All-Time Greatest Hits Review

07/13/2005 5:32 AM, AMG


This 12-track album consists of five recordings Judy Garland made for Decca Records during her tenure there in the 1930s and '40s and seven made during her stint at Capitol in the '50s and '60s. They include favorites like "Over the Rainbow" (for Capitol), "You Made Me Love You," "The Trolley Song," "Chicago," and "Swanee." There are two distinctly different Garlands here, first the exuberant, pure-voiced teenage movie star of the Decca tracks, then the more hard-edged, but still fascinating cabaret performer of the Capitol tracks. This is by no means a comprehensive collection of Garland's best-known material, but it is notable for combining two catalogs that are usually presented separately, and it will give the novice a good sense of the singer's repertoire. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide