It Amazes Me
Encyclopedia
It Amazes Me is the title of Liza Minnelli
's second solo studio album
, released in March 1965 by Capitol Records. It contained her interpretations of eleven pop standards.
It was recorded between December 1964 and January 1965 at Capitol Records' New York studio at 151 West 46th Street.
with Elliott Gould
), television appearances, and even co-starred alongside her mother Judy Garland
in a series of concerts in London (Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli Live At The London Palladium). In December of the same year she was reunited with the same team that worked on her previous studio effort.
Minnelli's vocal performance here could be considered flawless and while she had obviously grown since "Liza! Liza!
", there is a feeling she was still experimenting with what she could accomplish vocally, thus infusing the record with a feeling of newness.
The song selection is a perfectly-balanced mix of uptempo tunes and ballads, not unlike the previous effort.
The album cover boasts that it "sounds better than stereo has ever sounded before!" thanks to the "New improved Full Dimensional Sound".
That and a bigger budget spent for a larger orchestra are to credit for a more lush sound. Capitol was aware that they had a hit on their hands and were probably trying to develop their own Barbra Streisand
.
One track was left off the original track listing but was added to the set when reissued in its entirety in The Complete Capitol Collection, a medley of "Walk Right In
/ How Come You Do Me Like You Do".
Peter Matz
, was again mainly responsible for the rich and lush orchestral treatment given to the whole project.
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 second solo 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...
, released in March 1965 by Capitol Records. It contained her interpretations of eleven pop standards.
It was recorded between December 1964 and January 1965 at Capitol Records' New York studio at 151 West 46th Street.
Album information
After Liza Minnelli's first album for Capitol Records was released in September 1964, she kept busy with a tour (The FantasticksThe Fantasticks
The Fantasticks is a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones. It was produced by Lore Noto. It tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the play "The Romancers" by Edmond Rostand, concerning two neighboring fathers who trick their children, Luisa and Matt, into...
with Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould is an American actor. He began acting in Hollywood films during the 1960s, and has remained prolific ever since. Some of his most notable films include M*A*S*H and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, for which he received an Oscar nomination...
), television appearances, and even co-starred alongside her mother Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
in a series of concerts in London (Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli Live At The London Palladium). In December of the same year she was reunited with the same team that worked on her previous studio effort.
Minnelli's vocal performance here could be considered flawless and while she had obviously grown since "Liza! Liza!
Liza! Liza!
Liza! Liza! is the title of Liza Minnelli's debut studio solo album, released in September 1964 by Capitol Records. It contained her interpretations of twelve pop standards....
", there is a feeling she was still experimenting with what she could accomplish vocally, thus infusing the record with a feeling of newness.
The song selection is a perfectly-balanced mix of uptempo tunes and ballads, not unlike the previous effort.
The album cover boasts that it "sounds better than stereo has ever sounded before!" thanks to the "New improved Full Dimensional Sound".
That and a bigger budget spent for a larger orchestra are to credit for a more lush sound. Capitol was aware that they had a hit on their hands and were probably trying to develop their own Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
.
One track was left off the original track listing but was added to the set when reissued in its entirety in The Complete Capitol Collection, a medley of "Walk Right In
Walk Right In
Walk Right In is the title of a country blues song written by musician Gus Cannon and originally recorded by Cannon's Jug Stompers in 1929, released on Victor Records, catalogue 38611. It was reissued on album in 1959 as a track on The Country Blues....
/ How Come You Do Me Like You Do".
Peter Matz
Peter Matz
Peter 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...
, was again mainly responsible for the rich and lush orchestral treatment given to the whole project.
Reception
The album failed to chart or sell, just like its successor.Side one
- "Wait Till You See Him" (Richard RodgersRichard RodgersRichard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
, Lorenz HartLorenz HartLorenz "Larry" Milton Hart was the lyricist half of the famed Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart...
