Live at the London Palladium (Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli album)

"Live" at the London Palladium
Live album by Liza Minnelli and Judy Garland
Released	July 25, 1965
Recorded	November 8, 1964, and November 15, 1964
Venue	London Palladium, London
Genre	Pop, vocal, traditional
Length	78:51
Label	Capitol
Producer	Simon Rady
Liza Minnelli and Judy Garland chronology
It Amazes Me (1965) "Live" at the London Palladium (1965) There Is a Time (1966)
Judy Garland chronology
Judy Garland Sings Maggie May (EP) (1964) "Live" at the London Palladium (1965) Judy Garland at Home at the Palace: Opening Night (1965)
Singles from "Live" at the London Palladium
"Hello, Liza! Hello, Mama!" Released: August 23, 1965

"Live" at the London Palladium is a live album by American singers and actresses Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli, released in 1965 by Capitol Records.^[1]

At the time of the release, Minnelli was acclaimed for her performance in the leading role in Flora, The Red Menace, and the album achieved the feat of bringing the singer together with her mother, the also singer and actress Judy Garland, for the first time in a "live" concert at the London Palladium theater.^[2] The recording took place on November 8 and 15, 1964, with the latter also being filmed and becoming the 55-minute program that aired on ITV British Television.^[3]

In an interview, Minnelli revealed that her mother tricked her into doing the shows.^[3] Garland asked Minnelli to come to London and perform with her, but she initially refused, feeling that she was too young and unprepared.^[3] Garland went ahead and announced the concert to the press, leaving Minnelli with no choice but to accept.^[3] She further revealed, "I had performed with Mama on her TV series, and as big as that was to me, it wasn't the same as standing on stage singing with her at the London Palladium. Listen, Mama dominated any stage she was on. So we did it, and it was great, exciting, and terrifying."^[3]

Although primarily a live album, some of the songs were re-recorded at Capitol's studios in London on November 23, 1964.^[4] The reason for the re-recordings was that a significant portion of the audio tapes from the second concert was marred by a buzzing sound that leaked from some of the television cameras filming the show that night.^[4] The only thing that would be used from this session on the album was the ending of "Hello, Dolly," which occurs after the dialogue between Judy and Liza and the audience.^[4]

Re-release

In 1973, after years out of print, Capitol Records decided to reissue it in a condensed version that excluded 8 of the 19 tracks and drastically altered the song order from the original release. The release aimed to capitalize on Minnelli's visibility during that period: she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Cabaret at the 1973 Oscars, and she graced the covers of major U.S. magazines.^[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
Record Mirror	[7]
Record World	Favorable[8]
Record World (condensed version)	Favorable[9]
Cashbox (condensed version)	Favorable[10]

Reviews from music critics were favorable.^[11]

William Ruhlmann of the AllMusic website gave it three and a half stars out of five^[12] and wrote that while the album is "welcome," "neither of the singers is heard at their best here."^[12] He noted that the best moments of the concert are when the two sing together, due to the remarkable chemistry between mother and daughter.^[12]

The Record World magazine published two reviews for the album, both favorable. In the first, referring to the complete album from 1965, the critic wrote that the album was a showcase for the union of two talented artists, singing "some of the best songs of the century."^[8] He said that Garland was in good vocal form throughout the performance and singled out "When the Saints Go Marching In" and "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" as highlights.^[8] Regarding the condensed version, the magazine's critic wrote in 1973 that the combination of the two biggest artists of the time resulted in an "exciting" album with songs that were "magnificently interpreted."^[9] He highlighted songs such as "What Now My Love," "Gypsy In My Soul," and "Swanee."^[9]

The critic from Cashbox wrote (about the condensed version) that although it was recorded in 1964, the recording should be considered as "a legacy of the great Judy Garland and her incredibly vibrant and talented daughter."^[10] His highlights from the tracklist included "What Now My Love," "Hello, Dolly," "Swanee," and "Over The Rainbow."^[10]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 135 on the Billboard 200 chart.^[13] It reached its peak at number 41 on October 30, 1965.^[14]

In the Record World best-selling albums chart, it peaked at number 45 on October 30, 1965.^[15] In the Cash Box Top 100 Albums chart, in the October 2, 1965, edition, it reached its peak at number 65.^[16]

The condensed version debuted on the Billboard 200 on June 9, 1973, at number 191.^[17] It reached its peak at number 164 on July 7, 1973,^[18] spending a total of 8 weeks on the chart.^[13]

Track listing

Personnel

• Harry Robinson Orchestra – orchestra
• Harry Robinson – conductor
• Norrie Paramor – recording supervisor
• Terry O'Neill – photography

Charts

Weekly charts

References

This page was last edited on 6 April 2024, at 11:53