Hamilton

Michelle Obama said of the musical Hamilton, "I'm sitting in the theatre, watching it when suddenly I realize: This might be the best piece of art I've ever seen in my life. Ever." Similarly, I feel this IS the best story, not just the best soundtrack of a Broadway production, I've ever heard told. Ever I listened to it for the first time a month ago on a very, very long drive up 95 thru Jersey, through that amazing, exciting NYC where You Can Be a New Man. It was beyond entertainment, it was transformative. A historical story of our country's roots to modern day political challenges that loom just as large today as they did then. It is important to listen to the CD as a captive audience like you'd watch a movie on the big screen --all at once, with perhaps only an intermission taken between the two CDs. It helped that I'd already watched the PBS film about the making of Hamilton, but I had no idea of all the emotions and ground it would cover: Love story plus triangles, political debates with nuanced heroes, heroines, villians in shades of gray. I went to University of Virginia where Thomas Jefferson was lauded as a hero... this soundtrack compelled me to research him more and see why he was at odds with Hamilton in so many debates, but also "Jefferson in Paris" and learn that Sally Hemings was 30 (!) years younger than he and only 16 when he got her pregnant for the first of many times (fathering 6 children). Meanwhile, our hero Hamilton was anti-slave when few were calling out the abomination... and yet he also admired and served as right hand man to founding father General George Washington, slave owner. And the Skyler sisters! What beautiful voices and personalities! Their depiction MAKES the story. The actions of the founding fathers suddenly become interesting because of the women they are bragging to, gold digging, seducing, coming home to, betraying. Fascinating stories...all. We can fully imagine the men and women of the times as real people with the same emotions and problems and butterflies in their stomachs as we have, maybe for the first time. And this story succeeds in is making rap fans of people like me who thought I didn't like it (the brilliant instrumentals help and the mixing it up with Jazz and pop. King George especially in his Beatles-like catchy tunes and hillarious words and punchlines that made me LOL.) I REALLY can't wait to see the play, but I'm glad I listened to this first. It is such a singular pleasure of the hearing senses, I can only imagine it would be overwhelming to ALSO try to also SEE and try to focus on the words as well as the choreography and costumes and staging of the play. I listened to this in total from start to finish 4 times on that very long road trip and its return, sharing it with my 19 year old daughter on the return trip and she, like me, loved it and now can't wait to see the show. Because she knew its style of music better than I she pointed out Rap Battles and artists some songs styles were imitating. Since then I've subscribed to a Hamilton podcast and checked out the Hamilton Revolution book about the making of the musical...all send me back to the CD for yet another listen to my favorite songs and increasing my anticipation to see the show itself. It truly is a revolutionary work of art. You've got to hear --start to finish--to appreciate how Lin Manuel Miranda makes these characters in history come alive and makes us see how much we still have in common with them, from ambition, friendships and love, grieving our losses, working hard before we run out of time, failing, forgiving, and making fatal "damn fool" mistakes--like Aaron Burr--despite all our best intentions.

I used to be a normal person. That was before this musical. Now I'm kind of addicted to it. I have played this soundtrack over and over and over for the last many months, to the point where I am embarrassed to admit to 'regular' people how many times. They might think I'm kind of weird. But I love it. And for one straight month, this was all I was interested in listening to and it's all I had playing in my car. All the time. This is not typical behavior for me. So beware: You might not be normal after this musical. It is brilliant. Before the first U.S. tour came to my city in 2017, I had only heard a song or two. So I bought these original cast CDs to get familiar with the music and lyrics. I listened to the whole soundtrack five or six times during the month prior to seeing the show. Wow, was I ready to see the show! Lin Manuel Miranda took the key points of Alexander Hamilton's life and put them into this wonderful presentation. Once I saw the Hamilton live, all I wanted to do was see it again! And so I did. And one more time, too. And even after seeing the show, this soundtrack was on a loop in my car for many months. Crazy. I also read Ron Chernow's Hamilton biography, the inspiration for the musical. If you read the biography, you will pick up some nuances in the lyrics that aren't obvious otherwise. And you'll have a deeper understanding of the whole story when you hear the music or see the show. But even without the book, you will get what you need from the CDs. Oh, and there's Lin Manuel Miranda's book called 'Hamilton: The Revolution,' which has all the lyrics, with sidebar comments by Lin. It's also about the making of the musical, the original cast, the creative process, etc. Back to the soundtrack: Even if you don't think you like hip-hop music or broadway tunes or musicals, you may be surprised. You may see how accessible this music is, how wonderful it is. Hamilton has a mix of braodway-type tunes, R&B, pop, jazz and hip-hop. It's a beautiful recipe that serves up a tasty dish of awesomeness. What's also wild is that more often than not, when I pull out a $10 bill, I notice it's Alexander Hamilton on it and I see it in a different way. So, like I said--I used to be normal. If loving Hamilton is wrong, I don't wanna be right. Enjoy this soundtrack and read the lyrics. And if the show plays in your area, don't walk--RUN to get the tickets.

