Barbra Streisand

What a career she has had!

If I could go back in time and abort one fetus it would be Barbra.

She lost me at "I was raised on the Good Book Jesus . . . "

Just not the right song for her.

At the time the song was new, no one thought twice about a Jew singing about Jesus. But I did think it was odd that Streisand had a huge album of Christmas songs. I thought that was just...wrong. Musically, though, this is a good fit for her. it was written by Laura Nyro, whose songs were infused with gospel and pop and folk and broadway; it's too bad that Streisand never sang more of her songs. She would have nailed "Marry Me Bill."

Going down on my pony's end

I never wanted to go, down on my pony's end

But I couldn't find a boy, oy, friend

So I went down upon my pony's end

I can still remember him

My uni-corny-PAL

But the light flickered out and went dim

On my favorite ani-MAL

Now I don't believe I want to see the morning

Going down on my pony's end, I never wanted to go....

I have not heard this song for years - it does not get the rotation in the oldies station for some reason.

Barbara's version is stronger, but I kind of like Diana's for some reason. She did not have the strongest pipes, but she knew how to use them.

[quote] it's too bad that Streisand never sang more of her songs

It is not the only Laura Nyro song on that album.

[quote]it's too bad that Streisand never sang more of her songs. She would have nailed "Marry Me Bill."

"Marry me Bill" would have been a knock out.

And it would have wonderful to hear her do more Carol King: "Up on the Roof"...."Will You Love Me Tomorrow".

"I don't know where I stand" is fabulous too. More Joni would have great.

My Man is her best.

R6 it is true that Diana had a fixation on Barbra. This is just one example of her song stalking her.

Barbra was none too pleased when Ross was given the new song for Funny Girl BEFORE the film came out with Barbra's version.

[quote]it does not get the rotation in the oldies station for some reason.

Streisand reinvented herself as a singer of rock music, but the reinvention did not take.

I had never head Diana Ross' version of Stoney End. She does sound great, but whoever produced the album completely missed the mark. Nryo's songs work best when they're big and sloppy and emotion. Ross' arrangement is just too tidy and anemic for the song to work the way it should.

I need to get out of this youtube rabbit hole.. This is not the best version, but interesting to hear another early Stone Ponies Linda besides Different Drum. While still a pretty voice, it doesn't sound as strong or trained as it would later.

The Ross arrangement sounds like cheesy Vegas music.

The Ross arrangement is lousy.

It sounds odd when Linda changes the word "down" to "to" -- it makes it sound as if The Stoney End is a bar or boutique.

The tempo of Ross's version is so sluggish compared to Barbra's

Barbra's best:

The Best Thing You've Ever DoneL

The other versions just haven't worked, so I looked to see who produced Streisand's version. Richard Perry, the guy who is currently dating Jane Fonda. He clearly has skills, and excellent taste in women.

I had the 45. Elder gay here!

This was her best, in our opinia

R18 Barbra apparently didn't think it was so good. It was thrown in the trash after the album The Singer was scrapped.

It only resurfaced when they had to scramble for songs to pad an album when The Way We Were was a hit.

My favorite Barbra Streisand moment; she was very seductive and beautiful then.

Another favorite moment.

It's like Garland was passing the baton her younger protege. Who would Barbra pass it on to now? Adele? I would like to see them duet although Adele doesn't have the vocal range as Barbra but is the only vocalist who has made an impact like Barbra.

Adele?! Be serious.

R23 I wish Burt Bacharach had stopped trying to make Burt Bacharach the Singer happen.

Barbra should have been aborted. The world would have been a much better place.

27 = Julie Budd

Who can sing like Barbra today?

Please don't say Lady Gaga.

[quote]Who can sing like Barbra today?

Certainly not Barbra.

Then there's Barbra's embarrassing interpretation of the Bill Withers' classic Grandma's Hands.

Some songs aren't suited for certain singers. She did better with Stevie Wonder's All in Love is Fair.

Surprising how high Ronstadt's voice was at that time -- I think of her voice as much more contralto than that -- was it smoking that deepened it?

For 25 years Barbra has avoided up tempo songs.

R16, I actually thought Ronstadt was singing, "I don't want to go to the Stoney Inn."

R33, were you quualuded out during the disco period?

"EXTRA! EXTRA! I'M IN LOVE!!!!!!!!!"

[quote]Marry me Bill" would have been a knock out. And it would have wonderful to hear her do more Carol King: "Up on the Roof"...."Will You Love Me Tomorrow".

She didn't sing many 60s songs in the 60s, for some strange reason. In about 1969 she did an album of more current songs called "What About Today?' addressing the fact. It wasn't very good....much like the photo on the cover.

Weird that she'd do that Bill Withers song about his 'Grandma' singin' in church. What was she thinking?

But of course she did cover The Shadow Of Your Smile (very badly)...was there a singer on the planet in the 60s who didn't sing it?

No lice on your body

[quote] What a career she [bold]once[/bold] had!

Fixed it for you.

[quote] Then there's Barbra's embarrassing interpretation of the Bill Withers' classic Grandma's Hands.

This would be a much better song for Madonna to cover. About herself.

[quote] It's like Garland was passing the baton her younger protege. Who would Barbra pass it on to now?

Ahem.

"She went down the Stoney End. She never wanted to go down the Stoney End, but somebody forced her down the Stoney End. We miss you, Barbra. Come back to the Five and Dime, Barbra Streisand, Barbra Streisand."

You don't bring me flowers

R43 Underscores a problem with Streisand's legacy: A great voice, but often schlocky taste in material. That is a dreadful song.

What was everyone's first Barbra's record ???

