The Letter (Judy Garland album)
| The Letter | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 4, 1959 | |||
| Recorded | January 15–16, 1959 | |||
| Length | 57:14 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Judy Garland chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Letter | ||||
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The Letter is a 1959 concept album by American vocalist Judy Garland arranged by Gordon Jenkins.[1] The album is as musical narrative, 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]
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
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [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
[edit]- "Beautiful Trouble" – 4:18
- "Love in the Village" – 4:32
- "Charley's Blues" – 3:27
- "The Worst Kind of Man" – 3:58
- "That's All There Is, There Isn't Any More" – 2:50
- "Love in Central Park" – 4:34
- "The Red Balloon" – 2:24
- "The Fight" – 3:34
- "At the Stroke of Midnight" – 4:30
- "Come Back" – 4:36
- "Beautiful Trouble [Single Version]" – 1:48
- "That's All There Is, There Isn't Any More" [Single Version] – 2:26
- "The Worst Kind of Man" [Single Version] – 2:19
- "The Red Balloon" [Single Version] – 2:03
All music and lyrics written by Gordon Jenkins.
Personnel
[edit]- Judy Garland – vocals
- John Ireland
- Gordon Jenkins – arranger
- Charles LaVere – vocals on "Charley's Blues"
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "The Letter". Allmusic. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e "The Billboard spotlights winners of the week". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 18 May 1959. p. 28. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
- ^ "Special merit picks". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 14 September 1963. p. 32. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (February 27, 2007). "Judy Garland's "The Letter" to Make CD Debut in March". Playbill. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
- ^ a b "DRG to Release Judy Garland's '59 Album 'The Letter'". BroadwayWorld. February 15, 2007. Retrieved 11 October 2024.