Customer Reviews

That Old Feeling: Classic Ballads From Judy Garlan

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An historic release from Savoy Jazz "THAT OLD FEELING: CLASSIC BALLADS FROM THE JUDY GARLAND SHOW", featuring a 20 songfest from the legendary Judy Garland...from her television show during 1963-64 on the CBS-TV network...here you will witness and enjoy the command Garland had over her audience with new and old material, all with that fresh interpretation...let's look at the genres Judy covers from Hollywood, Broadway, Patriotic and Folk tunes no holds barred and she takes on each one with her familiar gusto.

Sample the spectrum of her timelessness and pure magic expressed through her voice and personality with
ONCE IN A LIFETIME (A. Newley/L. Bricusse)
I'M ALWAYS CHASING RAINBOWS (H. Carroll/J. McCarthy) (was my Grandmother's favorite song, and Judy sings it just that way it should be sung from the heart)
TOO LATE NOW (B. Lane/A.J. Lerner)
OL' MAN RIVER (O. Hammerstein/J. Kern) (usually performed by a male vocalist, but Garland makes this one her own)
SHENANDOAH (Across the Wide Missouri) (traditional)
WHEN YOU LOVER HAS GONE (E.A. Swan)
A FOGGY DAY IN LONG TOWN (G.Gershwin/I Gershwin)
AS LONG AS HE NEED ME (Lionel Bart)
WHAT'LL I DO? (Irving Berlin) (a classic tune from a great American composer)
ALL ALONE (Irving Berlin) (another great Berlin tune)
LOST IN THE STARS (M. Anderson/K. Weill)
A COTTAGE FOR SALE (I Conley/W. Robinson) (the most touching ballad on the album, Garland never sounded better)
THAT OLD FEELING (I. Brown/S. Fain) (the lyrics tell the story completely)
BY MYSELF (H. Dietz/A. Schwartz)
HERE'S THAT RAINY DAY (J. Burke/J. Van Huesen)
THE LAST DANCE (S. Cahn/J. Van Heusen)
BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC (J. Howe/W. Steffe) (tremendous performance from a legend)

Bonus Tracks:
I LEFT MY HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO (D. Cross/G Cory) (featuring Tony Bennett with Judy on 7/30/63)
MEDLEY: GET HAPPY/HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN (T. Koehler/H Arlen/J Yellen) (featuring Barbra Streisand with Judy on 10/04/63)

Encore:
THROUGH THE YEARS (V. Youmans/E. Heyman) (a testament to one of the greatest entertainers to stand before the footlights)

Each track is accompanied by gifted session musicians with rhythm sections, choruses, instrumental solos and full orchestra featuring her favorite arranger, orchestrator and conductor Mort Lindsey the best in the business...as Mr. John Fricke states in the liner notes "Garland walked out of CBS bigger than when she came in...she mastered the uneasy relationship between star and camera...knew when to play to it and when to play to the studio audience...tackled new kinds of songs with moods and emotions difficult to sustain and brought them off sucessfully"...also several never-before-published photographs in the album booklet.

Hats off to John Fricke (compiled & annotated by), Joshua Sherman (executive producer), Steve Sanders & Fricke (photos) and of course Savoy Jazz for this memorial tribute release for Judy who would have been celebrating her 83rd Birthday Anniversary...born: Frances Ethel Gumm from Grand Rapids, Minnesota on June 10,1922...and through recordings like this we never really lost Judy on June 22,1969...she remains in our hearts through her songs...just the way it should be!

Total Time: 64:00 on 20 Tracks ~ Savoy Jazz 17519 ~ (6/14/2005)

The definite introduction to Judy's later work. This collection shows why Judy Garland is still considered to be one of the best performers of the 20th century. Her versions of "Ol Man River", "By Myself" and "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" are awesome. The sound quality is much better than on earlier "Judy-Garland-Show"-CDs. You don't have to be a Judy Garland fan to love this album. It's just perfect.

This CD, culled from performances of Judy's TV show (1963/64) is an excellent way of getting Garland recordings of songs not normally associated with her. The weekly grind of creating 48 minutes of TV over 26 episodes gave Judy the chance to perform many songs that were new to her repertoire at that time. It's great that they're pulling those performances out and creating CD's from that time period.

Her highs and lows are well documented and the series wasn't without its troubles, but this was Judy's last sustained effort at a regular gig and she didn't disappoint. Hindsight suggests she might have done better in a series of specials rather than weekly TV, but who knows?

