| Eddie Fisher at the Winter Garden | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | 1963 | |||
| Venue | Winter Garden | |||
| Genre | Vocal, Traditional Pop | |||
| Length | 1:08:30 | |||
| Label | Ramrod/MGM | |||
| Eddie Fisher chronology | ||||
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Eddie Fisher at the Winter Garden is a live album by American singer Eddie Fisher, released in 1963. [1]
After a long break from live performance, Eddie Fisher returned to the stage in May 1962. The first released document of his show was At the Winter Garden, recorded in October of that year. [2] Dick Gregory and Barrie Chase also appeared with Fisher. [3] It was his only live album. It was released under his own Ramrod label, which he made after RCA Victor dropped him due to his waning popularity in the late 1950s.
The album, a 2-LP set, was distributed by MGM, after they made a deal with Fisher's Ramrod Productions. [3] Andy Miele, MGM’s director of marketing, got the album released in time for Christmas sales. [3]
The live album includes 19 tracks, such as his minor 1961 hit "Tonight", from West Side Story, and Al Jolson songs like "Sonny Boy" and "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody", both of which were included in his 1968 tribute album to the singer. He sang half of the song "Mack the Knife" in German. The album is unusually long, being over an hour long. It was his first album in three years, and was a live one, with only his songs and commentary being included in it. [3] It peaked at No. 126 on Billboard Top LPs, and stayed on the chart for three weeks. [4]
The album was reissued on CD in 1999 by Taragon Records. [5]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [7] |
| Billboard | Positive [8] |
| Cashbox | Positive [9] |
John Bush on AllMusic says "Fisher's voice is solid as he tackles a varied repertoire including old-guard standards as well as contemporary material. The remastering is only fair, there's some hiss low in the mix, but fans will delight at the hour's worth of prime Eddie Fisher. [6]
Billboard says "This one's bound to click with Fisher's fans, and with matrons who look upon Fisher as My Son, the Pop Singer. It's a live recording made last fall at New York's Winter Garden containing virtually everything in the two record-set from Jolson's songs to Fisher oldies like "Anytime". The magazine also noted that the best track from the album was "What Kind of Fool Am I?". [8]
Casbox reviewed the album writing, "Eddie Fisher’s triumph at Gotham’s Winter Garden is perfectly captured on this delightful two disk set cut live during the chanter’s engagement at the theater last year. With Eddy Samuels providing the musical backing, Fisher displays a mature, polished, professional delivery on a top flight group of standards," noting that the best listening bets would include “This Nearly Was Mine.” “Sitting On Top Of The World” and his 50s hit “Wish You Were Here.” [9]
| Chart (1963) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Top LPs | 126 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Overture" | 2:39 |
| 2. | "Don't Let It Get You Down" | 2:10 |
| 3. | "Back in Your Own Backyard" | 2:05 |
| 4. | "Tonight / Maria / Something's Coming" (from West Side Story ) | 5:23 |
| 5. | "You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)" | 2:06 |
| 6. | "Never on Sunday" | 3:43 |
| 7. | "This Nearly Was Mine" (from South Pacific ) | 2:08 |
| 8. | "Mack the Knife" | 3:50 |
| 9. | "Hava Nagila" | 4:54 |
| 10. | "Moon River" (from Breakfast at Tiffany's ) | 2:12 |
| 11. | "Swanee / A Quarter to Nine / Liza / Sitting on Top of the World / Toot Toot Tootsie" | 4:31 |
| 12. | "April Showers / Robert E. Lee" | 1:48 |
| 13. | "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody" | 3:40 |
| 14. | "Sonny Boy" | 3:54 |
| 15. | "Makin' Whoopee" | 2:33 |
| 16. | "Anytime / I Need You Now / Wish You Were Here / Heart / Oh! My Papa" | 7:51 |
| 17. | "What Kind of Fool Am I?" | 3:35 |
| 18. | "Belz (That Wonderful Girl of Mine)" | 4:05 |
| 19. | "The Sweetest Sounds" (Richard Rodgers) | 5:23 |