Liza's Back

• Artist: Liza Minnelli
• Rating:
• Release Date: October 29, 2002
• Type: Live
• Genre: Vocal Music

Review

Liza Minnelli is primarily a stage performer, and her discography is dominated by live albums. Indeed, looking over the list is like taking a tour of the Manhattan theater district: Live at the Winter Garden, Live at Carnegie Hall, Live at Radio City Music Hall (and that's not counting the LPs recorded in London and Paris). Following her 2000 stage show, Minnelli on Minnelli, a tribute to her father, director Vincente Minnelli, she suffered a serious attack of encephalitis. Hence, the title of her 2002 show, Liza's Back, which is reproduced on this disc, recorded at Manhattan's Beacon Theatre. The theme, simply, is the 56-year-old singer's recovery, and thankfully her performance demonstrates that recovery amply. In fact, she sounds much better than she did on Minnelli on Minnelli, a recording that betrayed vocal deterioration in her breathiness and a wobbly vibrato. Liza's Back suggests that those flaws had more to do with her physical condition than her age. Her voice isn't as strong as it was when she first recorded the songs from Cabaret and New York, New York, reprised toward the end of this album. But she is in surprisingly good voice, especially given her health challenges. The first half of the show consists largely of songs new to her repertoire, featuring a couple of forgettable specially written tunes from her favorite songwriters, John Kander and Fred Ebb; a medley of "crying" songs, including an abbreviated version of "Don't Cry Out Loud," co-written by her first husband, Peter Allen; a terrific rendition of "Something Wonderful"; and an audience-pandering performance of "Never Never Land" with a chorus of her mother Judy Garland's signature song, "Over the Rainbow," appended. It all makes for a typically bravura Liza Minnelli show, which is more than one might have hoped for by now. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Liza's Back	John Kander, Fred Ebb	Liza Minnelli	(6:06)
Something Wonderful	Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers	Liza Minnelli	(2:05)
Cry Medley: Cry		Liza Minnelli	(2:12)
Cry Medley: Don't Cry Out Loud	Peter Allen, Carole Bayer Sager	Liza Minnelli	(3:38)
Cry Medley: Crying	Joe Melson, Roy Orbison	Liza Minnelli	(5:23)
City Lights	John Kander, Fred Ebb	Liza Minnelli	(3:12)
Don't Smoke in Bed	Fred Ebb, John Kander	Liza Minnelli	(5:06)
Some People (Lyrics)	Stephen Sondheim, Jule Styne	Liza Minnelli	(3:41)
Never Never Land/Over the Rainbow	Harold Arlen, Betty Comden, E.Y. "Yip" Harburg, Jule Styne, Adolph Green	Liza Minnelli	(3:44)
What Did I Have That I Don't Have? (Lyrics)	Alan Jay Lerner, Gerard Calvi	Liza Minnelli	(4:43)
Rose's Turn	Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim	Liza Minnelli	(5:04)
Mein Herr	Fred Ebb, John Kander	Liza Minnelli	(5:34)
Money, Money	Fred Ebb, John Kander	Liza Minnelli	(1:33)
Maybe This Time (Lyrics)	Fred Ebb, John Kander	Liza Minnelli	(3:19)
Cabaret (Lyrics)	Fred Ebb, John Kander	Liza Minnelli	(5:12)
But the World Goes 'Round	John Kander, Fred Ebb	Liza Minnelli	(4:29)
New York, New York (Lyrics)	John Kander, Fred Ebb	Liza Minnelli	(5:41)
I'll Be Seeing You	Irving Kahal, Sammy Fain	Liza Minnelli	(3:01)

Credits

Ed Xiques (Clarinet), Ann Caruso (Stylist), Frank Perowsky (Sax (Tenor)), Ed Xiques (Sax (Baritone)), James Duncan (Assistant Engineer), Phil Ramone (Producer), Joe Melotti (Synthesizer), Joe Melotti (Arranger), Jill Dell'Abate (Production Coordination), Orlando Hanson (Vocals (Background)), Russ Kassoff (Arranger), Tom Barney (Bass), Kristen Foster (Hair Stylist), Chris Testa (Assistant Engineer), Billy Byers (Arranger), Michael McCoy (Assistant Engineer), Bill Lavorgna (Drums), David Gest (Producer), David Swope (Assistant Engineer), Ken Freeman (Digital Editing), Clinton Sharman (Trombone), David Hewitt (Engineer), Andreas Meyer (Digital Editing), Larry Alexander (Engineer), Larry Alexander (Digital Editing), Alexis Yraola (Art Direction), Pablo Arraya (Assistant Engineer), Frank Perowsky (Clarinet), Paul Gregory (Assistant Engineer), Fred Ebb (Composer), Lisa McCullough (Choir Contractor), Bill Lavorgna (Conductor), Michael Bearden (Piano), Gerry Niewood (Clarinet), Dan Kahn (Trumpet), Jill Dell'Abate (Contractor), Flip Osman (Assistant Engineer), Torrie Zito (Arranger), Clive Davis (Executive Producer), Alexis Yraola (Design), Claudius Mittendorfer (Assistant Engineer), Gerry Niewood (Flute), Eric Schilling (Engineer), Greg Gorman (Photography), Mark Sherman (Percussion), Susan Pelino (Audio Post-Production), Ronnie Buttacavoli (Trumpet), Torrie Zito (Orchestration), Ralph Burns (Orchestration), Stephen Sondheim (Arranger), Michael Aarons (Guitar), Don Sebesky (Arranger), Shawn Pickering (Vocals (Background)), Walter Robinson (Vocals (Background)), Greg Calbi (Mastering), Matt Snedecor (Assistant Engineer), Joe Melotti (Musical Direction), Gerry Niewood (Sax (Alto)), Ed Xiques (Clarinet (Bass)), Frank Perowsky (Flute), Joe Eula (Illustrations), Marvin Hamlisch (Arranger), Ed Xiques (Flute), John Kander (Composer)

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