So I've had my time in the world of both volunteer and paid musical theatre, had a couple of people I knew when go on to be nominated for Tonys and such while discovering 'twasn't the life path for me. But back then I used to follow shows and cast albums like people used to hang on the Beatles' every move. Of late, I kinda got away from it and there just wasn't much that was exciting strictly as a cast album. Meaning I find that there haven't been many albums that you can listen to never seeing what's going on onstage and still be compelling. Um, this ain't one of those. I thought aw, a hip-hop musical. Well, I guess someone was gonna take a stab at it sooner or later. And hip-hop Founding Fathers. Sigh. I wouldn't have thought of the words 'hip hop' and 'twee' in the same sentence before. But I was wrong! I literally sat up and turned around to stare at the stereo about four lines into the first song. Got up to turn it up and stood there moving my head slightly to the beat and getting fired up about a guy no one nowadays cares about or could tell you anything about. At the last 'Alexander Hamilton!!' of the first song I was applauding like one would in an audience and I put down what I was doing and listened to the whole thing rapturously. Man it's been years since I was so jazzed about a show. The brilliance of the lyric writing and the arrangement is blinding. There's not a weak link up there in the cast. They're all on point bringing serious game. Anyone can listen to this. Don't like musicals? You'll still like this. Don't like hip-hop? You'll still like this. Don't like history? You'll still like this. And you'll say wow, if all history could be presented like that, maybe more people would be into it. You'll be right. I was already an admirer of the American experiment and the people (yes, women and children too) who were so brave as to undertake such a thing with no promise of their lives, let alone success. But man, I cried about eleven times, and not just at the 'sad' parts (and some of it is pretty sad) Sometimes I was simply weeping in appreciation for what they did for us. Sometimes it was in appreciation of the rarity of art that is truly inspired and singular. This is. If this show don't walk away with every 2016 Tony Award it's nominated for, the judges are amoebas, or possibly garden rocks. I wouldn't be shocked to see the composer (who is the guy playing Hamilton) get put up for the Pulitzer Prize. GET THIS ALBUM. This is the best record I have heard in ANY genre in at least the last seven or eight years. Play it for your kids, who deserve to have the fire of loving history and learning lit underneath them. Play it for you because it's never too late to do that for yourself either. Welcome back, Alexander Hamilton.

I'm a musical purist, some would say a musical snob. I love all genres of music except for rap/hip-hop. To me, that stuff is just annoying noise. That's why I thought I was going completely insane when I was "forced" by a friend to listen to this CD and I was in love before the opening number had finished. This is a work of pure genius. I did not care for Lin- Manuel Miranda's first show, "In the Heights" , but this is on a whole other level. The rap isn't thugish. It's smart and witty and amazing. Miranda shows a mastery of language, rhythm and rhyme that is beyond imagination. The great thing is that while the rap material is brilliant in it's own right, there are some great songs with melody that are just as brilliant. They range from R&B, to pop to pure Broadway goodness and I cannot stop listening. Every time I listen, I hear something new that I didn't hear before. And while the material is stellar, the voices are just as great. It's hard to really choose a favorite because every number is different and spectacular in it's own way. However, there are some stand outs. Miranda doesn't have the greatest Broadway voice, but since most of his material is spoken/rap and Alexander Hamilton is a "scrappy" character, his voice is perfectly suited. A new star is born in Renee Elise Goldsberry and when Jonathan Groff sings "You'll Be Back" you can't help but smile from beginning to end and then the showstopper of all showstoppers is "The Room Where It Happens" sung by the mega-talented Leslie Odom, Jr. When I heard all the of the headlines about how this show was "changing the face of Broadway musicals", all I could do was roll my eyes. Well, they've stopped rolling and I'm dying to see this show LIVE. Trust me, this show will challenge all of your preconceived notions about "street" music and in the best way possible. Just go ahead and start engraving those Tony Awards now.

