The 14-track CD features classic Gershwin tunes like “Someone to Watch Over Me,” “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” and “I Got Rhythm” infused with the classic, pop stylings of Wilson that helped make the Beach Boys one of the biggest bands of their time.
After getting a sample of some these songs (which you can hear for yourself at Amazon.com), I got to thinking of other artists who have put their own personal mark on Broadway classics.
The mop-topped Beatles took on Meredith Willson’s “Till There Was You” from The Music Man during this performance in the 1960s.
Liza Minnelli joined forces with the English group the Pet Shop Boys in 1989 for this synthpop (and somewhat bizarre) interpretation of Stephen Sondheim’s “Losing My Mind.”
Punk group Me First and the Gimme Gimmes made a career from covering songs of artists such as Garth Brooks, Madonna, The Eagles and R. Kelly. The group released an album in 1999 of show-tune covers from musicals like Phantom of the Opera, Annie, Cabaret and Evita.
The Jackson 5 lent their ‘70s disco/pop style to Pippin’s “Corner of the Sky.”