Customer Reviews

Judy / In Love

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The quality of this CD is flawless. Remastered to perfection and creates the excitement of the days when the singer and orchestra were in the same room (what a concept). Garland's voice is amazing. Her Capitol sessions were always among her best and the combination of the two albums gives the listener a vast array of her vocal and emotional power. No one could, or ever will, come close to what that brilliant woman could do with a song. The CD makes you miss her and also makes you realize she was truly unique. There will never be another one like her.

If you loved Judy's albums of Judy in Love and Judy, then this is the CD to get. They are her best albums of the 50s and in quality sound on a CD. This is truly a gem, as was The Lady herself, to be always treasured.

First, to get it clear, the album "Judy" preceded Judy's 1960s T.V. series by many years. But some of the songs were used on a Judy Garland T.V. special. It really was the first time Garland was recorded the way she should have been as her Decca Records always had that strictly-routine Decca sound (which was intentional). Here Nelson Riddle sets Garland in fantastic arrangements and Capitol's engineers show their stuff to great effect. "Judy In Love" is even more brilliant, possibly her greatest album, with Nelson percolatin' along with one of the greatest arrangements ever written, for "Zing! Went The Strings of My Heart" and a gorgeous balladic version of "I Can't Get You Anything But Love." "Do It Again," done as a slow ballad at Carnegie Hall, is approached uptempo here. Garland is in thrilling voice, the material is topnotch, the orchestrations above topnotch and the engineering splendid. Grab it!

Let me begin my review by stating that these happen to be two of the very best albums Judy Garland made at Capitol Records. With the great Nelson Riddle at the helm and Judy in her best 1950s form, how can you lose?

EMI, the British label who released these gems, has made a huge mistake in not utilizing the original masters in this release. Instead of the sparking sound that came from previous cd issues of this material (25th Anniversary Retrospective and Classic Garland: Capitol Years 1955-1965, for example.), this release lacks the warmth and sparkle of the original recordings.

I would reccommend one of the compilations listed above for superior versions of some of these tracks. Or wait until a future release does justice to these groundbreaking and historic recordings.

TWO OF MS. GARLAND'S CAPITOL ALBUMS ARE INCLUDED IN THIS SET AND SHOW HER AT HER VOCAL BEST. HER RECORDING OF "I CAN'T GIVE YOU ANYTHING BUT LOVE" IS A CLASSIC AND WORTH THE PRICE ALONE. IF ONE NEEDS FURTHER PROOF OF GARLAND'S GREATNESS THESE RECORDINGS ARE A TESTAMENT TO HER GENIUS. FROM BALLADS LIKE "I HADN'T ANYONE TIL YOU" AND "JUST IMAGINE" TO "COME RAIN OR COME SHINE" AND "ZING WENT THE STRINGS OF MY HEART", MS. GARLAND SAILS THROUGH A GREAT SELECTION OF SONGS AS ONLY SHE COULD DO THEM. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS CD FOR ANY GARLAND FAN. THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER LIKE HER. THE STARS HAVE INDEED LOST THEIR GLITTER.

Judy Garland's greatest work, in my humble opinion, came later on when she went to Capitol Records. Paired with the immortal Nelson Riddle here on two of her earliest Capitol outings, comes this wonderful "2fer" release from the good people at EMI, who have done outstanding work on such collections from Nat "King" Cole, Dean Martin, Vic Damone, Peggy Lee, and Louis Prima, to mention a few. The liner notes include replications of the original album covers as well, and the remastering is second to none. These two long out of print albums will be welcome additions to any CD collector. The JUDY sides are comprised of songs used on her popular TV show. Judy's tender readings of "Dirty Hands, Dirty Face" and others are priceless in their own right. For swing's sake, we have a great rendition of "Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries" with a great tag on the ending as only Judy (abetted by Nelson's swingin' chart) could only do, and her usual closer on TV, "Maybe I'll Come Back" (one of my personal faves) This album was available many years ago on CD format, and I own one but that, coupled with the fact that the JUDY IN LOVE has NEVER been released on CD format, didn't shy me away from this purchase. Judy's versions of Cole Porter's "I Am Loved" and the classic "Do I Love You?" are not to be missed, again with spectacular Nelson Riddle arrangements. Hoping EMI continues re-releasing more of Judy's limited works on Capitol....I know collectors everywhere would relish her "ALONE" and "THE LETTER albums (both with Gordon Jenkins arranging and conducting) on a similar "2fer", and that would seem a logical follow up to these two "happy" albums on one great package! Great price for an import too! ENJOY!

There was and is something uniquely special about the many albums Judy Garland recorded during her ten-year contract with Capitol Records (1955-65). Her previous years on the Decca label were of course incredibly valuable, providing a solid training ground, but once Garland teamed with Nelson Riddle & Co. at Capitol, it was a perfect mixture. Never before had Garland expressed her true adult "voice" on record, and Riddle knew exactly how to stretch and challenge Garland's performance style, often far and away into places even she hadn't thought possible.

Two of Garland's best albums for Capitol are featured on this enchanting twofer.

JUDY (1957) showcased a lot of the material that Judy had been performing on the concert stage, but Nelson Riddle's new arrangements added a whole new dimension. Indeed the "Come Rain or Come Shine" orchestration was retained by Judy for many years; it's exotic percussion introduction and free-flowing jazz melody are sublime. "Just Imagine" comes from the score of GOOD NEWS, "I Will Come Back" was a tried-and-tested Garland staple; whilst "Any Place I Hang My Hat is Home" is from Harold Arlen's brassy ST. LOUIS WOMAN score.

The cover art depicts Judy in the lilac gown she wore during the final scene of A STAR IS BORN, and the back cover had more pictures from that period, yet the album itself doesn't have any songs from STAR IS BORN, nor is it affiliated with the film in any way.

JUDY IN LOVE (1958) was one of Garland's first stereo platters; a joyful selection of mostly uptempo love ballads. Judy's in fine voice and ready to revisit some of her early material with revised Nelson Riddle arrangements. Chief amongst the highlights, "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" was famously the number Garland sang during her first MGM audition. "Do It Again" (from THE FRENCH DOLL) is a piece Garland would often sing and record in the following years but this particular rendition is second to none.

I firmly believe that Garland's recordings and live performances during this time influenced and fed off each other. It's the most fascinating period of Garland's professional career, and I simply can't get enough of her Capitol material.

Beautifully restored and at a bargain price.

Every Judy fan has to be jumping with joy in response to this fabulous release. Waiting for The Letter and Alone, though!