From Goya

[quote] [R43] Underscores a problem with Streisand's legacy: A great voice, but often schlocky taste in material. That is a dreadful song.

How dare you! Love with NOT be the gift you give yourself!

R47 The 12" single for "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" in 1979!!!!!

[quote]The 12" single for "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" in 1979!!!!!

Who are all these straight guys invading our site?

Geez, R39 is right about Shadow of Your Smile! Got to Youtube and everyone from Perry Como to Tony Bennett has their own version. Connie Francis likely did it best, it was just her type of song,

[quote]Underscores a problem with Streisand's legacy: A great voice, but often schlocky taste in material. That is a dreadful song.

You're kidding right? She's recorded over fifty album. What human being do you know, except yourself of course, that has had a perfect career? Every singer has some clinkers. Don't worry about her legacy, she'll do just fine.

Never get tired of this one.....

Not Barbra at her best, but always thought this was a fun uptempo tune that she pulled off quite well.

And her afro and blue suit just add to it.

[quote]Connie Francis likely did it best

Definitely the gayest version.

[quote] You're kidding right? She's recorded over fifty album. What human being do you know, except yourself of course, that has had a perfect career? Every singer has some clinkers. Don't worry about her legacy, she'll do just fine.

Dial it down, Miss Sissy Fit.

R54 I remember when A Star is Born came out, the New York Times (or was is Rolling Stone?) review mentioned that scene.

They said: "Watching Barbra Streisand calm and then wow a rock audience was as believable as Kate Smith opening for the Rolling Stones."

I was a huge fan of hers, but I had to laugh -- because it was true.

Actually, Streisand does not get much rotation on the oldies stations at all. You hear "Guilty" and sometimes "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" but that's about it.

Streisand's recording is such a great arrangement -- just listen to to those 4 glorious piano notes right after "til I read between the lines"! Her (then) powerful voice was so perfect for this song.

I agree with R59 that Streisand's arrangement was -- by far -- the best for the song.

I guess we should thank Richard Perry, who also produced Carly Simon's most successful CD "No Secrets."

[quote]I guess we should thank Richard Perry, who also produced Carly Simon's most successful CD "No Secrets."

We have A LOT to be grateful for.

Connie Francis sings with the phrasing of a Joey Heatherton.

R61 I remember listening to that song for the first time in my dorm room at Duke.

My roommate, the guy in the next room, and I all had the same reaction: "Why did she agree to do that? Donna blew her out of the water."

[quote] and I all had the same reaction: "Why did she agree to do that?

I guess she's not competitive.

Yeah? Even Donna Summer admitted Barbra was better.

This is her best cover of a Laura Nyro song. Her voice was so breathtaking. We'll never hear a voice this magnificent again.

The bullies will be out for me on this, but I LOVED her singing and songs on Star Is Born.

That's beautiful, R66. I've never heard it before.

The Barbra Joan Streisand album has some of my favorite song including Stoney End. Her version of 'House is not a home' is beautiful.

I think Barbra tended to be over-produced and bombastic, but this is a really beautiful song:

From the same album.

Also from the same album, another great track:

[quote]The Barbra Joan Streisand album has some of my favorite song including Stoney End. Her version of 'House is not a home' is beautiful.

I've just found the whole album on Spotify.

This one's nice. I was surprised it's so recent.

Seems she still had the voice in 1999.

[quote]The Barbra Joan Streisand album has some of my favorite song including Stoney End. Her version of 'House is not a home' is beautiful.

Wrong album. Stoney End was on an earlier record.

I got Barbra Joan Streisand in Hong Kong. If you went to record store there, they would record an album for you on a cassette and only charge a fraction of the price of the album.

Fuck the bullies R67. I want my Bawbra with a sexy pubic poodle mop. I want her glossed yap to wavah around her warbles while she simply reels from California Kristofferson dick and devastation; singing naked, full-bodied songs that have waves and bridges that build and build to a glorious climax like this perfect gem

I always thought Prisoner was her best pop song. Schlocky but in the best way.

Sorry to say not the greatest, her voice had not matured and was a little tinny, though a good recording . Much better stuff later on , Evergreen for example , way better , I think she was best late 70's , early 80's.

This is one of my favorite songs of her's, and the vocal performance is off the charts.

OP, why begin this way? There's no such thing as the "one and only" best song of a singer who's been recording for over 50 years.

"There's no such thing as the "one and only" best song of a singer who's been recording for over 50 years."

Yes, there is.

It was recorded in 1976 and it's from the "A Star Is Born" movie.

It's called "Evergreen".

And it was recorded in four different languages by Barbra: English, Spanish, French, and Italian.

I also think "Evergreen" was her best song.

Evergreen is one of her best songs and she wrote it with Paul Williams. Here is she accepting the Oscar for it.

It's a beautiful song. Why didn't she write more songs?

"Why didn't she write more songs?"

I'm pretty sure she wrote most, if not all, of the songs for Yentl.

A lot of good stuff on the soundtrack.

We have met in person both Judy and Peggy but sadly and so far, have never met Babs.

The GAYEST Streisand song of ALL time.

Listen to Streisand sing the classic "Since I Fell For You".

When you consider that Adele is thought of as a great singer today, it just shows how far we've fallen.

Celine, Whitney, Mariah...NONE of them can come close to singing like this.

Wow! The Barbra Joan album from1971 seems to be getting a lot of votes on this thread.

Personally I find R87's linked song way too over the top for me (that shrieking towards the end).

I don't care for her version of Since I Fell For You. She starts off nice, but I have to agree with R88, she oversings to the max near the end.

Dusty Springfield did a better job with that song than Babs, sorry.

Actually a lot of that Barbra Joan album is awful.

