Best of the Musicals: 5 CD Collector Edition in Tin Case (Includes 100 Songs from: Chicago, Hair, Phantom of the Opera, The King & I, Fame, Evita, Cats, The Lion King, The Rocky Horror Show, Mamma Mia, Oklahoma!, South Pacific, Jesus Christ Superstar, Sunset Boulevard, Fiddler on the Roof, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, Carousel, Annie, Oliver, Little Shop of Horrors, Cabaret, The Wizard of Oz, Singing in the Rain, Show Boat, Follies, We Will Rock You, Saturday Night Fever, Buddy, The Blues Brothers, Beauty & the Beast, Chess, Return to the Forbidden Planet, Tommy, Blood Brothers, Grease, High Society, West Side Story, Les Miserables, Starlight Express, Godspell, Whistle Down the Wind, 42nd Street, Miss Saigon, A Chorus Line, The Boyfriend, La Cage Aux Folles, Company, & Fosse)

Great variety from a lot of different shows. Classic shows, nothing new, but still very enjoyable. Clear sound, plays beautifully. I'm very glad to have ordered this set.

This 5 cd collection is just copies of many musicals, nothing is origional. I'm very disappointed. Will not recommend it to anyone.

The case states the performances are by "Original Artists" but I seriously doubt the that means what most people think that means. In this case, I'm guessing it means "artists original to this collection" or something, since many of the vocals are clearly not by someone from the original run of each musical.This is a competent but not great collection. The accompaniments are mostly (perhaps almost entirely) done with programmed synth. On far too many tracks, this all too painfully obvious, while on others it almost sounds okay. The vocal performances are where the collection does best - all the vocals are, at the very least, competent. Most are quite good, and a few are even outstanding. I have no idea what the sessions were like when these were recorded, but listening to the vocal performances, I would guess each artist did each track in very few takes - perhaps some union mandated minimum (say, we have to pay you for at least an hour's worth of work, so do four takes and then collect your check or something). For the sheer number of track and the low price, this is a decent deal, but for anymore than a casual fan of the musicals, I would suggest just getting "Original Cast" recordings instead for the musicals you like.

OK, these are not the original broad-way or movie artists. What can you expect for this price! But they are good competent musicians and singers. I enjoy their performances and I find myself singing along with them from time to time. The sound quality is generally good, although voices are sometimes overridden.. All in all, I am quite happy with this purchase.

Excellent musical excerpts.

Thanks!