http://theparkbencher.blogspot.com/2008/08/best-whedonverse-singers.html
MONDAY, AUGUST 04, 2008
The best Whedonverse singers

Greetings, Park Benchers! I'm Shan, and I'll be your guest blogger
today. I normally blog over on The Nonsensical Ravings of a Lunatic
Mind about television, movies, sci-fi, pop culture, news and UGA
football. While the wonderful Liz is away, she's graciously asked me
to help keep you entertained.

With the recent release of the 100% awesome Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along
Blog, and the fact that after looking high and low for the soundtrack
to Buffy's "Once More With Feeling" on iTunes, I finally found it for
download on Amazon's MP3 site, I thought I would discuss the
"singers" from those two seminal works.

This is a perfect confluence of topics to address, since I like
making lists (typically, in a feature I call "The Canon"), regularly
play a couch potato version of Randy, Paula and Simon with weekly
American Idol reviews (the only reality show to make it past my
"quality television" filter, though "quality" is a dubious term for
AI), and of course, because I'm a huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer nerd.
So, without further ado:

The Canon: Best Whedonverse Singers

First, a few caveats. I'm only considering the pure musical episodes,
meaning "Once More With Feeling" and the entirety of Dr. Horrible. So
you won't see any reference to Christain Kane, Julie Benz, Andy
Hallet or David Boreanaz (Manilow!) singing on Angel, or anyone
belting out "The Hero of Canton, The Man They Call Jayne" on Firefly.
And I'm only ranking "series regulars," so you won't find the sublime
Hinton Battle, who portrayed the demon "Sweet" on "OMWF." ("What You
Feel" is probably my most played tune from the soundtrack). Or David
Fury (how many of my fellow geeks regularly proclaim "they got....the
mustard....out!" loudly when getting your dry cleaning? Just me?
Moving on...) or Marti Noxon (parking tickets never seemed so
heartbreaking). Finally, I realize that not everyone in the Buffy
cast was completely enthused, or confident, about doing a musical, so
there's no stigma attached to being at the bottom of the list.

1. Anthony Stewart Head. Giles' singing wasn't a surprise, after the
Scoobies caught him performing "Behind Blue Eyes" during the
otherwise disappointing "Where The Wild Things Are." But Head is
quite the accomplished singer, with a background in musical theatre,
and his "Standing" is truly heartbreaking. (Trivia: did everyone know
that his older brother Murray was a one-hit wonder in the 80s with
"One Night in Bangkok?")

2. Neil Patrick Harris. Who knew that Barney Stinson (or Doogie, if
you prefer) was so musically talented? I was aware that he had
performed on Broadway, notably in Cabaret and Assassins, but damn,
was he good in Dr. Horrible. He handled both the uptempo numbers and
the ballads with equal aplomb, and if you can move someone deep
inside with an ode to a Freeze Ray, then you belong toward the top of
this list.

3. Felicia Day. As the frozen yogurt, laundry and homeless loving
Penny, Day was the lovely and tragic catalyst for the events of the
Sing-Along Blog. She didn't have any true showstoppers to perform,
but she has a clear and beautiful voice.

4. Amber Benson. While "Under Your Spell's" choreography won't make
Bob Fosse roll over in his grave, Benson wonderfully captured Tara's
love for Willow in strong voice, and her reprise of this tune,
combined with Head's "Standing," gives you chillbumps.

5. James Marsters. "Rest in Peace" was a terrific showcase for
Marsters' rock singer vibe, and musically and thematically perfect
for Spike.

6. Emma Caufield. Her surreal, hysterical ranting about bunnies in
"I've Got A Theory" is entertaining enough, but she also handled the
Cole Porter-esque, playful back and forth in "I'll Never Tell" with
tuneful wit.

7. Sarah Michelle Gellar. Unlike many young starlets of today, Gellar
had no ambitions to release a sugary, wafer-thin pop music album, and
only approached the singing in "OMWF" as an extension of the
character she inhabited so very well. For someone without a
significant background in musicals, she performed adequately carrying
the bulk of the musical plot. What she lacked in pitch-perfect
vocals, she more than compensated with a heartfelt and moving
performance.

8. Nathan Fillion. Captain Hammer didn't sing his most memorable line
("The hammer is my penis."), but he did perfectly convey the hero's
doltish and narcissistic charm in his opening number atop the remote-
controlled van, and his final episode ode to the homeless.

9. Nicholas Brendon. He didn't have to hit the big notes to
entertain; his verbal gymnastics and lyrical tap-dancing through
"I've Got A Theory" and "I'll Never Tell" brought a smile and was
100% Xander.

10. Michelle Trachtenberg. Dawn's in trouble. Must be Tuesday. Didn't
have much to do, didn't want to do much, but her dancing was lovely,
right?

11. Alyson Hannigan. "I think this line is mostly filler." Sweet,
adorable Willow. Thank goodness her powerhouse acting can carry
virtually any other episode.

So there you have it, Park Benchers. Agree or disagree? What are your
favorite musical moments from "Once More With Feeling" or Dr.
Horrible? Which singers rack up the biggest play count on your iTunes?

Finally, as an extra special guest blog bonus, I'll select one random
lucky Park Bench commenter to receive their choice of an iTunes
credit for the full series of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, or a
copy of the "Once More With Feeling" soundtrack.