We bought this album and the family (with two daughters) loved it so much we decided to cough up the absurd ticket prices and see the show, but you know what? In some ways the show wasn't as good as the album in that the sound quality and clarity of the voices is much better in this recording then in the show. Also, this has all the original cast members which were the strongest and no longer in the show. Now maybe this was because after listening to the album so many times I was most familiar with the original cast voices, but during the show the remaining original cast members voices were much stronger and nuanced than the replacement cast members (and were much more strongly applauded so I don't think it was just me). Also, Unlike other Broadway musical albums which only have the songs and not the dialogue from the show, there is almost no dialogue between the numbers in the show so this recording is basically of the entire production. Remember that the concept for play was originally just for a Hamilton "mix tape" so the show was kind of an add on to the music and the it did have a slight feel of an actor's interpretation of the music. The show also has almost no scenery which again strengthens the album vs show case. So, the upshot is that, relative to the show, this is the best musical album ever as it captures so much more relative to the show than has been done before, regardless of price. Relative to the cost of the show, it a no brainier purchase.

I had seen snippets of the play performed at the White House and the Tonys, so I thought it would be interesting. I listened to it back and forth to work without benefit of the lyrics, as I was driving. But amazingly the performers are so good at enunciating the words, that I could hear almost every lyric! There was just one small portion of Lafayette rapping that was too fast in a French accent for me to make out. I had never bought any hip hop or rap at all, but I was amazed at the power of this performance! I laughed, I cried, my heart ached, my spirit soared! This is a tremendously well-written piece. Lin-Manuel Miranda is a genius and quite the performer as well. The rhymes are just perfect and many times perfectly conversational. The king's performance is quite humorous and yet it points out the seriousness of the moments. The whole of the play really brings to light just how miraculous it was, first that we had the amazing men who came together to fight this revolution, and that they were able to defeat the British who had so many more resources and so many loyalists backing them here in this country. We all know how the story turns out, but it is displayed here with such emotion and is so beautifully performed. The women of the production are all amazing as well, they were given important voices in this play, which rarely happens in historical storytelling. I also purchased Hamilton the biography by Ron Chernow upon which the play was based. In reading that, it brings even more detail to the story of our Country's birth, and helps to clear up anywhere "poetic license" was taken in the writing of the musical. I would, and have, suggested this to my friends and family. Just excellent!

Let me begin my stating that though I have seen 90% of all the plays on Broadway, I have not been able to get tickets to Hamilton. I mean, I CAN get tickets but I don't really want to spend $400 – $800 on a ticket. That's just me, though. Sorry Lin-Manuel Miranda. I love you, you're a genius, but I CANNOT justify that much for a ticket. To compensate, I purchased the soundtrack and the book – known lovingly as the "Hamil-tome." I absolutely love this soundtrack and having the book helps with creating visuals since I feel a bit ostracized from the actual play. In addition, this month on PBS, the Hamilton Documentary, Hamilton's America, will be shown on PBS – I will be DVRing that as it will be the closest I'll be getting to Hamilton any time soon. But I work across the Hudson in Weehawken, NJ, within walking distance of the dueling site so I've gone there and I sometimes ride the ferry named "Alexander Hamilton" on my way to work so I'm trying to get the gist of Hamilton in my own little way, what with being shut out, otherwise. Anyway, the soundtrack is really something else. Yes, it's hip hop but there is also a nod to classic musical theatre and I loved the little nod to South Pacific, my favorite musical of all time, in the lyrics ("you have to be carefully taught") as well as Miranda's nod to the Beatles and others. It's really so original and he makes history come alive creatively while still getting the facts straight. My favorite numbers are the King George songs – funny and delivered well. Seriously, if you, like me, are disgruntled about not being able to see Hamilton, the soundtrack is at least a glimpse into the what we are missing. And if you've had the good fortune to actually see the show, you'll definitely want this as a remembrance. Recommend.

My daughter listens to this CD every day on her boom box!! She loves Hamilton! We were all prepared to see Hamilton. Best musical ever!!

Recebi os Vinis no dia seguinte ao pedido. Estavam perfeitos.

