''It Amazes Me'' is Liza Minnelli's second solo studio album, released on May 10, 1965, by Capitol Records. It contained her interpretations of eleven

pop standard Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards ...

s. After Liza Minnelli's first album for Capitol Records was released in September 1964, she kept busy with a tour (

The Fantasticks ''The Fantasticks'' is a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and book and lyrics by Tom Jones. It tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the 1894 play ''The Romancers'' (''Les Romanesques'') by Edmond Rostand, concerning two neigh ...

with Elliott Gould), television appearances, and even co-starred alongside her mother

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

in a series of concerts in London (''Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli Live at the London Palladium''). The record label wanted to capitalize on the exposure and record a new album that would achieve the success of its predecessor. Recording sessions began in December 1964 and concluded in January 1965. The singer worked with the same team that helped her produce and create '' Liza! Liza!'' at Capitol Studios in New York, located at 151 West 46th Street. A bigger budget was also spent for a larger orchestra, with

Peter Matz Peter Matz (November 6, 1928 – August 9, 2002) was an American musician, composer, arranger and conductor. His musical career in film, theater, television and studio recording spanned fifty years, and he worked with a number of prominent ...

again responsible for the orchestral treatment given to the project. On April 24, '' Billboard'' magazine published an advertisement from Capitol about Minnelli's second album to be released by the label. In the same announcement, it was revealed that its title would be ''It Amazes Me''. On May 15 of the same year, Billboard announced that the release would take place that month. The album cover boasts that it "sounds better than stereo has ever sounded before!" thanks to the "New improved Full Dimensional Sound". Although it was never released individually in the CD format, the eleven tracks, in the original order, appeared on two compilations released by Capitol Records, namely, "The Complete Capitol Collection" in 2006, which adopts the original cover of "Liza! Liza!"; and in the compilation "Finest" in 2009. The first mentioned compilation includes a song that was recorded during the "It Amazes Me" sessions but was excluded from the final tracklist: the medley "Walk Right In" / "How Come You Do Me Like You Do."Schechter, Scott. "Liza Minnelli: The Complete Capitol Collection." DRG Records. EMI. 2006.

Critical reception

Reviews from music critics were favorable.

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

Ruhlmann from the ''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

'' website rated the album with three and a half stars out of five. He wrote that the album was created to compete with singer and actress

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

, to the point that the arrangements and song selection resembled the material Streisand was doing at that time. He noted that the tastes of producer

were evident in the song choices, which prioritized obscure Broadway songs. He concluded by stating that "the LP as a whole was another solid effort by a young but clearly talented artist." The music critic from '' High Fidelity'' magazine wrote that although Minnelli bears a resemblance to her mother, "she possesses her own way of emotional projection," which includes humor and a powerful voice. He pointed out that in the tracks "Wait Till You See Her" and "My Shining Hour," she recalls her mother but still manages to stand out and bring something new to the music. Finally, he wrote that if Minnelli can resist the "obvious temptation to model herself too closely after her mother," her potential would be limitless.

Comercial performance

Commercially, it did not achieve the success of its predecessor and failed to appear on the

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of ar ...

chart.

Track listing

Side one

#" Wait Till You See Him" ( Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) #"

My Shining Hour "My Shining Hour" is a song composed by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Johnny Mercer for the film '' The Sky's the Limit'' (1943). In the film, the song is sung by Fred Astaire and Sally Sweetland, who dubbed it for actress Joan Leslie. The orchestra ...

" ( Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen) #"I Like the Likes of You" (

Vernon Duke Vernon Duke ( 16 January 1969) was a Russian-born American composer/songwriter who also wrote under his birth name, Vladimir Dukelsky. He is best known for " Taking a Chance on Love," with lyrics by Ted Fetter and John Latouche (1940), "I Can' ...

Yip Harburg Edgar Yipsel Harburg (born Isidore Hochberg; April 8, 1896 – March 5, 1981) was an American popular song lyricist and librettist who worked with many well-known composers. He wrote the lyrics to the standards "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" ( ...

) #"It Amazes Me" ( Cy Coleman, Carolyn Leigh) #" Looking at You" ( Cole Porter) #"I Never Has Seen Snow" (Harold Arlen,

Truman Capote Truman Garcia Capote ( ; born Truman Streckfus Persons; September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics, ...

)

Side two

#"Plenty of Time" (

John Kander John Harold Kander (born March 18, 1927) is an American composer, known largely for his work in the musical theater. As part of the songwriting team Kander and Ebb (with lyricist Fred Ebb), Kander wrote the scores for 15 musicals, including ''Cab ...

Fred Ebb Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004) was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita Riv ...

) #" For Every Man There's a Woman" (Harold Arlen,

Leo Robin Leo Robin (April 6, 1900 – December 29, 1984) was an American composer, lyricist and songwriter. He is probably best known for collaborating with Ralph Rainger on the 1938 Academy Award for Best Original Song, Oscar-winning song "Thanks for t ...

) #"

Lorelei The Lorelei ( ; ), spelled Loreley in German, is a , steep slate rock on the right bank of the River Rhine in the Rhine Gorge (or Middle Rhine) at Sankt Goarshausen in Germany, part of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site. Th ...

" (

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

, Ira Gershwin) #"Shouldn't There Be Lightning?" (Larry Alexander,

Billy Goldenberg William Leon Goldenberg (February 10, 1936 – August 3, 2020) was an American composer and songwriter, best known for his work on television and film. Early life Goldenberg was born in February 10, 1936 in Brooklyn, New York, New York. His ...

) #"

Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" is a blues standard written by pianist Jimmie Cox in 1923 and originally performed in a Vaudeville-blues style. The lyrics in the popular 1929 recording by Bessie Smith are told from the point of vie ...

" (

Jimmy Cox James Cox (July 28, 1882 – March 3, 1925) was an American vaudeville performer, and songwriter famous for his Roaring Twenties hit, "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" is a blues standard wri ...

) #"

Walk Right In "Walk Right In" is a country blues song written by musician Gus Cannon and originally recorded by Cannon's Jug Stompers in 1929. Victor Records released on a 78 rpm record and in 1959, it was included on the influential compilation album '' The C ...

" (Hosea Woods,

Gus Cannon Gustavus "Gus" Cannon (September 12, 1883 or 1884 – October 15, 1979) was an American blues musician who helped to popularize jug bands (such as his own Cannon's Jug Stompers) in the 1920s and 1930s. There is uncertainty about his birth year; ...

, Bill Svanoe, Erik Darling) / " How Come You Do Me Like You Do" (

Gene Austin Lemeul Eugene Lucas (June 24, 1900 – January 24, 1972), better known by his stage name Gene Austin, was an American singer and songwriter, one of the early " crooners". His recording of " My Blue Heaven" sold over 5 million copies and was for ...

, Roy Bergere) (Medley)

Personnel

*Producer: Si Rady *Orchestra arranged and conducted by

*Harry J. Gittes - photography

References

*Liza Minnelli: ''When It Comes Down to It.......1968–1977'' liner notes by Glenn A. Baker, 2003 *Liza Minnelli: ''The Complete A&M Recordings'' liner notes by Scott Schechter, 2008 *Liza Minnelli: ''The Complete Capitol Collection'' liner notes by Scott Schechter, 2006 {{Authority control Liza Minnelli albums 1965 albums Capitol Records albums Albums arranged by Peter Matz Albums conducted by Peter Matz