The Best of Broadway, Vol. 1 [Soundtrack]

Richard Rodgers (Composer), Cole Porter (Composer), Frank de Vol (Conductor), Dave Barbour (Conductor), Paul Weston (Conductor), Frank DeVol & His Orchestra (Orchestra), Dave Barbour & His Orchestra (Orchestra), Paul Weston & His Orchestra (Orchestra), Margaret Whiting (Performer), Peggy Lee (Performer), Gordon MacRae (Performer), Jo Stafford (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Margaret Whiting, Peggy Lee, Gordon MacRae, Jo Stafford
• Orchestra: Frank DeVol & His Orchestra, Dave Barbour & His Orchestra, Paul Weston & His Orchestra
• Conductor: Frank de Vol, Dave Barbour, Paul Weston
• Composer: Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter
• Audio CD (April 29, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Drg
• ASIN: B0013XZ4BI
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #447,713 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. (I'm in Love with) A Wonderful Guy

2. Bali Ha'i

3. Younger Than Springtime

4. Happy Talk / Honey Bun

5. There Is Nothin' Like a Dame

6. A Cockeyed Optimist

7. I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair

8. Some Enchanted Evening

9. Wunderbar

10. Always True To You In My Fashion

11. Were Thine That Special Face

12. Why Can't You Behave?

13. Bianca

14. Too Darn Hot

15. I Hate Men

16. So In Love

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TWO GREAT BROADWAY SHOWS STARRING GORDON MacRAE, September 23, 2008

By 

Gordo fan! "Eamon P. Guthrie" (North Bellmore, NY) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Best of Broadway, Vol. 1 (Audio CD)

Gordon MacRae never disappoints when he sings! He is fantastic! Jo Stafford sings quite well here, too! I am just so happy that the record companies are finally re-releasing more Gordon MacRae albums from years ago onto compact disc! He was the greatest singer and entertainer that ever lived! In fact he was the most underrated singer, ever! I just wish that the record companies would re-release all of his albums in their entirety, as well as all of his 45 R.P.M.s and 78 R.P.M.s, onto CD! He is a national treasure!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Reissues from Early LP Days, December 31, 2008

By 

The Movie Man "tenebre89" (Maywood, New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Best of Broadway, Vol. 1 (Audio CD)

This CD consists of the material on two 10-inch LP's issued in 1949 and 1950 by Capitol Records. Highlights of "Kiss Me Kate" are performed by Jo Stafford and Gordon MacRae. Selections from "South Pacific" are performed by Peggy Lee, Margaret Whiting, and Gordon MacRae. As a longtime Jo Stafford fan, I was very happy to see this material available on CD. Stafford sings "Always True to You in My Fashion," "I Hate Men," "Why Can't You Behave?," and duets with MacRae on "Wunderbar." The highlights of the "South Pacific" section are the two numbers performed by Margaret Whiting -- "A Cockeyed Optimist" and "(I'm in Love With) A Wondeful Guy." A really terrible version of "There Is Nothing Like a Dame" is performed by a male chorus so sugary that it wrings the passion right out of the song. For purists, please note that the complete scores from the shows are not here, just the best-known songs. For the complete scores, check out the Original Cast Albums. The extensive liner notes by Will Friedwald are outstanding. There are also nice photos and a reprint of the original "Kiss Me Kate" LP album cover.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Musical numbers from two popular productions, August 12, 2011

By 

Lenore C. Jacobs - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Best of Broadway, Vol. 1 (Audio CD)

"The Best of Broadway: South Pacific/Kiss Me Kate" was re-mastered from two studio-recorded vinyl records from 1949 and 1950, respectively. First, the best voice, of course, is Gordon MacRae's. In "South Pacific," he sang "Younger Than Springtime" and "Some Enchanted Evening" with beautiful, emotional renditions!! Absolutely gorgeous!! However, Margaret Whiting was not up to her usual quality that I had heard in other recordings. Also, Peggy Lee only sang one song, but it was only fair with not much power in back of her voice.
The "Kiss Me Kate" half of the cd was a little better. The duet, "Wunderbar," was sung by Gordon and Jo Stafford. I had heard it before, and it was lovely with great harmony! Jo Stafford sang two other fast numbers that were just fair. Gordon sang a tender, lovely, mostly baritone song called "Were Thine That Special Face?" and, of course, his absolutely beautiful "So In Love." I feel that he was one of the greatest male singers of the 20th century, so even with the few he sang, this cd is worth listening to.