Customer Reviews

Barbra Joan Streisand

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Like STONEY END, the album before it, many Streisand fans seem to ignore 1971's BARBRA JOAN STREISAND. Though it peaked at number 11 and spawned a top 40 single with "Where You Lead," the album has had little self life and stopped selling at Gold.

If you are true Streisand fan, or simply want to see how diverse she was in the seventies, you should pick up STONEY END and BARBRA JOAN STREISAND. While SE had a heavy folk feel to it, BJS heads off straight into rock.

Barbra provides the definite versions of Carole King's "Beautiful," "Where You Lead," and "You've Got A Friend" as well as delivering covers of John Lennon's "Mother" and "Love" that surpass the originals.

For those of you who also love the old torch-style Streisand, there are old-fashioned piano-based ballads like "I Never Meant To Hurt You" and "Since I Fell For You." However, the majority of the material here is rock based, such as her stunning version of "Space Captain."

This glorious album deserves a second look and, with the digital remastering, it's never sounded better!

As a Streisand fan from when I first caught her wonderful performance on the classic "The Judy Garland Show", Barbra showed incredible artistic growth upon the release of the great but strangely overlooked "What About Today" and this growth continued with the classic "Stoney End" release and then hit new heights with the release of "Barbra Joan" which is an incredible mix of everything that Streisand does best!!! John Lennon's "LOVE" is haunting and mesmerizing while "MOTHER" is a truly extraordinary vocal sung with heartstopping passion. Laura Nyro's gorgeous "I NEVER MEANT TO HURT YOU" is a very fine vocal which is deeply moving and Laura Nyro herself must have enjoyed this heartfelt performance. "ONE LESS BELL TO ANSWER/A HOUSE IS NOT A HOME" is a dazzling tour-de-force medley where Barbra's gorgeous voice soars to amazing heights and the effect is so stunning that this becomes one of her greatest ever recorded performances...produced by Richard Perry, Barbra was at her creative and vocal peak throughout this wondrous collection so if you love great singing do not miss this...both "THE SUMMER KNOWS" and "SINCE I FELL FOR YOU" contain hauntingly beautiful Streisand vocals plus Barbra knows how to rock out with a brilliant take on Elton John's "SPACE CAPTAIN" which has to be the definitive version of this classic...marvel at a talent who can take a wide variety of works to their ultimate peak and enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime legend at her peak!!! THANK YOU BARBRA!!!!!!

While criticized at the time of it's release for attempting to mix too many different styles of musical genres into one album, BARBRA JOAN STREISAND has nevertheless endured as one of the brightest gems in Streisand's massive catalog. Sequencing soft ballads next to mild rockers may have seemed disorientating in 1971, however time (and repeated listenings) has uncovered and enhanced the disc's unique sense of dizzying cohesiveness.

The hit was "Where You Lead" (#40 Pop, #3 Adult Contemporary) but virtually every track is a treasure, and they play out in a highly satisfying manner. Her powerful renditions of John Lennon's "Love" and Laura Nyro's "I Never Meant To Hurt You" are stunning and her bone-chilling take on Lennon's "Mother" brings down the house. In between the contemporary cuts, Streisand even manages to deliver the definitive renditions of the often-covered standards "The Summer Knows" and "Since I Fell For You."

However, the absolute show-stopper is the Hal David-Burt Bacharach medley "One Less Bell To Answer/A House Is Not A Home," which Barbra brings thrillingly to life with a dramatic intensity that deserves comparisons with even the very best performances of her long career. This album was successful when it was initially released (it hit #11 on the Hot 200 and went Gold), however I do not believe it has received the respect it deserves from Streisand's fans and remains among her most underrated recordings.

From the piano-pounding "Beautiful" to the head-spinning, gospel-tinged rocker "Space Captain", it's apparent Barbra was intent on conquering the rock music corner, and she's entirely capable, esp. with Richard Perry's smart production behind her and help from all-girl rockers Fanny. It also features one of those lost Streisand performances that must rank as a classic and a career high-point: her vocal on Laura Nyro's "I Never Meant To Hurt You" may be unequaled, it is so incredibly beautiful. Other highpoints: a gritty little gem called "I Mean To Shine" and a wild version of John Lennon's "Mother"(with Barbra fully in-character, stunningly so). Probably Barbra Streisand's best CD out there.

This and Stoney End are my favourite Barbra works. i have worn out the vinyl I bought in the 70s (and the turntable has broken anyway!) Favourite that is in 'straight' recordings - not linked to musicals. Funny Girl and The Broadway album add to a pretty good basic collection. An early one would round it out. I love the rock feel, even though Babs' voice isn't exactly a rock one.

