The Complete Capitol Collection
2006 compilation album by Liza Minnelli
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The Complete Capitol Collection is a compilation album by American singer and actor Liza Minnelli, released by the record label DRG in 2006.[1] The two-disc anthology comprehensively gathers Minnelli's complete recorded output for Capitol Records, featuring her three studio albums—Liza! Liza! (1964), It Amazes Me (1965), and There Is a Time (1966)—in their original running order, alongside singles originally released only on 7-inchs vinyl. The collection marked the first time these early albums were reissued in their entirety on compact disc (CD), featuring tracks digitally remastered in 24-bit resolution for enhanced audio clarity.
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| The Complete Capitol Collection | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | August 8, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | 1964–1966 | |||
| Genre | Jazz, traditional | |||
| Label | DRG | |||
| Liza Minnelli chronology | ||||
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Critically, the compilation has been noted for displaying the artist's full range of talents, making it a welcome release for fans. Reviews also highlighted the inherent challenge of marketing a traditional pop singer during the British Invasion era, observing that this commercial struggle would persist throughout the artist's career.
Background
Minnelli's first phonographic recordings took place when she was still a teenager. At just 17, she had starred in the Off-Broadway play Best Foot Forward, for which she even recorded songs from the soundtrack. The publicity generated by her vocal and acting skills led to TV appearances and the recording of a single, "You Are For Loving".[2] With this moderate success, Capitol Records signed her and gradually released singles, followed by three studio albums: Liza! Liza! (1964), It Amazes Me (1965), and There Is a Time (1966).[2] Although they were well received by music critics, only the first album performed well commercially, becoming the only one to chart on Billboard's Top LPs list.[3]
Album details
For decades, Capitol Records did not reissue the albums in compact disc (CD) format, despite most of the songs having appeared in a substantial number of compilations released over the years.[a] The Complete Capitol Collection compiles the three albums in their entirety, with their track listings in the order in which the albums were originally released.[7]
Containing 55 songs in total, the double-CD[8] set presents all tracks newly remastered in 24-bit.[9] The collection is further expanded with the inclusion of singles that were previously only available on 7-inchs records.[10] The anthology was released by DRG in 2006.[11]
In an interview, the compilation's producer, Scott Schechter, revealed: "The use of the original session tapes eliminated an entire layer of added reverb that was heard on the original LPs, and as a result, it has a much cleaner, warmer, and brighter sound, with much more presence in Liza's voice, as it should be. She sounds like she's in the same room, singing directly to you. You can hear everything better than ever before. It's like hearing the songs for the first time and [having] a completely new listening experience".[12]
Critical reception
William Ruhlmann of AllMusic wrote that "all of [Liza Minnelli's] talents are on display in these early recordings, which will be warmly received by her fans". He observed that the collection reveals the challenges Capitol and Minnelli faced in marketing a young, traditional pop singer during the British Invasion era, a struggle he notes never truly eased for her in the commercial record market.[10]
On November 23, 2013, Ben Rimalower of Playbill included The Complete Capitol Collection in his list of the twelve best albums of Liza Minnelli's career, and wrote that "although these recordings show an immature Minnelli, still somewhat unsure of how to express herself more artistically in song, the pure heart and throat are undeniable".[13]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "It's Just a Matter of Time" | Richard Everitt, Laurence Stith | Liza! Liza! | 3:06 |
| 2. | "If I Were in Your Shoes" | John Kander, Fred Ebb | Liza! Liza! | 3:22 |
| 3. | "Meantime" | Al Stillman, Robert Allen | Liza! Liza! | 3:37 |
| 4. | "Try to Remember" | Harvey Schmidt, Tom Jones | Liza! Liza! | 4:20 |
| 5. | "I'm All I've Got" | Milton Schafer, Ronny Graham | Liza! Liza! | 1:55 |
| 6. | "Maybe Soon" | Richard Everitt, Laurence Stith | Liza! Liza! | 3:17 |
| 7. | "Maybe This Time" | John Kander, Fred Ebb | Liza! Liza! | 3:30 |
