The Best of Julie Andrews
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| The Best of Julie Andrews | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | 1972 | |||
| Genre | Show tune, pop | |||
| Label | Columbia/CBS | |||
| Julie Andrews chronology | ||||
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The Best of Julie Andrews (released in the US as The World of Julie Andrews) is a compilation album released in 1972 (1973 in US)[1] by English actress and singer Julie Andrews, on CBS label. The album brings together recordings made by Andrews for Columbia Records during the late 1950s and early 1960s. It includes a selection of songs drawn from both her theatrical performances and her studio albums, reflecting the early stages of her career in music and theater.[2]
The album release coincided with a period of renewed public attention in the United States, prompted by The Julie Andrews Show broadcast on ABC. The record label strategically utilized this moment of heightened visibility to enhance commercial interest in her earlier works.[3]
The collection features four tracks from the 1956 original London cast recording of My Fair Lady: "I Could Have Danced All Night", "Just You Wait", "Without You", and "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?". These recordings originate from Andrews' role as Eliza Doolittle and represent her early work on the theatrical stage. Other tracks are drawn from two studio albums released by Andrews in 1962: Broadway's Fair Julie and Don't Go in the Lion's Cage Tonight and Other Heartrending Ballads and Raucous Ditties. The first includes songs by composers such as Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, and Rodgers and Hart. The second features English music hall material, including titles like "The Honeysuckle and the Bee", "Burlington Bertie from Bow", "Don't Go in the Lion's Cage Tonight" and "Who Threw the Overalls in Mrs. Murphy's Chowder".[4]
Releases
The album was originally released under different titles and configurations. The U.S. edition is part of a series of double albums titled "The World of..." featuring CBS label artists such as Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash and Lynn Anderson.[5] In 1980, it was re-released by Harmony Records under the title Souvenir Album (#CSP 125) with new cover art. The CD version of this edition (#471122 2) excluded six songs: "If Love Were All", "I Don't Care", "Oh Dear What Can The Matter Be", "She Is More To Be Pitied Than Censured", "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" and "Burlington Bertie From Bow". In 1994, The Best of Julie Andrews was released in CD by Columbia (#983403 2) with the original 20 tracks included.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| Hi-Fi News & Record Review | A:2[6] |
| Stereo Review | Performance: Distant Record: Variable[3] |
Billboard praised the album as "a good selection",[7] while Gramophone contrasted Andrews' "clinically formal" soprano with the extrovert vitality of Liza Minnelli, noting that the material did not always suit her style, although there was "adequate redemption" in some performances.[4]
Arthur Jackson of Hi-Fi News & Record Review wrote: "I know there are many worse things in the world of music, but Julie's eternal prissy soubrette approach does get me down a bit". He admitted this view might not be widely shared and noted that her recent TV series could help the album gain more attention.[6] Peter Reilly of Stereo Review wrote that Julie Andrews' album felt like a cash-in on her TV show and lacked emotional connection. He observed that while she was a "relentless performer", she had limited "feel for the microphone or its possibilities".[3]
Reviewing the Souvenir Album edition William Ruhlmann of AllMusic wrote that "Andrews' versatility is demonstrated abundantly, but the album veers from one style to another", pointing out a lack of cohesive flow between the Broadway and novelty selections.[2]