Need?
F. Behrens | Keene, NH USA | 10/27/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I hoped when the first album came out with the title "The Only Broadway CD You'll Ever Need" that RCA was joking. This new title convinces me they were. As collections of Broadway-iana go, this is pretty good, mixing as it does the classics (i.e., songs from musicals that really had melodies in them) such as "Finian's Rainbow" and "Damn Yankees" with more recent efforts that feature chord progressions and all sorts of let's-rival-Hollywood effects that cannot be seen on recordings any way (e.g.,"Phantom"). Quite some time ago, RCA had a lovely set of 10 or so CDs devoted to Broadway shows in which the selections were gathered under some theme, usually not very successfully; so all this CD does is sort of update the older series which I have and still use in my seminars on American music. But for any collection that does not have the full versions, this album is a very nice substitute. Warning: several of these selections are from revival performances which were on RCA label while the orginal cast recordings were not. Also the "Call Me Madam" selection is from a studio recording with Dinah Shore who had to replace Ethel Merman who was under contract with Decca at the time!"
Better than the first
Frank McKown | Santa Monica, CA USA | 07/19/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"While the first disc of this series contains the show-stoppers you would expect from an album titled "The Only Broadway CD You'll Ever Need," its sequel delivers the songs that live in your gut. Most of these selections are on any B'way lover's list of defining moments in theatre. While I was somewhat repulsed by the placement of the over-sweet "My Favorite Things" right after Bernstein's poignant "Make Our Garden Grow," the witty liner notes by Bill Rosenfield and the first-rate recordings make this a must-own CD."