Judy Garland Live!, also known as Judy Takes Broadway, is the fourth live album by Judy Garland, released on June 20, 1989, by Capitol Records. The recording took place at the Manhattan Center in New York City on April 26, 1962. That evening, Garland was suffering from a severe case of laryngitis, which prevented her from completing the full set of 13 songs—she managed to finish only 10.
Initially, Capitol Records chose not to release the album due to the impact of Garland's illness on the performance, with tentative plans for her to re-record the material in a studio. However, the album was eventually issued 27 years later under the title Judy Garland Live!.
Critical reception
The Rolling Stone Album Guide noted that studio executives had rejected the recordings because they considered Garland's voice "coarsened to the point of embarrassment", but said that the album "proves them half-way wrong", since although "Judy sounds strained at times", "the passion of her delivery" gives the songs "an even greater measure of pathos".
Track listing Tracks 10–14 are from the Capitol Records album Just for Openers.
References
The Judy Garland Online Discography "Judy Garland Live" page