Liza! Liza!

Last updated
Liza! Liza!
Liza!Liza!LizaMinnelliAlbum.jpg
Studio album by
Liza Minnelli
ReleasedOctober 12, 1964
RecordedJune 1964
Studio Capitol, New York City
Genre Pop, vocal, traditional
Label Capitol
Producer Simon Rady
Liza Minnelli chronology
Liza! Liza!
(1964)		 It Amazes Me
(1965)

Liza! Liza! is the debut studio album by American singer Liza Minnelli. It was released on October 12, 1964, by Capitol Records. The album contains her interpretations of twelve pop standards. It was recorded in June 1964 at Capitol Records' New York studio at 151 West 46th Street.

Contents

The album was re-released in 1988 by Capitol as Maybe This Time – Liza Minnelli Sings the Sensational Hit from the Film "Cabaret".

Album information

When Liza Minnelli recorded this album she was just a teenager. At seventeen she had starred in the Off-Broadway revival of Best Foot Forward in 1963. The publicity surrounding her abilities led to television appearances and a single on the Cadence Records label. This single, "You Are for Loving", a song she performed in the show, reportedly sold half a million copies[ citation needed ]. On the strength of this, Capitol signed the singer and slowly began issuing several singles targeted to Minnelli's age group and later committed to a whole album. These singles were recorded over the summer of 1963 in New York and by reviewing this output it is clear the artistry displayed by Minnelli was not that of a regular teenager.

For the creation of her debut album, she turned to her friend and classmate Marvin Hamlisch, who could help her in choosing the tunes. At the time he was working in the Broadway production of Funny Girl . Two of the songs featured on the album, "It's Just a Matter of Time" and "The Travelin' Life", were cut by Minnelli with Hamlisch on piano 2 years earlier as a gift to her mother. Another one of the tracks featured here, "If I Were in Your Shoes", was written by the young writers Fred Ebb and John Kander, who had yet to make a big impact on the stage. It was the start of a decade-long collaboration during which the trio delivered several unforgettable hits.

Peter Matz, who was also working with Barbra Streisand at the time, and would keep on collaborating with Minnelli up until his death, was mainly responsible for the rich and lush orchestral treatment given to the whole project.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Record Mirror Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]

Liza! Liza! peaked on the Billboard 200 chart at number 115. [3] It debuted there on November 21, 1964 and remained in the chart for 8 weeks. Over a period of 3 years it reportedly sold over half a million copies. [4] It received several glowing reviews, with Cashbox feeling it was "an auspicious debut" showcasing "fine new talent", [5] while Record World said it was an "impressive [, ...] beguiling [,... and] beautifully varied" album from a "major singing talent". Billboard called it "simply great [... with] clarity of tone, genuine feeling, emotion". [6]

Track listing

Side one

  1. "It's Just a Matter of Time" (Richard Everitt, Laurence Stith)
  2. "If I Were in Your Shoes" (John Kander, Fred Ebb)
  3. "Meantime" (Al Stillman, Robert Allen)
  4. "Try to Remember" (Harvey Schmidt, Tom Jones)
  5. "I'm All I've Got" (Milton Schafer, Ronny Graham)
  6. "Maybe Soon" (Richard Everitt, Laurence Stith)

Side two

  1. "Maybe This Time" (John Kander, Fred Ebb)
  2. "Don't Ever Leave Me" (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II)
  3. "The Travelin' Life" (Howard Liebling, Marvin Hamlisch)
  4. "Together (Wherever We Go)" (Stephen Sondheim, Jule Styne)
  5. "Blue Moon" (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
  6. "I Knew Him When" (Harold Arlen, E.Y. "Yip" Harburg, Ira Gershwin)

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1964)Peak
position
US Billboard 200 [7] 115

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liza Minnelli</span> American actress, singer, and dancer (born 1946)

Liza May Minnelli is an American actress, singer and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and four Tony Awards. She is one of the few performers awarded a non-competitive EGOT having received two honorary Grammy Awards. Minnelli is a Knight of the French Legion of Honour. Her persona and her style has cemented her as a gay icon.

Kander and Ebb were a highly successful American songwriting team consisting of composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb. Known primarily for their stage musicals, which include Cabaret and Chicago, Kander and Ebb also scored several movies, including Martin Scorsese's New York, New York. Their most famous song is the theme song of that movie. Recorded by many artists, "New York, New York" became a signature song for Frank Sinatra. The team also became associated with two actresses, Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera, for whom they wrote a considerable amount of material for the stage, concerts and television.

Theme from <i>New York, New York</i> 1977 single by Liza Minnelli

"Theme from New York, New York", often abbreviated to just "New York, New York", is the theme song from the Martin Scorsese musical film New York, New York (1977), composed by John Kander, with lyrics by Fred Ebb. Liza Minnelli performs the song in the climax of the film. It was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.

<i>Heres to the Ladies</i> 1995 studio album by Tony Bennett

Here's to the Ladies is an album by Tony Bennett, released in 1995.

<i>Lizas Back</i> 2002 live album by Liza Minnelli

Liza's Back is the ninth live album by American singer and actress Liza Minnelli, released by J Records in 2002.

<i>Liza with a Z</i> 1972 television concert film starring Liza Minnelli

Liza with a "Z" is a 1972 concert film made for television, starring Liza Minnelli, produced by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse. Fosse also directed and choreographed the concert, and Ebb wrote and arranged the music with his song-writing partner John Kander. All four had recently completed the successful film adaptation of Cabaret. According to Minnelli, Liza with a "Z" was "the first filmed concert on television". Singer sponsored the production, even though producers did their best to prevent the sponsors from seeing rehearsals, fearing they would back out due to Minnelli's short skirts.

