The One and Only is a four-CD box set by American singer and actress Judy Garland, released in 1991 by Capitol Records. The collection documents Garland's recording career with the label, spanning material recorded between 1955 and 1964 from studio recordings, live performances, and television material drawn from more than a dozen sources, including Garland's Capitol albums, her television series, and performances at the Grove and Carnegie Hall.
The album received generally favorable reviews from contemporary critics. Commercially, the box sold nearly 100,000 copies by April 1992.
Album details The box set Judy Garland: The One & Only consists of three CDs containing recordings drawn from more than a dozen sources and covering different periods of Judy Garland's career with Capitol Records. The first disc, In the Studio, contains 22 selections taken from studio albums released between 1955 and 1963, including Miss Show Business (1955), Judy (1956), Alone (1957), Judy in Love (1958), That's Entertainment! (1960), and I Could Go On Singing (1963). The disc includes performances of "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart", "That's Entertainment", "Down with Love", "Carolina in the Morning", "April Showers", and "By Myself", alongside lesser-known songs from Garland's repertoire.
The second disc, At the Footlights, brings together live and television recordings sourced from Garland at the Grove (1958), Judy at Carnegie Hall (1961), Judy Garland Live (recorded in 1962 and released in 1989), Garland's television program, and the 1965 Judy & Liza at the London Palladium album. Among its selections are "Battle Hymn of the Republic", "Don't Rain on My Parade", performed as a duet with Liza Minnelli, and a medley of "We Could Make Such Beautiful Music" and "Bob White (Whatcha Gonna Swing Tonight?)". The third disc, The London Sessions, contains 20 recordings taken from The Garland Touch (1962) and Judy in London (1972), including "Stormy Weather", "Come Rain or Come Shine", "San Francisco", "The Man That Got Away", "Swanee", "Chicago", "After You've Gone", "I Can't Give You Anything but Love", "The Trolley Song", and "Over the Rainbow". The box set also includes a booklet featuring an introduction by Liza Minnelli, notes by Pete Kline, photographs, and reminiscences related to Garland's career.
Critical reception
AllMusic described The One & Only as "an intelligently programmed box set" that presents the highlights of Judy Garland's mature recording career, noting that she was "in good voice" on the previously limited-distribution 1960 England recordings and that, in some cases, these versions "best the earlier renditions". The USA Today review called it "one of the classiest pre-rock pop recordings ever made", praised Garland's singing as "elegant, restrained and precise", and said the collection reveals her voice "growing deeper and richer" with "the emotional content hotter", concluding that the set helps listeners "discover why she won such worship".
The Chicago Tribune wrote that "by far [The One and Only is] the most thrilling of the new boxed sets", praising it for capturing "the astonishing musical and dramatic range" of Garland, while describing the London Sessions disc as "the gem of the set" and saying that "virtually every track is a scorcher". The Washington Post praised Garland for her "genial warmth, exuberance and a pure, natural delivery", said that "working before an audience of any size seemed to draw the best out of Garland as both singer and actress", and described the 1960 London sessions as "a great lost Garland album", concluding that the 1951–1961 period "proved to be the best time of Judy Garland's erratic career".
The Rolling Stone Album Guide considered the compilation as a "lush box set" that is "primarily for Garland maniacs". The Record called it "a worthy addition to any Garland collection", praised its recordings as "splendid", and ultimately described it as "a definitive greatest hits package" and "a thoughtful compilation of her Capitol recordings", concluding that, alongside Judy at Carnegie Hall, it was "a testament to Garland's timeless contribution to popular music as an inspired interpreter, spirited belter, and truly brilliant all-around entertainer". In a later review, the journal criticized the album later selections for "poor audio quality and ragged Garland performances", concluding bluntly, "Just because something has never been released doesn't mean it should be!".
Commercial performance By April 1992, the album sold nearly 100,000 copies.
Track listing The One and Only
Personnel Credits adapted from The One and Only box set.
Produced and compiled by Pete Kline Executive Producers: Wayne Watkins and Clark Duval Liner notes by Emily Coleman Track-by-track commentary by Todd Everett Project coordinated by Mark Dix Remastered by Kevin Reeves, Capitol Recording Studios, June-July 1991 Art direction by Tommy Steele Design by Heather Van Haaften Photo research by Grad Benedict
References