When you think of Judy Garland, do you think of the awestruck young girl who, transported to the Land of Oz, finds there’s no place like home?  The soul-baring actress of A Star is Born?  Or the electrifying performer who could keep 3,165 people in the palm of her hand at Carnegie Hall?  Whichever aspect of Garland’s great legacy has most affected you, there’s no denying that many enduring accomplishments came between 1936 and 1947, the period when she was a Decca recording artist.  This was the time of The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St. Louis and The Harvey Girls, when Garland was one of the brightest stars in MGM’s constellation.  And this is the period being compiled by the U.K.’s JSP Records label as a new 4-CD box set, Smilin’ Through: The Singles Collection 1936-1947.

Smilin’ Through collects Garland’s entire singles output for Decca Records, including all master takes and known alternates.  Seven of those alternate tracks are making their CD debut here.  This box, of course, owes a great debt to MCA’s indispensable 1994 The Complete Decca Masters Plus, which contained all 79 master takes plus a number of alternates and one outtake (“Falling in Love with Love”) in a lavish box containing a 52-page book with essays and complete discography.  Smilin' Through adds nine tracks to the 90 already presented on the 1994 box, for a total of 99 tracks on the new set.

Over the course of four discs and nearly five hours of music, you’ll hear many of Garland’s signature songs, some of which were Billboard chart hits: “(Dear Mr. Gable) You Made Me Love You,” “Over the Rainbow" (No. 5), “For Me and My Gal” (No. 5), “The Boy Next Door,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “The Trolley Song” (No. 3), “Meet Me In St. Louis” and “On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe” (No. 10).  Duets are performed with Johnny Mercer, Bing Crosby, Dick Haymes, Virginia O’Brien and Andy Hardy himself, Mickey Rooney.

Garland’s career at Decca ended in 1947.  One major reason was the founding of MGM Records by the film studio, meaning that Garland didn’t need to record studio versions of her film songs for release on Decca.  (Till the Clouds Roll By, with Garland, was released on 78 RPM in 1947 as MGM-1, and one of the very first albums to resemble what we consider a “soundtrack.”  Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 is generally recognized as the only musical film to have previously been preserved, on some 78s.  MGM and Walt Disney again led the way with to the “complete” soundtrack album, with 1958’s Gigi on MGM adding the overture, and Disney’s 1959 Sleeping Beauty including score.)  Garland wouldn’t record any studio tracks until after her departure from MGM in 1950.  A 1953 alliance with Columbia produced four singles,  and in 1955, she signed with Capitol where the next chapter in her remarkable musical history was written.

Hit the jump for more details on this extensive new set, including the track listing with complete discographical information and pre-order link!

JSP’s box set is produced by John Stedman, remastered by Peter Rynston and annotated by Lawrence Schulman, the same team behind 2010’s landmark four-CD set Judy Garland: Lost Tracks, which introduced a whopping 55 unreleased tracks to CD, including Garland’s 1935 Decca tests.  Messrs. Stedman, Rynston and Schulman are also preparing the upcoming reissue of Judy at Carnegie Hall, set for release on JSP in 2012.  (All of these projects are the result of the U.K.’s copyright laws which have seen these recordings fall of copyright.)

Smilin’ Through will be available on September 5 in the U.K. from JSP Records.

Judy Garland, Smilin’ Through: The Singles Collection 1936-1947 (JSP 971, 2011)

Disc 1

1. Stompin’ At The Savoy (848-A, 1936)
2. Swing Mister Charlie (848-B, 1936)
3. Everybody Sing (1432-A, 1937)
4. Everybody Sing (Alternate) (Collector’s Items, Decca LP DEA 75, 1970)
5. All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm (1432-B, 1937)
6. All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm (Alternate) (Collector’s Items, Decca LP DEA 75, 1970)
7. (Dear Mr. Gable) You Made Me Love You (1463-A, 1937)
8. (Dear Mr. Gable) You Made Me Love You Alt (The Best Of Judy Garland, Decca LP DXB-172, 1963)
9. You Can’t Have Ev’rything (1463-B, 1937)
10. Sleep My Baby Sleep (1796-B, 1938)
11. Cry, Baby, Cry (1796-A, 1938
12. Cry, Baby, Cry (Alternate) (Collector’s Items, Decca LP DEA 75, 1970)
13. Ten Pins In The Sky (2017-B, 1938)
14. It Never Rains, But What It Pours (2017-A, 1938)
15. Over The Rainbow (2762-A, 1939)
16. The Jitterbug (2762-B, 1939)
17. In Between (15045-A, 1940)
18. Sweet Sixteen (15045-B, 1940)
19. Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart (Brunswick (U.K.) single 02969-A, 1940/Decca single 18543-A, 1943)
20. I’m Just Wild About Harry (Brunswick (U.K.) single 02969-B, 1940)
21. Fascinating Rhythm (18543-B, 1943)
22. Oceans Apart (2873-A, 1940)
23. Embraceable You (2881-A, 1940)
24. Swanee (2881-B, 1940)
25. Figaro (2873-B, 1940)
26. Figaro (Alternate) (More than a Memory, Stanyan LP, 1974)

