Customer Reviews

Classic Garland: Capitol Years 1955-1965

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
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The ones you would fully expect to be here are here..."The Man That Got Away," "Swanee," "San Francisco," "Rockabye Your Baby," and, of course, "Over The Rainbow" (though at least it is the unique and beautiful version she recorded for her "Miss Show Business" album.) But there's a lot more than that, and how much you like the compilation will depend on your personal tastes. "Come Rain Or Come Shine" is, unfortunately for me, the too perfect studio recording, not her electrifying Carnegie Hall version, and ditto "By Myself," which was originally such a tame recording compared to her bombastic, belting treatment of it in "I Could Go On Singing." And there are some questionable choices of rare, seldom-heard material...."The Worst Kind Of Man," "The Red Balloon" and especially "Purple People Eater" could have remained obscure as far as I'm concerned, and perhaps replaced by the poignant "Gay Pur-ee" songs, "Little Drops of Rain" and "Paris Is A Lonely Town." And the Garland song I missed the most? "Hello Bluebird." How could the folks at Capitol omit "Hello Bluebird"???

BUT....there are SOME great studio recordings included ("How Long Has This Been Going On," "It Never Was You") and some spectacular live numbers from television or the stage...."When The Sun Comes Out," "As Long As He Needs Me," "Just In Time," and even a heartbreaking version of "Why Can't I" when her magnificent voice was obviously almost gone. And I was excited to hear "Don't Rain On My Parade" (sung with Liza at the London Palladium) and her rousing "What Now My Love" from the same show (listen to the cheering, applauding, foot-stomping fans chanting "We want Judy! We want Judy!" when her high note reaches the sky at the end of that one!)

AND FINALLY....here's why any Garland fan, young or old, will want this CD, regardless of what else is on it. I had an old '45 record 112 years ago with four songs from Lionel Bart's "Maggie May" that Judy had recorded in the mid-60's in London, and these four songs are truly classics....and they are all included on this CD! Never had Judy seemed to have so much fun singing, and never had she shown such a high level of exuberance and vitality, as she did when recording "Maggie May," "In The Land Of Promises," "It's Yourself," and "There's Only One Union." The numbers are obviously paying homage to a good-hearted prostitute, and are sung by my "favorite Garland"....just a little bit hoarse, vibrato just slightly out of control, and yeah, a couple of slurred words here or there....but you will never again hear the kind of emotional, spine-tingling belting embodied in these rare recordings joyously transferred to CD. Truly, you should buy this 2-CD set immediately, just to have these four magical songs in your home or in your car or wherever you may be when you want your spirits lifted to the heavens. You won't regret the trip!

I have many recordings of Judy Garland from the Capitol Years, but this is in my opinion 'One of Capitol's Best Albums' featuring this Legendary Performer!!! The sound quality is Excellent throughout, on the Studio Recordings as well as on the Great Live Performances! You would swear Miss Garland rose from the great beyond just to make these truly Spectacular Recording Performances!! Her voice sounds so clear and pure throughout all these Wonderful Songs!!

The Bands and Orchestra Accompaniment for this very Talented Artist, sound so Modern- it is Truly Amazing, and a Real Treat to Behold! Also, the more rare Garland Songs included in this album are simply 'Great'-especially, "I'm Old Fashioned", "Then You've Never Been Blue", "It's So Lovely To Be Back Again In London", "Purple People Eater" and "Comes Once In A Lifetime" all these songs are Superb!!

This Two CD Collection of "Judy at the Top of her Form" is one Album, I'll be listening to over and over again, with True Admiration and Pure Enjoyment!!

Yes, I do regard this album Very Highly, so I Strongly Recommend It, as a MUST for all Garland Fans, and also for people who just want to experience 'Excellent Singing' in general!!!

Another gem from the vaults of Capitol records due in no small part to Mr. Scott Schechter. I firmly believe that to do anything sucessfully in life you must have PASION. Whether it is your job, your relationship, or whatever you do. Mr. Schechter has that PASSION for Judy Garland. This is obvious in every thing he does. As someone who saw Judy in person many times, I am amazed by Mr. Schechter's knowledge and perception of Judy Garland. He was not even around when Judy made movies or did concerts or recorded music for Capitol records. However, pick up any recent release of Judy's material....some never before heard on CD and you will see Mr. Schechter's name. Without him, most of Judy's material would still remain in the vaults never to be heard by anyone. (Take "Here's To Us" from "The Show That Got Away.")

