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J udy G arland : T he C apitol
Y ears 1955-1965
Judy Garland • Capitol
J udy G arland : T he D ay - by -
D ay C hronicle of a L egend
by Scott Schechter. Cooper Square
Press, 2002; $26.95 hardcover.
n
r ’ * he recent C D release
of Judy Garland: The
Capitol Years 1955-
.< I ¡. 1 965 and the coffee
table book Judy Garland: The
Day-by'Day Chronicle of a Leg
end are two items lucky gay hol
iday gift recipients— and any
fan of popular culture— want
desperately, whether they know
it yet or not.
The Capitol Years is a generous
two-disc package of highlights
culled from albums and singles
released during what many con
sider Garland’s finest period.
There are scattered moments of the very dated
brass ’n’ schmaltz one might expect, but most of
it sounds as passionate and elegant as it was
intended to be.
The dramatic diva explores decadent
extremes vocally, caressing and manipulating
every word. It’s easy to spot her self-consciously
grandiose influence in places as unlikely as
David Bowie’s “The Bewlay Brothers” or PJ
Harvey’s To Bring You My Love.
The urgency in Garland’s voice is practical
ly bipolar (shocking, eh?): WTien it’s up, as on
“It’s So Lovely to Be Back Again in London,”
it’s maniacally happy; when it’s down, as on
“Last Night When We Were Young,” it’s the
end of the world.
Garland’s every vocal phrase bears witness
to the fact that each recording is a show — a
performance that requires sacri
fices, demands the performer’s
every emotion, with all the
poignant victory and tragedy
that entails.
My only complaint with the
discs is the unrevealing, attenu
ated liner notes. But never fear:
Scott Schechter’s book, which
is a photo-filled, day-by-day
account o f Garland’s life from
her birth on June 10, 1922 to
her death on June 21, 1969,
contains not only detailed
information about the material
but about every event, signifi
cant or not, surrounding the
recording, and what she had for
lunch between sessions.
M aster Peace
Holiday
Gift
Guide
This is a fan’s obsessive docu
mentation: Wanna know how
much Judy’s staff got paid?
What day and where Judy asked
for directions from a stranger?
The compulsively annotated
glory of her life and times can
be found in this oversized,
glossy hardcover.
It’s safe, of course, to give
either of these treasures— espe
cially The Capitol Years — to Gar
land zealots, but it’s even better to
take the plunge and give skeptical
loved ones the gift of Judy con
version. They’ll thank you for it
eventually.
—Christopher McQuain
T he J udy G arland S how ,
V olumes 1-5
T he J udy G arland S how
C ollection
Pioneer Video
emember The Judy Garland Show ? Nei-
I , t h e r do 1, since I wasn’t bom yet, but
I
now we can all learn to love this 1963-
64 variety show with five volumes available on
DVD or video. Unfortunately, not all the shows
have been released; the volumes include what
are considered the best of the short-lived series.
Although it’s obvious in the series that Gar
land is uncomfortable with the sketches and
audience banter, it did offer a playground for
her inimitable performances and duets with
other famous songbirds. Some of this isn’t just
classic Judy, it’s classic American TV.
The first volume includes the premiere
episode, which features Mickey Rooney in a
spoof of his and Garland’s old MGM classics.
Every show contained musical numbers by Gar
land; this one has the diva belt
ing out “When the Sun Comes
Out” and “Old Man River.”
Attention collectors: This
volume also contains
Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand make television history in Volume 5 of The Judy Garland Show
Episode 3, featuring Garland’s first major per
formances with daughter Liza Minnelli.
Volume 2 contains Episodes 2 and 4 with
guests Mel Torme, Count Basie, Lena Home,
Terry Thomas and regular Dick Van Dyke.
Spend the holidays with Judy on the coveted
Volume 3 Christmas special (Episode 15). All her
kids sing on this one, which takes place in the
Garland living room. It’s really a very sweet hour,
with gentle chides from Torme when Judy flubs a
number (which they kept in) and white-bread ’60s
pop star Jack Jones singing “Lollipops and Roses.”
Cheesy.7 Yes, but come on, it’s the holidays.
With Volume 4 you get four big shows
G reat G ifts & U nique
G arden A rt
A Ai*\o*a SfWfios
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(Episodes 8, 19, 24 and 25) that collectively
include numbers with Leo Durocher, Vic
Damone, the Robert Cole Trio, bluegrass band
the Dillards, comedian Jack Carter and an
audio track of director Norman Jewison sharing
his experiences working with Judy.
In terms of content, though, I’d have to rec
ommend Volume 5 over Volume 4. Although
you’re only allowed two hours (Episodes 8 and
9), you’re given the most famous footage, what
I like to call the Diva Dream Team episode:
Judy Garland, Ethel Mermen and Barbra
Streisand on stage together. Add to this guests
Donald O ’Conner, Jerry Van Dyke and the
Smothers Brothers. This, my friends, is classic
television and performance history.
All of these volumes can be had for $25 or
less, but if you’re buying for the serious— I mean
serious —Garland aficionado, if will be nearly
impossible for you to avoid shelling out around
$100 for The Judy Garland Show Collection —a
four-disc set that includes 14 complete shows, a
section of live performances titled “Just Judy” and
a copy of Rainbow’s End: The Judy Garland Show
by TV personality biographer Coyne Steven
Sanders. And it all comes lovingly boxed in a
miniature showbiz trunk. Need I say more? j n
— Lisa Bradshaw
d isco v e r the jo y
Living By The Garden
1829 NE Alberta
Ph (5041 287-4144
of making and
giving handmade gifts.
1600 NE Alberta St
Portland, OR 97211
1718 NE Alberta
<503) 493-2366
J
503.288.0770
Tue 12-8 • Wed-Sun 10-8
3033 NE Alberta Street • 503.288.0220
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