Disc 2

1. (Can This Be) The End Of The Rainbow (3231-A, 1940)
2. I’m Nobody’s Baby (3174-B, 1940)
3. Buds Won’t Bud (3174-A, 1940)
4. Wearing Of The Green (Traditional) (3165-B, 1940)
5. Friendship (with Johnny Mercer) (3165-A, 1940)
6. Friendship (with Johnny Mercer) (Alternate) (From the Decca Vaults, MCA LP 907, 1984)
7. I’m Always Chasing Rainbows (3593-B, 1941)
8. I’m Always Chasing Rainbows (Alternate) (From the Decca Vaults, MCA LP 907, 1984)
9. Our Love Affair (3593-A, 1942)
10. A Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow (3604-B, 1941)
11. It’s a Great Day For The Irish (3604-A, 1941)
12. The Birthday Of A King (4050-A, 1941)
13. The Star Of The East (4050-B, 1941)
14. How About You? (4072-A, 1941)
15. Blues In The Night (4081-A, 1941)
16. Blues In The Night (Alternate) (The Complete Decca Masters Plus,  MCA CD MCAD 10504, 1994)
17. F.D.R. Jones (4072-B, 1941)
18. The Last Call For Love (18320-B, 1942)
19. The Last Call For Love (Alternate) (From the Decca Vaults, MCA LP 907, 1984)
20. Poor You (18320-A, 1942)
21. Poor You (Alternate) (From the Decca Vaults, MCA LP 907, 1984)
22. On The Sunny Side Of The Street (18524-B, 1943)
23. Poor Little Rich Girl (18540-B, 1943)
24. For Me And My Gal (with Gene Kelly) (18480-A, 1943)
25. When You Wore A Tulip (And I Wore a Big Red Rose) (with Gene Kelly) (18480-B, 1943)

Disc 3

1. That Old Black Magic (18540-A, 1943)
2. I Never Knew (I Could Love Anybody Like I’m Loving You) (18524-A, 1943)
3. But Not For Me (23309-A, 1944)
4. I Got Rhythm (23310-B, 1944)
5. I Got Rhythm (Alternate) (The Complete Decca Masters Plus,  MCA CD MCAD 10504, 1994)
6. Embraceable You (23308-A, 1944)
7. Embraceable You (Alternate) (The Complete Decca Masters Plus,  MCA CD MCAD 10504, 1994)
8. Could You Use Me? (with Mickey Rooney) (23308-B, 1944)
9. Bidin’ My Time (featuring Leo Diamond Harmonica Quartet) (23310-A, 1944)
10. No Love, No Nothin’ (18584-A, 1944)
11. A Journey To A Star (18584-B, 1944)
12. The Boy Next Door (23362-B, 1944)
13. Boys And Girls Like You And Me (23362-B, 1944)
14. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (23362-A, 1944)
15. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Alternate) (Changing My Tune: The Best of the Decca Years Volume Two, MCA CD 10504, 1992)
16. The Trolley Song (with Chorus) (23361-A, 1944)
17. Skip To My Lou (23360-B, 1944)
18. Meet Me In St. Louis (23361-B, 1944)
19. You’ve Got Me Where You Want Me (with Bing Crosby) (23410-B, 1945)
20. Mine (with Bing Crosby) (23804-B, 1947)
21. This Heart Of Mine (18660-A, 1945)
22. This Heart Of Mine (Alternate) (Changing My Tune: The Best of the Decca Years Volume Two, MCA CD 10504, 1992)
23. Love (18660-B, 1945)
24. Connecticut (with Bing Crosby) (23804-A, 1947)
25. Connecticut (with Bing Crosby) (Alternate) (Changing My Tune: The Best of the Decca Years Volume Two, MCA CD 10504, 1992)

Disc 4

1. Yah-Ta-Ta, Yah-Ta-Ta (Talk, Talk, Talk) (with Bing Crosby) (23410-A, 1945)
2. Yah-Ta-Ta, Yah-Ta-Ta (Talk, Talk, Talk)(Duet with Bing Crosby)  (From the Decca Vaults, MCA LP 907, 1984)
3. March of the Doagies (with Kenny Baker & The Kay Thompson Chorus) (From the Decca Vaults, MCA LP 907, 1984)
4.  Swing Your Partner Round And Round (with the Kay Thompson Chorus) (23459-B, 1945)
5. On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe (Alternate – Complete Parts 1 & 2) (The Complete Decca Masters Plus,  MCA CD MCAD 10504, 1994)
6. On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe (with the Merry Macs) (23436-A, 1945)
7. If I Had You (Duet with the Merry Macs) (23436-B, 1945)
8. If I Had You (with the Merry Macs) (Alternate) (From the Decca Vaults, MCA LP 907, 1984)
9. You’ll Never Walk Alone (23539-B, 1946)
10. Smilin’ Through (23539-A, 1946)
11. It’s A Great Big World (with Virginia O’Brien & Betty Russell) (23460-A, 1945)
12. In The Valley (Where the Evenin’ Sun Goes Down) (23458-B, 1945)
13. On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe (with Chorus) (Short Version) (23458-A, 1945)
14. Aren’t You Kind Of Glad We Did? (with Dick Haymes) (23687-B, 1946)
15. For You, For Me, Forevermore (with Dick Haymes) (23687-A, 1946)
16. Changing My Tune  (23688-A, 1946)
17. Don’t Tell Me That Story (23756-B, 1946)
18. Don’t Tell Me That Story (Alternate) (From the Decca Vaults, MCA LP 907, 1984)
19. There Is No Breeze (To Cool the Flame of Love) (23756-A, 1946)
20. Nothing But You (24469-B, 1948)
21. I Wish I Were In Love Again (24469-A, 1948)
22. I Wish I Were In Love Again (Alternate) (Changing My Tune: The Best of the Decca Years Volume Two, MCA CD 10504, 1992)
23. Falling In Love With Love (Outtake) (Changing My Tune: The Best of the Decca Years Volume Two, MCA CD 10504, 1992)

All singles on Decca label unless otherwise indicated; therefore, only catalogue number is indicated above.