Hit Parade Records Presents
JUDY AT 100 – 26 CLASSICS IN STEREO
Includes 22 Classic Performances in High Fidelity Stereo for the First Time
Celebrate Judy’s 100th birthday!
It’s the best birthday present ever! In celebration of the centennial of Judy Garland’s birth on June 10, 2022, Hit Parade Records presents JUDY AT 100 – 26 CLASSICS IN STEREO which features the best of Garland’s film, TV, and studio performances. 26 of her original classic recordings all in thrilling stereo high-fidelity, highlighted by the premiere release of 22 tracks in state-of-the-art stereo. This audiophile quality CD will be available on June 3, 2022.
Thanks to modern equalization (EQ) techniques, these classic recordings now benefit from 21st-century technology, allowing listeners to more fully appreciate these classics in stereo for the first time. Listeners will hear subtle details they have never heard before, having previously been buried in the original mono mixes. Garland never sounded better!
During her lifetime, Judy Garland (June 10, 1922 – June 22, 1969) was known as “The World’s Greatest Entertainer,” a title that has stood the test of time a half-century after her untimely death. In a career that spanned five decades, Garland mastered every medium from Vaudeville to television and introduced classic songs from the Great American Songbook. In this centennial year more than fifty years after her untimely death, Judy Garland remains an icon of show business history.
All of the great Garland hits are here, “Over the Rainbow” (2 versions), “The Trolley Song,” “Get Happy,” “I Don’t Care,” “The Man That Got Away,” “On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe,” “I’m Nobody’s Baby,” “Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart” and more. Also included are duets with Barbra Streisand and Gene Kelly, studio tracks, live recordings, and film performances.
Produced by Bill Buster and Scott Brogan, this 26 track compilation is accompanied by a twelve-page booklet that features photos accompanied by illuminating notes about each track by Brogan, who heads the website The Judy Room featuring The Judy Garland Online Discography, and the blog Judy Garland News & Events, which are the leading online sources of information concerning Garland. The sound was produced by Mark Mathews & Walt Weiskopf with additional restoration by John Haley Only a CD is available at this time (no streaming).
Every original recording has gone through a three-step process. Step one is a lengthy process in which the various sonic elements are isolated. Since most instruments and vocals occupy fairly narrow, specific audio frequency ranges, it’s now possible to isolate vocals, drums, bass, and strings and extract these elements into separate tracks. Step two requires an experienced sound engineer to place those separated elements in a new stereo mix. Finally, step three is to equalize the stereo mix to give it a rich, pleasing sound you may have never heard in the old mono sources.
Whether you are a lifelong Judy Garland fan or are being introduced to this icon of entertainment for the first time, prepare to enjoy the results of the painstaking and collaborative work for the ultimate Judy Garland listening experience.
HEAR the great sound of all the songs (samples below) and order now for early shipment at EricRecords.com for only $14.98!
Also available at amazon.com, Collectors’ Choice Music (ccmusic.com), and other websites.
For more information contact the USA Hit Parade Records representative, Scott Brogan of The Judy Room at thejudyroom@gmail.com.