By the late 1960's musical tastes were rapidly changing and many artists, Ms. Streisand among them, decided to dip their toes in the contemporary sounds that were so popular among young people at the time. In 1969, Barbra released her first album composed of contemporary material; titled "What About Today?", Barbra performed songs that had a modern sound and feel, including "Alfie" by Burt Bacharach & Hal David and "Honey Pie" & "With A Little Help From My Friends" by Lennon & McCartney. "What About Today?" however was not a commercial success...perhaps it was the selection of material or maybe it was the fact that Barbra was currently being seen on screen in the big-budget musical "Hello, Dolly!". Barbra would try the contemporary market again in 1971 with "Stoney End". This time it was a success and Barbra found herself with her first (non-soundtrack) album to be a bestseller in many years. Later in 1971 Barbra would release her third contemporary sounding album "Barbra Joan Streisand". While this album doesn't have the amount of great tracks that "Stoney End" did, it does have three gems that make this album worthy of any serious Streisand collection. Two of these, "Since I Fell For You" and "The Summer Knows (Theme From "The Summer of '42")" are masterful performances. The real true gem though is the medley "One Less Bell To Answer/A House Is Not A Home" which Barbra performs in a duet with herself (this feat is quite amazing and effective, especially considering this was 1971) and she brings a masterful, emotional presence to these two Bacharach/David classics.

A footnote, this album was also originally released in a "SQ/Stereo-Quadraphonic" mix (Columbia LP - CQ 30792) - the remixing done for that version is a far superior to the regular stereo version that was released (which is the version used on the CD release). It would be great if Sony someday remastered the Quadraphonic version to SACD.

I know that being a Barbra Streisand fan comes with a fair amount of baggage. Yes, her political exploits do manage to overshadow her talents more often than not. Then there's her primary fanbase, which includes a fair amount of the gay community. While that may not seem unusual in my case, the main reason I like Barbra is that, simply put, she can sing, and that is what should be concentrated on first & foremost anyway.

By the early 1970s, Barbra had already established herself as a gifted actress & a singer who could honestly sing anything she put her mind to. In fact, being an interpretive singer just might be harder than writing your own material because it's all a matter of choosing the right material for your talents, and Barbra has rarely had trouble doing that. One of the best examples of this is 1971's BARBRA JOAN STREISAND.

Her 1970 album STONEY END had put Barbra back on top commercially just as it seemed her music career was about to be usurped by her film exploits. The Laura Nyro-written title track became Babs' first top 10 pop hit in over 5 years, and gave her music a new sense of purpose. With the singer-songwriter movement in full swing by this time (which Nyro had been instrumental in starting), Barbra, who only occasionally put pen to paper on her own, decided to showcase some of her favorite in this new sub-genre. With the 11 songs she included on BARBRA JOAN STREISAND, it is clear just who she enjoys most.

Barbra was an admitted fan of Carole King's music (especially since they shared the same record label), and perhaps was a big enough one to give 3 of Carole's songs a go. The inspirational "Beautiful" from Carole's just-released landmark TAPESTRY starts the album out in grand style, with Barbra's brassy performance somehow indicating that this might have been the MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW theme song had "Love Is All Around" not made the cut. "Where You Lead", also from TAPESTRY, was the album's biggest hit, just cracking the top 40, later to do so again as part of a live medley with "Sweet Inspiration". Both "Where You Lead" & "You've Got A Friend" seem to share the same lyrical themes, but both are great songs on their own, although compared to James Taylor's classic recording of the latter, Barbra's appears to be just another day in the studio.

John Lennon is BARBRA JOAN STREISAND's next most represented scribe with two songs from his soul-baring solo debut PLASTIC ONO BAND. "Love" is the song that "Beautiful" segues into, and Barbra manages to take what could be overly simplistic lyrics in other singer's hands & turn them into poetry. "Mother" was the album's other single release, and is another song that could have been a disaster if not executed well. But Barbra comes through once again with a truly heartrending performance that had to have impressed John himself.

Elsewhere, Barbra takes on more of Laura Nyro with "I Never Meant To Hurt You", bravely choosing a lesser-covered tune. Joe Cocker's "Space Captain" from his MAD DOGS & ENGLISHMEN live album has Babs admirably rocking up her sound courtesy of groundbreaking all-girl rock group Fanny, and is a sign that she can do more than just showstoppers. "I Mean To Shine" was one of the first songs that Donald Fagen & Walter Becker ever wrote as Steely Dan, and while the duo has tended to disown this song in recent years, it's actually not bad. Barbra turns this into another inspirational highlight that actually has a young Donald Fagen contributing organ.

