I delved a little the last time I wrote in this blog (which was... yikes, a year ago! Sorry folks!) into the question of musical arrangements for my proposed film of Hair. One of the first things I did was to collect multiple cast recordings and think about what I wanted from each version of the show. Hair has had many productions over the years, each with a certain amount of flexibility to the arrangements, and I liked a different thing about each. Guided partially by Randy Bowser's representative guide for his successful Oregonian production in 2000, I've come up with what I believe to be a definitive way I want the film's music to sound.
The recordings used in Bowser's guide, which I've chosen to follow pretty faithfully for the most part, are the original (and revival) Broadway cast recording(s), the 1993 London revival recording, the 1979 film soundtrack, a 1993 German recording, the 1969 Japanese recording, DisinHAIRited, Fresh HAIR, and of course "Hippie Life" and "Give Up All Desires" as indicated in the score, with my notes of course applied.
All the numbers for each act (I've decided to divide the film into two parts, a mini-series type format) are listed in their proper playing order. Included in between each is a rough placement for some DisinHAIRited or Fresh HAIR material. All of this is tentative, but currently reflects what the score sounds like in my head.
(UPDATE -- 2011: I have re-jiggered the list to reflect changes made in the plans for this thing since the original post. There will be no DisinHAIRited or Fresh HAIR material included except as possible underscoring or as an influence on other arrangements of standard material.)
ACT ONE
1. Aquarius -- St. George Theatre 2005 concert arrangement. (See this link.)
a. "Transcendental meditation..." -- This dialogue segment from the show is recorded on DisinHAIRited as part of the song "You Are Standing on My Bed." I'm not musicalizing this portion, merely using it as a reference point for the line delivery of the actor playing Berger.
2. Donna -- Original Broadway all the way, but London '93 offers good variations.
3. Hashish -- Original Broadway arrangement, but the London '93 version offers a more prominent setting of the ascending bass-line.
4. Sodomy (Holy Orgy) -- The London '93 version emphasizes the desired 6/8 feel.
5. Colored Spade -- Original Broadway arrangement.
6. Manchester, England -- Original Broadway arrangement.
7. I'm Black -- Original Broadway arrangement. Is actually played "attacca," segued as one from track 6 above. Measure 1 will be the same as Measure 42 of track 6 above. The "invisible" lyric transition at the end will remain in strict tempo.
8. Ain't Got No -- 3/4, slow. Also "attacca." (Alternate for 7 and 8 is London '93 recording.)
9. Dead End -- Galt MacDermot in Film compilation arrangement, with less blatant Seventies influences. (See this link.) "Attacca."
10. Sheila Franklin -- Cut time, fast. London '93 arrangement, a chant which is underscored with drums. The opening "Sheila" is #22 in the printed score, immediately seguing to...
11. I Believe in Love -- #10 in the printed score. London '93 arrangement.
12. Ain't Got No Grass (Reprise: Ain't Got No) -- 4/4 time instead of 3/4.
13. Air -- Original Broadway arrangement. "Attacca."
14. Kama Sutra -- An Oriental improvisation. Only known recording is the 2009 Broadway revival recording.
15. Hello There -- Called "1930's Music" in the printed score, and "The Stone(d) Age" (have seen it with and without the "d") in the Broadway revival.
16. Manchester II -- A short reprise. Not included on any recording. Follow the score.
17. I Got Life -- The first eleven bars are free, dictated by the singer. Mostly follows the original Broadway arrangement, with influences from the '93 German as follows: the chords in the free section mostly follow after the lyrics, not during them; on the verses, the bass stays on a constant F to add a more driving feel; there are also short breaks added.
18. Initials -- Original Broadway arrangement.
19. Going Down -- The "free" opening measures will be in tempo. '93 London arrangement, but with a rawer feel like the original Broadway.