Thanks to Liz for letting me be Julie McCoy, your blog cruise
director around these parts for a day.

POSTED BY LIZ AT 6:49 AM ?
LABELS: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, DR. HORRIBLE, JOSS WHEDON, ONCE
MORE WITH FEELING

8 COMMENTS:

Apple of Carthage said...
Once More With Feeling is one of the most formative events in modern
television history. As an academic economist, I find Joss Whedon's
brand-building through truly pleasing his fans paid off with Dr.
Horrible.

I would have placed Amber Benson higher on the list, however. She was
the true surprise from OMWF. Her reprise of "Under Your Spell" is one
of the most heartbreaking things I've ever seen, and the duet with
ASH in harmony in the reprise of "Standing" is the best song of all.

You could watch OMWF with no sound, and comprehend the entire story
from the richness of the sets. You could (and I DO) listen to the
soundtrack and hear the story with no visuals. Put them together, and
I still can't believe they didn't give Whedon a Golden Globe.

Dr. Horrible is stuck in my head, which I suppose is the true
signpost of a hit. I'm humming "Brand New Day" under my breath in the
labs, and singing along to Captain Hammer--even though I wish I
wasn't!--with "Everyone's a Hero".

In Dr. Horrible, Nathan Fillion really should have been put closer to
the top of the list. It's not that he's a better singer than NPH, but
that, like unto Amber Benson, he was the biggest surprise when it
came to vocal talent. It's easy to sing, harder to sing well, and
damn near impossible to sing well, act, balance on a moving van, and
mug for the camera all at the same time.

Benson and Fillion need to put out a damn album. I'd buy it and be
guaranteed of amazing singing and campy humor--what more could you ask?

7:24 AM
Anonymous said...
Anyone who's looking to hear more Anthony Stewart Head should check
out a CD he did with George Sarah called "Music for Elevators." It's
terrific, and Joss Whedon contributed the best song, "Last
Time" (Amber Benson's on backing vocals). George Sarah was one-half
of THC, the band behind Veruca's band Shy in Buffy's fourth season.
"Elevators" is a great collaboration between two really talented guys.

If you noodle around on the website for the band Common Rotation,
you'll find a song called "Tom Dooley," which is sung by Amber
Benson. Not the most polished performance ever, but endearing
nevertheless, in a college-coffeehouse kind of way, and it can be
downloaded for free! I was never a fan of Benson's acting, but her
singing voice is excellent.

8:32 AM
BigMatt99 said...
You left one biggie out from the Whedonverse, our favorite crooning
bar owning demon, Lorne (played by Andy Hallett).

9:27 AM
Anonymous said...
Mein microlist:
1. Amber Benson
2. Anthony Stewart Head
3. Andy Hallett (I know you sort of vetoed him a bit, but I can't
help myself)

After that they're sort of a blur - but an impressive blur. They all
hold their own nicely, though I agree that as a whole the Dr Horrible
performances are slightly better than those of OMWF (which makes sense).

However, this seems as good a time as any to say that I've always
thought James' performance in OMWF was rather weak. Considering he's
a singer, he was off-key pretty much all of the time. Made me wonder
if he could even hold a tune, but I've heard him since then and yes,
he can.

Maybe it was tough to sing whilst keeping the accent. And he did do
that pretty well.

9:48 AM
Shan said...
I did mention Lorne, as well as everyone's favorite "short-handed" ex-
lawyer, Lindsey McDonald, among others, in the beginning disclaimer.
Just for clarity's sake, when I drafted the original post, it was
"best singers in a whedonverse musical." So I really intended to
focus on just OMWF and Dr. Horrible, instead of opening up the
discussion and evaluations to everyone who has ever crooned a note on
a Joss show. Somehow, in transmitting the post content over to Liz, I
must have left off the part in the title about the "musical," so it
does look like I may have slighted Hallett, Kane and others who have
graced us with their vocal stylings. Not really my intention, and I
hope everyone enjoys the debate and discussion anyway.

I think we can all agree that whether the actors sound like Sinatra
or William Hung, both OMWF and Dr. Horrible are brilliant, wonderful
pieces and everyone gives their all to the characters and the story,
which is the truly important thing.

9:55 AM
Anonymous said...
Two more bits on Murray Head. He is actually best known not for "One
Night in Bangkok," but for originating the role of Judas on the
soundtrack of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, which was released in advance
of its initial stage performance. Also, I've read that Anthony sang
back up on "One Night in Bangkok," though I've not been able to
confirm this.

10:50 AM
Green, not Granola said...
Some trivia: "One Night in Bangkok" was actually from the concept
album for the musical Chess, which had a run in London. It was
written by the two songwriters from Abba along with Tim Rice (of
Evita fame). It is famous for being one of the most challenging roles
for a male in musical theatre. Supposedly, Murray Head fried his
voice singing it... and Anthony Stewart Head took over the part!!
while Chess was never a hit, the concept album spawned many hit
songs. The musical is a bit of a holy grail for musical lovers who
long to see a good production of it get its due....

12:28 PM
Kathe said...
I think my favorite song from OMWF is Walk Thru the Fire, followed by
Where Do We Go From Here as a close second. I just love that episode.
I was very surprised by NPH and Fillion's vocal stylings after
watching Dr. Horrible! I think Joss needs to continue making
musicals. They rock (if you'll pardon the pun!)