Capitol 1569
Producer: Andy Wiswell
Track listing: Overture: The Trolley Song / Over the Rainbow / The Man That Got Away / When You’re Smiling (The Whole World Smiles with You) / Medley: Almost Like Being in Love / This Can’t Be Love / Do It Again / You Go to My Head / Alone Together / Who Cares? (So Long as You Care for Me?) / Puttin’ on the Ritz / How Long Has This Been Going On? / Just You, Just Me / The Man That Got Away / San Francisco / I Can’t Give You Anything but Love / That’s Entertainment / Come Rain or Come Shine / You’re Nearer / A Foggy Day / If Love Were All / Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart / Stormy Weather Medley: You Made Me Love You / For Me and My Gal / The Trolley Song / Rock-A-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody / Over the Rainbow / Swanee / After You’ve Gone / Chicago
September 11, 1961
9 weeks stereo, 13 weeks mono
At the mere age of 15, Judy Garland was signed to Decca Records in August 1937. Two years later, she starred as Dorothy in the legendary film musical The Wizard of Oz. Garland continued as a star of song and the big screen, appearing in several MGM musicals through the mid-’50s, including the original A Star Is Born in 1954. In 1955, Garland moved to Capitol Records and focused on recording and touring. Miss Show Business, her first album for the label, reached number five. Her subsequent albums, 1956’s Judy and 1957’s Alone both peaked at number 17.
After a hiatus, Garland returned to the concert stage in grand style in 1961 with a 16-city tour, which included a stop on April 23, 1961, at Carnegie Hall. A crowd of 3,165 packed the theater beyond its capacity and Capitol captured it all on tape.
To Garland, the recording was an afterthought and she wasn’t about to make any concessions that would hurt her performance. “Her attitude was, ‘I’m going to do my concert and if you can make a record out of it, go ahead,'” recalls orchestra director Mort Lindsey. “At one point the producer was concerned that the drums were going to be too loud on the record, but Judy just said, ‘The heck with you. This is my night. We’re doing a concert, we’re not doing a recording.'”
Any fears on the part of producer Andy Wiswell proved to be unfounded, as Garland put on the performance of her career. Of course, the recording had to be edited. “On the album, they left off about 22 minutes of applause,” says Lindsey. “She came out to a standing ovation to start with and from then on, she could do no wrong. It was such an exceptional night. Anyone who was there will tell you, it was like a prayer meeting.” Among those in attendance were Rock Hudson, Jule Styne, Carol Channing, and Julie Andrews. “No matter where you looked, you saw movie stars and famous people,” says Lindsey.
The performance was a career retrospective with Garland performing such notable tunes as “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz and “The Man That Got Away” from A Star Is Born. “They were all songs that almost belonged to her,” adds Lindsey. “It wasn’t unknown territory.”
Record buyers greeted Judy at Carnegie Hall as enthusiastically as those who attended the concert. In its seventh week, the album knocked Elvis Presley’s Something for Everybody from the summit of the 150 Best Selling Monaural LP’s chart, becoming the first live music recording to top the album list.
THE TOP FIVE
Week of September 11, 1961
1. Judy at Carnegie Hall, Judy Garland
2. Never on Sunday, Soundtrack
3. Goin’ Places, The Kingston Trio
4. Yellow Bird, Lawrence Welk
5. Camelot, Original Cast