00 (average of 4 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “With a score by Gerome Ragni, James Rado and composer Galt Macdermot,” CD-C Hair was “the first and best musical of the hippie peace and love generation.” CD-C “The show and the album were quite different to the usual Broadway fare.” CD-C “Hair was both celebratory and anticlimactic at the same time. Heralded by many at the time as being a rejuvenation for musical theater, it was also supposed to ‘speak’ for the youth. The problem with that is that any time you attempt to allow a piece of written work to speak for a generation, it invariably fails. It is undoubtedly impossible for one musical to classify every attitude held by a person under 30 at that time. Given this fact, Hair was destined to be considered a disappointment.” SE “However, if you take the score out of this context and listen to it simply as a snippet of some prevalent beliefs of the time, or simply as a fictional work, it is really quite wonderful. As Claude’s best friend is expelled from high school and the love of Claude’s life loves someone else, Claude must struggle with the decision to submit to government regulations in which he doesn't believe. A youthful exuberance covers the proceedings, with the first act ending with the infamous nude sequence.” SE The cast album was recorded in RCA Studio B in New York, New York on May 6, 1968. CD-CThe “principal cast includes: Ronald Dyson (Ron); James Rado (Claude); Gerome Ragni (Berger); Steve Curry (Woof); Lamont Washington (Hud); Lynn Kellogg (Sheila); Sally Eaton (Jeanie); Melba Moore (Dionne); Shelley Plimpton (Crissy); Diane Keaton (Waitress); Jonathan Kramer (Young Recruit); Paul Jabara (General Grant); Lorrie Davis (Abraham Lincoln); Donnie Burks (Sergeant).” CD-CThe album won a Grammy for best score from an Original Cast album. CD-C More than ten years later, Milos Forman directed the “cinematic version…As with most adaptations from the stage, the results can be either hit or miss. While the film did not generate much in the way of critical or viewer acclaim, this album contains some noteworthy variations on the 1968 play. At the center is music from Galt MacDermot and James Rado, which likewise has remained as a sort of late-1960s aural time capsule.” LP “In more than a few cases, the movie’s luminous cast take the tunes to a new level. In particular, Treat Williams’ portrayal of Berger shines throughout, especially on secondary numbers such I Got Life, which he turns into one of the best on-screen performances.” LP “John Savage turns in a stellar rendering of the central figure, Claude, whose middle American roots and values are challenged by the freedom offered in the burgeoning counterculture. His substance-induced Where Do I Go becomes not only a pivotal point in the movie, but one of the best cuts on this disc.” LP “The support is of equal value with Beverly d’Angelo’s ‘Good Morning Starshine’ and Cheryl Barnes’ reading of ‘Easy to Be Hard’ being among the strongest versions available. Nell Carter’s big screen debut could not have been more perfectly cast. She captures the essence of Abie Baby and White Boys with a perfect blend of soul and drama. Additionally, Carter plays a significant role in ensemble pieces such as I Got No. The contributions of Melba Moore are not only worth mentioning due to her exceptional rendering of 3-5-0-0, but she is the only member of both the motion picture as well as the original Broadway company. Rock vocalist/ actress Ellen Foley’s solo on Black Boys should be mentioned as a cameo appearance highlight.” LP Notes: A 20th anniversary edtion of the soundtrack was released in 1999 that included a booklet with expanded liner notes and the songs “Party Music” and “My Conviction.” LP

Resources and Related Links: CD-C Cd Universe (cast album) CD-S Cd Universe (soundtrack) SE Sarah Erlewine, All Music Guide (cast album) LP Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide (soundtrack) First posted 8/11/2008; last updated 10/5/2023.