This is the film soundtrack to BELLS ARE RINGING, which again features the incantory Judy Holliday as Ella Peterson, the lovestruck telephone operator. If you only want to buy one of the three currently-available recordings of BELLS ARE RINGING, this is the one to get.
This recording has long been the favorite of many admirers of this score, primarily because of Andre Previn's gorgeous new arrangements, and secondly because of the better performance of Judy Holliday, who is more polished here than on the original Broadway cast-album. Added to the mix is crooner Dean Martin, who turns the rather passive character of Jeff Moss into a more fully-realised character in the piece.
There are also seasoned Broadway veterans Eddie Foy Jr. and Hal Linden who both make the most out of their brief moments on disc. The highlights on this reissue by the good folks at DRG include "It's a Perfect Relationship", "I Met a Girl" and "It's a Simple Little System". Listeners will delight on Holliday and Martin's snappy wordplay in "Just in Time", and will be swept up into musical-comedy heaven with "The Party's Over". The brand-new Overture is a delight, too.
1. Overture
2. It's A Perfect Relationship
3. Do It Yourself
4. It's A Simple Little System
5. Better Than A Dream
6. I Met A Girl
7. Just In Time
8. Drop That Name
9. Party's Over, The
10. Midas Touch, The
11. I'm Going Back
12. Finale
Bells are Ringing
