In the past few years I've seen that Les Mis and Phantom have been given new complete official English recordings. This has set me asking if Cats can also have a complete official English recording too. The existing CDs have many cuts especially in the dance sections and the segues between numbers, and the London and Broadway albums don't include Pekes and the Pollicles so as to fit the score within the time limits of LPs.

I would like to moot the idea to the Really Useful Group by e-mailing them soon.

However, there are some thoughts. Is it possible to include variants of numbers? I'm referring to the three versions of Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer and also the two versions of Growltiger. As far as Growltiger is concerned there can be an option to include both Billy M'Caw and the Italian aria, but the Italian aria version needs the "Chi e la/Mi amore/Sono qui" exchange and also the cat fight. The new version with the retooled "Billy" doesn't include a catfight. Also, is there a risk that we might find the tapes in the Gumbie Cat dance an annoyance on repeated listenings?

The only complete "English" recording I know is the Australian CD. This one has the most recent MJ & RT that is heard in the US Tour. However, this recording does have the Awfull Battle of the P&P. This version has the Aria in Growltiger.

The Broadway version still has the same MJ & RT song. The lyrics book states that it has the "Ballad of Bill McCaw" on it, but it actually has the Aria in Growltiger. But no P&P

The London (OLC) version has the jazz version for MJ & RT... and Billy McCaw... No P&P

As to the dance cuts? Not positive on any of them...

Rumblepurr
The Writer Cat.

However if you are lucky enough to find it, the original Vinyl version of the OLC does not have the particularly nasty cut in the ball.

Thanks for mentioning that because I DO have the OLC Vinyl.
~R~

I think the most complete version we have sung in English is the Australian cast, which I was lucky enough to find in Dress Circle a few years ago. It's out of print though and an import too so it was expensive. I believe it was £46.99 when I got it. But luckily I was working when I found it and had some spare money. So I pounced on it.

Personally if you can run to the expense I would suggest getting both the London, and Australian. Then you have both the original M&R and Growtiger plus the revisions.

The problem with doing a new recording today is that we dont really have an english speaking production (Troika still omitt P&P, right?) that does the full show as it is today. If that 2013 West End rewival ever happens it might be a good point at doing a new cast CD, but till then...

A complete CD of the current german language tent tour would be great too This production is sooo great and the cast is fantastic (well, the original was, so I guess the current still is)

absolutely!!!!! this would be fantastic...... the first cast was.... simply awesome (with some exceptions but all in all I loved almost everybody from the company^^).......... the new cast seems to be as awesome as the first one so..... they NEED to do a recording (which they won't do )

I already have both. I'm in the UK so the London one is the most easily bought for me.

Yeah sadly there probable won't be any. But who knows, after all, there is a brand new live full Elisabeth CD. Such good things happen.

I actually asked RUG about us recording one ourselves a little while ago. They said there were "enough" recordings. So yeah, I doubt there will be one.