She slaughters Carole King's 'Beautiful'. Shockingly bad.

Barbra giving Julie London's "Cry Me A River" the Streisand treatment.

No mention of "Mammories"?

This has been an interesting thread.

She was without a doubt a wonderful singer and had an extraordinary voice, but much of her output was shit.

She seemed to be out of step with her times and in many ways was a fish out of water in the 1960s. She was a real square.

She also has, in many ways, [bold]terrible taste.[/bold] From the bad song choices, the many ghastly films, to her terrible fashion sense, right up to the shopping mall in her Malibu house.

R54 I prefer this one. Forget the acting and listen.

[quote][R54] I prefer this one. Forget the acting and listen.

Yes, 54 linked the weakest song of the whole movie.

R60, Richard Perry produced the LP, No Secrets. The CD would not come out for another 15 years.

" but much of her output was shit. She also has, in many ways, terrible taste. From the bad song choices, the many ghastly films, to her terrible fashion sense, right up to the shopping mall in her Malibu house."

Okay, so who's going to gather the torches and pitchforks for us so we can march towards this guy's house?

And personally, I think the mall thing she did in her Malibu house is totally cool. She has so many artifacts and mementos there!! I'd rather visit her mall rather than Disneyland.

And in an earlier post, someone posted the song, "My Coloring Book". When I was a gayling, I heard this song for the first time on her first greatest hits LP. I loved it instantly!! Another clue that I was a total homo.

[quote]No mention of "Mammories"?

Actually I think her "Memory" is the finest "pop" version of any show tune ever recorded.

No love for her "Wet" album? Its always been one of my favorites. "Niagara", "After the Rain".....she was in wonderful voice!

[quote]the many ghastly films

Mary, she's only made 19 movies and none were ghastly. Some are classics, some are good and some might be OK. The weakest is "The Gulit Trip" but she neither wrote or directed it and she got a nice paycheck driving around her neighborhood for most it.

[quote]"She seemed to be out of step with her times and in many ways was a fish out of water in the 1960s."

Singing the standards from the 1920s - 1950s and giving them a new interpretation was the smartest thing about her early career.

There was nothing square about that: by the mid '60s there was a huge fashion for nostalgia. Suddenly you had bands mining the past for material...."Dream a Little Dream of Me" etc.

Listen to the Beatles "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and all the nostalgia tinged tunes.

Totally agree about Star Is Born R66: terrible movie, great score. They were really inspired by her. And totally DISAGREE R95-R94 linked one of the best songs AND moments in the movie. And R66 THANKS FOR THAT----"With One More Look At You" is my favorite song with a gorgeous lyric.

This was my favorite Streisand song. A great song without a bombastic arrangement or "theatrical" rendition.

sorry,but I HAD to:

With one more look at you I could learn to tame the clouds And let the sun shine through Leave a troubled past and I might start anew I'll solve the mysteries if you're the prize Refresh these tired eyes With one more look at you I might overcome the anger That I've learned to know Find a peace of mind I lost so long ago Your gentle touch has made me strong again And I belong again For when you look at me I'm everything and more that I had dreamed I'd be My spirit feels a promise I won't be alone We'll love and live more Love and live forever With one more look at you I'd learn to change the stars And change our fortunes too I'd have the constellations paint your portrait too So all the world might share this wonderous sight The world could end each night With one more look at you I want....one more..look at you.

Here's when she hung herself with 9 inches of chocolate rope. (WARNING: Absolute Awfulness Ahead)

And to thank R94 for one of my favorites;

Show ▼ Ad Feedback Ads by AZLyrics.com

"The Woman In The Moon" lyrics BARBRA STREISAND LYRICS tPlay Music ttt "The Woman In The Moon"

I was warned as a child of thirteen Not to act too strong Try to look like you belong bur don't push girl Save your time and trouble Don't misbehave I was raised in a "No You Don't World" Overrun with rules Memorize your lines and move as directed That's an age old story Everybody knows that's a worn out song But you and I are changing that tune We're learning new rhythms from the woman I said the woman in the moon Little sister, little brother Keep on pushin' Don't believe a word about Things you heard about Askin' too much too soon 'Cause they can hold back the tide But they can never hold the woman in the moon I believe there's a best of both worlds Mixing old and new Recognizing change is seldom expected As I long suspected They believed that strange was a word for wrong Well not in my song 'Cause you, you and I are changing that tune We're learning new rhythms from that woman in the moon Little sister, little brother Keep on pushin' Don't believe a word about Things you heard about Askin' too much too soon 'Cause they can hold back the tide But they can never hold the woman I said the woman in the moon...

R87, I agree with you. Her version of "Since I Fell For You" is beautiful, one of her best vocal performances.

I wonder what happened to The Oreos?

I like this--

Hey guys, watch this. It's kinda great

The best version of "Stoney End" is the original:

I have to agree with that^^R111

Early Barbra was without peer. On that same Judy Garland show, she did a version of "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" that left me breathless. Her image and talent have become so over commercialized over the years that it's a shock to see her when she was young and hungry. My personal fave is HE TOUCHED ME. Still induces chills.

Beyoncé singing the Way We Were and blowing Streisand away.

[quote]My personal fave is HE TOUCHED ME. Still induces chills.

Chill out, R113.

THANK YOU, R115!!! What a gift this woman was.....

R99, like you, "Wet" is one of my favorite albums. I know it got crucified by the critics when it came out (one of them said something like her next "concept" album would be about crop dusting), but I love it. "Splish, Splash" may be the weak link, but I'll never tire of "On Rainy Afternoons."

R114 That's a perfectly good performance but nothing special.