Capitol records never really knew what to do with Judy's material. (How they could not release Judy singing Broadway show tunes when first recorded because her voice was a little rough is unconscionable.) After seeing her at Carnegie Hall I was disappointed by the recording of that evening. It did not capture the real excitement of the concert. Due in no small part to Mr. Schechter (and many others I am sure) the entire concert was restored in its entirety for the 40th anniversary of that historic event. Or take her television show that was considered a failure in 1963 and so grossly mishandled by CBS. Mr. Schechtor was the driving force behind all the many releases on DVD proving how brilliant she really was.

This latest CD is another example of his passion. I have waited too many years to hear many of these songs all in one place. Take songs such as "It Never Was You" "Comes Once In A Lifetime" and of course the "Maggie May" songs. Some complain that the songs are uneven or should not have been included. That is absured. We all know Judy had her ups and downs. I saw her when she was not in top form, so trust me, Judy Garland on a bad day was far superior to virtually any other singer. This CD shows her at her best and when she was less than perfect. That was the essence of Judy.

So, go buy this album now. Even if you find only one gem, and you will, it is worth the price. Get it just for Mr. Schechter's liner notes and you will learn a lot about Judy.

Judy Garland was the greatest entertainer of the 20th Century, and she did some of her best work recording for Capitol in the '50s and '60s. This set draws from those recordings, and such a 2 CD set should be cause of rejoicing. Unfortunately, this is a decidedly mixed bag. Some of the tracks are essential, some of the tracks are collector rarities, but many are poorly chosen performances where Capitol had better ones in their vaults. Some of the poorer tracks are here for their collectable nature, which is welcome, but others clearly reflect a total ignorance on the part of Capitol. Bottom line, as is the collection is good, but like Judy herself it could have been, and should have been great...and sadly it's not.

The sound quality is pretty uniform in its excellence, so hats off to Capitol there. Like their recent Carnegie Hall album, the liner notes are embarassingly amateurish and read like a childish newsgroup posting. It's a shame Capitol doesn't treat Garland's legacy better after all the money she has earned for them.

This album is essential to any library of popular vocalists. It's amazing how many classic recordings Garland made considering how relatively little, apart from her film work, she recorded in the studio compared to her peers such as Sinatra, Ella, Billie, and Peggy. Garland had one of the most individual and distinctive voices and she simply cannot be listened to as "wallpaper" or background music. This helps to explain, I imagine, why you hardly ever hear her in restuarants or lounges, compared to the singers I have already mentioned (and PLEASE! Enough of Sinatra and Ella, much as I love and own their respective works).
This compilation, covering the prime of her vocal period - 1955 through 1964 - acts as a great introduction to Garland's outstanding recordings for the novice, as it is also a pleasure to listen to, even if one is familiar with her recorded legacy. Like many of these type of anthologies, not every track is going to please one and all: go ahead and skip Purple People Eater and, while I extremely like the selections from The Letter, they work far better contained in the entirety of the original LP and I wish Capitol would release this "concept" album complete on CD. Other than the tracks I mentioned, all are brilliant and exhibit the Garland voice at its height, whether caressing a lyric, belting (without screaming)the hell like only she could, and just pure singing, the like of which will never exist again. With only her 1961 Carnegie Hall performace of The Man that Got Away as ample evidence, Garland will be remembered as one of the finest artists of all time.

If you have questions as to why Judy Garland was named by the Music industry as the Greatest performer of the 20th century, then this is the CD to listen to. The span is the older Judy (1955-1965) There are no movie soundtracks or hit parade songs here, but a rare chance to hear Judy at her best. Begining with her 1955 version of "Over The Rainbow" personally I never cared for this version, But Her medly of old favorites such as "For Me and My Gal" and "The Trolley Song" are gems. The definative version of "Come Rain Or Come Shine" is featured here with alot of rare and desired Garland gems many which have never been released in any format before this CD! Like "Then You've Never Been Blue", "It's So Lovely To Be Back Again in London", "The Worst Kind Of Man" makes it's CD debut here and sounds like it was Just recorded today. Then for the 1960's, "Comes Once In A Lifetime", Sweet Danger" and "Why Can't I?" are all brilliantly performed by Judy in 1962 and alternate version of "I Could Go On Singing" from her final film is here for the first time. "The Land Of Promises", "It's Yourself", "There's only one Union" and "Maggie May" from her last session with Capitol records are presented here for the first time since their original 1965 Release and Ofcourse all is not finished untill you hear the Live alternate of Judy and 18 year old Liza Minnelli deuting on "Don't Rain On My Parade" which was featured on Judy's last Live Capitol LP in 1965. If you're not a Judy fan, then you will be after you hear probably the best CD of The World's Greatest Entertainer that has come alone in years!!! This CD comes filled with lots of photo's and info!

