Liza Minnelli's Forgotten 1989 Foray into Dance Music is a Must for Pet Shop Boy Purists

Liza Minnelli's recording career never really took off. Her strange, nervous stage presence and talent hasn't been captured well on vinyl. She doesn't possess the heart-stopping voice of her legendary mother, Judy Garland, nor does she sing with the versatile skill of her chief peers, Bette Midler or Barbra Streisand. She is a musical actress born in the wrong generation, whose talents belong on a theater. Like Patti Lupone, Bernadette Peters and Nell Carter, Liza Minnelli seems to be a true Broadway baby - the one medium that still treasures an act like hers.

Her albums are largely forgettable affairs, with a few exceptions -- her best works are usually soundtracks to her films (Cabaret and New York, New York) or souvenirs of her concerts. She rarely records in the studio since the 1970's, and has released only one studio album in the 1980's and another in the 1990's.

Hoping to change her recording fortunes, Minnelli teamed up with UK-based dance-pop group, the Pet Shop Boys for an album of songs that marry Minnelli's stagey belt with the Boys' synth-driven disco beat. The result, apty titled Results, isn't as forced as expected, and the result is a pleasantly surprising and witty record that is high on camp and energy. The Pet Shop Boys resurrected 1960's pop icon Dusty Springfield's career with a string of hit records, and were trying to do similar work with Minnelli.