Liza Minelli's Finest. So far.
Ms. Mazeppa | Chicago, IL | 09/16/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Umm. There are forty-three songs here. I don't know if you noticed that, but if not, you should be aware. Forty-three. Many of them quite belty and swathed in brass. This Capitol Years collection includes three early albums, a couple of loose singles, a smattering of London Palladium live cuts with Mom, and a few tracks from the New York, New York soundtrack. All nicely remastered.
Logic would dictate this should be enough Liza to take down a draught horse. Certainly enough to put regular sized mammals like you or me out for good.
But it ain't. Nope. I just checked. I still got a pulse. Here's why it's not too much Liza--and why it, in fact, ain't nearly enough Liza:
There are (is? are?) at least three of Liza here. Maybe three and a half.
Will Friedwald pretty well nails it in his excellent liner notes when he describes the first two albums (from 1964 and 1965 and comprising Disc One) as Capitol's effort to "Barbra her up." To be fair, they also Garland her up and, on at least one occasion, Merman her up. Which is a little creepy, but it just goes to show you her sheer range of ability. At 18 or 19 years of age, maybe Liza didn't realize she didn't have to be such a good sport. But she was, gamely cruising through the arrangements--some of them truly goofy, some terrific, mostly just fine. (In a gloriously overwrought arrangement of "Together Wherever We Go," she actually channels Barbra and Judy both. Which almost makes you not notice the--I swear I'm not lying--kettle drums punctuating the melodramatic denouement.)
"Blue Moon" stands out on Disc One as the track you know you're going to make someone listen to over and over again. With its faux-rock arrangement, you immediately think it's the cheesiest thing ever. Yet Liza plays it so straight and performs it so well that you realize it's actually kinda breathtaking in a making-Rogers-and-Hart-turn-over-in-their-graves sort of way. It occupies that rarified space just a hair east of camp, which somehow puts it in an entirely different category. (Friedwald was on the money here, comparing it to something out of Bye Bye Birdie!.)
Liza's delivery is warm, nuanced, and full of range. All the stuff you think of when you think of her at her best. Sure, a few of the songs are throw-aways compared to her real killer numbers. But in case I hadn't made this clear: There forty-three songs here. We needn't quibble about a few relatively forgettable ones early on. Stand-outs like "Lorelei," "I Never Have Seen Snow," and "Try to Remember" more than make up for them as we sift through this embarrassment of riches.
Disc Two gives us hardcore Liza. The 1966 album is not louder, not brassier, maybe not even technically better than the two albums on Disc One. But it is so much more Liza. And it's more ambitious, for sure. Only 20 years old, and she's navigating Jacque Brel material like a sherpa. The familiar Liza sound is unveiled here. Cuts like "M'Lord" and "One of Those Songs" amount to an archeological dig: Here we have a square of earth yielding fossils that reveal the very location where Liza evolved into the larger than life Liza with a Z we now know. [Liza with a 'Z' - Concert for Television (Collector's Edition)] It is the font from which Kander and Ebb were be-spewed into the universe. Really. This is the primordial soup from which "Ring Them Bells" was ladled up. You can't call yourself a serious student of Li-zology without listening to this. If you're not going to listen to it, then you're just going to need to turn in your worn LP of Flora The Red Menace: The Original Broadway Cast Recording (1965).
The two frenchified singles that follow are such fun sixties pop standards, one can't help but wish it were playing on the fine hi-fi radio of one's Corvair convertible, the wind setting one's chiffon scarf aflutter.
We also get a snootful of Liza #3: Live and managing to match kinetic energy with Judy.
Contrast the 1964 cut of "Maybe This Time" (Disc One) with the London Palladium live version she grew into a year or so later (Disc Two). You'll get an idea of what she could tap into that had assorted academies throwing Oscars and Emmies at her like loose flowers shortly thereafter. The Palladium version of "Maybe This Time" is previously unreleased. And let me tell you: If you think that song has ever moved you before--until you have heard this one, you have only been seeing the shadows, pal.
The 1977 tracks from New York, New York showcase Liza in that apex before addiction got the best of her. Although they're solid studio recordings, her range is getting tighter, her emotions less nuanced. Even so, "The World Goes Round" delivers the kind of teeth-rattling intensity that keeps pulling you back to Liza no matter how many off-years she's had. Truly--throughout listening to this whole release, it kept occurring to me what a compelling anti-drug message it is: the knowledge of how drugs and alcohol pretty well wrecked her talent for a good decade.
All the more reason to own these recordings that celebrate her voice during some of her brightest moments.
Is it actually Liza at her Finest, as the CD title suggests? I dunno. A few months ago, both her voice and attitude seemed more together than any time in my adult life. As I understand she's recording some new stuff now, I want to bet that Liza Minnelli's finest work is still ahead of her. Until then, we have a bunch of really strong tracks (There are forty-freaking-three of them, you understand) to tide us over.
"
If you like early Liza - GET THIS CD!!!
Victor Vail | Rockville, MD USA | 09/17/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm the first to admit, I have a love/hate relationship with Liza Minnelli. I loved Liza Minnelli when growing up (she's only 4 years older than me, so when I was in high school, Liza's star was just beginning to really shine) - and hate what her life/her living has done to her voice... This CD collection of her first 3 albums takes me back in time, though, to when her voice was young, vibrant, exciting... when her voice was both rich beyond its years, and a little unsteady with its youth.
It was great fun to hear these recordings again. The girl did some terrific singing (My Shining Hour, Wait 'til You See Him, It Amazes Me - and my 2 favorites, Nobody Knows You When You're Down & Out, and I Never Has Seen Snow). The re-mastered sound is amazing. The Peter Matz arrangements (first 2 albums) and the Ray Ellis arrangements (3rd album) never sounded better. It's also great to have the albums in their entirety - with all the songs placed exactly where they were on the original albums. Liza's talent was so "right there" on these recordings. All the promise of what we hoped for is heard in her voice - sophisticated, kooky, subdued, and over-the-top... It's all here.
The bonus tracks are interesting. The 2 "single" releases are pretty bad (the songs themselves), and the 2nd of the two songs, Liza hits a note at the end of the song that is so off-key, it's jarring... Full out, loud - off-key. You think "Why didn't they re-record that?" And, yet - that was part of the fun of early Liza (if this makes sense)... She was "full out" - taking big chances... succeeding, or just missing the mark... like a child learning to walk... It was all exciting stuff.
If you like Liza at all, GET THIS CD. It puts everything else in perspective.
"
Liza at her BEST
Dean Babcock | Indiana | 11/13/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Having collected Liza's music since the early 70's, this collection represents some of the best work she has ever done. It is clear why she rocketed to stardom. Her voice is clear, unique and genuine, and not the rehearsed "character" that she has become in recent years. She is at her best when she tells stories in song!"
Track Listings (23) - Disc #1