MAGICAL MINNELLI MASTERPIECE~BRAVO LIZA!!!!!!!!!!
Bradly Briggs | TOLUCA LAKE, CALIFORNIA | 03/11/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Finally the definitive Liza Minnelli Collection that long time Liza fans have been longing and waiting for with main focus being on Minnelli's awesome years at A&M Records! From Australia is this superb collection showing the artistry of this great singers recording career which has sadly & strangely been overlooked in her own country and listening to this definitive collection it certainly is not for lack of quality and what were they thinking...talk about lost opportunity! Randy Newman songs are brilliantly showcased on four opening numbers with a definitive "Love Story", the magical "Debutante's Ball", a wondrous and mystical "Happyland" and a bittersweet gem "So Long Dad". A hauntingly gorgeous vocal is featured in the Lennon-McCartney classic "For No One", a whimsical "Wherefore and Why" is engrossing with a rich and soulful vocal while Harry Nilsson's "Wailing of the Willow" is mellow magic. Liza is at her finest in a soul-deep performance & extraordinary vocal making the Sonny Bono classic "You Better Sit Down Kids" a riveting masterpiece and this reality saga is introduced by the haunting Kanter-Ebb classic "Married" from the motion picture classic "Cabaret". These dramatic songs come together to form a brilliant medley that is an emotional tour-de-force that is stunning & unforgettable and should have earned Liza a much deserved Grammy Award from this artistic & creative period of her amazing recording career which is filled with numerous great achievements and still going strong. "Raggedy Ann & Raggedy Andy" is sentimental storytelling at its finest and John Denver's "Leaving On A Jet Plane" has never sounded quite as passionate or deeply moving! Dreamy and sensuous is Aretha's "Don't Let Me Loose This Dream" with a vocal that is soft as a cloud while a Liza classic from "Sterile Cuckoo" make Dory Previn's "Come Saturday Morning" enchanting while showing off those legendary Liza acting skills. Peter Allen is served well as a brilliant composer of uniquely original songs and nobody interpretes them aside from Peter better than Liza and "Butterfly McHeart" is an engrossing story soulfully sung with great skill while "Simon" is a heartbreaker full of genuine pathos making these stunning and masterful performances true classics to be enjoyed over and over. "Harbour" is another Peter Allen classic heartbreaker featuring a brilliant and soaring vocal while a riveting funky rocker "More Than I Like You" is soulful and mesmerizing and should have been a huge hit but once again American Radio didn't rise to the occasion making this another lost opportunity which has led to the sad state of the music industry today which is costing it big time...shocking none of these awesome performances received airplay and this is a sad commentary for all of those tone-deaf emotionally bankrupt radio programmers all across America! Liza is the singer who would do Peter Allen proud by recording a Tribute Collection from his richly varied and totally classic songbook!! "Mr Emery" is a clever & catchy song while "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" is definitive with a soaring Liza vocal that is stunning and deeply soulful. "Dancing in the Moonlight" and "I Believe in Music" are hot rockers and a funky "Use Me" is sensuous and smoldering with passion. Classic Minnelli performance at her peak in the haunting "The Singer" ("is she the singer or the song?) and it would be great if on occasion Liza would include this rousing anthem in her repertoire as this tremendous vocal is raw and emotional and simply magnificent! Another glorious vocal makes "I'd Love You to Want Me" definitive while an exhuberent duet make Stevie Wonder's "I Love Every Little Thing About Me" exciting and infectious and may be part of the reason why Stevie has been seen in the audience really enjoying Liza in concert! Funky and soulfully sung is the late Minnie Ripperton's "When It Comes Down To It" and a warm and inviting vocal on the closing "Come Home Babe" is moving & sublime making a wonderful finale for this extraordinary collection. This phenomenal collection clearly shows Liza Minnelli to be one of the greatest singers ever to grace a recording studio and nobody who really listens to this spectacular collection will think otherwise! Enjoy the finest and "Bravo" to Liza Minnelli!!!"
In the Sun Above
Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 11/18/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"After 2 other Raven packages (Jennifer Warnes & Jimmy Webb), I've been delighted with this compilation for another of my favorites, Liza Minnelli! This compilation focuses on the period that I found most entrancing, her commercially less successful forays into the singer songwriters from the early 70s era. The liner notes in the booklet are extremely well written and informative about the different periods, producers, goals, expectations and results of her recordings. There are a couple of my very favorite recordings of all time on this set. Liza's upbeat take on Gordon Lightfoot's "Wherefore & Why" is a bright optimistic recording with the strings making you feel like Liza is racing with the angels somewhere in the sky, "All at once it came to me, I saw the wherefore & you can see it if you try, it's in the sun above, it's in the one you love, & you'll never know the reason why." "Come Saturday Morning" is a delightful Dory Previn song with Liza's spoken interlude. Whether or not it ever made it onto the pop charts, it was often hugging my turntable and now embraces my changer! Peter Allen's "Simon" is another lovely track with its slow tempo that examines the difference between a loving friend & a romantic lover, "It didn't hurt to have no friends cause I pinned my hopes on him, when I'd call, he'd come, he'd never let me down." "Harbour" is another excellent track that Peter Allen wrote about his breakup with Liza. This recording came after their marriage had ended; and Liza embodies the powerful tender lyric with conviction. Bill Withers' "Use Me" may not be the most politically correct song Liza recorded, but it sure is a lot of fun. "When It Comes Down to It: 1968-1977" is an excellent compilation. The remastering is technically excellent and the song selection is inspired. Enjoy!"
It Might be the best !
V. Espinola | Florida | 01/28/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I found the selections and the recording to be one of the best CD Liza ever put out. Why did you take this long Liza? We should have been able to have this long time ago.
Thank you Liza !"
Track Listings (26) - Disc #1