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Holiday Gift Guide Review: Judy Garland, “The Garland Variations: Songs She Recorded More Than Once”

Judy Garland opens JSP Records’ new 5-CD box set The Garland Variations: Songs She Recorded More Than Once (JSP 975) with “Everybody Sing,” the kind of rousing showstopper she was practically born to sing. Sessions for the song from MGM’s Broadway Melody of 1938 began when Garland was on the cusp of just fifteen years old, but the power of her vocal instrument was already in place. But even when belting with a force to rival the mighty Merman, there was always something unfailingly intimate – or personal – about a Judy Garland performance. There’s plenty of that intimacy, as well as that power, on this illuminating new set produced by JSP’s John Stedman and compiled and annotated by Lawrence Schulman.

As with so many of her peers, it wasn’t uncommon for Judy Garland to revisit repertoire over the years; after all, these are the recordings through which many of these songs entered the standard American songbook. An arrangement might vary, in great or small ways, and so, of course, would the artist’s interpretation. The Garland Variations presents songs she recorded in the studio on multiple occasions between 1937 and 1962, with 115 tracks (three of which are new to CD) and over 6-1/2 hours of music, These tracks include such signature songs as “The Man That Got Away,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and of course, “Over the Rainbow,” which is included in five distinct renditions. A number of the most renowned composers and lyricists of popular song are represented, such as Harold Arlen, E.Y. “Yip” Harburg, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane, Johnny Mercer, and Harry Warren. There’s also a good amount of so-called “special material,” much of it courtesy MGM’s Roger Edens, one of the more influential music men in Garland’s life.

As she was inarguably the greatest female song stylist to remain best-known for her work on the silver screen, it’s easy to forget that Garland was actually a recording artist before she was a movie star. Her first long-lasting recording affiliation was with Decca Records. Following some abortive test records made in 1935 by the twelve-year old singer (released by JSP on the label’s Lost Tracks set), Decca released two sides by Garland in 1936 and signed MGM’s up-and-coming star the following year. Garland remained at Decca through 1947, and her tenure there yielded 90 recordings from 30 sessions between 1936 and 1947. Her departure from Decca coincided with MGM’s entering the young soundtrack LP market, and so she no longer had the need to re-record movie favorites for Decca as had been her standard practice. With MGM having first right of refusal for her work, she didn’t make any further studio recordings until after her departure from the Hollywood giant in 1950.

Naturally, Garland’s recordings for MGM play a major role here. Not that Garland’s venerated recordings and celebrated onstage performances aren’t all crucial parts of her legend, but her indelible cinematic portrayals informed every aspect of her career. The first lady of the movie musical, Garland brought her visual and dramatic gifts to other avenues of performance, including the recording studio. Cinema brought out her singular blend of the earthy and the larger-than-life.

Hit the jump for more on this revelatory set! Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Joe Marchese

December 19, 2014 at 10:58

Posted in Box Sets, Compilations, Judy Garland, Reissues, Reviews

Tagged with Holiday Gift Guide, Reviews

Release Round-Up: Week of December 9

Release Round-Up: Week of October 27

Starbucks Serves Up Cocktails with Mel, Serge and Judy, and Folk with Nick, Sandy and Eliza

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Fall apparently wasn’t arriving early enough for the folks at Starbucks, so the international coffee giant moved it up – to this past August 25 – with the early arrival of its familiar fall drinks. But when ordering up that pumpkin spice latte, you might want to check out two recent musical offerings, both curated with the Starbucks Entertainment label’s customary care.

The simply-titled British Folk emphasizes the current crop of troubadours who currently follow in the footsteps of Nick Drake and Sandy Denny, both of whom are represented here with “Hazey Jane” and “Listen, Listen,” respectively. The British folk revival of the late 1960s – which also encompassed artists like Davy Graham, Martin Carthy and John Martyn, and groups such as Pentangle and Fairport Convention – clearly inspired the young singers on British Folk. Yet the compilation incorporates many sounds and styles, some more indebted to the rock side of folk-rock but all rooted in the love of traditional, acoustic music.

Modern spins on folk come from Stokes, William’s “In/Of the World,” Beth Orton’s “Call Me the Breeze” and Eliza Carthy (daughter of folk heroes Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson)’s “Train Song.” Johnny Flynn is heard twice, once with Laura Marling on “The Water” and once solo with “Lost and Found.” Sam Lee rearranges a traditional tune with “Goodbye, My Darling,” and Kat Flint offers a striking political comment with the bitterly ironic “Christopher, You’re a Solider Now.” British-American band Treetop Flyers’ 2013 “Things Will Change” taps into the strains of both countries’ folk-rock styles. The late Drake and Denny’s contributions still sound fresh within the context of these musicians who followed them.