Those who like Barbra when she's a modern torch singer will find plenty more opportunities for that on BARBRA JOAN STREISAND. The medley of Bacharach & David's "One Less Bell To Answer" & "A House Is Not A Home" is a perfect match of two great break-up songs that have Barbra making you believe her heart is broken. Buddy Johnson's "Since I Fell For You" works the same way even with a song that has had many more cover versions itself. "The Summer Knows" is the version of the love theme from the movie SUMMER OF '42 with lyrics by Barbra's frequent collaborators & friends Alan & Marilyn Bergman. The song may not have become a standard as it did as just an instrumental, but Barbra's version makes it one worth rediscovering.

True, Barbra may have much more than just singing on her agenda in recent years, much to the dismay of many. However, back before she became Barbra the politician, albums like BARBRA JOAN STREISAND proved & still can prove that she has loads of talent to go along with her politicizing. Barbra was lucky to have been able to choose her own material (it was even in her contract), and BARBRA JOAN STREISAND is one instance where, for the most part, she was right on in her choices.

With this album in 1972, Barbra Streisand ventured further into Top 40 territory than she had on her previous album, "Stoney End". As usual, Barbra triumphs. She does light rock on Carole King's songs "Beautiful" and "Where You Lead". Her skill with ballads blossoms beautifully in John Lennon's "Love", Laura Nyro's "I Never Meant To Hurt You", Carole King's "You've Got A Friend" and "The Summer Knows", the theme from the film "Summer Of '42". She duets with her only peer (herself) on the dramatic medley of "One Less Bell To Answer" and "A House Is Not A Home". "Space Captain" is certainly a departure for Barbra. It is a timely space fantasy about everyone "learning to live together" some day. The track is built on funky piano and prominent bass, and some echo effects are applied to Barbra's voice. The very torchy "Since I Fell For You" is one of my all-time favorite Streisand tracks; the notes reached and the corresponding emotion conveyed show just what luminous heights she is capable of. And, of all things, she sings John Lennon's primal scream signature song, "Mother". It took time for me to adjust to this, because Lennon is another idol of mine. But I did, and I feel that Barbra's interpretation is an artistically valid one. Keep in mind that both singers suffered the loss of one or both parents at an early age. I imagine this is what attracted Barbra to the song in the first place. Is it her fault that even when she effects a howl, it sounds pretty? The girl can't help it. (An odd coincidence, worth mentioning: in each of those 3 songs in a row - "Space Captain", "Since I Fell For You" and "Mother" - Barbra at some point hits very high notes.) If you haven't heard this album but generally like Barbra, and if the singer-songwriter type of tune appeals to you, give this CD a try. It all sounds great in digitally remastered sound.

Have you ever heard an album that has two or three songs that are worth much much more than the 13.99 alone you paid for the CD and for all you care the rest of the songs could go by the way side? This is one of those albums, One Less Bell to Answer/House without a home, Since I Fell For You, and Where You Lead, are more than worth the price of the CD, its 70's streisand at her strident best, and the duet with herself on "Home" is divine. The problem is that there are too many songs that a fan of 60's Streisand could do without, Mother, Space Captain and Love just being a few, but those other tracks are bearable in light of the brilliance of the rest of the album.

While I agree that opinions vary from person to person, I must concede that this album is a great one, despite several tracks that are just over-the-hill.

To point out the albums high points, one must listen to SINCE I FELL FOR YOU. This track/song was crooned and belted to its perfection. The entrance to this alone is so fantastically delivered I get teary eyed listening to it. Its Barbra at her best, and when she reached that climactic high note, that one decisive high G, I am lost in her voice. Such urgency, such drama, such longing is heard in that voice which cannot be described by words alone.

On the song MOTHER, I am aware that critics panned this for the fact that LENNON had sung this song before. However, I disagree most adamantly to what they called BUTCHERING of this song, for I ardently believe that this song was sung wonderfully. Technically, she sang this divinely. Its hard to imagine this song as being soul, but with the arrangement and her raw emotion, I must say that this is, in my opinion, is SOUL MUSIC. I love this song, and I cant emphasized that enough. You could feel that she relates or related to this song strongly.

Moreover, the ONE LESS BELL TO ANSWER/ A HOUSE IS NOT A HOME medley is just DIVINE. Barbra crooning and belting with herself, what can be better?

As for the low in this album, her rendition of YOUVE GOT A FRIEND is a disaster. She sang this too much. She made dramatic gestures in this song that made it sound silly. She should have just sung this straight, without all the drama. This observation also applies to another carole king song in this album, BEAUTIFUL.

As for te rest of the track, they are all wonderfully sang.