* Stereo Debut
† Newly Upgraded Stereo
Over The Rainbow (MGM) (Edgar Yipsel “Yip” Harburg/Harold Arlen) *
(Dear Mr. Gable) You Made Me Love You (MGM) (Joseph McCarthy/James V. Monaco/Roger Edens) *
Singin’ In The Rain (MGM) (Arthur Freed/Nacio Herb Brown) *
For Me And My Gal (duet with Gene Kelly) (Decca) (Edgar Leslie/E. Ray Goetz/George W. Meyer) *
The Trolley Song (Decca) (Ralph Blane/Hugh Martin) *
On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe (Decca) (Johnny Mercer/Harry Warren) *
I’m Always Chasing Rainbows (MGM) (Joseph McCarthy/Harry Carroll) *
Look for The Silver Lining (MGM) (Buddy De Sylva/Jerome Kern) *
You’ll Never Walk Alone (Decca) (Oscar Hammerstein II/Richard Rodgers) *
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Decca) (Ralph Plane/Hugh Martin) *
I’m Nobody’s Baby (Decca) (Benny Davis/Milton Ager/Lester Santly) *
Get Happy (MGM) (Ted Koehler/Harold Arlen) *
I Don’t Care (MGM) (Jean Lenox/Harry O. Sutton) *
By Myself (Capitol) (Howard Dietz/Arthur Schwartz) *
Rock-A-Bye Your Baby (Capitol) (Sam Lewis/Joe Young/Jean Schwartz) *
April Showers (Capitol) (Buddy De Sylva/Louis Silvers) *
Me And My Shadow (Capitol) (Billy Rose/Al Jolson/Dave Dreyer) *
Last Night When We Were Young (Capitol) (Edgar Yipsel “Yip” Harburg/Harold Arlen) *
The Man That Got Away (Capitol – 1960 Version) (Ira Gershwin/Harold Arlen) †
Do It Again (Capitol) (Buddy De Sylva/George Gershwin) †
Zing! Went The Strings of My Heart (James F. Hanley) †
Puttin’ On The Ritz (Capitol) (Irving Berlin) †
Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again (duet with Barbra Streisand) (The Judy Garland Show) (Ted Koehler/Harold Arlen-Jack Yellen/Milton Ager) *
Battle Hymn of the Republic (The Judy Garland Show) (Julia Ward Howe/William Steffe) *
Ol’ Man River (The Judy Garland Show) (Oscar Hammerstein II/Jerome Kern) *
Over the Rainbow (Capitol – 1955 Version) (Edgar Yipsel “Yip” Harburg/Harold Arlen) *
OVER THE RAINBOW
Although the Decca Records 78 rpm single of “Over The Rainbow,” recorded in 1939, rose to No. 5 on the charts, it is the classic film version from the 1939 MGM release The Wizard of Oz that touched the viewing public and established Judy Garland as a star. That MGM version is the track heard here. The song went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The soaring music by Harold Arlen, the moving words by E.Y. Harburg and the longing interpretation by the young Garland make this movie moment, heard here for the first time in stereo, one for the ages. Today the song isa standard that has been interpreted by countless vocalists. The Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts ranked it No. 1 on their “Songs Of The Century” list, and the American Film Institute ranked it as the No. 1 movie song on the “AFI’s 100 Years…100 Songs” list.
(DEAR MR. GABLE) YOU MADE ME LOVE YOU
The indelible impression Garland made on the movie-going public singing “(Dear Mr. Gable) You Made Me Love You” to a photo of Clark Gable in MGM’s Broadway Melody Of 1938 cannot be overestimated. Her heartfelt sincerity leaped off the screen to touch audiences all across America. Arranged by Garland’s musical mentor, Roger Edens, it was her first signature moment on screen, even before “Over The Rainbow.” She had first sung the number to Gable in person at his 36th birthday celebration on the set of his latest film. Now considered a classic, the Garland MGM recording, made in 1937, makes its stereo debut here.
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN
The 1929 Arthur Freed–Nacio Herb Brown song “Singin’ In The Rain,” is most remembered for the classic 1952 rendition by Gene Kelly in the MGM musical of the same name. Only 18 at the time, Garland’s filmed interpretation in Little Nellie Kelly (1940), although not very cinematically original, has an irresistible charm. This new stereo remaster brings out its brilliant musical texture as never before. Garland never made a commercial recording of the title.
FOR ME AND MY GAL
This studio version of the title song from the hit film For Me And My Gal (1942) was a hit single for Judy and new film star Gene Kelly, peaking at No. 5 in 1943. The song was already a vintage vaudeville number when the duo recorded it in 1942 and it later became a part of Garland’s concert repertoire. Here, this mono recording is given new life in stereo, enhancing the charm and perfect blending of Garland and Kelly’s voices by bringing their vocals front and center for a more well-balanced listening experience.