It doesn't even come close to Streisand's.

R117 What a silly idea: To do an album where every song had to be about water.

She even made the composer rewrite "Enough is Enough" to include the nonsensical "It's raining" opening.

I wanted to point out a wee secret I discovered in watching Funny Girl and Funny Lady.

Whenever Barbra gets good news, yellow roses are in the frame.

Whenever Barbra gets bad news, red roses are in the frame.

This is additionally seen in the R103 album cover of Funny Lady.

When my old highschool girlfriend turned 50 years old, I sent her 50 long stemmed yellow roses. When she asked why they were yellow, I told her my story. We've been best friends now for 65 years.

The Broadway Album beats all her pop shit.

People

LOVE "If I Love Again" from Funny Lady.

Paul Jabara wrote "It's Raining Men" specifically for the Wet album as a duet for Barbra and Diana Ross, hence the rain lyrics.

Barbra at her best. She could have had entirely different career, if she had liked to. Just listen to the first clip.

She's too broadway

Her catalogue is vast from the early 60s to the present with some of the best music of the times (you name the composer- many who she made standards with)- sometimes things do not work- most of the time sublime. Almost all of her peers from opera to soul to rock to crooners have gone on record as describing her as a once in a lifetime- Donna Summer said singing with her was at first intimidating because of her star status and then the realization that her star status was due to the fact that her vocal abilities; sound, power, tone, breath control, acting, were peerless. To each their own- but having this kind of talent around most of my life- is life affirming. I have seen her in person twice- once quite up close- more amazing than any recording, the voice just flows out of her in a perfect storm of sound and timing touching every emotion I know of.

Two of my favorites: singing Auld Ang Syne and a quiet love song to Brolin during her 2000 concert. She makes AAS sound like a hyme.

Aretha at her best (live), Pavarotti and Leontyne Price had the same effect on me live. No way these people could not succeed. Not old enough to have seen Garland in top form (or any form)- would have also like to have seen Nat Cole.

All types of great music and artists. Important thing is to realize it, embrace it, and be grateful for it!

Thank you, Charlie.

Poor charlie. Streisand, Garland, Aretha, Leontyne Price and "may I put that on your account" are the only words he knows.'

R129 He is infinitely more interesting than you ever will be.

No one can sing like Barbra today, the closest ? Her Half Sister Rosalind Kind seriously resembles her it is uncanny. But in a sort of caricature way. But who can sing like Judy, Piaf, Ella, Ross, no one can, they are all original true artists.

Ross was never a great singer r131, she admitted it herself.

Ross may not have a big range, but she has an excellent voice.

Linda Ronstadt is also as good as Streisand.

So was Emmylou Harris

[quote]I'm pretty sure she wrote most, if not all, of the songs for Yentl.

Fuck you, you fucking fucker!

R135 -

Okay. I guess I was wrong. I thought she had a role in the writing.

I was way into her in college (I'm 45 now). Saw her live in 1994.

The bloom is kind of off the (Second Hand) rose for me. I think she refined herself out of existence long ago.

When I watch her old videos, there's not question that she's a remarkable technically perfect singer, but... I think Judy, at her best, sang with more heart.

This is a realization I came to as I got older. I was never a big Judy fan until I started watching clips of her show on YouTube. I sobbed watching The Man That Got Away. She was truly the voice of the 20th century.

I remember buying "Just For the Record" (her 4-CD box set) in 1991. I paid $55 for it. I was SO happy to get it!

What I love most about it was that it opened my eyes to her sixties stuff that I had never heard before.

Supposedly, there is a DVD set, kind of a companion to "JFTR", that is coming out sometime. She has acknowledged its existence but I guess the fine tuning isn't done yet. I know what a perfectionist she is.

I may be alone here, but I really like her disco songs: Enough Is Enough - The Main Event - Promises - Emotion. I think after "Emotion" (1984), she kind of gave up on the dance music thing until "Night of My Life" from Guilty Pleasures (2005).

I bought For the Record too. I listened to the Judy Garland Show medley, the live "I'm the Greatest Star" and "My Man" over and over again.

Gladys version

Do straight guys listen to Babs ?

Yes, we do

What are some of her good show tunes ???

Love Comes From Unexpected Places on the Superman album is sublime.

"You're The Top" ~ What's Up Doc?

Pretty much every song she sang in the stage version of Funny Girl was a classic.

Her Broadway Album from 1984 (?) I think is her best album by far. The follow up Back to Broadway wasn't nearly as good.

"He Touched Me" Barbra Streisand - From the album, My Name Is Barbra, Two

At the end of the song when she belts out, "Nothing, nothing, nothing is the same," it just blows me away. It's overwhelming. She's the greatest.

R142 You are the exception then.

She was good when singing to men, quite the seductress.

The only man she didn't have chemistry with was Kris Kristofferson.

Thanks r145, that was nice

She made 3 or 4 good albums in her please make it end career. Stoney End is one of the good albums. Great songs and some vocal restraint on her part. The Broadway Album is her masterpiece. Top of her power with her adult voice at it's zenith. "The Second Barbra Streisand Album" is the GOOD album for those who swoon over her dramatic songs and sonic high notes. "Guilty" will always be good because of its great production and presentation of her singing. The Love Inside is where she kept her talent.

[quote]I may be alone here, but I really like her disco songs: Enough Is Enough - The Main Event

Those are classics and maybe the best produced and sung "dance' songs ever.

""He Touched Me" Barbra Streisand - From the album, My Name Is Barbra, Two".

The original version of this song was actually called, "She Touched Me". It was first performed in a play from 1965 called "Drat! The Cat!". The play also featured Elliott Gould, her then husband.

