The Letter (Judy Garland album)

Last updated
The Letter
Judyletter.jpg
Studio album by
Judy Garland
ReleasedMay 4, 1959
RecordedJanuary 15–16, 1959
Length57:14
Label Capitol
Judy Garland chronology
Garland at the Grove
(1959)		The Letter
(1959)		 That's Entertainment!
(1960)
Singles from The Letter
  1. "The Red Balloon"
    Released: 1959
  2. "The Worst Kind of Man"
    Released: 1959
  3. "Beautiful Trouble"
    Released: 1959
  4. "That's All There Is (There Isn't Any More)"
    Released: 1959

The Letter is the eighth studio album by Judy Garland, released on May 4, 1959 by Capitol Records, arranged by Gordon Jenkins. [1] The album is a concept album, with Jenkins unfolding a story about a man attempting to rekindle a broken romance. [2] The actor John Ireland provides spoken narration through a letter, while Garland expresses the emotions through her musical performance. [2] The Ralph Brewster Singers and soloists contribute effectively to the atmosphere. [2]

Contents

In 1963, after a series of commercial successes with some of Garland's records (such as Judy at Carnegie Hall , 1961), the album was re-released under the title Our Love Letter. [3]

The album was re-released in compact disc format in 2007 through DRG Records. [4] The CD tracks were digitally remixed and remastered in 24-bit, directly from the original multi-track stereo session tapes, by David McEowen at Capitol Mastering in Hollywood and was produced by Scott Schechter. [5] The CD features four bonus tracks, rare single versions of songs meant for radio play in 1959, and a booklet that includes rare artwork and detailed liner notes by Schechter. [5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Billboard Favorable [2]

The review of Billboard magazine compares the album to Jenkins' Manhattan Towers (1956) and praises it as a moving production, enhanced by excellent sound quality and appealing packaging. [2]

The AllMusic review by John Bush awarded the album three stars and said "Jenkins' ambitious concept was written well and executed perfectly, and no one was better than Garland for a dramatic romantic role encompassing hope and humor...The Letter suffers, as all but the best concept albums do. Ireland is no match for Garland...and the few audio concepts on display tend toward gimmicks. In all, The Letter is a fair concept album, its interruptions annoying but its overall power raised by the twin talents of Garland and Jenkins...The original three-track stereo recording is exquisite, and upon its initial release, special copies of "the letter" were placed in envelopes and taped to the front of each record jacket". [1]

Track listing

  1. "Beautiful Trouble" – 4:18
  2. "Love in the Village" – 4:32
  3. "Charley's Blues" – 3:27
  4. "The Worst Kind of Man" – 3:58
  5. "That's All There Is, There Isn't Any More" – 2:50
  6. "Love in Central Park" – 4:34
  7. "The Red Balloon" – 2:24
  8. "The Fight" – 3:34
  9. "At the Stroke of Midnight" – 4:30
  10. "Come Back" – 4:36
  11. "Beautiful Trouble [Single Version]" – 1:48
  12. "That's All There Is, There Isn't Any More" [Single Version] – 2:26
  13. "The Worst Kind of Man" [Single Version] – 2:19
  14. "The Red Balloon" [Single Version] – 2:03

All music and lyrics written by Gordon Jenkins.

Personnel

Related Research Articles

Gordon Hill Jenkins was an American arranger, composer, and pianist who was influential in popular music in the 1940s and 1950s. Jenkins worked with The Andrews Sisters, Johnny Cash, The Weavers, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole, Billie Holiday, Harry Nilsson, Peggy Lee and Ella Fitzgerald.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">That Old Black Magic</span> 1943 single by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra with Skip Nelson and The Modernaires

"That Old Black Magic" is a 1942 popular song written by Harold Arlen (music), with the lyrics by Johnny Mercer. They wrote it for the 1942 film Star Spangled Rhythm, when it was first sung by Johnny Johnston and danced by Vera Zorina. The song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1943 but lost out to "You'll Never Know".

<i>No One Cares</i> 1959 studio album by Frank Sinatra

No One Cares is the seventeenth studio album by Frank Sinatra, released on July 20, 1959. It is generally considered a sequel to Sinatra's 1957 album Where Are You?, and shares a similar sad and lonesome, gloomy theme and concept as In the Wee Small Hours and Only the Lonely.

