The Wizard of Oz is an album of phonograph records released in 1939 on the Decca label. It featured songs from the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland.[6]
Made in July 1939 specially for Decca,[5] which Garland was under contract to,[7] this recording was the primary choice for buying songs from the movie,[citation needed] until in 1956 the actual Wizard of Oz soundtrack was released on LP by MGM.[5][8]
Recording
The recordings the album contained were not taken from the actual movie's soundtrack, they were recorded specially for this album on July 28–29, 1939.[5]
The album included seven songs[3] spread over eight sides.[5] The music was played by the Victor Young Orchestra.[3]
The vocals on "Over the Rainbow"[3] and "The Jitterbug" were sung by Judy Garland. These two are the only songs from The Wizard of Oz that Judy Garland recorded commercially.[9] Moreover, "The Jitterbug" was ultimately cut from the film.[10][11]
The vocals on "Munchkinland", "If I Only Had a Brain", "If I Only Had a Heart", "The Merry Old Land of Oz", "We're Off to See the Wizard" were sung the Ken Darby Singers.[3] None of the other movie cast members participated in the recording.[5] The spoken part of the Scarecrow in the intro to "The Jitterbug" was performed by Harold Arlen.[5]
Issues and background
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The School Musician | positive[3] |
| The New Yorker | positive[4] |
| The Musical Score of The Wizard of Oz & The Song Hits from Pinocchio | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Billboard | 85/100[12] |
Originally, in 1939, the album was released as a set of four 10-inch 78-rpm shellac records (catalog number: Decca Album 74).[14]
In 1947, it was reissued with a different cover (cat. no.: Decca A-558), also as a set of four 10-inch 78-rpm records.[13][20]
The actual soundtrack recording would not be available on record until late 1956 when it was released on MGM Records[5][8] to coincide with the first TV showing of the motion picture.[21][22] (See The Wizard of Oz: The Original Cast Album.)
At the same time, Decca, too, re-released its album for the TV premiere, now adding a number of songs from Pinocchio to form the 12-inch long-play titled The Musical Score of The Wizard of Oz & The Song Hits from Pinocchio (cat. no.: Decca DL 8387).[12][27] Billboard reviewed the LP in its issue from 10 November 1956, giving it 85 points out of 100 (which indicated an "excellent" rating) and writing: "M-G-M has produced a sound track version, but this, too, will come in for plenty of attention, in spite of lacking the other original cast artists. Cuttings were made by Decca at the time of the original release of the pic and they have a comparatively high quality of sound, considering. Flip side rates attention, too, with its group of selections, also featuring a much younger Miss Garland on songs from Pinocchio. This one should hold its own in the pre-holiday gift-buying market."[12]
Track listing
4 x 10" 78 rpm (Decca Album 74)
All lyrics are written by E. Y. Harburg; all music is composed by Harold Arlen
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Over the Rainbow" | Judy Garland with Victor Young and his orchestra |
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Jitterbug" | Judy Garland with Victor Young and his orchestra |
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Munchkinland, Part I" | Victor Young and his orchestra. Vocals under the direction of Ken Darby |
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Munchkinland, Part II" | Victor Young and his orchestra. Vocals under the direction of Ken Darby |
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "If I Only Had a Brain" | Victor Young and his orchestra. Vocals under the direction of Ken Darby |
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "If I Only Had a Heart (If I Only Had the Nerve)" | Victor Young and His Orchestra. Vocals under the direction of Ken Darby |
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Merry Old Land of Oz" | Victor Young and his orchestra. Vocals under the direction of Ken Darby |
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "We're Off to See the Wizard" | Victor Young and his orchestra. Vocals under the direction of Ken Darby |
Notes:
- The "Munchkinland" medley is spread over two sides of one gramophone record.
See also
References
- ^ a b The Great Jazz and Pop Vocal Albums. Knopf Doubleday Publishing. 7 November 2017. ISBN 978-1-101-87175-1.
- ^ a b Hollywood Auction - April 2013. RR Auction.
- ^ a b c d e f g Alden, John (October 1939). "John Alden's Waxworks (Alden's Record Review)". The School Musician. No. October 1939. p. 38.
Decca's Album No. 74 contains seven of the tunes from M.G.M.'s production, "The Wizard of Os". The Jitterbug, Munchkinland, If I Only Had a Brain, If I Only Had a Heart, The Merry Old Land of Oz and We're Off to See the Wizard are played by Victor Young's Orchestra and sung by the Ken Darby Singers. Stand-out tune of the whole lot is, of course, Over the Rainbow as sung by Judy Oarland. Others have recorded this hit melody, but the vibrant Judy takes top honors.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ a b c R. A. S. (1939). "The New Yorker". The New Yorker. p. 85.
Those who go to movies will like the Decca album of tunes from "The Wizard of Oz" (set D-74, $1.90, in which Judy Garland sings...
- ^ a b c d e f g h Birkett, D.; McHugh, D. (2019). Adapting The Wizard of Oz: Musical Versions from Baum to MGM and Beyond. Oxford University Press. p. 226. ISBN 978-0-19-066317-9. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ [1][2][3][4][5]
- ^ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 27 October 1956. p. 23. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
- ^ a b "Billboard 10 November 1956". 10 November 1956. p. 86.
- ^ Harold Arlen - Google Books
- ^ Adapting The Wizard of Oz - Google Books
- ^ Harold Arlen - Google Books
- ^ a b c Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 10 November 1956. pp. 86, 90. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ a b "Victor Young And His Orchestra - The Wizard Of Oz". February 27, 1939 – via www.discogs.com.
- ^ [1][2][3][4][13]
- ^ Gramophone Shop (1947). Record Supplement. Gramophone Shop, Incorporated. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 20 November 1948. p. 21. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 16 August 1947. p. 32. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 7 October 1950. p. 75. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ Billboard (in German). Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 35. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
- ^ [15][16][17][18][19]
- ^ "Billboard". 10 November 1956.
- ^ Nussbaum, B. (2014). Wizard of Oz: An Over-the-Rainbow Celebration of the World's Favorite Movie. CompanionHouse Books. p. 1-PT41. ISBN 978-1-62008-181-5. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
- ^ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 26 January 1957. p. 62. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 9 November 1963. p. 23. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 16 October 1965. p. 35. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ "Judy Garland And Victor Young And His Orchestra - The Musical Score Of The Wizard Of Oz & The Song Hits From Pinocchio". July 29, 2024 – via www.discogs.com.
- ^ [23][24][25][26]
Based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum | |||
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