Customer Reviews

Judy

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There is no question that Judy Garland was and still is the world's greatest entertainer, and this glossy box set provides ample evidence for the unconverted. Yet for over seventy dollars, I feel there should be more evidence: each of the four CDs contains about 40 minutes of music (a CD can hold 70), while the video has only truncated teasers from "The Judy Garland Show." For the uninitiated or budding fan, a combination of other CDs would provide just as impressive an introduction to Garland's oeuvre for far less money. Start with "Judy at Carnegie Hall" -- an ABSOLUTE MUST for ANYBODY; sample A&E's Garland "Biography" CD -- a beautifully produced CD with glossy liner notes; and get the recently released, fantastic "Judy Duets" set for her sensational TV material. If you like what you hear, move on to this box set. I don't regret buying this set for one minute, though, and I wouldn't regret buying any Judy recording,

This Judy Garland box set, which is simply entitled Judy, gives us so much to enjoy. We get four fantastic CDs; and the sound quality is excellent. There is a VHS video; this gives people some of the highlights from Judy's critically acclaimed weekly television series. In addition, you really do get a 100 page booklet with great information about Judy.

"The History Of My Life Is In My Songs" starts the first CD with this tune from Judy's 1955 LP entitled Miss Show Business. Judy sounds very strong and her voice is warm, vibrant and full of positive energy. Great! "Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart" is an older recording from Judy's recording years at Decca; she sings this flawlessly with the grace and style of a much more seasoned chanteuse. Judy also does a smash-up job on "(Dear Mr. Gable) You Made Me Love You;" this comes from the film Broadway Melody Of 1938. In addition, "For Me And My Gal" features Judy again at her best; this song remained a concert staple for Judy during her concert years after she left MGM.

On the second album, "Get Happy" comes from Summer Stock; and Judy aces this effortlessly. "The Man That Got Away" comes from the soundtrack of A Star Is Born from 1954; and Judy sang this so passionately it easily became one of her signature songs. "Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe" again features Judy front and center--and she loved this song because her son was named Joe. In addition, "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody" was another concert staple for Judy during her concert years; this Al Jolson hit sounds even better when Judy sings it!

On the third CD, "What'll I Do?" gets the royal treatment; Judy sings this with great sensitivity. "On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe" showcases Judy's ability to perform this MGM classic tune during the latter years of her career; Judy sings this so well she truly owns this song. "Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again" showcases Judy Garland doing a magnificent duet with Barbra Streisand; it was very rare that these two great songbirds worked together.

The fourth CD rounds the track set out nicely. "Swanee" gets a fine treatment; this also was a concert staple for Judy; her adoring fans loved how Judy could really let loose during this tune to deliver it with all her might. "By Myself" comes from the movie I Could Go On Singing;" and Judy again performs this to perfection seemingly without any effort whatsoever. Great! There's also "Old Man River;" this tune from the 1960s couldn't sound better.

Of course, there's that 100 page booklet. The photos of Judy are wonderful; and you can read fascinating essays by Joel Dorn, Will Friedwald and Scott Schechter. There's also an interview with Mort Lindsey, who conducted Judy's orchestra for years.

The videotape has numerous highlights of Judy's TV series. We see her perform "Swanee;" "Almost Like Being In Love;" What'll I Do;" "Come Rain Or Come Shine" and other songs. It's wonderful; and the image is crisp.

This may no longer be the latest or the most complete Judy Garland box set; but a diehard fan will still want this. This remains an excellent retrospective of Judy Garland's illustrious career.

This box set is the biggest treat in the world for any and every Judy Garland fan. All the heart, personality, dynamite, tenderness, passion, and spellbinding magic of Judy Garland is captured in the most comprehensive and beautiful box set I've ever seen.

Included in the package are four CDs. The remarkable footage contained on the first CD includes Garland at seven years old, already with an astonishingly powerful voice singing vaudeville kiddie numbers solo and even with her two older sisters (but she's still the standout!). She performs at thirteen with a heartbreaking rendition of "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart", which she sang as a tribute to her dying father. Also included on the first CD are some of her early Decca recordings and performances with Harold Arlen and Al Jolson. On the second CD are several of her post-MGM recordings including "A Star Is Born"'s "The Man That Got Away", and a recording session from "Star" during which Garland got uncontrollable giggles. On the third CD are performances from Garland's 1963-64 television series, boasting performances of many nostalgic favorites. The fourth CD continues and contains the best of Garland's TV show numbers, including solo performances of "Ol' Man River" and "Swanee" and duets with Barbra Streisand, Peggy Lee, and Ray Bolger (the 'Scarecrow' of "Oz"). The last song on the final CD is a solo performance, and perhaps the most tender and heartbreaking performance of any of the CDs. It is Garland singing "Over the Rainbow" just months before her death, her voice diminished and cracking with the ravages of the years, but it is performed with all the love and heart that we remember breaking our hearts when Garland first sang it as "Dorothy".

Also included in the set is a video, a very special addition. The tape contains nine performances from the TV show, (with remarkably clear, sharp images!) beginning with Garland belting out, "Swanee". She sings an amusing version of "Almost Like Being In Love", is heartbreaking with "What'll I Do?" and "When Your Lover Has Gone", and performs with gusto and heart on the numbers "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "Together Wherever We Go" (with daughter Liza Minnelli) and the touching "As Long As He Needs Me". But the most touching, and what I believe to be the most incredible performance of Garland's life is her thrilling, heartbreaking, passionate performance of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" as a tribute for the recently assassinated JFK. Watching the tape, the viewer can see that Garland tries hard not to break down when she reaches a pivotal lyric in the song, "...let us die to make men free...", and it is a testament to the power of heart that Garland threw into every song she ever sang.

