Customer Reviews

Just for the Record

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A four-disc collection of material that had mostly been previously unreleased, JUST FOR THE RECORD is a fascinating package indeed. Unlike most box-sets, this is not an extended "greatest hits" repackaging with a few rarities to pull in longtime fans. Sure, there are a few well-known recordings present ("People," Guilty"), but over 85% of the tracks on JUST FOR THE RECORD had never seen the light of day. This is exactly what many of Streisand's dedicated fans had been hoping for.

The first two discs are dedicated to material recorded in the sixties, and they include many live recordings from the decade when Streisand gave the most public performances. Live performances culled from Streisand's appearances on "The Jack Paar Show," "P.M. East," The Garry Moore Show," The Tonight Show," "The Ed Sullivan Show," and "The Judy Garland Show" are all absolutely priceless. Eight tracks from Barbra's legendary "Bon Soir" performances (which were initially intended to be her first record) are included, and they present the then-twenty year old singer at her rowdy best. This is the Streisand that many of her sixties fans dearly miss.

The two sixties discs also cover her years on Broadway (previously unreleased live performances from FUNNY GIRL), performances from her first four television specials (including three songs from the still- unreleased BELLE OF 14TH STREET soundtrack album), and a terrific live medley from her performances at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, which includes her only recorded performances of "When You Gotta Go" and "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning."

The remaining two discs (one devoted to the seventies, the other to the eighties) feature less live performances, but are just as enthralling. These two disc feature several great recordings that were released, but never appeared on a Streisand album. It's great to finally have Streisand's sizzling rendition "You're The Top" from WHAT'S UP, DOC? and "Cryin' Time," her wonderful duet with Ray Charles on disc. Even better are the recordings from unfinished projects, or the ones that were scrapped from finished albums and movies. Tracks from the aborted albums THE SINGER and BETWEEN YESTERDAY AND TOMORROW (also known as LIFECYCLE OF A WOMAN) finally surface, and I'm so glad they finally found a home here. The unused UP THE SANDBOX theme "If I Close My Eyes," The alternate theme song to THE WAY WE WERE (heard here in a live rendition from 1980), Barbra's rendition of Billie Holiday's "God Bless The Child" and the medley "A Quiet Thing/There Won't Be Trumpets" (both left off of 1974's BUTTERFLY), YENTL'S sensual "The Moon And I" (which was replaced in the film with the superior "No Matter What Happens"), and the absolutely phenomenal rendition of Tim Rice's "I Know Him So Well" (which just didn't fit onto THE BROADWAY ALBUM) all make their debuts here.

Also included are the original demos of "Evergreen" (with Barbra playing the guitar) and "Papa, Can You Hear Me," as well as the instrumental theme from NUTS (the soundtrack of which is nearly impossible to find), and the Grammy-nominated "Warm All Over" (an intended preview of BACK TO BROADWAY that ended up not making the cut). In addition to the bountiful amount of unreleased material, Barbra provides detailed liner notes (which are worth the price of admission alone) and thousands of rare photographs. It all comes packaged in a lovely, cloth-covered box, with a beautiful rose motif carried throughout the entire set.

Extremely rare for [a] box set, this four-disc collection hit a very impressive #38 on the Hot 100 and was certified Platinum in sales (and this before the RIAA had a separate criteria for multiple-disc packages). JUST FOR THE RECORD is proof that the material of Streisand's that has sat unreleased is every bit as interesting as what was officially issued. An essential purchase for any Streisand fan.

Barbra Streisand is the greatest female vocalist of our time. Discs one and two alone would be more than worth the price of this box set. The medley from the Judy Garland show is pure gold. If you're considering making this purchase for a Barbra lover in your family - do not hesitate. Any true Barbra fan would be meshugah to pass up an opportunity to have all of this greatness in one pink box.

An endearing and fantastic retrospective of one of the most unbelievable and dynamic performing talents the world has known. Very detailed and enlightening. More than just a glimpse into the spectacular career of Miss Streisand. Worth every penny. You'll lose yourself in the music, films, awards and personal commentary. An absolute treasure.

Some reviewers have lambasted this box set for the introductions that proceed some songs and the awards speeches that "waste space." However what those reviewers failed to realize is that Just for the Record is not just a random box set, but an almost autobiography on cd. the liner notes and introductions to songs(in particular in the 60's set which feature barbra's early club and tv appearances) put the performances in context and enrich their meaning. Now I admit the THREE awards speeches(and thats all there are, out of 80 or so tracks) arent nescesary but jeez its only three, anyone can skip right through them. The unreleased material makes the box set what it is, if barbra had just released another greatest hits package that would have been boring. Alternate takes, live versions, never before released songs all these things make Just for the Record unique and more than worth the price.