Elliot is said to be horse-hung.

[quote]The Broadway Album is her masterpiece.

It is marred by the time it was recorded. Those cheesy 80s synthesizers, particularly for The King and I, sound horrible.

It was the first time I'd heard the King and I songs, R155, and they were perfect. I wouldn't omit a single synthetic note. The Broadway Album came out late in 1985, while a friend of mine was dying, and he's all I can think of when I hear it, especially this verse:

"He will not always say What you would have him say. But every now and then he'll say Something wonderful."

My friend couldn't talk some of the time, his brain was so shot (CMV), but every now and then...

Barbra could survive a nuclear holocaust and put out a new album the next year.

[quote]It is marred by the time it was recorded. Those cheesy 80s synthesizers, particularly for The King and I, sound horrible.

Those goddamn synthesizers helped ruin the movie version of [italic]A Chorus Line[/italic]. It is always just an excuse to hire fewer musicians.

Putting it together

R158 There was SO MUCH wrong with that movie, nobody even notices the arrangements.

R151-idiot, just an idiot.

[quote]She was good when singing to men, quite the seductress. The only man she didn't have chemistry with was Kris Kristofferson.

So not true. I totally believed they were in love.

R162 That was good acting on his part because he couldn't stand her.

[quote]That was good acting on his part because he couldn't stand her.

Not true. [bold]They had been lovers in real life[/bold] and he always praised her performance in the film.

[quote]There was SO MUCH wrong with that movie, nobody even notices the arrangements.

The only thing they got right was keeping the gay stuff—a big deal during the nadir of AIDS paranoia. They probably thought it would be more "up-to-date" than the waka-chika guitars and orchestra charts of the original, but the original has aged better. And I usually like most of Ralph Burns' other stage and film orchestrations.

Synthesizers didn't do Streisand any favors nor any of the rest of the adult contemporary crowd.

R164 Meanwhile, in the real world . . . Kristofferson was fairly outspoken in how much he hated working on A Star is Born. It was while Barbra was inexplicably in the thrall of her hairdresser boyfriend Peters. Peters had a HUGE coke problem and made the set unbearable. Barbra and Peters drove Kristofferson crazy.

Truth: Streisand and Krist. had an affair before she got together with Peters and Peters was (as he is) insane about it. Streisand and Krist are good friends, have been since their affair and he was grateful to her for bringing him into the movie at a time when he needed a career boost (and to control his drinking which he did not on the set of SIB.) Streisand and Krist remain good friends- Barbra not so much with Peters who continues to exploit his relationship with her although she never comments negatively about anyone.

Kristofferson says he had to quit drinking after ASIB because it had gotten so out of hand lis liver was the size of a football.

How did Christopher Peters get so fat?

Chemistry ? She wasn't cast for her looks.

I love Stoney End. Apparently she's not fond of it. She thought it was silly but recorded it anyways.

My favorites are Songbird and The Love Inside. Her range on the latter is amazing at 36.

[quote] I was raised on the Good Book Jesus 'til I read between the lines.

Do you think anyone would have the balls to release a song with an anti-Christian lyric like that today in God Bless America?

JUDY GARLAND SHOW, DICK VAN DYKE AND THE OTHER WOMAN, MERV GRIFFIN SHOW ON GETTV DINAH SHORE ON JLTV MAMA'S FAMILY ON METV

[quote]Whenever Barbra gets good news, yellow roses are in the frame.

And she tosses back her head with insouciant defiance, savoring the sweet scent of the roses.

[quote]Whenever Barbra gets bad news, red roses are in the frame.

And she bites down on a knuckle, as if to avoid swallowing the bitter pill of defeat while showing off her nails.

R166 reads way too much of the Enquirer. Oh, I meant to say HUGE

R175 needs to buy new candles for his Barbra shrine.

What is her best album post 1985 Broadway Album?

I would say maybe Guilty Pleasures, if only because she revisits her pop and dance years. I liked some of Love is the Answer, but found it overrated.

I liked her album with Diana Krall. The songs recorded with just the trio don't have the bombastic arrangements that ruin so many Streisand songs. The downside is that her voice is showing age, which makes me sad.

No, R125, she could not sing opera. Maybe with a very strong teacher and a great desire, but it's not what she wanted.

I happen to think "Superman" is one of the best things she ever did.

I like Classical Barbra.

Although I read that it was put together in the studio note-by-note.

Whose idea was it when it came to Barbra working with Barry Gibb for the "Guilty" album?

R181 Barbra asked Barry Gibb if he would write an album for her.

R179 It was the point, she didn't want to go opera, didn't find a vocal teacher etc. She wanted to sing pop, show tunes etc.

Whose idea that Patinkin didn't sing in Yentl ?

She doesn't sound right to my ears, when she tries sing hip.

BS was an embarrassment when she sang with Ray Charles. Soulful and hip, she is not.

[quote]She doesn't sound right to my ears, when she tries sing hip.

Some non-black singers can do R&B well, but when she tries it, say for example with "Grandma's Hands," the results are unintentionally hilarious.

In her early days, she showed she had a knack for comedy/novelty material with "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf" and "Sam, You Made the Pants too Long," but she never does stuff like that anymore. Everything's a ballad.

Adult contemporary = Too hip for Lawrence Welk, not hip enough for [italic]Soul Train[/italic].

I'll always be grateful for this. For the first time started to believe that we'd be alright again. I realized, too, that this is what they're really afraid of because they are incapable of doing this. We. on the other hand, can't help but do so.

Thanks, Barbra.

Maaareeeee.....

THANK YOU R189-that's the power of a true gift given in a time of need. R190, take a break.

