Summary
At Carnegie Hall is the fifth live album by American singer and actress Liza Minnelli.[1] Released in 1987, it marks the singer's first work released under the independent label Telarc Distribution.
| At Carnegie Hall | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | September 1987 | |||
| Recorded | 1987 | |||
| Genre | Jazz, vocal, traditional | |||
| Label | Telarc International Corporation | |||
| Producer | Larry Marks, Robert Woods | |||
| Liza Minnelli chronology | ||||
| ||||
The recordings took place over a period of three weeks at the iconic Carnegie Hall concert hall, located in Midtown Manhattan, in the city of New York, in 1987.[2][3] Minnelli's 17-day residency at the venue became the longest consecutive period in the concert hall's history.
Minnelli performed with a 47-piece orchestra, wearing costumes designed by Halston.[4] The repertoire includes classics from the Great American Songbook,[3] and songs by artists such as Al Jolson, Judy Garland, Ethel Merman, and Charles Aznavour. It also ventures into contemporary pop-rock with the track "Somewhere Out There" by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram, as well as the compositions of Kander and Ebb, who were highly present in her career.[3] According to critic Stephen Holden, "her songs, imaginatively arranged by Marvin Hamlisch and conducted by Bill La Vorgna, were accompanied by decisive and powerfully illustrative gestures."[3]
The album was released as a double LP/CD, with the complete recording lasting 83 minutes and entirely in digital format. Additionally, a "Highlights" version was released, featuring the album's best moments with an 18-minute reduction in total duration, omitting nine songs in the process and rearranging the remaining ones.[5]
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| AllMusic |  (Highlights)[5] |
William Ruhlmann, from the AllMusic website, gave the album three out of five stars,[7] noting that the repertoire selection was well chosen and "brilliantly summarized Minnelli's career" by mixing old classics with theatrical songs from her own era, including, of course, the songwriting duo that penned many of her iconic songs, John Kander and Fred Ebb.[7]
Ruhlmann also reviewed the "Highlights" version of the album,[5] and rated it half a star higher than the complete edition.[5] According to him, the "result was a somewhat simpler recording even more dominated by the medley of Kander and Ebb [which he considered the album's highlight], now occupying almost half of the runtime."[5]
Commercial performance edit
On November 14, 1987, the album debuted on the Billboard magazine's list of best-selling albums, known as the Billboard 200, at position number 176,[8] marking Minnelli's first appearance on the chart since 1977, with the soundtrack of the film New York, New York from the same year.[9]
On November 28, 1987, it reached its peak position on the chart, at number 156.[10][11] In total, it remained on the chart for eight weeks, marking her best performance in the 1980s before the release of Results in 1989.[12]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Happen to Like New York" | Cole Porter | 3:48 |
| 2. | "Here I'll Stay / Our Love Is Here To Stay" | Alan Jay Lerner, Kurt Weill / George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Oscar Levant, Vernon Duke | 5:47 |
| 3. | "Old Friends" | Stephen Sondheim | 2:51 |
| 4. | "I Never Has Seen Snow" | Harold Arlen, Truman Capote | 4:13 |
| 5. | "If You Hadn't, But You Did" | Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Jule Styne | 4:03 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Don't Want To Know" | Jerry Herman | 2:53 |
| 2. | "Some People" | Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim | 2:55 |
| 3. | "How Deep Is the Ocean?" | Irving Berlin | 2:35 |
| 4. | "I Can See Clearly Now / I Can See It" | Johnny Nash / Tom Jones, Harvey Schmidt | 2:39 |
| 5. | "Married / You Better Sit Down Kids" | John Kander, Fred Ebb / Sonny Bono | 5:17 |
| 6. | "Ring Them Bells" | Duke Ellington, Irving Mills | 5:46 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Sweetest Sounds" | Richard Rodgers | 2:04 |
| 2. | "Toot Toot Tootsie" | Ernie Erdman, Gus Kahn, Robert King, Ted Fio Rito | 1:25 |
| 3. | "Buckle Down Winsocki" | Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane | 0:44 |
| 4. | "Alexander's Ragtime Band" | Irving Berlin | 3:17 |
| 5. | "Somewhere Out There" | Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, James Horner | 4:22 |
| 6. | "Lonely Feet" | Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II | 2:29 |
| 7. | "You Can Have Him / Time Heals Everything" | I. Berlin / J. Herman | 4:12 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ebb & Kander Medley I: Liza With A "Z", All I Need Is One Good Break, Sing Happy, A Quiet Thing" | J. Kander, F. Ebb | 5:07 |
| 2. | "Ebb & Kander Medley II: Mein Herr, Money, Money, Maybe This Time" | J. Kander, F. Ebb | 1:36 |
| 3. | "Maybe This Time" | J. Kander, F. Ebb | 2:56 |
| 4. | "Ebb & Kander Medley III: I'm One Of The Smart Ones, Yes, City Lights, But The World Goes 'Round" | J. Kander, F. Ebb | 8:02 |
| 5. | "Cabaret" | J. Kander, F. Ebb | 4:25 |
| 6. | "Theme from New York, New York" | J. Kander, F. Ebb | 6:36 |
Charts edit
Weekly charts edit
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[14] | 156 |
References edit
- ^ "CDs". The Official Liza Minnelli Website. Archived from the original on May 13, 2011. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ Current Biography Yearbook. H.W. Wilson Company. 1988. p. 398.
- ^ a b c d Holden, Stephen (May 31, 1987). "The Arts: News And Reviews; Pop: Liza Minnelli Opens 3-Week Carnegie Date". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 17, 2017. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
- ^ Colacello, Bob (June 1987). "A STAR IS REBORN | Vanity Fair". Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Ruhlmann, William. "Liza Minnelli - Highlights from the Carnegie Hall Concerts". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Archived from the original on February 28, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
- ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Liza Minnelli - At Carnegie Hal (The Complete Concert)". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
- ^ a b Ruhlmann, William. "Liza Minnelli - Liza Minnelli at Carnegie Hall (The Complete Concert) Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". Archived from the original on December 4, 2012. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ^ "Billboard 200 (November 14, 1987)". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 13, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ^ Wimmer, Martin (September 12, 2021). Clockwork Liza: Star and Artist: The Career Achievement of Liza Minnelli. BoD – Books on Demand. p. 205. ISBN 978-3-7543-4624-2. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ^ "Billboard 200 (November 28, 1987)". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ^ "Liza Minnelli - Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
- ^ "Liza Minnelli | Biography, Music & News". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ^ "Liza Minnelli - At Carnegie Hall (Tracklist)". Discogs. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
- ^ "Liza Minnelli Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 September 2016.