| A Star Is Born (Expanded 1954 Film Soundtrack) | 
 enlarge | Artists: Judy Garland, Harold Arlen, Ira Gershwin
Label: Sony
Category: Music
Buy New: $65.05
Buy New/Used from $44.70
Avg. Customer Rating:   (20 reviews)
Sales Rank: 155321
Format: Extra Tracks, Original Recording Remastered, Soundtrack
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 5.5 x 4.6 x 0.5
MPN: 65965
UPC: 074646596524
EAN: 0074646596524
ASIN: B00009KU7U
Release Date: May 18, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Still Stunning After More Than 50 Years! January 11, 2005
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Some of the finest talents in modern American music came together to create this great 1954 dramatic movie musical. Among others, a memorable score by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin, script by Moss Hart, direction by George Cukor and special material by Roger Edens. What pulls everything together so unforgettably is the performance of a lifetime from Judy Garland. Her incomparable voice is in peak condition whether she's wailing the blues of "The Man That Got Away" or tenderly singing "It's A New World." It's a performance for the ages, and this recording, which includes many extras, is brimming with the warmth, intelligence, wit, humor and more that made Garland the greatest musical singing star of them all. It's hard to believe it all happened over fifty years ago, because the powerful immediacy of her delivery of these wonderful numbers is no less utterly contemporary and present than it was half a century ago. For anyone who loves great singing this evergreen is essential. Brava, Judy, brava! brava!
Judy's Voice Is The Orchestra Itself! August 18, 2004
9 out of 12 found this review helpful
I saw a PBS JUDY GARLAND Documentary that just blew my mind! It was even better than the other JUDY GARLAND documentary I saw in the late 1990's. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this particular soundtrack and into my Cd player after viewing that! This Cd more than pleases the yearning of my ears. In this more recent documentary, JUDY telling her own story - and the singing she did - are outta this world! An angel sent from GOD! JUDY's grand vocal style and powerhouse vocal instrument is the center compass of all female vocalists. She's the uncredited influence on true born singers such as LINDA RONSTADT, DIANA ROSS, CONNIE FRANCIS, LINDA EDER, SARAH BRIGHTMAN, LEANN RIMES and countless other female vocalists, including JUDY's #1 student Barbra Streisand, who we all know inherited the throne of Garland from the outset of her career. I was rarily a Streisand fan, save the occasional song - "The Way We Were"/"All In Love Is Fair"/"Prisoner"(her albums bored me!)- Barbra's voice has a very limited range and lacks the full vocal color spectrum qualities of JUDY GARLAND, or LINDA RONSTADT, for that matter. JUDY REIGNS SUPREME among all Pop-Jazz-Broadway female vocalists - she alone is the grand dame, mother of them all! GARLAND will be reborn eternally through her greatest legacy - her MUSIC! There are also her entertaining films to view - but it's the sound of JUDY's beautiful, resonating and alluring vocals which intrigue and enchant even the most skeptical, casual or unbelieving media fans...I was one of them. GARLAND herself sings deeply passionate of the loss and triumph: "The night is bitter, the stars have lost their glitter, the winds grow colder, suddenly you're older - the writings on the wall, the dreams you dreamed have all gone astray.." - yet, and through the song's lyrical negativity, she leaves the listener with a resounding belief of optimism, pure hope, and belief through the power of her voice that life holds and bears finer gifts ahead! There exists a whole world of defining musical jewels and gems in Garland's musical treasure chest beyond her unique "Over The Rainbow". A STAR IS BORN eclipses all versions before and after JUDY GARLAND's voice graced the film's various musical scores. While JUDY's beloved "BORN IN A TRUNK MEDLEY" remains the centerpiece and most memorable performance of all "A STAR IS BORN" soundtracks, it's JUDY's immaculate, fiery, impassioned vocals on "THE MAN THAT GOT AWAY" - plus a jazzy instrumental version on this Cd - song which intrigues and inspires the listener to seek out more of JUDY GARLAND's music catalogue. The Dvd version of JUDY GARLAND's "A STAR IS BORN" boasts alternate filmings/additional footage of GARLAND(w/a Jazz ensemble) belting out "THE MAN THAT GOT AWAY" - this alone, is worth the price of the JUDY GARLAND SIGNATURE COLLECTION DVD BOX SET alone! JUDY's tortured, yet, knowingly and wise version of "THE MAN THAT GOT AWAY" is the easily the finest and defining version of all! Highly recommended: JUDY AT CARNEGIE HALL - a Grammy winning album which will win over even the most skeptical music fan only familar with "OVER THE RAINBOW". All are available at Amazon.com - don't miss out!