THE TROLLEY SONG
First introduced by Garland in Vincente Minnelli’s 1944 MGM musical Meet Me In St. Louis, “The Trolley Song” was an instant classic. She recorded it in 1944 for the Decca cast album, the version heard here, which peaked at No. 4 on the charts. The song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song of 1944. Composer Ralph Blane later remarked that his inspiration was a book he found at the Beverly Hills Public Library with a picture captioned “Clang, Clang, Clang Went The Jolly Little Trolley.” This intoxicating song is Garland at her artistic best, and it became a permanent part of her repertoire. Pay special attention to the orchestrations, which have undergone an incredible sonic transformation here, giving us one of the best new stereo experiences in this collection.
ON THE ATCHISON, TOPEKA, AND THE SANTA FE
This Oscar-winning song from The Harvey Girls (1946), is the one song that Garland recorded more times for Decca than any other, a total of three, two of which were actually released. It also has the most complicated recording history. The version included on this CD is the rare first recording made on May 15, 1945, for the label’s cast album of songs from the film. It was recorded using the same arrangement as the MGM film version, which was so long it took up two sides of a then-standard 78rpm disc. Garland’s vocal section was Part 2. Part 1 was the orchestral and choral introductory section.
When another production number, “March Of The Doagies,” was deleted from the film, Decca also deleted it from their cast album leaving an empty side on one of the discs. Decca then remedied this by also deleting the non-Garland Part 1 of “Atchison.” But that created the need for a lyric change to reflect the change in the story told by the original two-part song. So part 2 was re-recorded on Sept. 10, 1945, and it’s this slightly shorter version that was issued on the 3-disc cast album. To further confuse things, on July 7, 1945, Judy recorded a different-sounding pop version with The Merry Macs for Decca to release as a commercial single. It peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard chart. Most other collections include this common version.
I’M ALWAYS CHASING RAINBOWS
The music for “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows” is based on Frédéric Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu with lyrics added in 1917 by Joseph McCarthy. When Garland put her singular stamp on the song for the 1941 MGM musical Ziegfeld Girl, it was already a standard that had popped up in many films. This is one of the best screen renditions of the song and one of Garland’s best film performances thanks to the beautiful orchestration and her sincere vocal, all the more magical now in stereo.
LOOK FOR THE SILVER LINING
Previously identified with stage legend Marilyn Miller, Garland made “Look For The Silver Lining” her own in the 1946 MGM Jerome Kern biopic, Till The Clouds Roll By. This new stereo version brilliantly brings out Conrad Salinger’s orchestration and Garland’s vocal.
YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE
An instant classic from the 1945 Broadway hit Carousel, composed by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, “You’ll Never Walk Alone” has been choice material for vocalists in all genres. Garland recorded the uplifting and emotional standard twice: once in 1945 in New York for Decca, which is the version selected here, and once in 1960 while she was in London. She never performed it live.
HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS
Today a Christmas classic that has been interpreted by countless vocalists, in 1944 the Decca 78 rpm single of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” that is heard here peaked at No. 27 and charted for one week. When Garland first heard the lyric, “Have yourself a merry little Christmas/It may be your last/Next year we may all be living in the past,” she thought it was too glum, so lyricist Hugh Martin changed it to the more hopeful “Let your heart be light/Next year all our troubles will be out of sight.” She never re-recorded the song for another label, nor did she ever incorporate the song into her concert repertoire, but she did sing it on the 1963 Christmas episode of The Judy Garland Show as well as on The Merv Griffin Show in 1968.
I’M NOBODY’S BABY
Not written for a show or movie, “I’m Nobody’s Baby” is a 1921 standard that was covered by some of the top vocalists of the 1920s and 1930s before Garland performed it in the 1940 film Andy Hardy Meets Debutante. This Decca Records single version was also recorded in 1940 to coincide with the film and was one of Garland’s biggest hits, peaking at No. 3 on the charts. The song was a good fit for Garland and she later sang it on her TV series in 1964. Despite the numerous versions recorded by a variety of artists, the song became forever identified with Garland.
