Customer Reviews

The Best of Broadway, Vol. 1

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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!

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.

"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.