The Music That Got Away! (But Now It's Back!) July 14, 2004
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
Wow! I've been one of Judy's biggest fans since I was two. A Star Is Born has always been one of my favorite Judy movies. The 1988 release of the soundtrack was ok, but the sound was very muddy and muffled. However, the new soundtrack is astounding! "Lose that Long Face" sounds like a whole new song without the taps and the way the sound has been cleaned up is amazing as well! I'm also glad that they got rid of the sound effects (they got annoying after the millionth time of playing the album lol) This cd is worth every bit of your time and money! It's a sure bet for any Judy fan, or anyone who enjoys good music! I also want to point out that I'm glad they are finally giving these kinds of things the attention they deserve!
A Star Shines Brighter Than Ever! June 28, 2004
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
Truly, the soundtrack re-issue that this film has always deserved. The 1988 album was a faithful rendering of the original optical elements, but
made for choppy listening because it presented effects as well. This new
disc (as other reviewers have pointed out) is a seamless amalgamation of album and soundtrack elements. But, most importantly, the dramatic ATMOSPHERE of the film is presented in a musical narrative for the first time. Ray Heindorf and Skip Martin's underscoring and arranging skills
leap to the fore - the Warner Bros. Orrchestra is beautifully recorded and balanced in performances of superbly dramatic and evocative cues.
And the source cues, too! Things I never dreamed we'd ever hear on disc - the overture and Wild West music for the Shrine Auditorium benefit (not to mention the complete intro to "Gotta Have Me Go With You"); the
rhumba band at the Coconut Grove; more of that wonderfully warm-sounding small combo at the Downbeat Club - some splendid LA cats,Babe Russin, Buddy Cole et.al., regular pinch-hitters at Warners, heard most notably here and in Kazan's "Streetcar Named Desire". We BASK in their sound: we get every one of their moody 32 bars on "Man That Got Away" in A-flat, before they modulate up to C and Judy comes in.
Then we get them playing "Cheatin' On Me", an old Lew Pollack number, which is delightful; and lastly the beautifully apposite music of the post-premiere scene at the Mocambo: the band plays the Johnny Green standard, "Easy Come, Easy Go". The gist of the lyric to the song is, as you may recall: "Let's part as friends, just as we met. As it came, let it go" - which, more or less, is exactly what Norman tries to tell Esther,
as he has with so many others. This is what I mean about dramatic atmosphere in the film's music: the perfect choice of mood. This wonderful new disc allows us to savor the long arc of this picture's
many, varied moods. Didier Deutsch and Darcy Proper have out-done themselves with this one. I can only urge you to pick it up if you have
any interest in musicals, Judy Garland, or film music, period.
A Star Is Born Once Again! June 17, 2004
17 out of 17 found this review helpful
This is quite a major addition to the movie musical soundtrack field and a vast improvement on the previous A Star Is Born CD from the late 80's. The sound on the glorious instrumental tracks are stunningly sharp and clean. Garland's vocals have never sounded stronger or more powerful, with the climax at the end of "Born In A Trunk", always so emotionally strong, here defies belief. I feel as if I am listening to Garland's molten lava vocals for the first time! The three additional unreleased vocals are a pleasure, especially the infinitely moving "It's A New World" alternate take. Possibly my favorite new addition is the full, complete band intro to "The Man That Got Away". It just sets the scene with such excitement, listening to that glorious melody as we await Garland's explosive yet perfectly controlled vocals. When singing at a loud level, Garland never ever resorts to screaming or detracting from the musical line. She truly was one of the greatest singers of all time.
This latest version of the Garland ASIB soundtrack is a total winner and worth the long wait for its release.
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