Despite the film's underwhelming box office performance,the album earning praise for its musical arrangements. The album includes fourteen tracks by Julie Andrews,with performances such as "Someone to Watch Over Me" "My Ship" and "Limehouse Blues".[1]
Andrews' performances received mixed reactions from critics,with some praising her delivery of ballads and vaudeville numbers,while others noted her limitations in more suggestive or dramatic pieces.[2] The soundtrack was initially released as an LP and later reissued on CD with extended versions of select tracks.[1]
Promotion
A significant promotional campaign was launched to market the album,particularly in Japan,where a major advertising push was planned to coincide with the film’s theatrical release in August 1968.[3] Additionally,ABC's national distribution meeting in Los Angeles focused on promoting the soundtrack alongside other ABC releases.[4] ABC Records announced the release for June 1968,with a deluxe double-folded jacket containing a booklet with information about the songs and film.[5]
Single
The song "Star!" was released as a single on a 7-inch vinyl record issued by 20th Century Fox Records (catalog number 45-6712 in both the US and the UK) as part of the promotional material for the film. The single features two tracks:the title song "Star!",written by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen,with a runtime of 2:19,and the B-side "Someone to Watch Over Me," composed by George and Ira Gershwin,running 3:14.[6]
William Ruhlmann of AllMusic rated the album three and a half stars out of five and wrote that Julie Andrews seemed a logical choice to portray Gertrude Lawrence given her background in musicals like Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. However,he pointed out that the project inherently leaned more toward vaudeville-style material,which did not align with Andrews' strengths as a performer. Ruhlmann observed that the soundtrack contained notable songs but Andrews' interpretations were inconsistent. He concluded that although Andrews dominated the album,her best moments were in duets such as "Dear Little Boy (Dear Little Girl)" with Daniel Massey.[2]
Billboard emphasizing the album's attempt to capture the theatrical essence of Gertrude Lawrence's career. The review highlighted the strong production quality and Andrews' precise vocal execution,though it noted that the album's period-specific style might not appeal to contemporary audiences. The publication acknowledged the detailed arrangements and the effort put into preserving the musical integrity of the film's setting.[8]
The Record Mirror critic awarded the album 5 out of 5 stars,praising it as "a tremendous score and a handful of songs which move straight into the standard category".[7]
Commercial performance
Star! debuted on the Billboard 200 chart on October 26,1968,and slowly climbed the rankings before reaching its peak position at number 98 on January 18,1969. It remained on the chart for a total of 20 weeks.[9][10] In the United Kingdom,the album peaked at number 36 on September 21,1968,managing to stay on the chart for a single week.[11]
Track listing
No.
Title
Writer(s)
Performer (s)
Length
1.
"Overture (Medley) Star!, Someone To Watch Over Me, Jenny, Dear Little Boy (Dear Little Girl), Limehouse Blues"
Various
Conductor – Lennie Hayton Orchestra – 20th Century Fox Orchestra
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