Picture it. New York City. April, 1964.

Two people on vacation riding in a taxicab.

A song comes on the radio. The woman likes it. She remembers it. Later that day, they sing, they dance, they make love.

Nine months later, out pops a little gay boy.

Those people were...my parents.

That song was..."People".

Moral of the story: My parents hearing "People", by Barbra Streisand, made me gay.

True story; I was conceived in New York City.

[quote]My parents hearing "People", by Barbra Streisand, made me gay.

No, no, son. It wasn't "People." Funny Girl hadn't even opened yet. It was "Some People" from Gypsy and the year was 1961. You were conceived to the quavering belt of Ethel Merman and you turn fifty-five this year.

Her "The Way We Were Album" (not the soundtrack) is one her best especially "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" by her friends Marilyn and Alan.

Actually, 'Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" is my favorite of hers-I was a kindergartener when it came out.

I love 'Stoney End', but R3 has got the wrong end of the stick. She's interpreting the song-she didn't write it. It's Laura Nyro's tune, she made the Jesus reference-is it Jew thing for you? Trivia: Peggy Lipton, Mrs. Quincy Jones of 'Mod Squad' fame is supposed to have recorded it before Babs, did. Guess what all three have in common? It's not unheard-of for writers to tackle topics that aren't necessarily related to their own life experience, even a dropout like me understands that.

On second thought OP, perhaps you're right. And the album cover was inspired, another dare that paid off.

Barbra Streisand with her Jewish fro back in the mid to late 1970's.

I don't know what was the bigger fashion flub: The hair or those chokers she always wore.

Still wears chokers and obviously does not care whether they are "fashionable".

My favorite screen credit was in A Star is Born: "Ms. Streisand's clothes from ... Her Closet."

It explains so much. The woman sings so beautifully but has really bad taste.

[quote]My favorite screen credit was in A Star is Born: "Ms. Streisand's clothes from ... Her Closet."

One reviewer commented that her clothes looked like they'd been designed by 'Lawrence of Poland'.

I just loved Barbra's curly fro back in the day.

When is her next European tour?

As someone did or should have corrected upthread, there is no "Marry Me Bill." It's another Laura Nyro song, and a classic, and it's called "Wedding Bell Blues." And yes, Barbra could have done wonders with it, as she did with "Stoney End." Mama, make me start all over.

My favorite semi-obscure Streisand tune? "You're the Top" with Ryan O'Neill from the closing credits of my favorite of her films, "What's Up, Doc"

R147 Bump. This album is, I think, my all-timefavorite. Barbra at her white-hot zenith of new stardom. She sound incredible on every track, and looks so 60s glam on the cover. God, how I stared at that album cover.

The song I liked best was "Where's That Rainbow." When she changes key and launches into that last verse, belting, "Oh IT IS EASY TO SEE ALL RIGHT...." I would swoon!

I really only like her 60s stuff. I'm old enough to remember disapproving when she veered into "rock" with the Stoney End album. It just seemed so calculated. I didn't want hippie Barbra. I wanted towering updo/cute pageboy-Cleopatra eye makeup Barbra. I tolerated some of the later albums but nothing will match all those early ones.

I like her 60s stuff best:

She had more personality, and her singing was either gutsier or purer than later on, depending on the song.

She's so ferocious in this (like a rottweiller, almost) it becomes campy.

I love it!

R205 Thanks for that, beautiful. And "Gotta Move" was quite a performance. I always pictured some cold, hard dame, smoking and drinking and whoring around, who then blows town for the next place. "A man who won't worry bout where I go....A man who won't ask how I learned what I know!"

It's hard to overstate how exciting and special she was when she first came on the scene. That she could, at 21, duet with Judy Garland like it ain't no thing. Judy had to bring her A-game, too.

The album covers were so artful, too, with lovely portraits of Barbra. They used the same typeface every time; I liked that visual continuity.

Stoney End is in my top ten favorite songs of all time. Loved Laura’s version, this tops it for me.

She dotted her early albums with a lot of Broadway stuff, and those compositions just had a breadth and melodic finesse that suited her.

She was up to it.

Barbra's Stoney End and Diana's Last Time I Saw Him and Helen Reddy's Delta Dawn. Songs coming out of the AM radio of my childhood that FASCINATED me.

"Last Time I Saw Him" - wow, I.haven't thought of that one since....well, then. Kind of a honky tonk tune, wasn't it? Off to YouTube....

I still believe aliens landed in the mid 1970s and replaced the fun, experimental, wacky Streisand with the calculated, perfectionist, cold Steeisand we've seen ever since. She tries to replicate the 1960s version here and there but it never comes close to that excitement of her early tv performances or her lively, easy comic turn in What's Up Doc? Somewhere in another galaxy, THAT Streisand is still having the time of her life.

The fling with Ryan O'Neal must have accounted for her carefree vibe in "What's Up,Doc." Although it's said she fretted throughout production, fearing she was in a piece of shit.

I do think she was always a perfectionist. But yes, after the 70s she got very safe.

Way to screw up your legacy...

i liked Walls...

R213 I thought some more about this. It started with Jon Peters, and her hair. She started settling into hairdos. Years of the fro, followed by years of the 80s shoulder-length bob. For the past 15 years it's been the weird center-part. She froze her look. Remember all the Donna Karan empire waist gowns? Now it's funky hats. When you think of what a theatrical fashionista she used to be.

I haven't heard the song but the "Walls" portrait is hilarious.

[quote]r215 Way to screw up your legacy...

She did that with that stupid book about her new house ... which ended up looking like the lobby of a bland hotel.

