| The Harvey Girls | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by the cast of The Harvey Girls | ||||
| Released | November 1, 1945 | |||
| Label | Decca | |||
| The cast of The Harvey Girls chronology | ||||
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The Harvey Girls is a studio album by the cast of The Harvey Girls (1946). It was released on November 1, 1945, by Decca Records. The album features songs from the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer eponymous motion picture. The songs are composed by Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer. [1]
The album has six tracks, including the popular "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" and "In the Valley, Swing Your Partner Round and Round". [1]
The album also features songs performed by Kenny Baker and Virginia O'Brien, as well as the Kay Thompson choir. [1] At the time of the record sessions of the album Thompson's husband, Jack Jenney, was unemployed at the time and urgently seeking work. [2] He was hired by Lennie Hayton, with Thompson's assistance, to play trombone on Garland's recording. [2]
In his review for the album in Billboard magazine, Maurie Orodenker seems to be disappointed particularly with Garland's performance. [1] He finds that her rendition of "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" is "forced" and that the song doesn't have the same impact as the original version. [1] He also finds that Garland's performance in other songs is "dead-pan" and doesn't convey personality. [1] However, he liked Kenny Baker's performance in "Wait and See" and considers the song a highlight of the record. [1]
In 1957, Decca released a compilation album including a selection of songs from both The Harvey Girls and Meet Me in St. Louis that received a favorable review from Billboard magazine (82/100). [3] In 1995, Rhino Records released a 4-CD box set entitled Mickey & Judy which includes songs from The Harvey Girls and others songs that Garland and Rooney recorded for their Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) films. [4] [5]
