Lucky Stiff is one of the earliest Ahrens & Flaherty collaborations and one I hadn't heard before. The York Theater cast recording is based on a "mufty" production and so features only piano accompaniment. That implies a lower quality recording than what's on offer. The performances are great and the score is charming and witty. That said, it doesn't have the passion (or epic sweep) that was to manifest itself in their later works.
Hmm... have just had a quick timeline of their work. I think they may (deliberately?) move between the grand and the personal, the intense and the more mannered subjects.
Wicked has been getting a lot of praise for its songs and right from the opening chords of the overture I could see why. Now that's an emotional score! Some of Stephen Schwartz's best work, more pop-influenced than I'm used to from him (Working notwithstanding), though the quality falters just a bit in the second act. Still definitely a CD I'll be listening to often. Must find the novel the book (err... you know what I mean) is based on.
I suspect I'll always have a blind spot for Pippin and Godspell though seeing those shows effectively introduced me to musical theatre.