<i>Liza Minnelli</i> (album) 1968 studio album by Liza Minnelli

Liza Minnelli is a self-titled studio album by Liza Minnelli. Released on February 26, 1968, by A&M Records in the United States, it contains her interpretations of pop/rock and singer/songwriters' songs.

<i>Come Saturday Morning</i> (Liza Minnelli album) 1970 studio album by Liza Minnelli

Come Saturday Morning is the fifth studio album by American singer and actress Liza Minnelli, released in 1969 by A&M Records, her second with the label. In the UK it was released as Introducing Liza Minnelli.

<i>New Feelin</i> 1970 studio album by Liza Minnelli

New Feelin' is Liza Minnelli's sixth album, released in the United States on October 19, 1970. It was her third and last studio album with A&M Records; Minnelli's fourth and final release on the label is her live album Live at the Olympia in Paris, released two years later in 1972. New Feelin' sees Minnelli following a new formula of mixing old songs with contemporary production.

<i>Live at the Olympia in Paris</i> 1972 live album by Liza Minnelli

Live at the Olympia in Paris is the second live album by American singer and actress Liza Minnelli, released in 1972. It marks her fourth and final release of original material for the A&M Records label and her second live album in her discography, following the release of Live at the London Palladium in 1965.

<i>It Amazes Me</i> 1965 studio album by Liza Minnelli

It Amazes Me is Liza Minnelli's second solo studio album, released on May 10, 1965, by Capitol Records. It contained her interpretations of eleven pop standards.

<i>There Is a Time</i> 1966 studio album by Liza Minnelli

There Is a Time is the third studio album by American singer and actress Liza Minnelli. The release took place under the label of Capitol Records in November 1966, being her last one to be released by the record company.

<i>Live at the Winter Garden</i> 1974 live album by Liza Minnelli

Live at the Winter Garden is the second live album by American singer and actress Liza Minnelli, released in 1974. It is her second release under the Columbia Records label.

<i>Minnelli on Minnelli: Live at the Palace</i> Musical

Minnelli on Minnelli: Live at the Palace was a concert presented by Liza Minnelli at the Palace Theatre on Broadway from December 8, 1999 through January 2, 2000. The show consisted of songs featured in films directed by her father, Vincente Minnelli (1903–1986).

<i>Live at the London Palladium</i> (Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli album) 1965 album recorded live by the artists Liza Minnelli and Judy Garland

"Live" at the London Palladium is a live album by Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli, released on July 25, 1965 by Capitol Records.

<i>Live from Radio City Music Hall</i> (Liza Minnelli album) 1992 live album by Liza Minnelli

Live from Radio City Music Hall is a live album by American singer and actress Liza Minnelli, released in 1992. The release was under the Columbia Records label, both in audio and as a video album.

"Maybe This Time" is a song written by John Kander and Fred Ebb, popularized by Liza Minnelli in the 1972 film Cabaret.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">How Lucky Can You Get</span> 1975 single by Barbra Streisand

"How Lucky Can You Get" is a song recorded by American vocalist Barbra Streisand for the official soundtrack to the 1975 film Funny Lady. It was released as a 7" single in April 1975 through Arista Records. The song was written by Fred Ebb and John Kander, while production was handled by Peter Matz. "How Lucky Can You Get" is one of the new songs on the soundtrack, with its origins coming from Fanny Brice, the character Streisand portrays in the aforementioned film. The music pertains to Brice herself, particularly the sarcastic nature of the lyrics that are accompanied by an "insistent" melody and production. It was suggested that the pattern of the lyrics may have been influenced by Giacomo Puccini's 1896 opera, La bohème.

<i>Funny Lady</i> (soundtrack) 1975 soundtrack album by Barbra Streisand

Funny Lady is the soundtrack album of the 1975 musical film of the same title, starring Barbra Streisand. Released by Arista Records on March 15, 1975, arranged, conducted, and coordinated by Peter Matz, the album's fifteen tracks are performed by Streisand, James Caan, and Ben Vereen. A sequel to the 1968 musical comedy-drama Funny Girl, the songs extend the semi-biographical account of the life of American performer Fanny Brice. Funny Lady also included songs written by Brice's third husband Billy Rose. New music by Kander and Ebb included "How Lucky Can You Get", the album's only single, released in April 1975.

<i>At Carnegie Hall</i> (Liza Minnelli album) 1987 live album by Liza Minnelli

At Carnegie Hall is the fifth live album by American singer and actress Liza Minnelli. Released in 1987, it marks the singer's first work released under the independent label Telarc Distribution.

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic review - Liza! Liza! AllMusic.com. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  2. ↑ Jones, Peter (2 January 1965). "Liza Minelli: Liza Liza" (PDF). Record Mirror . No. 199. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  3. ↑ "Liza Minnelli". AllMusic. 1946-03-12. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
  4. ↑ Sutherland, Susan (1998). About Musicals. NTC Publishing Group. p. 226. ISBN   978-0-8442-0276-1.
  5. ↑ "Album Reviews". Cash Box . Cash Box Pub. Co. 17 October 1964. p. 34. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  6. ↑ "Album Reviews". Billboard . Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 24 October 1964. p. 28. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  7. ↑ "Liza Minnelli Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.