First off, if you HAVEN'T heard the remastered and expanded original cast album of Finian's Rainbow, don't fret; you aren't missing much. This remaster DOES bring to light many nuances hidden on the previous CD version, which is what we usually expect in a remastered CD.  I would be more than happy to give this CD 5 stars, except that the remastering process also brought the SURFACE NOISE on the original recording discs to light as well.
According to the booklet, the sources used for this CD are not the same recording discs used since the album was released in 1947.  This CD is taken from alternate discs (of the same takes) that were stored unplayed for more than 50 years.  These discs supposedly had fewer marks and blemishes on the playing surfaces than the original discs.  The noise is not a very major problem, but it is evident on this version where it was not on the previous CD release.  The distortion and noise in the show's best song, "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?" is pretty bad.  There is a previously unreleased track on this CD which, according to the booklet, had a swishing noise on the recording disc.  This swish was digitally edited out and is not audible on that particular track.  Why the same treatment wasn't applied to the rest of the scratches and pops is beyond me.
If you can get beyond the surface noise (I can't), the album is not too bad.  The cast sings very well.  But I would suggest that you look for the previous CD release of Finian.  The monaural sound on that album is very clean and clear, with little or no evidence whatsoever of surface noise.
First off, if you HAVEN'T heard the remastered and expanded original cast album of Finian's Rainbow, don't fret; you aren't missing much. This remaster DOES bring to light many nuances hidden on the previous CD version, which is what we usually expect in a remastered CD. I would be more than happy to give this CD 5 stars, except that the remastering process also brought the SURFACE NOISE on the original recording discs to light as well. According to the booklet, the sources used for this CD are not the same recording discs used since the album was released in 1947. This CD is taken from alternate discs (of the same takes) that were stored unplayed for more than 50 years. These discs supposedly had fewer marks and blemishes on the playing surfaces than the original discs. The noise is not a very major problem, but it is evident on this version where it was not on the previous CD release. The distortion and noise in the show's best song, "How Are Things in Glocca Morra? " is pretty bad. There is a previously unreleased track on this CD which, according to the booklet, had a swishing noise on the recording disc. This swish was digitally edited out and is not audible on that particular track. Why the same treatment wasn't applied to the rest of the scratches and pops is beyond me. If you can get beyond the surface noise (I can't), the album is not too bad. The cast sings very well. But I would suggest that you look for the previous CD release of Finian. The monaural sound on that album is very clean and clear, with little or no evidence whatsoever of surface noise.