Distinguished by its standardized green-colored cover, the album was sold at a single-LP price. It was met with favorable critical reception and charted on Billboard's Bubbling Under the Top LPs survey, becoming her second-best-charting album for the label. The compilation was later reissued multiple times on compact disc (CD) under different titles and artwork, though the track listing remained consistent with the original 1973 release.
Album details
The album was released in 1973 under the A&M Records label, after the singer had released three studio albums and one live album with the label. The tracklist features songs from four albums released by A&M Records between 1968 and 1972, namely: Liza Minnelli (1968), Come Saturday Morning (1969), New Feelin' (1970), and the live album Live at the Olympia in Paris (1972).[1]
The Foursider series was a collection of double LPs from the early 1970s, which compiled catalog tracks from A&M Records' roster of artists. The series had standardized covers, with each artist represented by a distinct color. Minnelli was represented by the color green. All material in the series was compiled and edited by Clare Baren and Richard Burns.[2] Although it was a double album, it was sold at the price of a single LP.[3]
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, the compilation was re-released under different titles and cover art in CD format, including: A&M Gold Series (1991),[4]Master Series (1999),[5] and Millennium Edition (2000).[6] Despite these variations, the tracks and original sequence remained unchanged. The Liza Minnelli Foursider was also released in CD format with its original cover.[7]
William Ruhlmann of AllMusic wrote that "[the album] is as good a sampler as could be compiled from the limited resources available and features some of the songs most identified with Minnelli, although not always in ideal versions".[1]
Cash Box magazine wrote that the album is a testament to the singer’s incredible virtuosity, which, according to them, "shines in her luxurious delivery and emotional interpretation". They highlighted the songs "You Better Sit Down Kids" by Sonny Bono and "Cabaret" by Ebb-Kander, which became a classic.[8]
Commercial performance
Commercially, it became the second-best performing A&M Records album by Minnelli. On the Billboard magazine chart Bubbling Under the Top LPs, it debuted at position number 209[9] and remained on the list for three more consecutive weeks.[10][11][12] Its peak position was number 207.[11]
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