Customer Reviews

Just for the Record

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

 

 

Most Streisand fans already have this box set from its original release in 1991. Columbia repackaged it so it could be displayed in the regular CD bins. Nice job in converting booklet to CD size. But Columbia missed an opportunity to add some bonus tracks to the set - something extra to make it worth while for fans to buy again.

If you're a Streisand fan, this box set is an incredible, multi-faceted gem. I particularly enjoy the live recordings, home recordings, rehearsal tapes and unreleased tracks. But another Streisand recording with PEOPLE ? EVERGREEN (the rehearsal intro isn't particularly illuminating...) ? and GUILTY ? How about that French version of EVERGREEN? Or an unreleased version of PEOPLE? And how come Streisand completely skips over FUNNY LADY ? I liked some of those songs. And one last complaint: Too much TALK. Acceptance speaches are BORING. Only a few are interesting. And instead of an interview with Gold Meier, I would rather hear Streisand's wonderful live version of TOMMORROW from that same Israel concert.

That's all of my complaints. Good stuff: BELLE OF 14th STREET is here...Another version of the WAY WE WERE...The LIFECYCLES OF A WOMAN songs...

Streisand is truly a national treasure. This collection is a wonderful gift to her fans. Thanks Barbra!!!

4 cd's, 30 years of career, lots of unreleased tracks, hard-to-find tunes, live performances, collectors' pictures, liner notes by Barbra...what more can the true Streisand fan ask for...maybe one wish: they would have not chosen that pink colour for the box cover.
But you know...never judge a box by its cover...LOL
Expensive but Unmissable!

Despite lots of omissions--and the fact that it's 14 years old and in desperate need of a sequel--"Just for the record . . ." is a colorful, exciting package for Streisand-addicts. Casual fans probably won't like the melding of demo track-into-actual-recording strategy that Barbra takes on several songs, but for those of us who already have those songs, it's an interesting way to get the gestation of the music. Omissions: nothing from "For Pete's Sake" or "Funny Lady", rare B-sides like "Frank Mills", "Look", "My Love", "Funny Girl(pre-movie), "I Am Woman You Are Man" are missing, early single versions of "My Coloring Book" and "Happy Days" are also MIA. But the best of what's here is worth mentioning: a live B-way performance of "My Man" on the final night of "Funny Girl", Streisand on The Tonight Show and P.M. East(with Mike Wallace), a surprisingly intimate "When You Gotta Go" live from Las Vegas in the late '60's, and her incredible version of "You're The Top" from "What's Up, Doc?" The booklet features notes on each song by BS herself, listings of her awards and certifications, the Barbra Tulip!, and an array of rare and delicious photos.