Judy Garland - Judy At Carnegie Hall: Fortieth Anniversary Edition
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Free Music Notes for Judy At Carnegie Hall: Fortieth Anniversary Edition
Free Music Review: Artistic Redemption
Hit: 5 Stars
So much has been written about Garland's private life that over time it has been increasingly difficult to reach through her notoriety to experience the art she created. The 1961 Carnegie Hall Concert provides the listener an opportunity to do just that.Although the recording includes several examples of Garland's conversational rapport with her audience, the emphasis is on the music. And here, from the moment the orchestra begins an excitingly arranged overture, we find a degree of electricity, authority, and artistry that equal and quite possibly best any other performer of the 20th Century.
Although her range was not remarkable, Garland's voice possessed tonal qualities that set her apart from any other singer of her era, but more importantly Garland's voice was an instrument of incredible emotional nuance. Whether tossing off an up-beat throw-away such as "You Go To My Head," a scorching torch ballad like "The Man That Got Away," or the belter's classic "Swanee," one is always acutely aware of what seems to be an instinctively flawless phrasing specifically designed with you personally in mind, unavoidable, inevitable, and inescapable.
If you never listen to, or own, any other Garland recording, it must be this one. Forget about all the things you've read, all the documentaries you've seen, the mythology and iconography--interesting as such may be, Garland's completely overwhelming talent doesn't require reference to anything except itself. Lock the door, draw the curtain, turn off the telephone--and simply experience the single finest live concert recording of the 20th Century.
Free Music Review: A Great Reissue of the greatest live performance
Hit: 5 Stars
This is the second reissue of JUDY AT CARNEGIE HALL in just over a year; the expensive GOLD CD was so well done that I couldn't imagine why Capitol wanted to do yet another mix; I bought this one mainly to compare the quality of the sound with last years GOLD CD, and because of the new booklet.The only complaint I had heard about the GOLD CD was that it didn't contain enough of the ambiance of Carnegie Hall, and I heard that this mix was intended to restore that. Honestly, on my old Surround Sound system, I can hear very little difference in quality between the two. There is a tad more reverb on this new release, and probably on a non-Surround system this one would sound better. Certainly, with the signifcantly lower price and the expanded booklet, this is the one to buy.
It was high time that this great recording was given the special treatment it deserves when the GOLD CD came out, and this release fits the bill as well. I'm not too fond of the pink color they have used on the disc itself, but that is certainly a minor quibble. It is attractively packaged and comes with a nice booklet containing numerous photos not included in previous editions of the recording.
Anyone unfamiliar with this recording should check it out. Many of us believe that this is not only Judy Garland's greatest recording, but the greatest live popular recording of the 20th Century. Perhaps in the next century, someone will top it, but it hasn't happened yet. The sparkling sound quality captures a sense of the tremendous excitment of the event, and Judy Garland never sounded better.
Free Music Review: FRONT ROW CENTER...CARNEGIE HALL
Hit: 5 Stars
I am always rather reluctant to admit that if I could go back in time for three hours and be at any place in history...it might be front row center at Carnegie Hall at 8:30pm on Sunday evening, April 23rd, 1961. Around this time of the evening is when Mort Lindsay's band struck up the legendary Garland Overture (including the Trolley Song, Over the Rainbow and The Man That Got Away.) Minutes later Garland herself stepped out from the darkness and into the spotlight where she greeted thousands of fans and thundering applause (a lengthy and continuous wave of applause I have since read about and which has certainly been edited due to length for this live concert recording.) Soon afterward, Garland launched into what has been hailed during her time and in subsequent years as the greatest evening in show-business history.So if I can't be there, I certainly feel front row center with this recording, now remastered and on CD. It is impossible to list favorites here...how do you determine and assign an order to greatness when every performance is genius? Garland's voice is unbelievable, unstoppable, unrelentingly powerful. After an incredible opening medley of "Almost Like Being in Love" and "This Can't Be Love", she rises to power with song after song culminating in "The Man That Got Away" and "San Francisco"...then serenades the audience with the equally-powerful soft melody of "I Can't Give You Anything But Love." Again, why make a list here? Any omission of songs, performances and silly banter here would be a tragedy. This is pure joy and pure excellence. Don't miss it!
Free Music Review: One of the Best Concerts Ever Recorded
Hit: 5 Stars
After the Overture intro Judy belts out "When You're Smiling," which sets the tone for this record and I have to say, this is probably a record I never would have bought back then, but my dad owned a record store called the Concert Room on Hollywood Boulevard and I used to work there on the weekends and that's where I heard this record over and over again and it's where I learned to appreciate Judy Garland and there's a lot to appreciate here, like Judy's version of "You Go to My Head". I loved Billy Holiday's Columbia recording, her later Verve recording I loved too and years later I would love Linda Ronstadt's version on For Sentimental Reasons, but for reasons I can't define, I like Judy's version here the best.
I'll admit it's been years since I've played this, but I got it out, put the disc into my computer and ripped it to iTunes, to give it a listen before I started writing this review and listening to it, as I am now, I don't know why I haven't played it in so long. I'm a lover of live concerts and this one is one of the best I've ever heard. She plays to the audience and they seem to play back to her, giving her something special that's not on her studio records. My favorite two songs on this record are "Zing Went the Strings of My Heart" and "Stormy Weather", two very different kinds of songs, two very different moods and Judy takes you from one to the other like a pro. The audience loves her here. I do too.
Free Music Review: She died at 47... she could easily have won 47 stars for this:-)
Hit: 5 Stars
THIS IS JUDY GARLAND at her best. It was the first cd I bought on March 30 1988(not all songs included however) and it has never been far from my reach... In 1992 I finally got the two-disc album and now own the complete concert...
I have yet to come over a person who is indifferent to this recording. It is as if God himself smiled down on Frances Ethel turned Judy and gave her and US the greatest live recording ever made....
In 2005 I saw Liza Minnelli in Oslo(3d row) and I was hysterical... She gladly acknowledged me and introduced Bill LaVorgnia who turned out to be Judy`s drummer that night in 1961. She said something like this:
"Mama, the drum section is truly great tonight. Judy: Yes, do you see the drummer?...Yes I do... Judy: Well, give him his slippers(as I have been asked to do by Mama) and we`ll keep him in the family. And I ALWAYS DID WHAT MY MAMA TOLD ME TO DO!"
I yelled and clapped and she looked at me and asked "Oh - you got the album??" I shouted a great "YES" and she smiled that incredeable smile of hers to me... Later that evening we met and we were photographed together(you can see us in my profile) and she signed a paper from my hand - "Love Liza"...
TWO SHOW BUSINESS GREATS........ I think Judy and the Master himself smiled down at ME that night and gave ME a Carnegie Hall experience, cause Liza is getting BETTER AND BETTER as well:-)