I want to familiarize myself with Cabaret, so obviously I'll start with a cast recording. But... I've read that all the the major productions of this show have been fairly different. So what is the definitive cast recording of this show?

the most complete is the studio recording with Johnathan Pryce,Judi Dench,Fred Ebb.

Thanks. Any other imput?

It's not as comprehensive as the original but i love the 1998 revival version, it has some songs the original doesn't have that it took from the movie like "Maybe this Time","Mien Herr" and "Money", as well i what i think is a better arrangement of I Don't Care Much. And Alan Cumming is great as the Emcee.

Yes, the complete studio recording includes all of the music ever written for Cabaret.

It's hard to recommend a definitive recording because the show has no definitive version. It has changed so much over time. I actually highly recommend the OBC with Joel Grey. It's excellent. It gives you a great feel for what the show originally was. Many of the actors, including Lotte Lenya, experienced the Holocaust first hand. The 1998 recording is much more stylized than the original. It does include songs from the film, but if you want to hear those you could get the above mentioned studio recording or just get the soundtrack from the film (so that you'll have Liza Minelli's wonderful performance). I personally listen to a playlist that mixes the OBC, 98 revival, and film.

The original Broadway cast album for me. There's just this...purity to it that became lost under all the raunch and shock tactics of the '98 revival.

purity and Cabaret do not mix.

the OBC is good for one strong reason though..Lotte Lenya.

I have to agree with Joseebus that the revival was misguided and that a lot of the meaning was lost. Anybody who has seen the current London revival knows EXACTLY what I'm talking about. The OBC is best, in my opinion. Joel Grey is great.

I listen to the OBC and enjoy it.

The Original Broadcast Recording for me. I am actually listening to Bert Convy sing "Why Should I Wake Up" right now.

I have my own playlist, but the song-stack amounts to something like this:

Act One
"Willkommen"
"So What?"
"Telephone Song"/"Telephone Dance"
"Don't Tell Mama"
"Mein Herr"
"Perfectly Marvelous"
"Two Ladies"
"It Couldn't Please Me More"
"Tomorrow Belongs to Me"
"Don't Go"
"Maybe This Time"
"The Money Song"
"Married"
"Why Should I Wake Up?"
"Meeskite"
"Tomorrow Belongs to Me" (Reprise)

Act Two
Entr'acte / Kickline
"Married" (Reprise)
"If You Could See Her (The Gorilla Song)"
"What Would You Do?"
"I Don't Care Much"
"Cabaret"
Finale

I also have a dream cast for this in my head, some of whom would have been perfect at the time in a film more based on the actual musical than Fosse's was (which is not to denigrate the film; it was terrific for what it was). I consider it an injustice that Mel Brooks or Carl Reiner never played Herr Schultz, and that Cloris Leachman never tackled Fraulein Schneider.

Fosse's film is actually based on the original play "I Am a Camera".