The six-disc set The Best of Broadway 1935-2005 (aka, Broadway: America's Music) is a sampler of 70 years of the music of Broadway, covering 64 different shows. It groups the music by time periods, finding a common thread for each that seems to characterize what Broadway meant to American culture at the time or what many shows of a particular period had in common. For example, it begins with "A Time of Hope," encompassing the war years when Broadway shows helped provide some diversion from grim reality. Disc Five, "The British Invasion," covers the years 1981 to 1992, when
assembled the collection from original cast recordings when it could or at least used later recordings by original artists to get better-sounding tracks for those early shows. It also includes a good mix of the familiar and less familiar in terms of both shows and songs. The set is similar to 2004's
television miniseries. This set, despite the number of discs, actually has less music than that earlier set, and many fewer liner notes, although they are similarly priced. There is also an overlap of about 20 songs between the two sets, but this one includes more selections from lesser known, but still entertaining shows, such as Big River, Little Shop of Horrors, and You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. If you're looking for value for your money, go for the other set. But this set is fine for someone just looking for a basic survey of Broadway songs, and not a lot of detailed information about Broadway history. ~ Patsy Morita, All Music Guide
| Richard Rodgers |
Oklahoma!, musical (Oh What a Beautiful Mornin') |
2:33 |
| George Gershwin |
Porgy and Bess, opera (Summertime) |
2:32 |
| Richard Rodgers |
Pal Joey, musical (I Could Write a Book) |
3:37 |
| Richard Rodgers |
Higher and Higher, musical (It Never Entered My Mind) |
3:16 |
| Leonard Bernstein |
On the Town, musical (I Can Cook Too) |
2:27 |
| Cole Porter |
Panama Hattie, musical (Make It Another Old Fashioned, Please) |
2:54 |
| Richard Rodgers |
Carousel, musical (If I Loved You) |
4:22 |
| Cole Porter |
Leave It to Me, musical (My Heart Belongs To Daddy) |
2:32 |
| Richard Rodgers |
A Connecticut Yankee, musical (Thou Swell) |
2:56 |
| Irving Berlin |
This is the Army, revue (I Left My Heart At the Stage Door Canteen) |
3:08 |
| Irving Berlin |
Annie Get Your Gun, musical (There's No Business Like Show Business) |
3:11 |
| Jimmy McHugh |
Streets Of Paris, musical (South American Way) |
2:51 |
| Richard Rodgers |
The King and I, musical (Shall We Dance) |
2:51 |
| Leonard Bernstein |
Wonderful Town, musical in 2 acts (Ohio) |
3:19 |
| Frank Loesser |
Guys and Dolls, musical (Luck Be a Lady) |
3:01 |
| Kurt Weill |
Die Dreigroschenoper (The Threepenny Opera), opera (Mack the Knife) |
3:20 |
| Richard Rodgers |
On Your Toes, musical (There's a Small Hotel) |
3:37 |
| Frank Loesser |
Where's Charley?, musical (Once in Love with Amy) |
4:23 |
| Robert Emmett Dolan |
Texas, Li'l Darlin, musical play (Yodel Blues) |
3:00 |
| Jerome Moross |
The Golden Apple, musical (Lazy Afternoon) |
3:15 |
| Morton Gould |
Arms and the Girl, musical play (There Must Be Somethin' Better than Love) |
2:42 |
| Irving Berlin |
Call Me Madam, musical (You're Just in Love) |
3:09 |
| Albert W. Selden |
The Amazing Adele, musical (Now is the Time) |
2:58 |
| Mitchell Leigh |
Man of la Mancha, musical (The Impossible Dream) |
2:23 |
| Bob Merrill |
Carnival, musical play (Love Makes The World Go 'Round) |
1:52 |
| Harvey Schmidt |
The Fantasticks, musical (Try To Remember) |
2:47 |
| Charles Strouse |
Bye, Bye Birdie, musical (Put On A Happy Face) |
3:48 |
| Harold Rome |
Destry Rides Again, musical (I Say Hello) |
2:30 |
| Clark Gesner |
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, musical play (Happiness) |
3:33 |
| Jerry Bock |
She Loves Me, musical (She Loves Me) |
2:55 |
| Leslie Bricusse / Anthony Newley |
Stop the World - I Want to Get Off, musical (What Kind Of Fool Am I) |
2:36 |
| Mary Rodgers |
Once Upon a Mattress, musical (Shy) |
3:47 |
| Lionel Bart |
Oliver!, musical (Consider Yourself) |
4:08 |
| Bob Merrill |
Henry, Sweet Henry, musical (Poor Little Person) |
2:19 |
| Stephen Schwartz |
Pippin, musical (Magic To Do) |
4:09 |
| Marvin Hamlisch |
They're Playing Our Song, musical (They're Playing My Song) |
2:48 |
| Andrew Lloyd Webber |
Jesus Christ Superstar, musical (I Don't Know How To Love Him) |
3:31 |
| Jerry Herman |
Mack & Mabel, musical play (I Won't Send Roses) |
3:08 |
| Galt MacDermot |
Hair, musical (Good Morning Starshine) |
2:37 |
| Andrew Lloyd Webber |
Evita, musical (Don't Cry For Me, Argentina) |
5:23 |
| Carol Hall |
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, musical (Hard Candy Christmas) |
3:56 |
| Jule Styne |
Lorelei, musical play (Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend) |
4:09 |
| Sandy Wilson |
The Boy Friend, musical (Won't You Charleston With Me?) |
3:37 |
| Charles Strouse |
Applause, musical (Applause) |
4:10 |
| Andrew Lloyd Webber |
The Phantom of the Opera, film score (The Phantom of the Opera) |
5:05 |
| Andrew Lloyd Webber |
Cats, musical (Memory) |
3:38 |
| Claude-Michel Schoenberg |
Les Miserables, musical (On My Own) |
4:14 |
| Roger Miller |
Big River, musical (Muddy Water) |
2:32 |
| Lucy Simon |
The Secret Garden, musical play (How Could I Ever Know) |
4:54 |
| Claude-Michel Schoenberg |
Miss Saigon, musical (American Dream) |
6:06 |
| Benny Andersson / Björn Ulvaeus / Stig Anderson |
Chess, musical play (I Know Him So Well) |
4:16 |
| King Oliver |
Doctor Jazz |
2:41 |
| Noel Gay |
Me and My Girl, musical (Me And My Girl) |
3:45 |
| Alan Menken |
Little Shop of Horrors, musical (Suddenly Seymour) |
3:29 |
| Benny Andersson / Björn Ulvaeus / Stig Anderson |
Mamma Mia!, musical play (Mamma Mia!) |
3:21 |
| Stephen Schwartz |
Wicked, musical play (Popular) |
3:35 |
| Jonathan Larson |
Rent, musical play (Seasons of Love) |
2:52 |
| Stephen Flaherty |
Seussical, musical (Oh, The Thinks You Can Think) |
3:53 |
| Richard Adler |
Damn Yankees, musical (Whatever Lola Wants) |
3:37 |
| Willie Nelson |
Crazy |
3:07 |
| Maurice Gibb/ Barry Gibb/ Robin Gibb |
Saturday Night Fever, musical (How Deep Is Your Love) |
2:55 |
| David Shire |
Big, musical play (Stars) |
3:18 |
| Michael John LaChiusa |
The Wild Party, musical play (People Like Us) |
4:10 |
| Peter Allen |
The Boy from Oz, musical play (I Go to Rio) |
3:50 |