GET HAPPY
The first song Ted Koehler and Harold Arlen wrote together, “Get Happy” was introduced in 1930 by Ruth Etting, although it is the 1950 Garland version from her last MGM musical, Summer Stock, that is most remembered today. When it was thought that a big number was needed at the end of the movie, it was Garland who suggested “Get Happy.” It was the last thing she ever filmed at the studio. This new stereo version of the soundtrack performance is much clearer, bringing Garland’s voice front-and-center for a more natural listening experience. She never re-recorded the title in the studio but performed it on stage for the rest of her life.
I DON’T CARE
Garland was born in 1922, the year Eva Tanguay, known as “the queen of vaudeville,” made “I Don’t Care” famous. This novelty song was reprised by Garland with great gusto in the 1949 MGM musical In The Good Old Summertime included here. Garland included the song in her “Judy At The Palace” medley that she recorded in 1955 and again in 1960 and performed on TV well into the 1960s.
BY MYSELF
The jazz standard “By Myself” has been a popular choice for vocalists ever since it was written in 1937. It was famously featured in the 1953 MGM musical The Band Wagon and Garland recorded it twice. The first Garland version (heard here), recorded in 1957 for her Capitol LP “Alone,” features a more “brightly” tempo, as noted on the sheet music. It contrasts with her later recording and live performances which were more dramatic. This 1957 version is a lesser-known gem that benefits greatly from being presented in stereo.
ROCK-A-BYE YOUR BABY WITH A DIXIE MELODY
Garland adored “Rock-A- Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody.” Originally identified with Al Jolson with some lyrics that are politically incorrect today, she first performed the song on the radio in 1950 and made it her own when she added it to her concert repertoire. She kept it in her set list for the rest of her life, never failing to bring down the house. The version included here is her first studio recording, made for her 1955 Capitol debut album “Miss Show Business.”
APRIL SHOWERS
Another popular standard identified with Al Jolson, “April Showers” was first performed by Garland on the radio in 1951 and then on her 1956 TV special for CBS. S he also recorded this studio version for the 1956 album “Judy,” which was released to coincide with the special. Although it’s a song that’s perfect for the Garland style, she never performed it again.
ME AND MY SHADOW
Written in 1927, “Me And My Shadow” is another standard that has been performed by numerous artists for almost 100 years. Garland first recorded the song in 1957 for her initial concept album for Capitol, “Alone,” with songs devoted to solitude, under the direction of Gordon Jenkins. The album peaked at No. 17 on the charts. Garland also performed the tune in 1957 at the Dominion Theatre in London, in 1958 at the Cocoanut Grove in Hollywood and danced to the song with John Bubbles both at the New York Metropolitan Opera in 1959 and at the New York Palace in 1967.
LAST NIGHT WHEN WE WERE YOUNG
Garland was a fan of Harold Arlen’s music and “Last Night When We Were Young,” with words by The Wizard of Oz lyricist E.Y. “Yip” Harburg, was one of her favorites. She first recorded it in 1949 for the MGM musical In The Good Old Summertime but it was cut before the film’s release. The version heard here is her second and last studio recording of the song, made for the 1956 LP “Judy.” Despite her fondness for the song, after this recording she never sang it in concert and only sang it once on her 1963–64 TV series.
THE MAN THAT GOT AWAY
Like “Over The Rainbow” and “The Trolley Song,” “The Man That Got Away” is forever identified with Garland. It was composed by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Ira Gershwin expressly for Garland to sing in the 1954 Warner Bros. musical A Star Is Born, which was her phenomenally successful film comeback after leaving MGM in 1950. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song and rose to No. 22 on the charts. Yet another signature song forever associated with her, the title was included in all her subsequent concert and TV appearances. This version is her only non-soundtrack studio recording of the song, cut for Capitol Records in London on Aug. 4, 1960. It has never sounded better than it does on this collection.
DO IT AGAIN
Garland performed this popular song many times, but her most charming rendition is this uptempo version from her 1958 second concept album, “Judy In Love.” Here she teases the listener into thinking it’s another typical Garland ballad but she then picks up the tempo for a swinging chorus. This is the only studio recording where Garland sings the tune in this more upbeat style. She usually performed it strictly as a languid ballad, most famously at Carnegie Hall in 1961 where she stretched it out to a slow and very sensuous four minutes and 40 seconds. The version on this CD is another underrated Garland recording that finally gets its due, never sounding better.
