The Harvey Girls (album)
| The Harvey Girls | ||||
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| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | November 1, 1945 | |||
| Label | Decca | |||
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The Harvey Girls is a soundtrack album featuring songs presented by Judy Garland, Kenny Baker and Virginia O'Brien in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer eponymous motion picture. The album was released on November 1, 1945 by Decca Records. The songs are composed by Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer.[1]
Description
[edit]The album has six tracks, including the popular "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" and "In the Valley, Swing Your Partner Round and Round".[1]
The album also features songs performed by Kenny Baker and Virginia O'Brien, as well as the Kay Thompson choir.[1] At the time of the record sessions of the album Thompson's husband, Jack Jenney, was unemployed at the time and urgently seeking work.[2] He was hired by Lennie Hayton, with Thompson's assistance, to play trombone on Garland's recording.[2]
In his review for the album in Billboard magazine, Maurie Orodenker seems to be disappointed particularly with Garland's performance.[1] He finds that her rendition of "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" is "forced" and that the song doesn't have the same impact as the original version.[1] He also finds that Garland's performance in other songs is "dead-pan" and doesn't convey personality.[1] However, he liked Kenny Baker's performance in "Wait and See" and considers the song a highlight of the record.[1]
In 1957, Decca released a compilation album including a selection of songs from both The Harvey Girls and Meet Me in St. Louis that received a favorable review from Billboard magazine (82/100).[3] In 1995, Rhino Records released a 4-CD box set entitled Mickey & Judy which includes songs from The Harvey Girls and others songs that Garland and Rooney recorded for their Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) films.[4][5]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe" | |
| 2. | "In The Valley" |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wait And See" | |
| 2. | "Swing Your Partner Round And Round" |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "It's A Great Big World" | |
| 2. | "The Wild, Wild West" |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g Orodenker, Maurie (22 December 1945). "Record Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 57, no. 51. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 76. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ a b Irvin, Sam (15 November 2011). Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise. Simon and Schuster. p. 123. ISBN 978-1-4391-7654-2.
- ^ "Reviews and ratings of new popular albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 30 September 1957. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ Morris, Chris (26 August 1995). "Vital reissues". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 34. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 82. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ Bessman, Jim (28 October 1995). "Rhino, Turner Join For Movie Music". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 43. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 20. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
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