<i>Judy at Carnegie Hall</i> 1961 live album by Judy Garland

Judy at Carnegie Hall is the second live album by Judy Garland, released on July 10, 1961, by Capitol Records. The album is a live recording of a concert by Garland held at Carnegie Hall in New York City, with backing orchestra conducted by Mort Lindsey. It was recorded on the night of Sunday April 23, 1961 and re-released decades later as an extended, two-disc CD).

<i>Beauty and the Beat!</i> 1959 studio album by Peggy Lee and George Shearing

Beauty and the Beat! is a 1959 album by Peggy Lee, accompanied by the George Shearing Quintet.

<i>Love Is the Thing</i> 1957 studio album by Nat King Cole

Love Is the Thing is a 1957 album released by American jazz vocalist Nat King Cole. It is the first of four collaborations between Cole and influential arranger Gordon Jenkins.

"Somewhere", sometimes referred to as "Somewhere (There's a Place for Us)" or simply "There's a Place for Us", is a song from the 1957 Broadway musical West Side Story that was made into films in 1961 and 2021. The music is composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

An album musical is a type of recording that sounds like an original cast album but is created specifically for the recording medium and is a complete entertainment product in itself, rather than just promoting or reflecting an existing or planned musical theatre production or revue. Although there has been no one term consistently used to describe this type of recording, the genre predates the use of the term "concept album" by several decades, dating back to the era of 78-rpm records with such original works as Gordon Jenkins' Manhattan Tower, The Letter, (1959) starring Judy Garland, and Stan Freberg's Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America, Volume One: The Early Years (1961). On most contemporary concept albums, the performers or bands sing as themselves, whereas on an album musical the performers are playing characters in a story.

<i>Judy in Love</i> 1958 studio album by Judy Garland

Judy in Love is the seventh studio album by Judy Garland, released on November 3, 1958 by Capitol Records and arranged by Nelson Riddle. The tracks of the album album include upbeat songs to balance the sad themes of her previous album, Alone and was her first to be recorded in stereo.

<i>Alone</i> (Judy Garland album) 1957 studio album by Judy Garland

Alone is the sixth studio album by Judy Garland, released on May 6, 1957 by Capitol Records, arranged by Gordon Jenkins. The album marks a departure from her usual repertoire of show tunes and movie songs, focusing instead on themes of loneliness.

<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>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>Garland at the Grove</i> 1959 live album by Judy Garland

Garland at the Grove is the debut live album by Judy Garland, released in mono on February 2, 1959 and in stereo on February 16, 1959 by Capitol Records, accompanied by Freddy Martin and his orchestra. The album was recorded at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.

<i>Judy</i> (Judy Garland album) 1956 studio album by Judy Garland

Judy is the fifth studio album by Judy Garland, released on October 10, 1956 by Capitol Records. The album was conducted and arranged by Nelson Riddle. The eleven tracks were selected to complement Garland's style, with the pacing set to create a pleasant mood and varied tempo.

<i>Heartaches and Tears</i> 1962 studio album by Jean Shepard

Heartaches and Tears is a studio album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released by Capitol Records in March 1962 with a total of 12 tracks. The tracks mixed both new material and cover tunes. Among its new tracks was the single "How Long Does It Hurt ". It was the fourth studio album of her career and fifth overall. The album was met with positive reviews from publications.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ain't That a Kick in the Head?</span> 1960 song by composer Jimmy Van Heusen and lyricist Sammy Cahn

"Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" is a pop song written in 1960 with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Sammy Cahn. It was first recorded that year on May 10 by Dean Martin in a swinging big band jazz arrangement conducted by Nelson Riddle. Martin performed the song in the 1960 heist film Ocean's 11 in an alternate arrangement featuring vibraphonist Red Norvo and his quartet.

<i>Girl Crazy</i> (album) 1944 studio album by Judy Garland

Girl Crazy is the debut studio album by Judy Garland featuring Mickey Rooney, released in 1944 by Decca Records. The album features songs presented in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer eponymous motion picture. and based on the 1930 stage musical of the same name by George Gershwin. Garland's recording sessions for the album took place during November 1943.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Letter". Allmusic . Retrieved May 10, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Billboard spotlights winners of the week". Billboard . Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 18 May 1959. p. 28. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  3. ↑ "Special merit picks". Billboard . Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 14 September 1963. p. 32. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  4. ↑ Gans, Andrew (February 27, 2007). "Judy Garland's "The Letter" to Make CD Debut in March". Playbill . Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  5. 1 2 "DRG to Release Judy Garland's '59 Album 'The Letter'". BroadwayWorld . February 15, 2007. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
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.