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In the pantheon of live albums, one title stands tall over 60 years after its initial release.  Judy at Carnegie Hall powerfully captured the essence of the supernova that was Judy Garland. The lavish 2-LP set, issued on Capitol Records, preserved Garland's electrifying concert of Sunday, April 23, 1961.  It spent 95 weeks on the Billboard chart, 13 of them at Number One. At the Grammy Awards, Judy handily picked up five of them including Album of the Year (the first by a female artist) and Best Female Vocal Performance.  It's been reissued countless times over the years, from incomplete versions on Capitol in 1987 and 1989 to a definitive, curtain-up-to-curtain-down 2000 release on DCC and a 2001 Capitol version based on the DCC but featuring a unique mastering.  In 2012, JSP Records brought the original mono mix of Judy at Carnegie Hall to CD.  That release was co-produced by Garland historian Lawrence Schulman.  Ten years later, Schulman has returned to this landmark album for a new stereo edition on the Avid label as part of its occasional Classic Concert Series.  This time, it's been mastered by Nick Dellow; he's performed similar duties on past Avid releases of Garland material.  Classic Concert Series: Judy at Carnegie Hall is due on February 4, and like the JSP release, it's happening as a result of the U.K.'s current public domain laws.

Avid's press release promises, "For the first time, Garland's concert performance has been properly pitched across the entire recording (the original LP runs slightly sharp), giving her voice - and the orchestra under the direction of Mort Lindsey - greater depth, intimacy and 'pow,' as Garland put it in a 1961 Life Magazine profile. The show takes on a whole new life as a result of this remastering, allowing listeners to experience the concert as if for the first time. Garland's voice is richer, the brass is crisper, and the bass is fuller."  The sequence follows that of the original 2-LP release.

In a 2019 interview with TheJudyRoom.com, Nick Dellow explained his approach to the 2019 Avid release Judy Garland: Four Classic Albums Plus (Judy in Love / Judy Garland at The Grove / That's Entertainment / The Garland Touch) on which he also applied pitch correction technology: "Lawrence Schulman and I established that most of Garland's Capitol recordings were mastered sharp...even if they weren't actually recorded sharp. I don't think there is anything particularly unusual about this. Many times, I have come across tracks on 1950s and early 1960s LPs that are out of pitch. Sometimes the problem is due to a technical issue with the tape machines or acetate master cutting machine at the mastering stage. But the fact that some tracks were mastered sharp was often the result of a deliberate policy carried out by record companies in order to 'brighten' the sound, and that is especially true when it came recordings of popular music singers. Judy Garland's voice was very natural and unforced, so restoring it to the correct pitch has been an important aspect and has certainly helped to reveal the true beauty of her singing, whatever the track might be."

In addition to the original liner notes, the booklet will include new notes from Lawrence Schulman and recent remarks from the Grammy Award-winning designer of the famous original album cover, Jim Silke.   Rare photos from the concert will also be featured.

Look for Avid's Judy at Carnegie Hall on February 4 at the links below!

Judy Garland, Judy at Carnegie Hall (Capitol SWBO 1569. 1961 - reissued Avid AMSC1405, 2022) (Avid / Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1

1. Overture: The Trolley Song/Over the Rainbow/The Man That Got Away (Medley)
2. When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles with You)
3. Medley: Almost Like Being in Love/This Can't Be Love
4. Do It Again
5. You Go to My Head
6. Alone Together
7. Who Cares? (As Long As You Care For Me)
8. Puttin' on the Ritz
9. How Long Has This Been Going On?
10. Just You, Just Me
11. The Man That Got Away
12. San Francisco
13. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
14. That's Entertainment!

CD 2

1. Come Rain or Come Shine
2. You're Nearer
3. A Foggy Day
4. If Love Were All
5. Zing! Went The Strings of My Heart
6. Stormy Weather
7. Medley: You Made Me Love You/For Me and My Gal/The Trolley Song
8. Rock-A-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody
9. Over The Rainbow
10. Swanee
11. After You've Gone
12. Chicago