Liza Minnelli (album)
Encyclopedia
Liza Minnelli is the title of Liza Minnelli
's first studio album
for A&M Records. Released on February 9, 1968 in the United States, it contains her interpretations of pop/rock and singer/songwriters songs.
The main inspiration for this change in direction were Peter Allen
(the singer's husband at the time) and producer Larry Marks. They were both very fond of Randy Newman
, the artist whose is the most prominent composer on this collection.
The overall mood of this album is somewhat quirky.
This first and subsequent albums for the label, much like the previous Capitol Records
ones, failed to sell or chart. Only the third of the 4 albums three managed to crack the Billboard Top 200, but none produced any kind of hit. By then she had decided to go back to the kind of songs she and her mother usually preferred delivering.
in its entirety for the first time as part of "Liza Minnelli: The Complete A&M Recordings", a 2-CD set released by Collector's Choice Music in 2008. This included outtakes and previously unreleased recordings from the A&M recording sessions.
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
's first studio album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
for A&M Records. Released on February 9, 1968 in the United States, it contains her interpretations of pop/rock and singer/songwriters songs.
Album information
Unlike the songs and performances she is today mostly known for, when Minnelli recorded her three studio albums for A&M Records, she chose to pick her songs by late 60s and early 70s pop/rock and singer/songwriters.The main inspiration for this change in direction were Peter Allen
Peter Allen
Peter Allen was an Australian songwriter and entertainer. His songs were made popular by many recording artists, including Elkie Brooks, Melissa Manchester and Olivia Newton-John, with one, Arthur's Theme, winning an Academy Award in 1981...
(the singer's husband at the time) and producer Larry Marks. They were both very fond of Randy Newman
Randy Newman
Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
, the artist whose is the most prominent composer on this collection.
The overall mood of this album is somewhat quirky.
This first and subsequent albums for the label, much like the previous Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
ones, failed to sell or chart. Only the third of the 4 albums three managed to crack the Billboard Top 200, but none produced any kind of hit. By then she had decided to go back to the kind of songs she and her mother usually preferred delivering.
Track listing
- "The Debutante's Ball" (Randy NewmanRandy NewmanRandall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
) - "Happyland" (Newman)
- "The Look of LoveThe Look of Love (1967 song)"The Look of Love" is a popular song composed by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and sung by Dusty Springfield, which appeared in the 1967 spoof James Bond film Casino Royale.-Songwriters:...
" (Hal DavidHal DavidHarold Lane "Hal" David is an American lyricist. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. David is best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach.-Career:...
, Burt BacharachBurt BacharachBurt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
) - "(The Tragedy Of) Butterfly McHeart" (Peter AllenPeter AllenPeter Allen was an Australian songwriter and entertainer. His songs were made popular by many recording artists, including Elkie Brooks, Melissa Manchester and Olivia Newton-John, with one, Arthur's Theme, winning an Academy Award in 1981...
, Chris Allen) - "Waiting For My Friend" (John AddisonJohn AddisonJohn Mervyn Addison was a British composer best known for his film scores.Addison was educated at Wellington College, Berkshire and at the age of sixteen entered the Royal College of Music. He studied composition with Gordon Jacob, oboe with Léon Goossens, and clarinet with Frederick Thurston. ...
, George Melly) - "MarriedCabaret (musical)Cabaret is a musical based on a book written by Christopher Isherwood, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The 1966 Broadway production became a hit and spawned a 1972 film as well as numerous subsequent productions....
"/You Better Sit Down KidsYou Better Sit Down Kids"You Better Sit Down Kids" is a major hit single release by American singer/actress Cher in 1967. The song reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and in Canada #7....
" (Fred EbbFred EbbFred Ebb was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera....
, John KanderJohn KanderJohn Harold Kander is the American composer of a number of musicals as part of the songwriting team of Kander and Ebb.-Life and career:Kander was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of Bernice and Harold S. Kander...
)/(Sonny BonoSonny BonoSalvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono was an American recording artist, record producer, actor, and politician whose career spanned over three decades.-Early life:...
) - "So Long Dad" (Newman)
- "For No OneFor No One"For No One" is a song written by Paul McCartney that originally appeared on The Beatles' seventh album, Revolver. A baroque pop song about the end of a relationship, it was one of McCartney's most mature and poignant works upon its release...
" (John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
) - "My MammyMy Mammy"My Mammy" is a U.S. popular song with music by Walter Donaldson and lyrics by Joe Young and Sam M. Lewis.Though associated with Al Jolson, who performed the song very successfully, "My Mammy" was performed first by William Frawley as a vaudeville-style act during 1918. Jolson heard the song and...
" (Sam M. LewisSam M. LewisSam M. Lewis was a Jewish-American singer and lyricist, born in New York City, New York as Samuel Levine-Biography:...
, Joe Young, Walter DonaldsonWalter DonaldsonWalter Donaldson was a prolific United States popular songwriter, composing many hit songs of the 1910s and 1920s.-History:...
) - "The Happy Time" (Ebb, Kander)
Re-release
The album was released on Compact DiscCompact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
in its entirety for the first time as part of "Liza Minnelli: The Complete A&M Recordings", a 2-CD set released by Collector's Choice Music in 2008. This included outtakes and previously unreleased recordings from the A&M recording sessions.
Personnel
- Produced by Larry Marks
- Arranged by Peter MatzPeter MatzPeter Matz was an award winning American musician, composer, arranger and conductor. His musical career in film, theater, television and studio recording spanned fifty years, and he worked with a number of prominent artists, including Marlene Dietrich, Noël Coward and Barbra Streisand...
, Nick De Caro, Bob Thompson, J. Hill - Original Album Engineers: Ray Gerhardt, Donald Hahn
- Album Design: Corporate Head
- Art Director: Tom WilkesTom WilkesThomas Edward "Tom" Wilkes was an American art director, designer, photographer, illustrator, writer and producer-director....
- Photography: Guy Webster