This is a huge collection of Barbra's career. The booklet contains far too many photos of Barbra trying to look gorgeous and glamorous and far too much information about her career (does any one really need to know that, in Holland, they named a tulip after her?). But, all that aside, discs one and two are quite interesting. On disk one she includes old television performances and nightclub sets. She sings 'Happy Days Are Here Again/Get Happy' with Judy Garland. They are fabulous together. Judy is probably the only person who Barbra couldn't sing under the table. Plus, there is a great moment from The TONIGHT Show with Johnny Carson when Bab's sings, 'Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most.' It's a beautiful performance in which she seems to have internalized the lyrics and interprets them, rather than belting them. Discs three and four contain more recent material, some of which is good (the selections from the Broadway Album) and some of which sounds like air pudding (her stuff with Barry Gibb). If you love Babs, you already have this. If you are just getting into her, this is a good showcase of some of her better and most effective moments as a singer. And as a bonus she sings 'You'll Never Know' as a duet with, possibly her favorite singer, herself.

What every Streisand fan has been waiting for- and more. The emphasis on pre 70s music (discs one and two) lower the rating in this listener's opinion, but oh, discs three and four!The unreleased gems show Barbra's versatility and sense of style. Also her ego- not crediting Karen and Richard Carpenter for the definitive (and earlier recorded) versions of "Close to You" and "We've Only Just Begun"- it's akin to not mentioning Sinatra in your liner notes for "My Way"! Ego aside, Barbra has a right to be proud. This set confirms her star status in American music.

What a grand collection this is of the legendary Barbra Streisand, full of unreleased verisons of Barbra's classics, landmark events in her career, unreleased studio and live tracks, original demo recordings, TV appearances, never-before-released show tunes, live nightclub performances, award nights and duets with Judy Garland, Ray Charles, Neil Diamond and more. This collection is approximately 4 hours long all together, it comes with a collector's book of rare photos and a song-by-song personal commentary by Barbra. "Just For The Record" covers every song that had a important impact in Barbra's career up to the point of releasing this boxset. The collection includes Barbra's first song that she recorded at 13 years old called "You'll Never Know". It also includes live songs from her first appearances on TV shows such as "The Ed Sullivan Show", "The Johnny Carson Show", "The Judy Garland Show" and many more. It also includes Barbra winning the best actress Oscar for "Funny Girl" and winning the Oscar for best song "Evergreen" which she wrote. It includes Barbra winning the 1965 Emmy for "My Name Is Barbra", Barbra singing "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" with Neil Diamond at the 1980 Grammy Awards. This collection also includes Barbra's famous songs most of them live versions like "A Sleepin' Bee", a live solo version of "Happy Days Are Here Again", a live "Cry Me A River" and many many more that Barbra is known for. Demos include "What Are Doing The Rest Of Your Life (duet with: Michel Legrand), "Evergreen", "Papa, Can You Hear Me?", "The Moon And I", "A Piece Of Sky" and even a score from "Nuts" that Barbra composed herself. This is a must, a absolutely for any Barbra fan.

This is one of the most fascinating and entertaining boxed sets ever produced. Each time I listen to it I discover something new. The most significant thing that I come away with from this collection is the knowledge that her career will never be repeated by another entertainer. Barbra Streisand has stunningly run the gamut of musical styles from Broadway to Jazz to Pop, then back again, and no other entertainer can make that claim. I remember that a professional critic once said that Streisand is the Picasso of music. That's absolutely true.

It is such a joy listening to this set, particularly discs 1 and 2, hearing Babs at such a young age, at the beginning of her amazing career. I love the early stuff, she had such charisma and charm from the start. Those that think the interludes of talk show clips and award show acceptance speeches are "filler", obviously do not truly appreciate the performer, the woman, the star that is Barbra!

It's been 20 years since I first saw this collection on the display stands of a major music store. It was rather expensive and could not afford it back then so I passed. Now, so many years later, I finally had the chance to get it at an affordable price and it was much better than I ever imagined! All those little gems Barbra had kept hidden from us through the years, songs that never made it to any album, demos, tv appearances, plus new turns on some of her classics. The booklet alone, with info covering 3 decades, was worth for what I paid for the whole boxset! And of-course Barbra Streisand proves that she is a true singing phenomenon, worthy of her success for 50 years now!