-------------------------------

The customer reviews are rich:

[quote]My Passion for Design is indeed stuffed with colorful photos and spreads to illustrate her gardens, rooms, closets, etc.; passages of comments from the author pop up throughout. Does she know what she talks about? Yes. Names, dates, and searches for what she wants are ponderously detailed. The issue is that only 0.02% of people can use this information. Can I whip out my checkbook and spend millions on chickens to lay green eggs? Or hire gardeners to come over and debate the nature of the color red for the perfect rose? In this economy, few people outside her fanbase of rabid fans are likely to buy this book. One wonders if she makes her husband maintain his white hair so as not to clash with the decor. . . .

[quote]How embarrassing to flaunt off your riches like this. I have a lot of experience remodeling large homes of my own, but would NEVER go to these embarrassing lengths. I mean, she built her own shopping street for her antique doll collection and other shops in her basement. And then goes to the trouble of making the outside look like farm buildings. And her taste is boring--sorry Barbra. You did this for yourself and should have kept it to yourself.

[quote]Yikes her home is insane!!!

[quote]IT'S THE MOST NARCISSISTIC BOOK I'VE EVER SEEN. SHE CERTAINLY CAN SING, ACT AND DIRECT, but she can't write, take pickshuhs, or design. If she has a passion for design, it's unrequited, or it would be if she had less money. What a monstrosity. The only good think about it is that it inspired Jonathan Tolins, a playwright, to write his hit off Broadway comedy, Buyer and Cellar.

[quote]I found this book to be an incredibly myopic exercise in self-centeredness. It is a monument to how important BS thinks she is and how inner-directed her world has become. I found it to be hugely sad. I tried to make an allowance for how empty her life must have been, or is, to compel her to go to such lengths to fill this enormous void.

It's never played now, but I just loved "The Main Event". When she hits that note at the end, it just makes me shiver...and it's fun. Of course her best song will always be "My Man".

219 posts and no video of Barbra and Neil at the Grammys?

Barbra never wrote Evergreen. It was Paul Williams and Rupert Holmes.

One of my favorites. She’s a stand-in for the girls who didn’t really want to be rockers but were still pissed off.

I liked that one, too, R221. Mod look and sound.

I bought the house book as a semi-serious Christmas gift for my Frau stepmother, who is obsessed with decorating. I spent some time with it first, and enjoyed it for what it was. My favorite was the screening room. The turn-of-the-century mall in the basement was something else.

Later I saw that one-man play about the mall - "Barbra and Me," something like that? It was cute.

The Bee Gees stuff is my favorite. Loved the concert she did for the Democrat party at her Malibu Mansion. With Barry Gibb in all his hairy chest glory.

Barbra's best: "The Best Thing You've Ever Done"

And Barbra's second best: "I've Never Been a Woman Before"

You're The Top - from "What's Up, Doc?"

Barbra is in top form.

She just never got better. That's her big problem. She got famous. She got rich. And she quit listening to people. She quit listening to more experienced and better educated musicians. She had an exceptional gift; her voice. Not her taste. Not her insights into music. She has none. She used her great gift in the services of decades of vulgar and of musical choices.

But when she started out... oh, my God. No one could touch her.

Last phrase, “rain on my parade”, in one breath, perfect diction, full vibrato (3:13 to 3:29). She had amazing breath control.

R108

Unfortunatly Miss Clydie King is no longer with us. Barbra commented on her passing this January:

Dearest C. It was so comforting to have you sing alongside me. We had so much fun together... making A Star is Born. May you rest in peace Clydie.

Miss Veneta Fields lives in Australia and sang back up once again for Babs, when she toured Australia in 2000.

R212 It was kinda something. I assumed he was kidnapped. He never got off the bus!

How amazing it must have been to experience these early albums just to hear that voice. Singers in this style were a dime a dozen back then, but her voice was special.

R230, are you aware that movie songs are edited and lip-synced? Most of Streisand's long notes are the result of editing, I've never seen a live clip of her doing it.

"Barbra giving Julie London's Cry Me A River the Streisand treatment"

I can't believe what I'm reading. R91, Julie London didn't write Cry Me A River, she covered it. The song is not Julie London's, the recording of it is. Streisand didn't cover Julie London's vocal - she interpreted the sheet music. The song was written by Arthur Hamilton. Catching on how it works yet?

Julie London was the first to record the number, R234, and she had a huge hit with it, so I suppose the poster in question meant something like "Barbra giving Julie London's old hit Cry Me a River" etc. It's forgivable, I think. And it certainly isn't offensive enough to provoke such an angry retort.

Why don't you save that feeling for those who call show albums "soundtracks"? Because by now they will have been corrected by their betters numerous times and to keep on stubbornly making that illiterate error is really provoking to the rest of us. It is to me, anyway.

You must be new here, R235.

I saw Barbra Streisand in the Boston try out of "I can get it for you Wholesale" when she literally stopped the show with her solo, "Miss Marblesteen." She had made appearances on late night talk shows (Mike Wallace, and Perhaps Jack Paar)

Here's her Belle of 14th Street TV special. I haven't had time to watch it all, but it seems weird, except for the concert bit at the end. The same Youtube account has the Central Park concert.

[quote] I saw Barbra Streisand in the Boston try out of "I can get it for you Wholesale" when she literally stopped the show with her solo, "Miss Marblesteen."

She must have had a bad cold that night.

There's a tape of an old concert from 1972. She teasingly says to the crowd "now, I can sing Second Hand Rose or Stoney End" she says it in a jokey way like "I know there's no contest" She polls the audience and there were zero applause for Second Hand Rose. But a huge ovation for Stoney End. I imagine if she did that today, or any time since like 1979 it would be the opposite.