I've always loved Judy Garland's voice best in the 50's and early 60's when she was recording both studio and live albums for "The Tower" Capitol Records. Her voice could sound powerful enough to bend the walls of Carnegie Hall yet also retain a purity to break the hearts of her lsteners. These recordings show the emotional-depth that only Judy Garland (and also Frank Sinatra) could put into a song--an intimacy that makes you feel "as if she's singing staright to you." You can hear the heartache in her voice when she sings the sad numbers yet also feel the liveliness and energy of the fast songs. There was nothing that that voice couldn't do! I highly recommend this CD. It truly represents Garland at the peak of her powers as "The World's Greatest Entertainer!"

I'm fairly new to Judy's music (this is only my third CD of hers) and I must say how impressed I was with her performing. usually you can say you like performer better in recordings or concert, but not with Judy. sh'e excells in both. Many tacks are from studio recordings, but there are also quite a few tracks taken from live performances and it amazing to hear how stong she is in both. What a powerhouse!

A few of my favorites are I'ts So Lovely To Be Back Again In London, Judy's Olio Medley and The Man That Got Away. Oh, and any time you can hear a legendary performer sing the Purple People Eater song you've got to know you're in for a treat!

Soound quality was terrific throughout and the liner notes in the booklet give newbies like me context. Judging by the positive reviews I'd say it's a great collection for long time fans, but I think it's especially good for people who want to learn more abut Judy. I'll be listening to this for a long time to come.

A Wonderful release from Capitol with one or two surprises.

Firstly, the version of "I Could Go On Singing" is NOT the one from the movie. It is clearly an alternate take as a rather giggly Judy, presumably amused by the triteness of the lyrics, still gives it all she's got. Also, the "Don't Rain of my Parade" duet with Liza is not the one previously issued by Capitol on the One and Only box set which presumably means that both the November '64 concerts were taped.

It's a treat to finally get "Why Can't I" on CD even though the version here, an outtake from Judy's '62 Manhattan Centre session, shows the vocal difficulties she clearly faced that night. It's still a helluva song and she interprets it wonderfully well.

I could happily live without the two songs from The Letter, (a) because they don't really work outside the piece as a whole, and (b) they're not particularly good songs!

Favourite however are "What Now My Love" and the Maggie May Songs. Whilst not Lionel Bart's best work, Judy's performance has never been matched. I have had the original EP for many years and am delighted to have them on CD. The Palladiun concert with Liza (when they finally release it) should have live versions of at least "Maggie May" and "It's Yourself", providing it is as complete as Capitol promise.

Judy Garland fans are bound to enjoy this fine two CD set of her hits recorded during her ten year contract with Capitol Records. Judy's voice is in excellent form throughout the two CDs; and the two CDs have tracks from all of Judy's record albums on the Capitol label.

Whether Judy is singing her signature song "Over The Rainbow;" songs from her usual repertoire such as "Swanee;" "You Made Me Love You;" "Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart" or less usual numbers like "Purple People Eater" and "Don't Rain On My Parade," Judy never misses a beat. Her strong, beautiful voice belts out every tune on these two CDs; and the listener will not be disappointed.

In particular, listen for a grand studio recording of "Over The Rainbow" with an elegant musical arrangement; a fine Judy's Olio medley; tracks from her two record album/two CD set entitled Judy at Carnegie Hall and an exceptional rendition of "Last Night When We Were Young." Actually, if truth be told, there's not a dud in the bunch. Judy makes every song into a type of symphony with a singular and unmistakable beauty.

The liner notes by Scott Schechter spell out which tracks come from which Judy Garland Capitol Records album; and the artwork is nicely presented as well.

Overall, Judy fans can't go wrong with this fine two CD set. If you like this I would also strongly suggest the three CD set entitled Very Best of Judy Garland: The Capitol Recordings 1955-1965.