The 50-year European copyright limit on recordings allowed the original Broadway cast recording of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, originally released by Columbia Records in 1950, into the public domain early in the 21st century, and British bottom-feeder reissue label Prism Leisure has responded by pressing up its own version. The sound quality is good, suggesting that someone simply went to a record store and bought the latest Sony Classical CD for transfer, though, of course, the original was recorded in mono under what are now thought of as primitive conditions. Still, Carol Channing comes through loud and clear in her comic portrayal of novelist Anita Loos' 1920s gold-digging heroine Lorelei Lee, who proclaims herself just "A Little Girl from Little Rock" and declares that "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend." Those are the really memorable numbers from the score, which also includes the romantic duet "Bye Bye Baby," performed by Channing with Jack McCauley and on this disc in a bonus track by Frank Sinatra, whose Columbia recording, contemporary to the show, is also in the public domain in Europe. The Sony Classical version is to be preferred for its superior sound and packaging over what is essentially a legal bootleg, but for casual listeners on a budget, this one will serve. (Although technically issued only in Europe, the album was readily available at a modest price in the U.S. upon release.) ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide