[.ca] Miss Show Business/Judy

The Best of 1950s Garland:
The content of these two albums constitutes the best of Judy Garland's considerable output to 1950's entertainment. "Miss Show Business" was recorded to coincide with her CBS-TV special which in turn was based on her 1952 19-week Palace run. Her voice is rich, vibrant, and powerful. Hearing these arrangements sung in optimum recording conditions for the time is a real treat (The CBS special itself was hindered by Garland being in thick, husky voice that particular night. It didn't matter as the special went on to become the highest rated special in the history of TV to that time). "Judy," also offered on this two-for-one set, is actually a reissue of the album already relased on a single CD by Capitol several years ago. On that release, Capitol pulled "I'm Old Fashioned," recorded at this same session with the released tracks, out of its archives and put it on the CD release as a bonus track. Unfortunately, it has not been included here, a shame since it's a gorgeous rendering of that beautiful Jerome Kern melody. Thankfully, Capitol is reissuing its Garland catalog on these marvelous two-for-one releases, and no Garland fan should be without any of them.

First two Capitol Albums.:
Collectables have this time round, on their reissues of old LP's on the two-on-one way of doing things, given us a couple of Judy Garland albums, dating from the 1950's. "Miss Show Business" from 1955, and "Judy" from 1956. Both were originally released on Capitol Records. "Miss Show Business" was recorded through late August, and early September of 1955. The album consists of 10 tracks, 3 of which are medleys of tunes. Among the tracks is the oh-so overrated "Over the Rainbow" which is a song, recorded way too many times. Many of these were performed before in her stage act, at the Palace. This album is maybe her best of the Capitol Records (maybe along with "Alone"), with a great number of tunes. Some of the better ones include "A Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow" and "Carolina in the Morning". The "Judy at the Palace: Medley" is always enjoyable. This is a very good album, which makes up the first half of this disc. "Judy" is another great album. Recorded in 1956, it stands out to be another one of her best albums for Capitol, and the first time Judy Garland worked with Nelson Riddle (well known for his work with Frank Sinatra on his Capitol Recordings). The songs consist of, again, another load that would be recorded numerous times by the same artist, throughout the years. It's not always annoying, but sometimes a different selection of songs would be nice. Among the best here are "Come Rain or Come Shine", which is the opener for the album, "I Feel a Song Coming On", a song Dean Martin did a fantastic recording of, and another load of memorable songs, once performed by Al Jolson, "April Showers", and "Dirty Hands, Dirty Face". A very enjoyable set. The sound quality on this reissue from Collectables is, as always to be expected from this label, very, very good. Comes with original liner notes, along with newly written liner notes by Scott Schechter. It's a good, and lengthy two-fer, well worth adding to the CD collection. Highly Recommended.

Classic Performances:
These are two classic albums of Garland at the peak of her vocalizing. While "Miss Show Business" focusses primarily on nostalgic tunes, she gives them fire and passion. "Carolina..." and "Pretty Girl..." show off her verve and technique at its best. The big revelation here, though, is the song selection on the second album, simply titled "Judy". While Garland's voice sometimes sounds a bit thick and raspy, her interpretations of these tunes are exemplary. The energetic "I Feel a Song Comin' On" contrasts nicely with the lush "Just Imagine" and overall the song selection is more sophisticated and elegant than the movie tunes Garland is known for. A welcome addition to any fan's collection and a great introduction to classic American music.

• Medley: This Is the Time of the Evening/While We're Young
• Medley: You Made Me Love You/For Me and My Gal/The Boy Next ...
• Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow
• Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody
• Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe
• Judy at the Palace: Shine on Harvest Moon/Some of These Days/My Man
• Carolina in the Morning
• Danny Boy
• After You've Gone
• Over the Rainbow - Judy Garland, E.Y. "Yip" Harburg
• Come Rain or Come Shine
• Just Imagine
• I Feel a Song Coming On
• Last Night When We Were Young
• Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries
• April Showers
• Maybe I'll Come Back
• Dirty Hands, Dirty Face
• Lucky Day
• Memories of You
• Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home