Customer Reviews

The Judy Garland Show - The Show That Got Away

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

From the never-before- released, never aired first song of the first show ("Sunny Side Up") to the never-before-released, never aired finale of the final show ("Here's To Us"), this CD fascinates. The failed intros and uncompleted performance of "Something Cool" -also from the final taping- is ... well, fascinating. The change in her voice from the earliest cuts (notably "Liza") to the end is also telling, the difference in miking notwithstanding. The liner notes mention "Here's Top Us" as the " holy grail" of Garland fans, and boy, is he right! Certainly the most heartbreaking -and yet triumphant- performance I have ever heard from Judy. It was, after all these years of only hearing ABOUT that song, actually quite difficult for me to get through it, it is so charged with emotion. It is somrthing to behold, this collection, done with respect, love and technical skill. Enjoy.

This CD is a treasure. If you are not familiar with all of the older recordings, you will still love this collection. If you ARE familiar with most of its content, then you will absolutely flip!! This is the first CD (legitimate, that is) that has very carefully and wisely chosen selections of the very best there is to be had of Judy's television material. If you have the older boxed set of the selections from TJGS, this is the crowning "completer piece". This entire CD contains the very heart and soul of TJGS and is perhaps the closest thing to actually "being there" that we can attain. It has a sound (SUPERBLY REMASTERED!) and a feel to it that I have yet to experience with the other recordings. What else can I say?!!
It is a Garland collection unlike any other and you WILL BE PLEASED!! If a dollar value could be placed on the content, I would say that it is worth the price of the entire CD (and then some!) to hear her sing "Here's to Us" one more time!
Thank you Scott and to all the folks at Hip-O records for devoting the time and effort it took to bring this to life!!
This is what "becomes a legend most"!!

It's all here, including the duets with fellow Legends, great solos, and Rare Outtakes that any true Garland fan would have killed for before this CD was released. Plus, the sound is superbly remastered in 24-bit digital sound, and there are rare COLOR photos in this FULL-COLOR Booklet included. And the CD runs a full 74 minutes. Get it, you'll love it.

Having been a Garland fan for over 30 years I found THE JUDY GARLAND SHOW "The Show that Got Away" not only to be very enjoyable but a great overview of her six months on CBS in her very own series. I was very happy with the songs on the album and feel they present a wide spectrum of the show, guests and the great talents of Miss Garland. Photos are clear, lovely, (great gowns Mr. Aghayan!), and many new and refreshing. Very happy with liner notes by Mr. Scott Schechter. Who could ask for anything more?! Charles Triplett, North Carolina

For years, Garland fans had to depend on bootleg, scratchy audio and video tapes from the Judy Garland tv show. All agree now that those 26 shows, in tandem with the Carnegie Hall concert and the two specials leading up to the series (Judy, Frank & Dean and the Goulet-Silvers shows), were Judy at her very best, her most creative, her most everything. The show was sabotaged by two horrific monsters named Aubrey and Stromberg (who, for instance, told her she couldn't do a tribute to her murdered friend JFK because no one would remember him for more than a month), but thankfully their complete disregard for the show left the original "kinnies" in the hands of someone who knew their worth. Found in a locked New Jersey closet, they were transferred to Sid Luft who sold them to a small company called 32 records. After that, the usual litigation ensued but nearly all the shows have been released on video by Pioneer and a good portion of the audio tracks (some never boradcast) are coming out slowly but surely. This collection, while not as histortic as the Garland Duets culling, is still a thrill and not just because of its Garland and guests'(Peggy Lee, Tony Bennett, Streisand, Merman) songs--the sound quality is terrific. High point: "Here's to Us" the last song recorded on the cancelled show's last episode (tho not broadcast). Please, sir, more!

This is a truly bizarre release. Wonderful moments but a most ecentric choice of songs. Worth having for "Here's to Us", "Battle Hymn" (again) and some of the duets. So, a mixed blessing but we should be grateful people continue to work so hard to bring us as complete a record of the greatest entertainer of our time.

An absolute must!!! even with prohibitive import tax levied by the Dutch this CD is a must for every Garland fan, a fantastic glimpse into 60's TV shows and a legacy of a true star, worth every cent!!!

I'm giving this 3 stars only because it's Judy...but this really should only get a 1. I have the DVD's (every episode that is available) and these have got to be some of the weakest moments in the entire series! "Yes, Indeed" with Dick Shawn?? "The Boy Next Door" with Peter Lawford??? And "There's No Business Like Show Business" where you can't even hear her sing?? Aside from "Battle Hymn" and "Ol Man River", this seems like just a random selection done by someone who didn't even watch the show! So much is skipped over...where's Come Rain or Come Shine? Hey Look Me Over? Foggy Day?? I won't even begin to list the great medleys she did with other guests or her amazing concert episode triumphs. This is a MAJOR MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT!!!!!!!!!!! BOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Although this CD hasnt got a very high rating overall on the Amazon web site, I think it is a "must" for all Garland fans, a rare glimpse of the format of 60's U.S. TV shows, complete with sponsors commentary at commercial break time, some of the tracks are not Garland at her best that's true to say but nevertheless still a legacy to treasure of this legendary artist.

The people at Hippo Records obviously have no concept of what Judy Garland was all about! This new CD release contains the weakest moments from her exciting TV series. The only worthwhile tracks are "Here's to Us" and "Something Cool" which she recorded but did not air. That latter is actually only a partial cut, she didn't finish the recording. Stick to the DVD's of this series, this CD is a complete miss!