Fast forward to 3:00 to hear it.

Thank you R125. That video says it all.

R230 - I’m very well aware of lip syncing, and editing vocals in movies.

And now that you’ve shot your snarky mouth off, watch R125 video, and listen to her hold 25 second notes during live performances. You’re welcome.

Here's Barbra at age 20 in "Pins and Needles." Here voice is so pure and clear.

R240 I had this album, and remember being bummed out that the crowd picked "Stoney End."

R237 Wow. Were you struck by this new, exciting voice?

[quote]The Ross arrangement sounds like cheesy Vegas music.

^This. A thousand times this.

R240, you're embarrassing

[quote I saw Barbra Streisand in the Boston try out of "I can get it for you Wholesale"]

This poor sod is even older than me!

[quote] I saw Barbra Streisand in the Boston try out of "I can get it for you Wholesale"

I am too old for html, apparently.

I used to like Streisand, but I never liked the song People.

R229, the greatest performance of "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" is Ella Fitzgerald's almost seven-minute version that includes the "half-pint inspiration" intro and all the verses, including the "ants in his pants" last verse. Barbra's version, while it does showcase her vocal talents, lacks the ironic joy of Fitzgerald's version, which also is closer to the intended meaning of the lyrics.

[quote]r234 The song is not Julie London's, the recording of it is. Streisand didn't cover Julie London's vocal - she interpreted the sheet music. The song was written by Arthur Hamilton. Catching on how it works yet?

To musically knowledgeable people, it's "Julie London's CRY ME A RIVER" in the the same way we might say "Barbra Streisand's PEOPLE".

It's a signature song associated with a specific artist...bitch!

[quote]the greatest performance of "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" is Ella Fitzgerald's

Ella Fitzgerald was a very pleasant singer, but she sang every song the same. She had no emotion. Whereas, Barbra lays it on way too thick.

R251, a vocalist, especially Streisand, interprets the words of a song. What the composer's "intended meaning" is is obsolete unless it's in a play. Ella rarely added much to lyrics of a song, that was her thing. Streisand's dramatics were her thing. She over dramatized more than not, but she got it 100% dead right in R229's video.

R252, "Barbra Streisand's PEOPLE" refers to her record of the song, not the song itself. Or is this a millennial thing to confuse the two? And furthermore, has anyone said "Barbra Streisand's People" since 1965?

Barbra Streisand’s people will thank you to refrain from printing photos of her right side.

My parents were in NYC when "People" was released as a single (1964).

I was conceived during this trip, too.

Therefore, "People", the standard LP version and the "Funny Girl" version, will always be my favorite Streisand song.

Plus, I think it's just a great song.

My first album that got me started was cousin Nancy giving me her extra cassette of The Carpenters, Close to You. It set my love of female vocalists. My first Streisand album was Songbird. Loved the title song, and Honey, Can I Put on Your Clothes. I bought every Streisand album after that. I loved Wet, even it's title song.

I saw the movie Yentl on its premiere night and heard Papa Can You Hear Me. That very night I dreamed about hugging my abusive, alcoholic, troubled father who had passed already, and felt love, and forgiveness wash over me. Supposedly there is a Studio Version of Papa, on a European release or something. If anyone could share a link or that song, I would be most gracious.

My many go to Streisand songs are Prisoner, Memories, Women In Love, My Heart Belongs to Me, The Main Event, Love in the Afternoon, Lazy Afternoon, If You Every Leave Me, Emotion, Somewhere and so many more. One of these, or more, always seem to get added to my playlists. My personal favorite, I don't know why, also comes from Yentl. The studio version of No Matter What Happens.

R243, I don’t know that one, cute! The contrast between the pretty, whitebread backup singers - the norm of the time, everybody was starting to fall asleep- and the character and wit and joy of the new girl is laid out plainly. Kids, that’s why she’s a star.

I agree with R253 and R254 about Ella Fitzgerald: a pleasant voice, flawless really, but no emotion, almost robotic.

It seems almost blasphemous to say anything remotely critical of Miss Ella Fitzgerald, but I agree, too. I always thought that whenever you hear a big band-era song with a lovely female voice and you can't identify the singer, it always turns out to be her.

R252 is correct. There are songs so associated with a singer that they are considered "their" song. Anyone who heard Barbra singing "Cry Me A River" would have immediately thought of Julie London. The same with anyone attempting to sing "People". It's Barbra's.

During an interview, Judy Garland named a few singers whose work she appreciated. She was then asked if she liked Ella Fitzgerald. Her answer, "No. Oh, I know I'm supposed to, but I don't."

I'm with Judy on that one, at least much of the time. Ella's voice is pure and beautiful, but her singing is about the music, not the words. Not ever the words or what's behind them.

Ella was a jazz singer. She interpreted songs the way a jazz musician would and was excellent. It's apples and oranges. Jazz purists find Streisand histrionic and over dramatic. Pop purists find Ella boring and lifeless. I like both.

We can not tolerate boring so when Ella comes on the radio we quickly change the statia. Judy was correct..

I must say, as much as I like Barbra's recording of "Where Am I Going," that performance upthread is almost comically overanimated. But her style was new and different and exciting back then, and she had the pipes to put it across.

I love her vibrato at R243. *Almost* out of control, but just contains it.

Who did Judy like? I think I read somewhere that she admired Vic Damone was it, and maybe Jack Jones? I could be wrong. Who among the female singers?

[quote]We can not tolerate boring

Yes, but you could have stopped short of ingesting poo, Erna.

R263, Judy never said that. She would never dish another performer. She passed that trait on to LIza.

R263, pls produce a link or source for that quote, I doubt it's correct.