Customer Reviews

Funny Lady: Original Soundtrack Recording

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Streisand is, of course, just wonderful. But what Arista has done with this reisue surprises me: instead of ADDING the "alternate takes", they chose to actually CHANGE some of the songs from the original album. Where is that wonderful "angels in the skyyyy-aaaa-yyy" from the original "Great Day"? I doubt very much this can still be called the "original" soundtrack.

They also resequenced the songs, but NOT entirely the way they appear in the film itself, so why bothering in the first place?

Again, if this was considered to be the reisue of the "original" recording, the alternate takes should really be a bonus, not the replacement of the "original" ones.

I could not wait to hear this soundtrack on cd. I was impressed that the order was more true to the order of songs as they appeared in the film. My favorite song was always "(It's Gonna Be A) Great Day". Imagine my surprise when the original song (which was perfection) was replaced by an alternate version. This version sounds like a demo gone bad. It is just horrible! I would recommend that one get the lp version and transfer it to cd. What a truly disappointing experience. Pass on this 'funny' recording.

No matter what one may think of the movie, and whether it should have been made at all, I can't help but say that "If I Love Again" has to be the most beautiful ballad ever written...EVER!!
And Barbra singing it is nothing short of breathtaking.

"Funny Lady" was the sequel to the hugely successful Barbra Streisand movie "Funny Girl" which showed Frannie Brice much older and wiser with a new love interest played by James Caan. Despite many people hating the movie it still made millions and the soundtrack went all the way to #6 on the Billboard Charts selling over 500,000 copies and being certified Gold.

The film garnered several Oscar nominations, among them one for Best Original Song for "How Lucky Can You Get?" and one for Peter Matz for Best Orignal Song Score.

Many highlights from the soundtrack are "Isn't This Better?", "Let's Hear It For Me", "More Than You Know" and "Great Day". 13 tracks are included. Somewhat of a rarity the "Funny Lady" soundtrack was not produced by Barbra's record company Columbia, but by Arista Records.

The Kander and Ebb songs shine in this film album and the film was very enjoyable - like meeting an old friend. Barbra looks so sexy in the 'Great Day' number. Who else could sing 'More Than You Know' and 'How Lucky Can You Get' as well as Barbra. But the music and words of 'If I Should Love Again' are tops! Thank you, Kander and Ebb.

Funny Lady (the movie) wasn't as special as Funny Girl, but the soundtrack has some great songs! What's so special about this re-release/re-master is that some alternate studio takes are included. The big surprise is "Great Day"--it's a completely different version than the old LP (if you've got that hanging around the house...) Also, the album includes Barbra's "Well, I'll be damned..." intro to "Let's Hear it for Me" (again, a new surprise not included in older versions of the album.) Another gem is the "How Lucky Can You Get" bonus cut, which is a "single" version of the song with different arrangement and a playful Barbra vocal. I LOVE FUNNY LADY, the soundrack!!! If you love Barbra, don't miss it. It's 1970's Barbra, when her voice was at it's height of artisticness. "More Than You Know" and "Isn't This Better" are incredible ballads. But the main reason to own this CD is because of the alternate cuts they've included. Truly fascinating!

The muck-anticipated sequel to the mega-hit FUNNY GIRL, FUNNY LADY was a big hit both at the box office and in record stores. The soundtrack hit #6 on the Hot 100 (impressive considering there was no advance single), and was quickly certified Gold. While opinions about the film itself are decidedly mixed, most fans agree the soundtrack is an excellent listen, with only a few reservations.

The six new songs by veteran songwriting team John Kander and Fred Ebb (of Cabaret and Chicago fame) are a disappointment, and can't hold a candle to their past triumphs. "Blind Date" and "So Long, Honey Lamb" are gratingly silly, while "Isn't It Better" and the `"I Like Him/Her" medley are a pair of pleasant-but-forgettable clichés. Worse of all is "Let's Hear It For Me," which is a strained and obvious [copy] of FUNNY GIRL'S spectacular "Don't Rain On My Parade." The intended show-stopper "How Lucky Can You Get?" fares better, and benefits greatly from Streisand's scorching performance.

However, the lackluster Kander and Ebb material does not matter, because Funny Lady contains Streisand's renditions of six standards, and they are terrific. The gospel-infused reinterpretation of "Great Day," the startling dramatic-turned-comic performance of "Am I Blue," and the jazzy, sexy take on "I Found A Million Dollar Baby In A Five And Ten Cent Store" are all masterpieces, although the disc's real standout tracks are the quiet, piano-based "If I Love Again" and the new rendition of "More Than You Know" (which surpasses Barbra's own excellent 1967 recording of the song).

The songs by other cast members (James Caan's "Me And My Shadow" and Ben Vereen's "Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie") didn't really need to be preserved here, but they're tolerable. Barbra's voice is so powerful at this period that she could have made anything sound good, however, the FUNNY LADY soundtrack is only first-rate when Streisand is singing the standards. Though disappointing, the Kander and Ebb songs are professional and perfectly listenable, however they're not the reason this disc is a must-own for Streisand fans.

"Funny Lady" is just as great as "Funny Girl."I still can't get over what a wonderfull singer James Caan is."Me and my Shadow" and "Its only a paper Moon" really amazed me. I love the idea of having a part 2 of the classic,"Don't rain on my Parade" with "Let's hear it for me." The most modern song on the album,and one record that could have released as a single,"It's gonna be a great day," is my favorite number from the soundtrack.All of Barbra's fans were waiting for years to see the follow up film from the classic "Funny Girl." It was worth the wait.

I saw the movie when it came out in "75" and was totally impressed! until may "98" the soundtrack was unavailable so i recorded from record to cassette. I bought the movie on video and recently watched it and again i always reach to play it again and again. I'm waiting to see if barbra will do something similar because she always was at her best when combining music and comedy. Barbra you're the best!

1

Funny Lady: Original Soundtrack Recording

A better CD than a movie. Nearly all of the songs are terrific and beautifully orchestrated. Woth the price just for Bab's version of "Great Day." James Caan really has a very pleasant voice that works well with Babara's on a few duets. A very relaxing score worth owning. It's one you won't tire of even 30 years after its original release.