After the jump: take a little time to enjoy a swingin’ Cocktail Hour with many famous names – plus we have track listings for both albums! Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Joe Marchese

September 4, 2014 at 09:59

Posted in Antonio Carlos Jobim, Compilations, Herbie Mann, Judy Garland, Mel Tormé, News, Nick Drake, Ray Charles, Sam Phillips, Sandy Denny, Serge Gainsbourg

Do It Again: JSP’s “The Garland Variations” Box Set Collects Multiple Recordings of Judy Garland Songs

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Like so many of the great vocalists of her day, Judy Garland frequently revisited repertoire over the years. An arrangement might vary, in great or small ways, and so, of course, would the interpretation. Garland’s unparalleled interpretive gifts, apt for wringing as much authentic emotion out of a song as possible, are front and center on the latest box set of the late artist’s recordings from JSP Records. The Garland Variations – Songs She Recorded More Than Once is a new 5-CD collection, set for arrival on October 27. Produced by JSP founder John Stedman and compiled by Lawrence Schulman, the same team behind such past Garland treasure troves as Creations: Songs She Introduced and Smilin’ Through: The Singles Collection 1936-1947, the new box will gather songs Garland recorded in the studio on multiple occasions between 1937 and 1962. With 115 tracks and over 6-1/2 hours of music, it will place the spotlight on the songs Garland re-recorded over a 25-year period. These tracks include such signature songs as “The Man That Got Away,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and of course, “Over the Rainbow,” which is included in five distinct renditions. Of course, some of the most renowned composers and lyricists in American popular song are represented, such as Harold Arlen, E.Y. “Yip” Harburg, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane, Johnny Mercer, and Harry Warren.

Garland’s first long-lasting recording affiliation was with Decca Records. Following some abortive test records made in 1935 by the twelve-year old singer (released by JSP on the stellar Lost Tracks set), Decca released two sides by Garland in 1936 and signed MGM’s up-and-coming star the following year. Garland remained at Decca through 1947, and her tenure there yielded 90 recordings from 30 sessions between 1936 and 1947. Her departure from Decca coincided with MGM’s entering the young soundtrack LP market, and so she no longer had the need to re-record movie favorites for Decca. With MGM having first right of refusal for her work, she didn’t make any further studio recordings until after her departure from the Hollywood giant in 1950.

In 1953, Garland appeared on the Columbia label with four single sides, and the following year the label released the landmark soundtrack to her film A Star is Born. In 1955, she was back in Hollywood signing with Capitol Records. She remained at the Capitol Tower until 1966, recording a series of stellar studio albums with top-tier arrangers including Nelson Riddle and Gordon Jenkins – not to mention the Grammy Award-winning, record-breaking Judy at Carnegie Hall. JSP’s set concludes in 1962, the year of her final studio LP released in her lifetime, The Garland Touch. (The record was actually a compilation, drawing on Capitol outtakes, a recent single, and tracks from her 1960 London recording sessions which weren’t released in full until the compact disc era.)

At Judy Garland News, compiler Schulman eloquently illuminates the raison d’être behind this fascinating compilation: “The set’s target demographic is not so much Garland collectors who have all of her recordings, but rather the general public who would be interested in hearing Judy’s evolution musically speaking. To take but one example, her 1945 ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ and her 1960 interpretation of the same song, heard back to back, offer a unique glimpse of how her artistry evolved. Her two versions of ‘By Myself,’ the first done at Capitol in 1957, the second in 1962 for I Could Go On Singing, heard back to back is a magnificent revelation in orchestrations and singing style. The difference between her MGM and Decca recordings of the same song is often minute, but often not, as is the case of her initial 1945 MGM recording of ‘On the Atcheson, Topeka and the Santa Fe’ and her Decca New York session that same year at which she did a lower-keyed ‘chamber’ version of the number. Fascinating listening. No back to back MGM/Decca/Columbia/Capitol set has ever been released, and I thought it was about time.”

After the jump, we have more information on the box set as well as the complete track listing! Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Joe Marchese

April 29, 2014 at 10:56

Posted in Box Sets, Compilations, Judy Garland, News

There’s No Place Like Oz: Sepia Celebrates 75th Anniversary of “The Wizard of Oz” With New Rarities Anthology

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When L. Frank Baum published his novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz at the turn of the century in 1900, could the author have ever possibly imagined that his characters would still be known by virtually every man, woman and child some 114 years later? Much of that success, however, is attributable to MGM’s lavish, Oscar-winning 1939 musical film adaptation which immortalized Judy Garland as Dorothy along with Ray Bolger, Jack Haley and Bert Lahr as, respectively, The Scarecrow, The Tin Man and The Cowardly Lion. Thanks to the success of MGM’s The Wizard of Oz – which solidified its place in American culture largely thanks to annual television airings beginning in 1956 – “There’s no place like home” and “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore” have entered the lexicon. The film introduced the world to Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg’s “Over the Rainbow,” voted the 20th Century’s Best Song by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts, in front of “White Christmas,” “This Land is Your Land,” “Respect” and “American Pie.” It also set the stage (pun intended) for further adaptations based on the original source material such as the Broadway blockbuster Wicked, itself based on Gregory Maguire’s Oz spin-off novel of the same name. Now, U.K. label Sepia Recordings is celebrating the film’s 75th anniversary (already recognized by current rights-holder Warner Bros. with a 3-D Blu-ray presentation and lavish new box set) with an unusual anthology that should pique the interest of Ozians everywhere.

