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Editorial Reviews

This ten-track, discount-priced compilation of Liza Minnelli's Columbia Records recordings is not the throwaway you might expect, but rather a must-have for Minnelli fans. The actress/singer spent five years with Columbia, 1972-1977, while the label tried to figure out how to sell her as a recording artist. The search included albums of contemporary music and several one-off singles, and a number of tracks previously lost on out-of-print 45s are to be found here. Minnelli's single recording of "All That Jazz," made to commemorate her brief stint subbing for Gwen Verdon in the musical Chicago in 1975, leads things off, and other rarities include such non-LP B-sides as the caustic "More Than I Like You," co-written by ex-husband Peter Allen, and "My Own Best Friend," written by Minnelli favorites John Kander and Fred Ebb (also the writers of three other songs here). In addition, there are selections drawn from the concert recordings Liza With a Z ("God Bless the Child," "Ring Them Bells") and Live at the Winter Garden ("Quiet Thing," "Shine on Harvest Moon") and a couple of surprisingly funky efforts ("I'm Your New Best Friend," "When It Comes Down to It") from Minnelli's final Columbia outing, Tropical Nights. This isn't the best of Liza Minnelli on Columbia by any means, but it is an inexpensive collection featuring some hard-to-find gems that the Minnelli fan will appreciate. William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

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