ZING! WENT THE STRINGS OF MY HEART
Garland sang “Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart” throughout her entire career, starting in her vaudeville days. She performed it for her MGM audition in 1935 and then again a few weeks later on the radio for her dying father. She sang it on film in Listen, Darling (1938) and recorded it for Decca. She also sang it on the radio throughout the 1930s and 1940s, as well as hundreds of times on TV and in concert. Under the direction of Nelson Riddle, her sparkling 1958 version, heard here, is also from the “Judy In Love” album. The LP is one of Garland’s best but oddly, it never charted.
PUTTIN’ ON THE RITZ
This enduring 1927 classic, with its unique rhythmic pattern written by Irving Berlin, was a latecomer to Garland’s repertoire. She added it to her concert song list in the late 1950s and recorded it in the studio just once, for her 1960 Capitol LP “That’s Entertainment,” which is the version heard here. She also performed it twice on her TV series and perhaps her most well-known version was heard in concert at Carnegie Hall in 1961.
GET HAPPY / HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN
Very early in her career, Barbra Streisand made a guest appearance in 1963 on Garland’s weekly TV series The Judy Garland Show and the rest is history. In her dressing room pondering Streisand’s upcoming guest appearance, Garland intoned her own “Get Happy” in counterpoint to Streisand’s “Happy Days Are Here Again,” a 1929 song that was a Depression Era classic and an early hit for Streisand. The two songs blended together perfectly, creating an instant classic duet for the ages and a one-in-a-million pairing of two of the greatest voices of the 20th century. The show was recorded in mono but here we finally get to hear the duet in perfect stereo.
THE BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC
A lifelong Democrat, Garland attended the 1960 Democratic convention that nominated John F. Kennedy for President and then campaigned for him later that year. Once he was elected she was his guest at the White House in 1962 and sometimes stayed at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Mass. When he was assassinated, she was devastated, and requested that CBS allow her to pay tribute to him on-air. When they refused, she decided instead to sing “The Battle Hymn Of The Republic” in his honor, and the TV audience responded with a merited standing ovation. Following the performance, Garland looked into the camera and said “This is for you, Jack” but CBS cut the remark from the broadcast as being too political.
OL’ MAN RIVER
With lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and music by Jerome Kern, “Ol’ Man River” premiered in the groundbreaking 1927 Broadway musical “Show Boat.” While Garland wasn’t the first female vocalist to interpret the song, her towering 1963 performance from her TV series is a one- of-a-kind tour de force. Here is Garland in complete command and control of both her powerful voice and her art. She reprised the number in 1964 on the series and on her 1967 tour but never matched the authority of this epic 1963 performance.
OVER THE RAINBOW
This compilation comes full circle with this 1955 studio version of perhaps Garland’s greatest and most well-known song. She sang “Over The Rainbow” countless times on the radio, in concerts, on TV, at personal appearances and elsewhere. However, she only recorded a few studio versions. This is her second studio version and her first after the start of her legendary concert career, recorded for her album “Miss Show Business.” This is adult Judy bringing new depth and meaning to the song as she sang it in her concerts at the time. It’s one of the most popular versions and it’s a treat to finally experience it in stereo.
If Judy Garland’s career had stopped after she played Dorothy Gale in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, she would still have legions of fans today who were not yet born when she died in 1969, as that classic film is continually viewed by children who grow up and show it to their children, and the cycle continues. Of course, Garland did so much more to endear herself to millions of people all over the world. Her films, her recordings, her live performances, and her TV series all show her at the top of her game. She is as much a legend today as she has ever been, an icon who many people consider the greatest entertainer of all time. As we celebrate the centennial of her birth, here is a whole new way to listen to her exceptional recordings, now in brilliant stereo.
— Scott Brogan
Order now for early shipment at EricRecords.com for only $14.98!