The Wizard of Oz: 75th Anniversary Anthology brings together songs from the film in rare and little-heard versions recorded by its stars such as Judy Garland, composer Harold Arlen and popular performers including Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. Live radio broadcasts to promote the movie are heavily drawn upon, and devotees will find four recordings of “Over the Rainbow” performed by Garland: the original movie version, a live performance, a “pop” version and finally, one with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra recorded to sell government war bonds. Big bands are represented here by Miller as well as Vincent Lopez and Frankie Masters, each performing their “dance band” version of songs from the Arlen/Harburg score. This disc, basically a collection of “bonus tracks,” makes a fine complement to Rhino/Turner Classic Movies’ definitive 1995 soundtrack restoration and other associated releases such as 1998’s The Story and Songs of the Wizard of Oz.

After the jump, we have more details including the complete track listing! Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Joe Marchese

January 20, 2014 at 14:00

Posted in Compilations, Judy Garland, News, Soundtracks

Review: Judy Garland, “Creations 1929-1962: Songs She Introduced”

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In the first two lines of the introductory essay that accompanies JSP Records’ new box set Judy Garland – Creations 1929-1962: Songs She Introduced, the box’s compiler Lawrence Schulman sets forth its raison d’être: “That Judy Garland (1922-1969) was one of the most talented singers and actresses of her generation is known. That she introduced close to a hundred songs to the Great American Songbook is not.” Thanks to this 4-CD, 94-song collection, that secret shouldn’t be a secret any longer. Many of the songs introduced by Judy Garland have gone on to have lives of their own. “How About You?,” “On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe,” “The Boy Next Door,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and “The Man That Got Away” are just a few of the perennials first sung by Garland. And let’s not forget a little song called “Over the Rainbow.” All of those are here, and many more, from 1929’s “Blue Butterfly” sung by the seven-year old still known as Frances Gumm to 1962’s “Roses Red, Violets Blue,” sung by Judy Garland – capital “J,” capital “G.”

The four discs are divided by period (1929-1940, 1941-1943, 1943-1948 and 1948-1962) and feature songs from a “Who’s Who” of American music. Harold Arlen, “Yip” Harburg, Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, Irving Berlin, Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane, Harry Warren, and Johnny Mercer are some of the more familiar composers and lyricists here. Their melodies afforded Garland the opportunity to sing swing, jazz, pop, novelties, comic songs and dramatic tour de forces alike; in other words, the gamut of popular song of the day. Almost from the very start, Garland could imbue her material with a never-replicated blend of vulnerability and bravura. Even when belting to the rafters, there is an intimacy in a Judy Garland vocal. Though many of these songs are from motion pictures, one needn’t see the accompanying visuals to realize why this particular artist still captivates and fascinates today. (At the time of this writing, Olivier and Tony Award nominee Tracie Bennett is still touring as Garland in the play End of the Rainbow. And that show wasn’t even the first on Broadway with Judy Garland as a character.) Indeed, despite her impressive body of work as a recording artist for Decca and Capitol, Garland may be the only major interpretive singer to have primarily created her art on the silver screen. Creations allows listeners to appreciate that considerable oeuvre on a purely aural level.

Hit the jump to explore further! Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Joe Marchese

May 13, 2013 at 10:34

Posted in Box Sets, Compilations, Judy Garland, News, Reviews

Tagged with Reviews

Release Round-Up: Week of April 2

The Year in Reissues: The 2012 Gold Bonus Disc Awards

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Gold CD Wow! Was it just over a year ago when a rather dubious report began circulating (that, shockingly, was picked up by many otherwise-reputable publications) that proclaimed the death of the CD was secretly scheduled by the major labels for 2012? Well, 2012 has come and (almost) gone, and it might have been the most super-sized year in recent memory for reissues, deluxe and otherwise, from labels new and old. Here at the Second Disc, we consider our annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards a companion piece to Mike’s own round-up over at Popdose, and we endeavor to recognize as many of the year’s most amazing reissues as possible – over 80 worthy, unique titles. We also hope to celebrate those labels, producers and artists who have raised the bar for great music throughout 2012. As we’re literally deluged with news around these parts, these ladies and gentlemen prove, week after week, the strength and health of the catalogue corner of the music world. We dedicate The Gold Bonus Disc Awards to them, and to you, the readers. After all, your interest is ultimately what keeps great music of the past alive and well.

