The first in a series of compilations of songs from Broadway shows recorded by RCA Victor, this album puts together an hour's worth of what used to be called "eleven o'clock numbers." These were the show-stoppers that woke you up shortly before the end of the show and got you ready to hit the street with a smile on your face. (Although, to tell the truth, some of these are first act finales meant to send you into the lobby anticipating the rest of the evening.) "Blow, Gabriel, Blow," from Anything Goes, "I've Gotta Crow," from Peter Pan, "Oklahoma!" from Oklahoma; these are the big, bright Broadway songs audiences have hummed to themselves for generations. The RCA catalog is mixed--not all of these performances are taken from the original casts, and the notes don't make that clear--but this is a good sampler for the casual fan who likes Broadway's stirring songs. ~ William Ruhlmann