| 8. | "Don't Ever Leave Me" | Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II | Liza! Liza! | 2:40 |
| 9. | "The Travelin' Life" | Howard Liebling, Marvin Hamlisch | Liza! Liza! | 2:52 |
| 10. | "Together (Wherever We Go)" | Stephen Sondheim, Jule Styne | Liza! Liza! | 3:45 |
| 11. | "Blue Moon" | Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart | Liza! Liza! | 2:03 |
| 12. | "I Knew Him When" | Harold Arlen, E.Y. "Yip" Harburg, Ira Gershwin | Liza! Liza! | 2:45 |
| 13. | "Wait Till You See Him" | Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart | It Amazes Me | 2:48 |
| 14. | "My Shining Hour" | Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen | It Amazes Me | 3:23 |
| 15. | "I Like The Likes Of You" | Vernon Duke, Yip Harburg | It Amazes Me | 2:17 |
| 16. | "It Amazes Me" | Cy Coleman, Carolyn Leigh | It Amazes Me | 3:10 |
| 17. | "Looking at You" | Cole Porter | It Amazes Me | 2:41 |
| 18. | "I Have Never Seen Snow" | Arlen | It Amazes Me | 4:52 |
| 19. | "Plenty Of Time" | Kander, Ebb | It Amazes Me | 4:18 |
| 20. | "For Every Man There's A Woman" | Arlen, Leo Robin | It Amazes Me | 2:41 |
| 21. | "Lorelei" | George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin | It Amazes Me | 2:35 |
| 22. | "Shouldn't There Be Lightning?" | Alexander, Goldenberg | It Amazes Me | 3:08 |
| 23. | "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out" | Jimmy Cox | It Amazes Me | 2:50 |
| 24. | "Walk Right In / How Come You Do Me Like You Do" | Hosea Woods, Gus Cannon / Gene Austin, Roy Bergere | It Amazes Me | 3:02 |
| 25. | "Imprevu" | L. Geraci, Johnny Richards | Single Release | 3:02 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "There Is a Time (Le Temps)" | Lees, Charles Aznavour, Davis | There Is A Time | 2:22 |
| 2. | "I (Who Have Nothing)" | Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Mogol, Carlo Donida | There Is A Time | 2:41 |
| 3. | "M'Lord" | Marguerite Monnot, Yussef Mustacchi | There Is A Time | 2:27 |
| 4. | "Watch What Happens" | Demy, Gimbel, Michel Legrand | There Is A Time | 2:41 |
| 5. | "One of Those Songs" | Calvi, Holt | There Is A Time | 1:58 |
| 6. | "Days of the Waltz" | Jacques Brel, Holt | There Is A Time | 4:19 |
| 7. | "Ay Marieke" | Jacques Brel, Jouannest | There Is A Time | 2:36 |
| 8. | "Love at Last You Have Found Me" | Charles Aznavour, Worth | There Is A Time | 2:38 |
| 9. | "I'll Build A Stairway to Paradise" | Buddy DeSylva, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin | There Is A Time | 2:08 |
| 10. | "See the Old Man" | John Kander, Fred Ebb | There Is A Time | 1:22 |
| 11. | "The Parisians" | Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe | There Is A Time | 2:01 |
| 12. | "One Summer Love" | Larry Stith, Richard Everitt | Single Release | 2:16 |
| 13. | "How Much Will I Love You?" | Livingston, Evans | Single Release | 2:34 |
| 14. | "Day Dreaming" | Bob Hilliard, Mort Garson | Single Release | 2:35 |
| 15. | "His Woman" | Bob Hilliard, Mort Garson | Single Release | 2:35 |
| 16. | "My Little Corner of the World" | Lee Pockriss, Bob Hilliard | Single Release | 2:14 |
| 17. | "We'll Be Together" | M. Garson, B. Hilliard | Single Release | 2:33 |
| 18. | "A Quiet Thing" | F. Ebb, J. Kander | Single Release | 2:41 |
| 19. | "All I Need" | F. Ebb, J. Kander | Single Release | 2:42 |
| 20. | "Sing Happy" | F. Ebb, J. Kander | Single Release | 3:19 |
| 21. | "Dear Love" | F. Ebb, J. Kander | Single Release | 2:42 |
| 22. | "I'm Not Laughing" | B. Crewe, R. Bondi | Single Release | 2:50 |
| 23. | "Did I Hurt Your Feelings?" | Bob Crewe | Single Release | 3:07 |
| 24. | "The Many Faces Of Love" | Mort Shuman, Doc Pomus | Single Release | 2:17 |
| 25. | "At My Age" | F. Ebb, J. Kander | Single Release | 3:08 |
| 26. | "Middle of the Street" | Christopher Allen, Richard Everitt, Peter Allen | Single Release | 2:16 |
| 27. | "Everybody Loves My Baby" | Spencer Williams, Jack Palmer | Single Release | 2:07 |
| 28. | "Marriage Is For Old Folks" | L. Carr, E. Shuman | Single Release | 3:11 |
| 29. | "Come On And Baby Me" | Sam M. Lewis, Meyer, Young | Single Release | 2:03 |
| 30. | "Say Liza" (Liza With A "Z") | F. Ebb, J. Kander | Single Release | 3:41 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from The Complete Capitol Collection CD.[14]
- Executive producer (for Drg Records) – Hugh Fordin
- Liner notes – Scott Schechter
- Producer [for Drg Records] – Scott Schechter
Notes
- Compilations with tracks taken from the Capitol Records albums include: Best of Liza Minnelli: The Capitol Years (which was reissued with new covers and titles in 2001, under the name The Capitol Collection[4] and Essential, in 2003);[5] and Finest, from 2009.[6]