With that in mind, don’t forget to share your own thoughts and comments below. What made your must-have list in 2012? Without further ado, let’s celebrate 2012′s best of the best. Welcome to the Gold Bonus Disc Awards!

Which releases take home the gold this year? Hit the jump below to find out! Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Joe Marchese

December 28, 2012 at 10:13

Posted in Alex Chilton, Anthony Newley, B.J. Thomas, Barbra Streisand, Bert Jansch, Blur, Box Sets, Carly Simon, Carol Burnett, Cast Recordings, Cilla Black, Compilations, Daughters of Albion, Deep Purple, Dionne Warwick, Duke Ellington, Earl Van Dyke, Elvis Presley, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Eric Clapton, Everything But the Girl, Features, Francis Lai, Glen Campbell, Henry Mancini, Hugh Martin, Janis Joplin, Jerry Goldsmith, Jethro Tull, John Williams, Johnny Cash, Johnny Mathis, Judy Garland, Julie Andrews, King Crimson, Lee Hazlewood, Lionel Bart, Liza Minnelli, Lon and Derrek Van Eaton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Mark Lindsay, Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells, Matt Monro, Michael Jackson, Open Forum, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Pink Floyd, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Reissues, Ronnie Dyson, Salsoul Orchestra, Sam Phillips, Stephen Sondheim, The Association, The English Beat, The Jackson 5, The Kinks, The Spinners, The Velvet Underground, Woody Guthrie

Tagged with Gold Bonus Disc Awards

JSP Goes Beyond the Rainbow with 4-CD Collection of “Creations” by Judy Garland

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Judy Garland’s place in the annals of popular music would have been all but assured if she had only introduced Harold Arlen and E.Y. “Yip” Harburg’s “Over the Rainbow” to the world. After all, the Academy Award-winning song from The Wizard of Oz (1939) was ranked the No. 1 Song of the Century by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) and topped a list of the 100 Greatest Movie Songs compiled by the American Film Institute. Garland introduced another venerable standard when she was first to sing Arlen and Ira Gershwin’s torch song to end all torch songs, “The Man That Got Away,” in 1954’s film A Star is Born. But those two classic songs are just the tip of the iceberg for the actress, singer and artist like no other. The U.K. label JSP Records has recognized the full extent of Garland’s immense contributions to the art of popular song, and has set out to compile a collection of the songs she introduced between 1929 and 1962. The four-disc set, entitled Creations 1929-1962: Songs She Introduced, boasts 94 tracks and over five hours of pow!

The set comes with quite a pedigree. JSP has already released a number of Garland collections including 2010’s landmark Lost Tracks, 2011’s singles collection Smilin’ Through and 2012’s reissue of The Historic Concert Remastered. (Carnegie Hall, that is!) Creations has been compiled and annotated by Lawrence Schulman, responsible for not only those three JSP sets but other Garland releases such as Child of Hollywood (RPCD, 1993), Judy Garland at the Paris Olympia (Europe 1, 1994), and Classiques et inédits (Frémeaux & Associés, 2008). Schulman will be joined in the liner notes by a number of other Garland scholars including Christopher Finch (author of Rainbow: The Stormy Life of Judy Garland, The Art of Walt Disney: From Mickey Mouse to the Magic Kingdoms, and Beyond), Will Friedwald (author of A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers, Sinatra! The Song Is You: A Singer’s Art), and John Meyer (author of Heartbreaker, Operation Ruby Slipper). Peter Rynston of Tall Order Mastering, who has remastered the prior JSP sets as well as a number of recent rock and pop releases for Edsel Records, is handling the set’s audio restoration under the supervision of JSP’s John Stedman. Andrew Aitken has designed the package.

There’s more after the jump! Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Joe Marchese

November 8, 2012 at 10:17

Posted in Box Sets, Compilations, Judy Garland, News, Soundtracks

The Second Disc

Archive for the ‘Judy Garland’ Category

Holiday Gift Guide Review: Judy Garland, “The Garland Variations: Songs She Recorded More Than Once”

Release Round-Up: Week of December 9

Release Round-Up: Week of October 27

Starbucks Serves Up Cocktails with Mel, Serge and Judy, and Folk with Nick, Sandy and Eliza

Do It Again: JSP’s “The Garland Variations” Box Set Collects Multiple Recordings of Judy Garland Songs

There’s No Place Like Oz: Sepia Celebrates 75th Anniversary of “The Wizard of Oz” With New Rarities Anthology

Review: Judy Garland, “Creations 1929-1962: Songs She Introduced”

Release Round-Up: Week of April 2

The Year in Reissues: The 2012 Gold Bonus Disc Awards

JSP Goes Beyond the Rainbow with 4-CD Collection of “Creations” by Judy Garland

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