Five years into her tenure at Capitol Records, Judy Garland
had slipped from the top rung of the label's concerns. After her first
three Capitol LPs all figured in the charts, her next three did not, and
when she came to record her sixth studio album and seventh release
overall, her sessions were no longer being overseen by heavyweight
arranger/conductors Nelson Riddle or Gordon Jenkins, who had handled her last four; this time, the arrangements were farmed out and Jack Marshall conducted. Nevertheless, the results were engaging. Twelve songs Garland had never before recorded were chosen, including a good newly written tune by André Previn and Dory Langdon,
"Yes." The rest came from the treasure chest of pop standards written
for Broadway and the movies in the 1920s, '30s, and '40s (plus the 1953
title song), by such songwriters as Irving Berlin, the Gershwins, Dietz & Schwartz, and Garland's personal favorites, Arlen & Harburg. Marshall
and his arrangers mixed up the styles, from full-scale orchestral
settings to the bluesy small-band accompaniment to "How Long Has This
Been Going On?" and Marshall's own piano on Kurt Weill's "It Never Was You." Garland
was in good voice and sang with assurance, resulting in another
terrific collection. Unfortunately, she was touring in Europe when the
album was released and, lacking any real promotion, it didn't sell. The
following year, however, Garland
used the material as the basis of her stage show, singing five of the
songs at the performance that produced her chart-topping, Grammy-winning
comeback album Judy at Carnegie Hall, so That's Entertainment! serves as something of a curtain raiser to that collection. (by William Ruhlmann)
Personnel: Judy Garland (vocals) + Orchestra conducted by Jack Marshall
Tracklist: 01. That´s Entainment ! (Dietz/Schwartz) 2.31 02. Who Cares (I.Gershwin/G.Gershwin) 1.31 03. I´ve Confessed To The Breeze (I Love You) (Harbach/Youmans) 3.07 04. If I Love You Again (Murrray/Oakland) 2.42 05. Yes (Langdon/Previn) 3.14 06. Puttin´ On The Rith (Berlin) 1.59 07. Old Devil Moon (Harburg/Lane) 2.57 08. Down With Love (Alen/Harburg) 2.11 09. How Long Has This Been Going On ? (I.Gershwin/G.Gershwin) 2.53 10. It Never Was You (Anderson/Weill) 3.25 11. Just You, Just Me (Greer/Klages) 1.42 12. Alone Together (Dietz/Schwartz) 3.19
ARMU 0033
|