This has a lot of great performances and the imperfection of pulling audio from the TV masters should be overlooked by all who are interested in hearing Judy give these songs a spin. John Fricke and company do a great job, as always.

If you are in need of learning how to sing a ballad the correct way; please purchase this CD. Judy Garland knows how to get a ballad sung correctly. She is one of my favorite ballad singers.

Judy Garland will always remain the world's greatest entertainer. She could sing, act and dance far better than any of them; and this CD provides us with a wonderful track set of just a few of the ballads she sang on her critically acclaimed television series on CBS. Judy fans will be delighted with this album; and anyone who doubts Judy's ability to interpret a song in her own singularly beautiful way will be confident that she was the best after they listen to this album.

The track set begins auspiciously with "Once In A Lifetime." Judy sings this with great panache and all her heart. Judy's excellent diction and the musical arrangement bolster this number. Wow! You truly get the feeling that she really is singing of her brand new world. "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" changes the mood to one of melancholy; and judging by the audience reaction Judy really sold this song. Judy performs this number as only a consummate entertainer ever could; and I predict you will enjoy "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" very, very much.

"Ol' Man River" was a number Judy enjoyed singing; and she delivers "Ol' Man River" with such heart and soul that Paul Robeson would have been green with envy! The musical arrangement makes great use of the strings and horns; but Judy's vocals remain squarely in the spotlight. Excellent!

"What'll I Do" again proves only Judy could bat this one straight out of the ballpark! Judy infuses this number with all the melancholy emotion she ever could while keeping her performance strong, neat and clean. The piano accompaniment in the background works well for "What'll I Do." "That Old Feeling" comes from the past but in Judy's capable hands it sounds new and fresh; you'll swear you never heard this ballad before as Judy massages the lyrics to make this song fresh--and her own, too. Love those strings in the musical arrangement, too! "By Myself" boasts a wonderful strings arrangement and Judy sings this straight from her heart. Judy's interpretation makes "By Myself" THE definitive rendition of "By Myself."

Another treat on this CD is a beautiful but all too brief duet between Judy and Tony Bennett; together they sing "I Left My Heart In San Francisco." You can tell Tony and Judy ARE in love--with their music. You also get the famous duet Judy did with Barbra Streisand as they deliver a medley of "Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again." This is a rare treat because these two artists rarely worked together. Magnificent!

The CD track set ends with one of Judy's very favorite songs entitled "Through The Years." Judy begins with a touching spoken introduction about people being nicer to each other; and when she begins to sing "Through The Years" she positively takes flight! Judy's strong performance of "Through The Years" gives us a solid ending for this album. It'll leave you wanting more, too!

The liner notes include an informative essay by John Fricke. You also get the song credits and recording dates. Great! The artwork reflects good judgment; the stunning photos of Judy enhance the quality of the artwork greatly.

Judy was easily one in a trillion; and I highly doubt we'll ever see another one quite like her. Judy Garland could take a song and massage it to new heights of beauty with her singular and ingenious talent. It is a fitting tribute to Judy that her CDs and DVDs still sell very well despite the passage of time--you could never keep this great artist down.

I highly recommend this CD for Judy's fans; and anyone who enjoys classic pop vocals will cherish this CD for years to come. If you are new to Judy Garland and want to experience her singing talent this CD would be a great place to start.

Enjoy! God Bless You, Judy! We miss you!!!

Judy Garland has the deepest most emotional way of singing ballads. This CD has beautiful songs. Judy's signature was a style, she created it and that's why noone else can do what she did ever again. She has a way of making songs come to life. I highly recommend this CD. The Last Dance is my ultimate favorite song.

I purchased this CD as I love music and Judy Garland. This was Judy past her prime and the quality of recording and her voice was very poor. Save your money and look for another choice.

Here's proof that what sounds like a great idea on paper can flop when transferred to compact disc. The tunes on these recordings have been culled from Liza's mom's '60s small-screen variety series, but the less-than-stellar sound quality hurts, making them more grating than gracious. The rambling bits of dialogue feel hollow and disconnected when heard out of context; those wanting to hear Judy sing these songs should watch her as well. Geneon Entertainment will take die-hard devotees over the rainbow --- they have released Judy's entire ill-fated series on DVD, proving you can go home again. And again. And again.