Show Vocals

When we watch The Wizard of Oz, it's easy to get nostalgic about Judy Garland. And, amid her legacy, the tales of her weaknesses, and the Technicolor memories that only can time can bring, we tend to forget what actually made Judy so great. Here's what made her so great: a repertoire that spans genres, from jazz to show tunes to Old Man River; her cool vocals on Come Rain or Come Shine; and the clarity of her voice on Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart. Judy has all this (and a lot more), including the traces of Garland's downfall (a live rendition of Somewhere over the Rainbow recorded months before her death is particularly tragic), a video with truly classic footage from her early-'60s television show, several recordings that have never seen the light of CD, and essays by Will... Less

A rare collector's-item LP until its 1995 CD reissue with two bonus tracks, Love is linked with Frank Sinatra's great ballad albums in two ways: its original release in 1963 on Sinatra's Reprise label, and, more important, its stack of Nelson Riddle arrangements. These interpretations of an intriguingly emotional song list come near the beginning of Clooney's mature period; at 32 she was well beyond the novelty and treacle that had made her a star at Columbia. It would be years, though, before her seriousness would be taken seriously. --Rickey Wright

Release Date: 1992-06-30, Audio CD, Drg

Stephen Sondheim is adamant that he writes songs for specific characters that reflect specific moments and developments in the show's plot. Yet for many people, the sheer joy of his songs is the way in which they can also exist independently, providing the singer with rare dramatic meat and the listener with a reflection of their own personal experiences. It's no surprise that his work should be so anthologised. For the performer, interpretative skill is more important than a conventionally beautiful voice and as an interpreter of lyrics, Julie Wilson has few equals in this field. As a cabaret performer whose whole act is based on the truthful telling of stories, she is in total sympathy with the songs' dramatic content. Here, she handles the comedy numbers (the delicious I Never Do... Less

Release Date: 1994-02-15, Audio CD, RCA Victor

Release Date: 1997-11-18, Audio CD, Sterling Records

Release Date: 1990-10-25, Audio CD, Concord Records

Track listing 1. Chicago: A Musical Vaudeville, musical play: All That Jazz - (from Chicago) 2. Little Night Music, musical: Send in the Clowns, A - Gladys Johns (from A Little Night Music) 3. I Could Have Danced All Night, song (from My Fair Lady) - Philippa Bevans (from My Fair Lady) 4. Hallelujah, Baby!, musical: My Own Morning - Leslie Uggams (from Hallelujah, Baby) 5. West Side Story, film score: I Feel Pretty - Elizabeth Taylor/Marilyn Cooper/Carol Lawrence (from West Side Story) 6. Goodbye Girl, musical play: How Can I Win?, The - (from The Goodbye Girl) 7. Annie, musical: Tomorrow - (from Annie) 8. Hello Young Lovers, song (from The King and I) - Barbara Cook (from The King And I) 9. Cry Me a River (for the film The Girl Can't Help It) - Andrea Benanti (from Swing!) 10. Sweet... Less

Release Date: 1993-10-22, Audio CD, Drg

Release Date: 1995-09-01, Audio CD, Sony Special Product

It's very easy to get lost in Boston. The streets are laid out crazy.

Release Date: 1997-01-20, Audio CD, First Coast Music

Sinking-ship soundtracks from diverse media coalesce in this well-produced olio of pleasant renditions conducted by Randy Miller and orchestrated by Donald Johnston. The selections include music to the now historical James Cameron film, including My Heart Will Go On in both a solo piano and as a grand easy-listening instrumental. Similar respectful treatments are also provided in the fanfare from Jean Negulesco's 1953 film composed by Sol Kaplan, some of William Alwyn's score to Roy Baker's 1958 British film A Night To Remember, Maury Yeston's compositions for the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, and Lennie Niehaus's score for the 1996 television miniseries. Included also is the sentimental favorite Nearer My God to Thee, which historians have determined was not played when the real... Less

Golden Boy already had quite a showbiz legacy by the time this 1964 Broadway musical debuted. Clifford Odets's heavy drama was originally produced (sans music) in 1937 as part of New York's Group Theater, featuring in its cast, among others, Lee J. Cobb, Elia Kazan, and Francis Farmer; John Garfield starred in a 1952 Broadway revival of Golden Boy, while the film version was what turned William Holden (in the title role) into a star. Sammy Davis Jr. was already a star--the Rat Pack was in full bloom--when he made his Broadway musical debut as the title character in the Charles Strouse-Lee Adams transformation of Odets's original play, directed by soon-to-be-great film director Arthur Penn, no less. Davis's presence added a racial theme to this story of a prize boxer, addressed in such... Less

Release Date: 2001-11-06, Audio CD, Hip-O Records

This disc isn't nearly as prim and proper as its opening. Accompanied by a ragtime orchestra, Rebecca Luker begins the title tune with the air that she'd actually find a glimpse of stocking shocking, before Patrick Brady's arrangement breaks into full swing. Luker's pure soprano (best known for leading-lady roles in The Secret Garden, the Sound of Music revival, and Hal Prince's Show Boat) never regresses into true bawdiness in that song, but she sounds absolutely lovely on the 14 Cole Porter gems included on this album. She's ably assisted by guests Emily Loesser, Sally Mayes, and Brent Barrett. In the Still of the Night causes time to stand in place, and Dream Dancing will transport you away.... --David Horiuchi

CD

Release Date: 2004-05-18, Audio CD, Golden Greats Recs

Release Date: 1997-09-30, Audio CD, First Coast Music

Release Date: 2008-04-01, Audio CD, Sbme Special Mkts.

Audio CD.

Release Date: 1993-11-23, Audio CD, Columbia

Release Date: 1997-10-28, Audio CD, RCA

Release Date: 1996-07-16, Audio CD, Varese Sarabande