20. Freak Out -- A short "jam session" ad-lib section. Not included on any recording.
21. Hair -- The first eight bars are free. Original Broadway arrangement.
22. My Conviction -- London '93 arrangement. Piano and acoustic guitar only.
23. Easy to Be Hard -- St. George Theatre 2005 concert arrangement. (See this link.)
24. Hung Up -- Not on any recording.
25. Don't Put it Down (Crazy for the Red and Blue and White) -- The opening 18 bars of ad-lib are not included in this recording. Arrangement follows Fresh HAIR, with an even more twangy country feel and opening 18 bars added.
26. Frank Mills (Crissy's Song) -- Light, gentle, with acoustic guitar improvisations. Original Broadway arrangement, with a slight touch of country as in '93 London.
27. Be-In (Hare Krishna) -- A blend of the exotic and straight ahead rock. Follow the '93 London arrangement for the most part, as it uses all the measures in the score, and has the necessary extended ending not in the score, along with a new brass line. However, the drums in the opening are not nearly exotic enough; for a good interesting example, take a look at the intros of the Fresh HAIR and '69 Japanese recordings. The intro specifically on the '93 German recording has the Ravi Shankar Indian sound fully developed and is a good starting point for the arrangement.
28. Where Do I Go? -- As simple and elegant as possible. Original Broadway arrangement all the way.
ACT TWO
1. Electric Blues -- Follows London '93 arrangement, but rather than fading out ends with an explosion as in the original Broadway. Opening softer section needs to sound more like the Mamas and the Papas.
2. Oh Great God of Power -- Fresh HAIR arrangement; definitely want the timpani.
3. Manchester III -- A short straight reprise. Original Broadway arrangement.
4. Black Boys -- Original Broadway arrangement, but takes some cues from '93 London.
5. White Boys -- Actually "attacca" from above. Follows basic outline of original Broadway arrangement, but takes cues in the orchestra dept. from '93 London and vocal arrangement dept. from '79 film.
6. Walking in Space -- Basically follows original Broadway arrangement, but takes cues again from '93 London and '79 film.
7. General Washington -- Not on any recordings; follow the score here.
8. Indian Music -- Not on any recordings; follow the score here.
9. Minuet -- Only appears on the 2009 Broadway revival recording; do what they did.
10. African Drums -- Only appears on the 2009 Broadway revival recording; do what they did.
11. Abie, Baby --New Pulse Jazz Band arrangement for Lincoln's birthday. (See this link.)
12. "The War" is an all-encompassing section that includes the following numbers:
"Give Up All Desires (Buddhists)" -- Follows a demo by Gerry Ragni which comes close but not precisely to the score.
"Instrumental" -- Accompanies a battle scene done with strobe lights onstage. Follows '93 London.
"Roll Call" -- Brief section only included on 2009 Broadway revival recording; do what they did.
"Children's War Games" -- Brief section that does not appear on any recording. Follow the score.
13. Three-Five-Zero-Zero -- Based on original MacDermot arrangement (see this link), but includes a great Hendrix opening guitar from the original Broadway arrangement that we want, along with the more dramatic dynamics that the '93 London arrangement provides.
14. What a Piece of Work is Man -- London '93 arrangement.
15. How Dare They Try (Reprise: Walking in Space) -- London '93 arrangement.
16. Good Morning Starshine -- Mainly follows original Broadway arrangement, but incorporating some of the interesting chord substitutions from '93 German.
17. The Bed -- London '93 arrangement.
18. Aquarius Goodnights -- Follows original Broadway arrangement, which can be heard on "The Bed" on that recording. Imperative to move "protest section" at Induction Center to after "Ain't Got No" by Claude below.
19. Reprise: Ain't Got No -- The Japanese version is the best.
20. "Protest section" of "Aquarius Goodnights" goes here. It's crucial that this section and the bits following maintain a pulsing rhythm even during brief dialogue segments.
21. The Flesh Failures (Let the Sun Shine In) -- Our version will start very softly with a solo voice. This half should follow the original MacDermot arrangement (see this link).
22. Eyes, Look Your Last (Reprise: Manchester, England and Flesh Failures) -- See above for the key and tempo, but with influences from St. George Theatre 2005 concert arrangement (see this link).
