Wizard Of Oz: The Deluxe Edition Soundtrack CD

Principal cast: Judy Garland (Dorothy Gale); Ray Bolger (Scarecrow); Bert Lahr (Cowardly Lion); Jack Haley (Tin Woodman); Margaret Hamilton (Wicked Witch, Almira Gulch); Frank Morgan (The Wizard); Billie Burke (Glinda The Good Witch Of The North); Clara Blandick (Aunt Em); Charley Grapewin (Uncle Henry); Terry (Toto); Pat Walshe (Nikko); Jackie Gerlich, Jerry Maren, Harry Doll (Munchkins).
Producers: Marilee Bradford, Bradley Flanagan.
Recorded at MGM Studios, Culver City, California in 1938 and 1939. Includes liner notes by John Fricke.
THE WIZARD OF OZ: THE DELUXE EDITION has been digitally remastered.
THE WIZARD OF OZ: THE DELUXE EDITION includes a 52-page booklet: An Appreciation And Brief History Of The Film And An Annotated Guide To The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
Though not technically a Judy Garland album, this set will please any Garland fan and is an absolute must for any devotee of THE WIZARD OF OZ. With its two discs and 82 tracks, extended versions, partial takes, rehearsal demos, outtakes, and unused versions, this DELUXE EDITION of THE WIZARD OF OZ is the definitive representation of the work put into Harold Arlen's rightfully heralded soundtrack to MGM's classic 1939 film.
Naturally, the songs that have impressed themselves indelibly in the cultural imagination are included: "Over the Rainbow," "Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead," and "If I Only Had a Brain," just to name a few. But the wealth of alternate material is what puts this set several notches above, not to mention the highly informative, beautifully assembled 52-page booklet that's included. Collectors will fall all over themselves with this unique set, but casual fans should enjoy this delightfully exhaustive package as well.
There were at least two versions of The Wizard of Oz on compact disc before Rhino issued this double-CD deluxe version. Those earlier CDs had been mastered, respectively, from the original LP master created by MGM Records in the mid-'50s, or used a restored version of the finished film as the source for most of its content. But this set represents the first occasion on which the original unedited studio recordings of the score -- derived from the "angles" captured by various microphones used in the recording process -- have been assembled for commercial release; and, indeed, the first time these uncut recordings, of the music as it was conceived and written, before being edited to fit the final release cut of the movie, have been heard since 1939. The results are astounding, to say the least -- in addition to giving us a full account of the underscore for the movie in all of its finest nuances so that one can appreciate the action on the instruments and the fine details of the orchestration, it also reveals a wealth of subliminal detail in the music writing, a match in its depth and range for the finest operas of Verdi and Puccini. In fact, hearing the complete first disc and the first half of the second, which together comprise the soundtrack of the movie, is the equivalent of finding a new way to absorb the movie, regardless of how well one has known it up to this point: on that basis alone, fans of the movie will find this set essential. Additionally, the second CD contains alternate versions of portions of the score, and unused portions of the score that will be a revelation to anyone who enjoys the movie. And the accompanying booklet delves into the whole history of Oz as a literary, theatrical, and cinematic creation going back to the point where it was coming right off the pen of L. Frank Baum, plunging into ever greater detail as it approaches the 1939 MGM movie, where it goes into every aspect of the production with a special emphasis on the writing and creating of the songs and score. The package is extremely handsome as well as neatly devised, and it is clearly intended for serious devotees of the music and the movie. The one cautionary note is that this is probably not the version of the soundEntertainment Weekly (10/12/01, p.28) - Ranked #5 in EW's "100 Best Movie Soundtracks"
Entertainment Weekly (7/28/95, p.63) - "...includes songs and underscoring cut from the classic film, plus alternate takes..." - Rating: A