Excellent

I buyed this for my daughters 10th birthday since she said she's a theatre kid and i belive it! She listens to it each night even to sleep! It came perfectly packed with the cd player.Not a single scratch on both of them! Even though the curse words in it my daughter happily sings to it she said the curses makes it more suspenceful! Amazing cd recomended so much

It's Hamilton!! Lol, what more do you need? Original cast album with the most amazing songs from the best broadway musical. I love it so much, listen to it every day.

Wir haben den Tipp von Freunden bekommen uns das Musical Hamilton anzusehen. Ein Hinweis war noch wenn euch "Rap" gefällt ist das etwas für euch. Aber keine Angst es geht in ein paar Liedern ein wenig in die Richtung und es gibt Ansätze von ein Rap aber mit richtigem HipHop hat es nichts zu tun. Aber was schon auch das besondere an diesem Musical ist, ist dieses Thema bzw. die Geschichte über Alexander Hamilton mit solchen Liedern zu verschmelzen. Aber super gelungen bevor ich euch Angst mache. Es ist kein sonst typischer Soundtrack wie manchmal passend zu Filmen man hört meist schon den Musical Sytle heraus. Wenn euch z.B. das Musical bzw. besser gesagt die Musik bei Greatest Showman gefallen hat dann seit ihr auch hier nicht falsch. Einige Lieder gehen in diese Richtung. Bei Greatest Showman gab es mehr Lieder oder "Hits" zum mitsingen, mehr Hits würde ich sagen wie bei Hamilton. Diese Hamilton hat ja auch 2CDs da sind auch mal Lieder dabei die mehr gesprochen sind wie eben das Musical während die Greatest Showman CD / Soundtrack rein die Lieder sind. Hamilton geht permanent Richtung Gesang es gibt keine langen Passagen ohne Gesang/Musik. Aber der 1.Song "Alexander Hamilton" ist der perfekte Start gleich mit viel Power wird man eingestimmt und will mehr hören. In diese Richtung geht auch My Shot - super Song einer meiner Lieblingssongs der auch mega abgeht, mal ruhige Passagen dann eben "My Shot" bam cooler Refrain."The Duell Commandments" auch zum Titel genial gemachtes Lied da sieht man im Kopf die Bilder eines Duells vor sich und ist direkt wieder im Musical. Es gibt aber auch viele schöne Balladen oder langsamer Lieder wie "The Story of Tonight", "Washington on you're side" , "Blow" oder Wait for it das schön langsam anfängt und dann richtig Fahrt aufnimmt. oder auch Mid-Tempo Songs wie "The Schuyler Sisters" da bekommt man lust sich zu bewegen und zu tanzen und "You'll be back" super zum mitsingen was ich beim Autofahren einfach machen muß. Dieser Song war auch einer der Highlights beim Musical. Da kann man auch ohne den Text zu kennen mit summen/singen. Genauso "Helpless" und "You'll be back" und ein highlight natürlich "The room where it happens" tolle songs die gute Laune bringen. Es gibt natürlich auch genug Lieder die einfach typisch Musicalsongs sind wie z.B.: "Farmer Refuted" oder "Take a beak" oder "The Election of 1800". Aber es ist ja auch ein Musical! also es passt. Einige gehen zumindest in Richtung Rap wie Right Hand Man (auch ein Song mit super power - cool) oder "Guns and ships" aber für mich liegen die Songs irgendwo zwischen rap und einem musical Lied bei dem halb gesprochen halb gesungen wird aber vom beat her könnte man dazu auch einen reinen Rap machen wie evtl. einem Eminem Song. Aber wie gesagt diejenigen die keinen Rap mögen, keine Angst dies ist absolut kein Rap Album. Und glaubt nicht ich hab jetzt m Prinzip alle Songs hier beschrieben und sehr gut gefunden. Es gibt auch einige die ich ganz ok fand denn insgesamt sind auf jeder der beiden CDs "23" Songs. Fazit: 2CDs mit insgesamt 46 Titeln auch wenn die 2 CD für mich ein wenig hinter der 1 CD zurückbleibt. Wenn man ein wenig ein Musicalfan ist lohnt es sich absolut. Eine richtig gute Mischung mal flott mal langsam mal zum mitsingen und trotz älterem Thema passend leicht modifizierte Musik an die heutige Zeit. Macht wirklich Spaß zu hören.