The Capitol Years (Liza Minnelli album)

The Capitol Years
Compilation album by Liza Minnelli
Released	June 5, 2001
Recorded	1964–1966
Genre	Traditional
Label	EMI
Liza Minnelli chronology
16 Biggest Hits (2000) The Capitol Years (2001) Ultimate Collection (2001)

The Capitol Years is a compilation album by American singer and actress Liza Minnelli.^[1] Released in 2001 by EMI, it features a selection of tracks from recordings made while the artist was signed to Capitol Records.^[a]

In 2003, the album was re-released with a new title, The Essential, along with changes to the cover art and liner notes. The tracklist, however, remained entirely unchanged in both content and order.^[3]

Liza Minnelli’s recording career began in 1961 when she recorded three songs at Dick Charles Recording Studio in New York City, produced by Marvin Hamlisch. These recordings were not intended for commercial release but were instead a Christmas gift for her mother, actress and singer Judy Garland. During the autumn of 1962, Minnelli recorded songs for the soundtrack of the animated film Journey Back to Oz and later for the musical Best Foot Forward. Her first commercially released single was a 7-inch single featuring the songs "You Are for Loving" and "What Do You Think I Am?" by Cadence Records in 1963. This single became one of Minnelli’s biggest early successes, selling over 500,000 copies and attracting the attention of Capitol Records, which signed her that same year.^[4]

Minnelli recorded three albums and several singles for Capitol between 1963 and 1966, when she was between 17 and 20 years old.^[5] While her first album, Liza! Liza! (1964), achieved considerable success (peaking at #115 on the Billboard 200^[6] and selling 500,000 copies^[7]), the other two (It Amazes Me (1965) and There Is a Time (1966)) failed to chart,^[8] despite receiving positive reviews from critics. All the album’s arrangements were handled by Peter Matz.^[9]

The tracklist of The Capitol Years includes the entirety of Liza! Liza! (though in a different order) along with five tracks each from her subsequent albums (It Amazes Me and There Is a Time).^[10]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
Jornal do Brasil	Favorable[9]

Critical reviews were generally favorable. William Ruhlmann of AllMusic wrote that the collection "showcases some of Minnelli's excellent early recordings," though he noted that "as a single-CD compilation of her Capitol Records output, it could have been better curated and sequenced".^[10]

Claudio Botelho of Jornal do Brasil noted that while traces of Minnelli’s youth (such as her adolescent nasality and softer pronunciation, before the exaggerated consonants that became her trademark) are evident, the performances are exquisite, with the singer pouring her heart into every word. He particularly highlighted the songs "Maybe This Time" and "Together Wherever We Go (Gypsy)".^[9]