) - "My Shining HourMy Shining Hour"My Shining Hour" is a song composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was written for the 1943 film The Sky's the Limit, where it was introduced by Sally Sweetland - who dubbed for Joan Leslie - backed by Freddie Slack and his orchestra. It was nominated for an Academy Award for...
" (Johnny MercerJohnny MercerJohn Herndon "Johnny" Mercer was an American lyricist, songwriter and singer. He is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others...
, Harold ArlenHarold ArlenHarold Arlen was an American composer of popular music, having written over 500 songs, a number of which have become known the world over. In addition to composing the songs for The Wizard of Oz, including the classic 1938 song, "Over the Rainbow,” Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the...
) - "I Like The Likes Of You" (Vernon DukeVernon DukeVernon Duke was a Russian-American composer/songwriter, who also wrote under his original name Vladimir Dukelsky. He is best known for "Taking a Chance on Love" with lyrics by Ted Fetter and John Latouche, "I Can't Get Started" with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, "April in Paris" with lyrics by E. Y...
, Yip HarburgYip HarburgEdgar Yipsel Harburg , known as E.Y. Harburg or Yip Harburg, was an American popular song lyricist who worked with many well-known composers...
) - "It Amazes Me" (Cy ColemanCy ColemanCy Coleman was an American composer, songwriter, and jazz pianist.-Life and career:He was born Seymour Kaufman on June 14, 1929, in New York City to Eastern European Jewish parents, and was raised in the Bronx. His mother, Ida was an apartment landlady and his father was a brickmason...
, Carolyn LeighCarolyn LeighCarolyn Leigh was an American lyricist for Broadway, movies, and popular songs. She is best known as the writer with partner Cy Coleman of the pop standards "Witchcraft" and "The Best Is Yet to Come."-Biography:...
) - "Looking At You" (Cole PorterCole PorterCole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
) - "I Have Never Seen Snow" (Arlen)
Side two
- "Plenty Of Time" (Kander, Ebb)
- "For Every Man There's A Woman" (Arlen, Leo RobinLeo RobinLeo Robin was an American composer, lyricist and songwriter. He is probably best known for collaborating with Ralph Rainger on the 1938 Oscar-winning song "Thanks for the Memory," sung by Bob Hope in the film The Big Broadcast of 1938.-Biography:Robin was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and...
) - "LoreleiLorelei (song)"Lorelei" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin; it was written for their musical Pardon My English .It is about the Loreley legend.-Notable Recordings:...
" (George GershwinGeorge GershwinGeorge Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
, Ira GershwinIra GershwinIra Gershwin was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs of the 20th century....
) - "Shouldn't There Be Lightning?" (Alexander, Goldenberg)
- "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And OutNobody Knows You When You're Down And Out"Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" is a blues standard, written by Jimmy Cox in 1923. Its lyric, told from the point of view of a one-time millionaire during the Prohibition era, reflects on the fleeting nature of material wealth and the friendships that come and go with it.-Recording...
" (Jimmy CoxJimmy CoxJimmy Cox was an American songwriter famous for his Depression-era hit "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out"....
) - "Walk Right InWalk Right InWalk Right In is the title of a country blues song written by musician Gus Cannon and originally recorded by Cannon's Jug Stompers in 1929, released on Victor Records, catalogue 38611. It was reissued on album in 1959 as a track on The Country Blues....
" (Hosea Woods, Gus CannonGus CannonGus Cannon was an American blues musician, who helped to popularize jug bands in the 1920s and 1930s. There is doubt about his birth year; his tombstone gives the date as 1874....
, Bill Svanoe, Erik Darling) / "How Come You Do Me Like You Do" (Gene AustinGene AustinGene Austin was an American singer and songwriter, one of the first "crooners". His 1920s compositions "When My Sugar Walks Down the Street" and "The Lonesome Road" became pop and jazz standards.-Career:...
, Roy Bergere) (Medley)