23. Possible insertion point for "(How I Love My) Hippie Life" as ubiquitous credits song. #50 in the printed score, where it's used as a curtain call. Sound must emphasize primitive American "Indian" beat.
24. Exit Music -- An instrumental version of "Hair" used in the score. May or may not follow track above.
The recordings used in Bowser's guide, which I've chosen to follow pretty faithfully for the most part, are the original (and revival) Broadway cast recording(s), the 1993 London revival recording, the 1979 film soundtrack, a 1993 German recording, the 1969 Japanese recording, DisinHAIRited, Fresh HAIR, and of course "Hippie Life" and "Give Up All Desires" as indicated in the score, with my notes of course applied.
All the numbers for each act (I've decided to divide the film into two parts, a mini-series type format) are listed in their proper playing order. Included in between each is a rough placement for some DisinHAIRited or Fresh HAIR material. All of this is tentative, but currently reflects what the score sounds like in my head.
(UPDATE -- 2011: I have re-jiggered the list to reflect changes made in the plans for this thing since the original post. There will be no DisinHAIRited or Fresh HAIR material included except as possible underscoring or as an influence on other arrangements of standard material.)
ACT ONE
1. Aquarius -- St. George Theatre 2005 concert arrangement. (See this link.)
a. "Transcendental meditation..." -- This dialogue segment from the show is recorded on DisinHAIRited as part of the song "You Are Standing on My Bed." I'm not musicalizing this portion, merely using it as a reference point for the line delivery of the actor playing Berger.
2. Donna -- Original Broadway all the way, but London '93 offers good variations.
3. Hashish -- Original Broadway arrangement, but the London '93 version offers a more prominent setting of the ascending bass-line.
4. Sodomy (Holy Orgy) -- The London '93 version emphasizes the desired 6/8 feel.
5. Colored Spade -- Original Broadway arrangement.
6. Manchester, England -- Original Broadway arrangement.
7. I'm Black -- Original Broadway arrangement. Is actually played "attacca," segued as one from track 6 above. Measure 1 will be the same as Measure 42 of track 6 above. The "invisible" lyric transition at the end will remain in strict tempo.
8. Ain't Got No -- 3/4, slow. Also "attacca." (Alternate for 7 and 8 is London '93 recording.)
9. Dead End -- Galt MacDermot in Film compilation arrangement, with less blatant Seventies influences. (See this link.) "Attacca."
10. Sheila Franklin -- Cut time, fast. London '93 arrangement, a chant which is underscored with drums. The opening "Sheila" is #22 in the printed score, immediately seguing to...
11. I Believe in Love -- #10 in the printed score. London '93 arrangement.
12. Ain't Got No Grass (Reprise: Ain't Got No) -- 4/4 time instead of 3/4.
13. Air -- Original Broadway arrangement. "Attacca."
14. Kama Sutra -- An Oriental improvisation. Only known recording is the 2009 Broadway revival recording.
15. Hello There -- Called "1930's Music" in the printed score, and "The Stone(d) Age" (have seen it with and without the "d") in the Broadway revival.
16. Manchester II -- A short reprise. Not included on any recording. Follow the score.
17. I Got Life -- The first eleven bars are free, dictated by the singer. Mostly follows the original Broadway arrangement, with influences from the '93 German as follows: the chords in the free section mostly follow after the lyrics, not during them; on the verses, the bass stays on a constant F to add a more driving feel; there are also short breaks added.
18. Initials -- Original Broadway arrangement.
19. Going Down -- The "free" opening measures will be in tempo. '93 London arrangement, but with a rawer feel like the original Broadway.
20. Freak Out -- A short "jam session" ad-lib section. Not included on any recording.
21. Hair -- The first eight bars are free. Original Broadway arrangement.
22. My Conviction -- London '93 arrangement. Piano and acoustic guitar only.
23. Easy to Be Hard -- St. George Theatre 2005 concert arrangement. (See this link.)
24. Hung Up -- Not on any recording.
25. Don't Put it Down (Crazy for the Red and Blue and White) -- The opening 18 bars of ad-lib are not included in this recording. Arrangement follows Fresh HAIR, with an even more twangy country feel and opening 18 bars added.
