Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh is not on the highlights and that's worth the price of the double cd alone. I love that song and it's where Carlotta gets it good..and Crawford is haunting as usual during this part.

Highlights for any musical are a waste. It's worth it to pay more and get as much of the music as possible.

Do yourself a favor and get the double cd, not this one.


A phantastically done abridgement   June 20, 2000
 27 out of 28 found this review helpful

When people recommend complete sets of musicals and operas more than abridged versions, this Phantom London highlights album (with the highlights from the CATS Broadway recording) is one of the few cases where the abridged version can be recommended as much as the complete set. In this abridged version of the POTO London Cast album, all the major numbers and none of the filler are here, making this an extremely desirable single disc album for those who don't want the full 100-minute London Cast recording. Michael Crawford's hypnotic Phantom, Steve Barton's comforting Raoul and Sarah Brightman's angelic Christine are the high points of the album. The tension and emotion are well-maintained, with fair representatives of each characteristic, and listening to all the major songs are just like meeting old friends. "Music of the Night" and "All I Ask of You" sound like you are hearing these songs for the first time, and the chromatic Phantom theme heightens the suspense. I must mention I rather like this version of Music of the Night, which is a single version that ALW produced before the opening of Phantom. While it's different from the OLC 2-CD set, I think this gives a deeper insight into the Phantom's character. Overall, I would say that this is an ideal choice for those who don't want the complete London cast recording, but I think that you'll be prompted to invest in the full 2-CD London version even though this abridged version of POTO is very well done. Too bad it isn't remastered.


My favorite CD   June 15, 2002
 12 out of 13 found this review helpful

I have almost 400 CDs of all types of music and I can easily say this is my favorite. Michael Crawford is awesome - his voice is haunting - the perfect phantom. It's a fantastic CD because it's one of those you can easily listen to from beginning to end - a true album. With this CD you just want to sit on your couch in a dark room and feel the music and emotion.

I heard this CD and then went to the broadway show in NY and was unfortunately disappointed - after hearing Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman, even though the show is still amazing, the performers in their place were a letdown.

If you even suspect that you like contemporary opera, you will love this CD.


What Happened To Music Of The Night?   July 24, 2003
 10 out of 13 found this review helpful

This would have been a great CD. It has all the hit songs with the lengthy dialog cut out. You are able to hear all the great songs in about 60 minutes, rather then listening to the 90 minute, two disk set. HOWEVER!- Music Of The Night is a drastically different version then the one I am used to hearing. It is a vocal/piano solo and I love the sound of the piano, so I had no problem with that. But they changed the lyrics of the song. The lyrics do no match those on the 2 disc set and if you are used to hearing that version, you will surely find this one jarring to listen too. I almost wonder if they did it so you would be forced to buy the 2 disk set to get the original. But if Music Of The Night is not your favorite song, then you will certainly enjoy the rest of the album.


Absolutely Awesome !   July 14, 2005
 10 out of 10 found this review helpful

I first purchased the original score in 1988, shortly before seeing the show on Broadway.

At first, only a couple of songs stood out, but after seeing the amazing production (with the incredible Michael Crawford!), I fell absolutely in love with the score. Repeat listenings have only solidified my opinion!

Not everything is perfect, but the orchestrations are powerful & many songs really stick with you, especially:

Overture [sounds great cranked up]
Angel Of Music
The Phantom Of The Opera [The Phantom & Christine's great duet]
The Music Of The Night [The Phantom's big song]
All I Ask Of You [Christine & Raoul's duet - though a bit tired]
Masquerade
The Point Of Know Return

Beautiful from beginning to end & MUCH better than the film's soundtrack. Webber's masterpiece!

A must have!