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The Harvey Girls (album)

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The Harvey Girls
Soundtrack album by
Released1945
LabelDecca
Judy Garland chronology
Meet Me in St. Louis
(1944)
The Harvey Girls
(1945)
Miss Show Business
(1955)

The Harvey Girls is the third studio album by Judy Garland, released in 1945 by Decca Records. The album features songs presented in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer eponymous motion picture, composed by Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer.[1]

Description

The album has six tracks, including the popular "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" and "In the Valley, Swing Your Partner Round and Round".[1]

The album also features songs performed by Kenny Baker and Virginia O'Brien, as well as the Kay Thompson choir.[1] At the time of the record sessions of the album Thompson's husband, Jack Jenney, was unemployed at the time and urgently seeking work.[2] He was hired by Lennie Hayton, with Thompson's assistance, to play trombone on Garland's recording.[2]

In his review for the album in Billboard magazine, Maurie Orodenker seems to be disappointed particularly with Garland's performance.[1] He finds that her rendition of "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" is "forced" and that the song doesn't have the same impact as the original version.[1] He also finds that Garland's performance in other songs is "dead-pan" and doesn't convey personality.[1] However, he liked Kenny Baker's performance in "Wait and See" and considers the song a highlight of the record.[1]

In 1957, Decca released a compilation album including a selection of songs from both The Harvey Girls and Meet Me in St. Louis that received a favorable review from Billboard magazine (82/100).[3] In 1995, Rhino Records released a 4-CD box set entitled Mickey & Judy which includes songs from The Harvey Girls and others songs that Garland and Rooney recorded for their Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) films.[4][5]

Track listing

Disc 1
No.TitleLength
1."On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe" 
2."In The Valley" 
Disc 2
No.TitleLength
1."Wait And See" 
2."Swing Your Partner Round And Round" 
Disc 3
No.TitleLength
1."It's A Great Big World" 
2."The Wild, Wild West" 

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Orodenker, Maurie (22 December 1945). "Record Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 57, no. 51. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 76. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b Irvin, Sam (15 November 2011). Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise. Simon and Schuster. p. 123. ISBN 978-1-4391-7654-2.
  3. ^ "Reviews and ratings of new popular albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 30 September 1957. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  4. ^ Morris, Chris (26 August 1995). "Vital reissues". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 34. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 82. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  5. ^ Bessman, Jim (28 October 1995). "Rhino, Turner Join For Movie Music". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 43. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 20. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 13 October 2024.