Liza With A Z

Last night I went to the Australian premiere of "Liza With A Z" at the Sydney Film Festival. I already own the DVD (it was released in America a couple of years ago) but I couldn't resist the opportunity to hear Liza's comments in the highly publicised, live-via-satellite Q&A session. Unfortunately, in true diva style, Liza cancelled at the last minute. A representative cited exhaustion in the wake of her recent Tony Award win but I'm guessing that's just code for "passed out in a bowl of coke". I was disappointed for about 30 seconds but then the film started and all was forgiven.

Everything about "Liza With A Z" is extraordinary. Bob Fosse's direction is as sharp and precise as his dazzling choreography, while the music - most of which was written specifically for the show by Kander & Ebb - lifts the concert from a mere performance into the realm of modern art. And then, there's Liza. Fresh from the success of Cabaret, at the very height of her formidable powers. Liza's vocal performance is staggering but I'm even more impressed with her dancing and comedic timing. She was the original triple threat! The result is 51 minutes of unmissable pop culture that won 4 Emmys and delivered Liza's only US top 20 album.

It's impossible to pick a favourite performance. The soundtrack hasn't really left my stereo since I was teenager, so I know each and every song back to front. There simply isn't a dud in the show. I love all the cover versions. "My Mammy", "Son Of A Preacher Man" and "God Bless The Child" are all vocally impeccable, while the staging of "I Gotcha" and "Bye Bye Blackbird" revolutionised pop concerts. Madonna, or more precisely her choreographer, ruthlessly ripped off the latter in both her Blond Ambition and Girlie Show tours. As great as the covers are, the real gems for me are the Kander & Ebb numbers. The Cabaret medley makes a fittingly brilliant finale but the songs written for the show are just as good. "Yes" is wonderfully upbeat, while the title track is as gay as it gets. However, if I had to choose a highlight it would be "Ring Them Bells". I've always loved this song. The witty lyrics never fail to crack me up and it's hard not to identify with the desperate adventures of Shirley Davore. Unfortunately all I got in Dubrovnik was a bad case of diarrhoea! Make sure you check out Liza's stunning performance below.


As far as I know, there are no plans to release "Liza With A Z" in Australia but I think that might change with her upcoming tour. If you can't wait (and I don't blame you), it's easy and relatively inexpensive to order the DVD from Amazon.Source URL: https://popmusicrecords.blogspot.com/search/label/Liza
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Liza Ventures Down Under

Touring really is the new black. With album sales nosediving, every fabulous diva with a predominantly gay fanbase is hitting the road to hawk their dusty, old wares. While Kylie sells out shows across the US (well one show!), the latest international tour extravaganza to hit Australian shores belongs to the legendary Liza Minnelli. The daughter of Judy Garland, the star of Cabaret (and Rent-A-Cop), the holy patron of painkillers - Liza is pure Hollywood royalty. I seriously haven't been this excited about a tour since Marcia Hines rocked my local RSL!

It's been a dream of mine to see Liza perform live for a very long time and I can't believe I'll finally be able to bask in her drunken glory come October. According to the touring company, Liza will perform all her classics including "Cabaret" and "Maybe This Time". I'd personally love to hear Ms Minnelli belt out some of the tracks from her brilliant disco album (1977's "Tropical Nights") but that's as unlikely as her turning up sober. Hopefully, my favourite Liza track - "Ring Them Bells" from "Liza With A Z" isn't completely out of the question. However, Liza could turn up and sing the Michael Bolton songbook and I would still be in 7th Heaven. October simply can not come quick enough!

In the meantime, I'd like to pay tribute to Liza's stunning interpretation of Michael Jackson's "You Are Not Alone". This is surely one of the best clips in the history of youtube. Make sure you check it out below.