26. Frank Mills (Crissy's Song) -- Light, gentle, with acoustic guitar improvisations. Original Broadway arrangement, with a slight touch of country as in '93 London.
27. Be-In (Hare Krishna) -- A blend of the exotic and straight ahead rock. Follow the '93 London arrangement for the most part, as it uses all the measures in the score, and has the necessary extended ending not in the score, along with a new brass line. However, the drums in the opening are not nearly exotic enough; for a good interesting example, take a look at the intros of the Fresh HAIR and '69 Japanese recordings. The intro specifically on the '93 German recording has the Ravi Shankar Indian sound fully developed and is a good starting point for the arrangement.
28. Where Do I Go? -- As simple and elegant as possible. Original Broadway arrangement all the way.
ACT TWO
1. Electric Blues -- Follows London '93 arrangement, but rather than fading out ends with an explosion as in the original Broadway. Opening softer section needs to sound more like the Mamas and the Papas.
2. Oh Great God of Power -- Fresh HAIR arrangement; definitely want the timpani.
3. Manchester III -- A short straight reprise. Original Broadway arrangement.
4. Black Boys -- Original Broadway arrangement, but takes some cues from '93 London.
5. White Boys -- Actually "attacca" from above. Follows basic outline of original Broadway arrangement, but takes cues in the orchestra dept. from '93 London and vocal arrangement dept. from '79 film.
6. Walking in Space -- Basically follows original Broadway arrangement, but takes cues again from '93 London and '79 film.
7. General Washington -- Not on any recordings; follow the score here.
8. Indian Music -- Not on any recordings; follow the score here.
9. Minuet -- Only appears on the 2009 Broadway revival recording; do what they did.
10. African Drums -- Only appears on the 2009 Broadway revival recording; do what they did.
11. Abie, Baby --New Pulse Jazz Band arrangement for Lincoln's birthday. (See this link.)
12. "The War" is an all-encompassing section that includes the following numbers:
"Give Up All Desires (Buddhists)" -- Follows a demo by Gerry Ragni which comes close but not precisely to the score.
"Instrumental" -- Accompanies a battle scene done with strobe lights onstage. Follows '93 London.
"Roll Call" -- Brief section only included on 2009 Broadway revival recording; do what they did.
"Children's War Games" -- Brief section that does not appear on any recording. Follow the score.
13. Three-Five-Zero-Zero -- Based on original MacDermot arrangement (see this link), but includes a great Hendrix opening guitar from the original Broadway arrangement that we want, along with the more dramatic dynamics that the '93 London arrangement provides.
14. What a Piece of Work is Man -- London '93 arrangement.
15. How Dare They Try (Reprise: Walking in Space) -- London '93 arrangement.
16. Good Morning Starshine -- Mainly follows original Broadway arrangement, but incorporating some of the interesting chord substitutions from '93 German.
17. The Bed -- London '93 arrangement.
18. Aquarius Goodnights -- Follows original Broadway arrangement, which can be heard on "The Bed" on that recording. Imperative to move "protest section" at Induction Center to after "Ain't Got No" by Claude below.
19. Reprise: Ain't Got No -- The Japanese version is the best.
20. "Protest section" of "Aquarius Goodnights" goes here. It's crucial that this section and the bits following maintain a pulsing rhythm even during brief dialogue segments.
21. The Flesh Failures (Let the Sun Shine In) -- Our version will start very softly with a solo voice. This half should follow the original MacDermot arrangement (see this link).
22. Eyes, Look Your Last (Reprise: Manchester, England and Flesh Failures) -- See above for the key and tempo, but with influences from St. George Theatre 2005 concert arrangement (see this link).
23. Possible insertion point for "(How I Love My) Hippie Life" as ubiquitous credits song. #50 in the printed score, where it's used as a curtain call. Sound must emphasize primitive American "Indian" beat.
24. Exit Music -- An instrumental version of "Hair" used in the score. May or may not follow track above.
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