Rufus Wainwright - Rufus Does Judy At Carnegie Hall [2 CD]

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT - RUFUS DOES JUDY AT CARNEGIE HALL - CD

ALONG WITH A 36-PIECE ORCHESTRA RE-CREATES JUDY GARLAND'S CELEBRATED 1961 CARNEGIE HALL CONCERT SONG-FOR-SONG

On June 14, 2006, Rufus Wainwright took to the stage to recreate "the Greatest Show of All Time ever staged in honor of the Greatest Show of All Time"--Judy Garland's legendary 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall; song-for-song, in its original venue. Garland fanatics feared a fiasco, but the show was a triumph. His sophisticated act of homage to his hero was both a loving tribute and an arch commentary on the original, featuring classics like "Over The Rainbow," "Come Rain Or Come Shine" and "Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart."

Backed by a 36-piece orchestra and arranged by the Broadway famed Stephen Oremus (Wicked, Avenue Q), Rufus's vocal talent soars over those classic melodies on this 2-disc set.

Also Available: RUFUS WAINWRIGHT - RUFUS! RUFUS! RUFUS! DOES JUDY! JUDY! JUDY! LIVE AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM -DVD Album Description

Rufus is an experience.

To appreciate Rufus in this concert is to understand him, his family, the influences on Rufus' talent and the gay rights movement. Judy Garland is woven throughout, from Rufus rejecting folk music as a kid and embracing the swing music of the Garland era to her concert's impact on the Stonewall riots. Judy is a gay icon for MANY reasons and as Rufus has grown as a gay man, he is celebrating his life and this is a way for him to tie a lot of things together. I happen to think the man has an incredible voice...a singing voice and voice for individual freedom. I am older and so admire our young gay musicians who can live out and proud. I think he channels Judy's spirit beautifully. I plan to give this CD as a gift to friends this season. November 16, 2008

And He Went On All Night

Rufus may think he's doing Judy, but he's certainly doing her no favor. Wainwright is ill-suited to the material and his vocals are monotanous and purely monotone. It's like listening to someone who can only sing in one note; for Wainwright, the songs were literally too much of a stretch.

BTW, his Hollywood Bowl concert where he also tried to ape the Garland concert was a night to forget too. He couldn't reach some of the high notes and seemed badly prepared to do this kind of concert. It was more or less like a bad rehearsal. In fact, so is this CD. October 12, 2008

!OMG! ugh

R.W. does not even have a decent voice because it is sooo nasal. The only positive momentum that this atrocity should generate is to stir the interest up for the legendary Garland and help give Jim Bailey a career boost as he is the only one that can come close to recreating her magic. You could not pay someone to listen to this without getting sick or tired or bored at a minimum. August 8, 2008

Emulation or Immitation, in this case, Produced Disaster!

I grew up loving and listening to JudyG at Carnagie Hall! I heard about Rufus's tribute to her, and couldn't wait to hear his sound.
All I can say is, this isnt a tribute, its a disappointment!
Its more a tribute to a less than mediocre artist, who used a real artists name, to make himself famous!
June 29, 2008

Who Needs Him?

He may have talent, but who in his/her right mind would pay good money to buy a cd of him impersonating Judy when we have dozens of wonderful recordings of Judy spanning twenty-five years? Rufus' attempt appears rather ghoulish to me. Judy had a great sense of humor, but I believe she wouldn't be too pleased with this effort to milk the public. If you wish to learn who Judy was, buy her Carnegie Hall album, not his.

Tony June 1, 2008

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