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Liza's Disco Album - Tropical Nights

As the weather warms up and we head further into summer, Liza Minnelli's phenomenal disco album is increasingly finding its way into my stereo. This record is perfect background music for those languid summer evenings spent sipping strawberry daiquiris with your friends by the beach, sweating like a whore but looking fabulous in your (preferably sequined) glad rags. "Tropical Nights" is a must for any Liza fan and also makes a good starting point for those painful homosexuals who dismiss old school divas as embarrassing relics of a bygone era. Throw away that Mariah CD; it's time to get correct!
I adore just about everything Ms Minnelli has ever recorded but one album stands head and shoulders above the rest for me. "Tropical Nights" is by far the most accessible collection of songs that Liza has ever recorded. However, it is not really disco at all. Rather, it was an attempt to modernise Liza's sound for the musical tastes of the late 1970s. There are echoes of disco, particularly in the sublime title track, but for the most part "Tropical Nights" plays like a more upbeat, contemporary Liza album. Therefore, it is all the more bewildering why this record was considered to be such an embarrassment that it was only available in Japan for decades. "Tropical Nights" is nothing like the somewhat undignified disco moments of other Broadway legends. This album is a thing of beauty from beginning to end.

The first song I've uploaded is the gorgeous "I'm Your New Best Friend". This is one of the few songs that has a traditional disco sound. However, the song is still very organic and guitar driven. As with the entire album, the instrumentation is glorious. They don't make them like this anymore.
"Tropical Nights/Bali Ha'i" is one of my all time favourite songs. This is sonic perfection from the crazy brass instruments that open the song, to the "show tune goes disco" sound and the fabulous lyrics. Then there are the strings that take the song to a whole new level in the middle and the wonderfully spooky breakdown towards the end, first with guitars, then drums and finally brass. This song is a true original and it comes highly recommended. I'm yet to play this number to a trannie who hasn't immediately hitched her skirt and started dancing on a table!
Liza returned to a more traditional sound with "I Love Every Little Thing About You", a duet with an uncredited male singer. This is a gorgeous mid-tempo ballad with just a hint of calypso madness. Liza has never sounded more spectacular.
Even if Liza generally makes you want to run for the hills, give these songs a go. You might just be surprised. "Tropical Nights" is now widely available from most online music retailers. Several E-bay stores are currently selling the album for a reasonable price.

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Liza Goes EMO!

It's time to get GAY, people! I'm in a Liza kind of mood and thought I would take the opportunity to share her latest recording. Sit down girls because we're not talking showtunes. Instead, Liza has collaborated with EMO rockers, My Chemical Romance, on the song "Mama" from their current album, "The Black Parade".



The boys look quite fetching in their uniforms, don't you think?

This isn't exactly my kind of music but the album is strangely bearable. Obviously "Mama" is the highlight, but as a concept album "The Black Parade" works quite well. I just wish they would swap the guitars for tambourines and throw in the occasional disco beat.
This album is not quite as shit as you might think.

Be warned that Liza's big moment takes place 3:30 minutes into the song, so just close your eyes and think of Judy Garland until you hear Liza's glorious pipes.


Almost as talented as the Minogues.

In the name of maintaining my reputation as a complete pop trash addict, I can't finish this post on a rock number. If you are not familiar with Liza's early material, it's time to get correct! Listen to "Liza With A Z" from Liza's legendary television special of the same name.

I promise to upload more swinging Liza numbers on another day but here are some youtube treats to tide you over!

This is the last time Liza changed her hairstyle. I'm guessing it was in the 60s.

Firstly, Liza's infamous and beyond fabulous drunken rendition of Michael Jackson's "You Are Not Alone". I almost passed out the first time I saw this, such is its brilliance. The look on Michael's face is just priceless! I would do some bad things for an MP3 of this performance. Watch it here.

Fans of old school gay icons will be creaming their pants over this clip of Liza and the equally amazing Chita Rivera singing a duet from the Kander & Ebb musical "The Rink". Note to self - check to see if there is an original cast recording with these two luminaries. Watch this piece of heaven here.

To up the gay ante just a little bit further, check out these fabulous Liza dolls. It looks like Mr Juan Albuerne has made them himself. This guy has mad skillz and I'm aching for my own little Sally Bowles. Check out these works of art on Juan’s website.

That outfit is fuckin' gay! Bless you, Liza.

Source URL: https://popmusicrecords.blogspot.com/search/label/Liza
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