The Letter (Judy Garland album)

The Letter
Studio album by
Judy Garland
ReleasedMay 4, 1959
RecordedJanuary 15–16, 1959
Length57:14
LabelCapitol
Judy Garland chronology
Garland at the Grove
(1959) 		The Letter
(1959) 		That's Entertainment!
(1960)
Singles from The Letter
  1. "The Red Balloon"
    Released: 1959
  2. "The Worst Kind of Man"
    Released: 1959
  3. "Beautiful Trouble"
    Released: 1959
  4. "That's All There Is (There Isn't Any More)"
    Released: 1959

The Letter is a 1959 concept album by American vocalist Judy Garland arranged by Gordon Jenkins.[1] The album is as musical narrative, with Jenkins unfolding a story about a man attempting to rekindle a broken romance.[2] The actor John Ireland provides spoken narration through a letter, while Garland expresses the emotions through her musical performance.[2] The Ralph Brewster Singers and soloists contribute effectively to the atmosphere.[2]

In 1963, after a series of commercial successes with some of Garland's records (such as Judy at Carnegie Hall, 1961), the album was re-released under the title Our Love Letter.[3]

The album was re-released in compact disc format in 2007 through DRG Records.[4] The CD was digitally remixed and remastered in 24-bit, directly from the original multi-track stereo session tapes, by David McEowen at Capitol Mastering in Hollywood and was produced by Scott Schechter.[5] The CD features four bonus tracks, rare single versions of songs meant for radio play in 1959, and a booklet that includes rare artwork and detailed liner notes by Schechter.[5]

  1. ^ "The Letter". Allmusic. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c "The Billboard spotlights winners of the week". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 18 May 1959. p. 28. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  3. ^ "Special merit picks". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 14 September 1963. p. 32. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  4. ^ Gans, Andrew (February 27, 2007). "Judy Garland's "The Letter" to Make CD Debut in March". Playbill. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  5. ^ a b "DRG to Release Judy Garland's '59 Album 'The Letter'". BroadwayWorld. February 15, 2007. Retrieved 11 October 2024.