I have loved this recording for twenty years. It is Judy Garland at the climax of her now legendary 1960-1961 tour. My only problem all these years, in my opinion, was that both the LP and original CD release had a very muddy sound to them. The original CD release even substituted a studio version of "Alone Together" for the original track. The performance was still classic, but Judy was lost behind the roar of the crowd and a brilliantly loud orchestra. Well my friends, NOT any more! DCC obtained the original master tapes and re-mixed them the way they should have been. This "live" recording has a REALLY "LIVE" sound to it. Judy is right out front beating the band and has never sounded better. Things what were nearly undetectible on prior issues are now loud and clear! Not only is the audio quality improved but the recording is finally REALLY complete. Including the original "Alone Together" track. You have every moment as it happened nearly 39 years ago. From the first round of applause when the house lights dimmed, to Judy's footsteps across the stage, to additional storytelling by Judy, to the enthusiastic chatter after the curtain fell. It's all there! I don't care if you are a die-hard Judy Garland fan or just meeting Judy for the first time. If this is your first exposure....WHAT AN INTRODUCTION! The Gold Disc set is a must have for ANY music lover. Who ever said that you can't improve a classic. Steve Hoffman and DCC have done just that! The booklet included contains both the original album liner notes and new insightful narritive by noted Garland historian Scott Schechter. Listen especially for the new story from Judy following "That's Entertainment" on disc two. Shows off her legendary sense of humor brilliantly. I give this release ten stars. A highly entertaining, musical experience! Buy It! Judy At Carnegie Hall
This new reissue of possibly the greatest live album by a popular singer of the last century is amazing. In the previous CD release, the overture was thrilling, but here it positively blasts you out of your seat. The audience spontaneously bursts into applause at the climax of The Man That Got Away during the Overture; with this new release you'll hear why: you'll "get" the full power of this wonderful orchestra for the first time. But the best part is, of course, the clarity and power of Judy's voice, which is present on this CD with dramatic vividness. My previous (slight) reservation that her voice was not as powerful as it had been 10 years earlier has been corrected. From the moment she opens with "When You're Smiling", you'll know that she never sounded better! If you already know this performance, your first time hearing this CD will be a revelation, no matter how highly you regarded it before. They have finally released the entire concert, and the pandemonium of the last half hour of the event is excitingly captured, unlike in the previous CD, which merely hinted at what you'll hear here. There is also a new story, one which you can also find on the DVDs of her TV show, but which she puts a hilarious twist on in this CD.It's about time this great performance was given the Royal treatment it deserves. When will there ever be another talent like this? By the way, if you don't already own a surround sound system, this release is the reason to get one. I actually went out and bought a new pair of rear speakers a week after I got this CD.
I have been a fan of this concert since the mid '70s, when I bought the double-record set. Even then I thought it had muddy sound, which I attributed to a belief that the technology for live recordings was primitive in 1961 (not true; it was just a muddy mix!) Nonetheless, this was an addictive recording.The first CD was a terribly disappointing abridgement of the album, with at times an even worse mix than the old lp. The next CD edition was exciting; an improvement over anything that had come before, restoring most of Judy's stories and interaction with the audience, but with some odd flaws: most notably the use of a studio recording in place of one of the live tracks.The release of this new "Gold CD" mix is the most exciting thing since the release of Judy's TV shows on DVD. The sound is vivid, crisp and exciting; the mix is perfect and in a league far beyond that of any earlier release. It brings this recording into the digital era. The restoration of every moment of the original tapes is not archeology; it IS history, and it DOES make it possible to experience more of this amazing evening than ever before.I believe that this was the greatest single pop concert of the 20th Century, and this new release is the only way to experience it now.
This album was originally purchased by me for my 11th birthday (6.00 for mono!). Afterwards my ear was cocked to the hi-fi speakers for weeks. I had never heard anything like it. Almost forty years latter, I still haven't. In the intervening years the mono album was replaced with the stereo version. These LPs were replaced with a truncated CD version which, in turn, was replaced with the 2-CD version. Then came Amazon.com to tempt me with the DCC gold plated issue. My first (and second) reaction? No way. Not again. Well, after reconsidering, the "Gold" version just arrived in the mail this week, compelling me to write.If you've purchased this title before, break down and do it again. I never thought the previous issues were engineered very well, but attributed that to the shoftcomings of live recording. This version finally got it right. The voice is front and center, no longer competing with the orchestra, yet the musicians are heard with a clarity that's new, revealing textures not heard before. The previous versions put you in the audience. These CD's have you sitting on the stage.If you think you've heard this concert before - you haven't. And if you never have, put this in your shopping cart. There must have been some type of planetary alignment the night this concert was recorded. The songs and their arrangements are a testament to how the Great American Songbook often went beyond craft to art. The orchestra and the audience are in some sort of metaphysical groove with a gifted performer who was never in better form than on that particular evening. Her talent was rarely, if ever, better documented. - Pop - Dance Pop - Lady Gaga - Music'
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