As a bonus to the incredible collection of performances is a 96-page booklet compiled by Joel Dorn, his son Adam Dorn, and Garland activist Scott Schecter, detailing the CD's contents and featuring interviews with Aretha Franklin and Mort Lindsey, the longtime conductor of much of Garland's special material. The book also contains many rare, beautiful photos.

If you're a true fan of Judy Garland, buy this treasure chest of priceless performances and memories!

This box set seemed like the definitive Judy Garland collection when it first came out. Not only does it offer all her hits including a few rare outtakes in the studio (one of her laughing like crazy), an early recording with her sisters, and a few solo recordings made when she was 7 years old, it includes a 100-page booklet and a video featuring a few songs from her 1960s television series (including the memorable "Battle Hymn of the Republic" recorded soon after John F. Kennedy's assassination). The video also includes a couple of old commercials; one for Lucky Strike cigarettes ("separates the men from the boys...but not from the girls), and Contact with the Wizard of Oz characters.

However, five years later Garland's TV episodes are all being released on DVD and, with so many books and CDs out there, this collection does not look as strong. The booklet has a lot of nice photos, but is a hodgepodge of memories and interviews with different people (including Aretha Franklin) about Garland. It is also a little inconvenient to have the track listings in the booklet and not with the CDs, although I enjoy the brief histories on some of the tracks offered in the booklet. It is nicely packaged, with classy looking cases for the book, CDs, and video. If you want a taste of audio, video, photos, and text in one compact set, this might be the one for you; but if you are really getting into the career of this legend, there are many other collections out there.

I have just spent an afternoon being mesmerized by the voice of Judy Garland and having been a fan now for 45 years, that took some doing! This collection is destined to become a collectible, have no doubts on that point. I laughed, I cried, I applauded, I sang along, I terrified my family, as they had no idea what I was doing! I was being carried away by the sheer force of this incredible woman's talent! Truly, she is one of a kind. From the earliest recordings that date from 1929 through to her performing at "The Talk of The Town" club in London, in 1969, there is not one disappointing note or phrasing. The only disappointment is that it ends!!! A fabulous book filled with wonderful pictures and stories about the songs, as well as interviews and comments by some of her contemporaries, 4 CDs that encompass a lifetime's achievements and a video! I found myself going from one to the other, not caring what was happening around me, as I was totally absorbed in the experience at hand. Thirty years after her death and we're still shouting, "MORE!!!" Well, they've finally given us the ultimate dose and I wish that there were some way to thank the wonderful people, who took the time, energy and immense effort needed to produce this incredible collection. BUY THIS SET and know why we fans just cannot get enough of this incredible human being and her immense talent!!

Though the quality of some of these recordings is not the best (due to the age of the recordings and the technology in use at the time)-- any Garland fan will find many songs to enjoy on this 3 disc set that also includes a nice video rememberance of the Judy Garland TV Show. Particularly notable are a duet with Bobby Darrin, and one with Tony Bennett. The Count Basie number is also a real winner! A beautiful solo version of "A Cottege for Sale" let's any new listener hear what Ms. Garland could do with a lyric and a piano. This set is a treasure of songs -- many that are not often heard by Garland fans. BUY IT!!

Judy Garland is undoubtedly the best female artist of the 20th century and that is what makes this boxset something you just have to have regardless of the fact you're a Judy fan or not. The cds run through Judy's earliest singing performance to the mature and well-known songs through which she has become immensely famous for. Although her tragic ending and short lived life this collection makes you appreciate the artist even more. If you love good music and have always loved listening to her remarkable voice do yourself a favour and buy this set.

Judy the box set is a great collection of songs. They range from her early days in vaudeville with "Blue Butterfly" to the last performance of "Over The Rainbow" in 1969. Featuring MGM out-takes and Radio broadcasts, Concert performances at Carnegie Hall and The London Palladium and rare TV recordings from Judy's 1963 special. Songs from the series are:"Smile", "What'll I Do", "Here's That Rainy Day", "On The Atchison, Topeka and The Santa Fe", "The Last Dance", "That Old Feeling" and includes a wonderful booklet of information on Garland's Career and a 30 Minute video of highlights from "The Judy Garland show"

I have this box set and It is a must for all of Judy's Fans!

Among the many virtues of this 4-CD box set is the fact that it includes examples from every period of her career. This is something which, due to the length and breadth of Garland's career simply could not be done in a briefer format. I was particularly impressed with the selection and placement of songs. How the CD begins, for instance, with the intro to Garland's "Palace medley" ("... the history of my life is in my songs...") and then breaks away to her rare childhood recordings. The editing seems to comment on Judy's career, while also keeping a respectful distance, allowing the songs to sing for themselves. Included are plenty of rare recordings which are sure to be a revelation to even a die-hard fan like me. Worth a million dollars is the excerpt from 1939 radio broadcast with Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg and Judy introducing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" for the "first" time. I am only sorry that more newly released material from her TV series was not included. Unfortunately most of the TV material was not new to me, and those that were only made me hungry for more. I was also a bit disturbed by the introduction to the book by the CD's producer, Joel Dorn, which makes Garland out to be a "new discovery", a label which I thinks belittles her and her longtime devotion that her fans have shown her. Aretha Franklin's lengthy interview was also a bit glib, while shedding absolutely no new light on Garland.

It cannot be described, but experienced. If you have any questions regarding Judy Garland's talent as a singer, you must buy this collection. It spans a lifetime of her recordings. I have two of these, I love it that much!