Customer Reviews

Memories

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

 

 

Memories is one of Barbra Streisand's better albums out there and when you hear the songs you'll be certain to agree with me! The quality of the sound is very, very good; and that artwork faithfully re-creates the artwork of the record album jacket.

"Memory" starts the CD with this stunning song from the Broadway musical entitled Cats; Barbra makes this all her own with her uncanny sense of timing. Barbra's excellent diction also enhances her performance and as Barbra plays with both the tempo and the keys a little she truly does make this ballad her own--great! "Memory" is a fine song and it makes a strong beginning for this album. Listen also for Barbra Streisand to do an excellent duet with Neil Diamond on "You Don't Bring Me Flowers;" "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" is one of Barbra's best duets ever and Neil Diamond also gets to show off the operatic qualities of his voice. Neil and Barbra sound very well together, each voice complementing the other flawlessly; and their timing is excellent. "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" is truly a major highlight of this album.

"My Heart Belongs To Me" is another very beautiful ballad that boasts a lush musical arrangement; and the backup singers do a fine job of harmonizing without ever missing a beat! "My Heart Belongs To Me" shines like silver and gold out together and I really like this number whenever I hear it. It's rare that I enjoy such a sensitive ballad. In addition, Barbra sings one of Billy Joel's signature songs with panache; "New York State Of Mind" really impresses me; as a native New Yorker who lived many years in the five boroughs of New York City this tune certainly brings back many fond memories of me going around the city and marveling at the sites there. When I hear this song I remember walking down Fifth Avenue at Christmastime, The Mets, The Yankees and seeing Wall Street traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange--and so much more.

"No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" has Barbra doing another smashing duet with the great Donna Summer. "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" is the album version; there is, by the way, a longer version but we don't get that here. This duet is positively electric and it leaves you wanting so much more.

And more is precisely what you're going to get. "Evergreen" is a song that won an Oscar for Barbra when she sang this in her version of "A Star Is Born." "Evergreen" features Barbra squarely front and center--and that's right where she belongs! "Evergreen" stuns me with its beauty and I could never tire of hearing Streisand sing this tune.

"The Love Inside" gives us another sensitive song; Barbra aces this easily--even though we know it really wasn't as easy as Barbra makes it look. The CD ends well with Barbra Streisand performing "The Way We Were" from the movie of the same name. "The Way We Were" is quite insightful and I think this makes the perfect ending to this exceptional CD.

Barbra Streisand was one of the very few true divas we've ever seen; and we are better off for her sharing her talents with us. Streisand fans will consider this a must-have for their collections; and people who enjoy contemporary pop vocals will cherish this album as well.

All of the songs on MEMORIES, a love song compilation, are first-rate, however there seems to be little reason why any fan would need to own it now. Barbra had won over a whole new legion of pop fans with the phenomenal success of 1980's GUILTY, but was working on the film YENTL full time by 1981 and didn't have time to record a follow up release. Columbia wanted to release something, so they decided to release a basically revamped version of the multi-platinum GREATEST HITS, VOLUME TWO, and get Barbra in the studio to record two new songs to reel in her long time fans.

The strategy worked: MEMORIES hit the Top Ten and reached Quintuple Platinum status in sales, but it irritated her longtime fans who had to buy material they already owned on other albums just to get the new songs. For the record, the two new tracks both rank among her finest work. The hit single "Comin' In and Out Of Your Life" (#11 Pop, #2 Adult Contemporary) is a sentimental classic, and Barbra's stunning rendition of "Memory" is the definitive recording of the phenomenal CATS theme. Also, MEMORIES does spotlight a couple terrific album tracks ("New York State Of Mind," "The Love Inside") that causal fans may not have been familiar with, and contains a previously unreleased solo recording of "Lost Inside Of You," which is superior to the original duet version from the A STAR IS BORN soundtrack.

But three of these ten tracks were making their third appearance on a Streisand album, and four of the cuts had just been released GREATEST HITS, VOLUME TWO a scant three years before. Now that "Comin' In and Out Of Your Life" and "Memory" are available elsewhere, there is no reason that anyone but the most casual of fans would need to own this album. The material is great and the photos of the front and back covers are beautiful, but you can basically find everything here on other albums that provide a better value.

I'm a big Barbra Streisand fan but I must say that MEMORIES is a rehash. Don't get me wrong, the songs are great, but numerous songs are available on many other Streisand albums.

There are a few newly recorded songs. "Memory" and "Comin' In and Out of Your Life" both made their first appearences on this album, but are also availiable on the much better A COLLECTION: GREATEST HITS . . . AND MORE. That leaves "New York State of Mind" and the solo version of "Lost Inside of You" (formerly a duet From A STAR IS BORN) as the only two exclusive songs.

Is the whole album worth buying for just these two songs? If you are a fanatical Streisand fan (like me) then YES! However, everyone else would be better off buying GREATEST HITS Volumes 1 & 2. Those two albums give a much better presentation of her work.

This album was released in 1981, right on the heels of the great "Guilty", though only one song from that album is on here, "The Love Inside". Look to her 1989 A COLLECTION...GREATEST HITS AND MORE for songs from that album.

This collection starts out with the best song, "Memory" from CATS. Barbra sings this with breath-taking purity and emotion while an orchestra plays in the background. Definitely the best song on here.

"You Don't Bring Me Flowers", the first of four number one hits featured on here, still stirs the soul after 23 years out and Neil Diamond and Barbara blend together so well. "My Heart Belongs To Me", "Lost Inside Of You" and the beautiful "Evergreen", still impress the ears. "New York State Of Mind" and "No More Tears" are OK, not the best.

The two final tracks are tied with "Memory" as the best songs on the album. "The Love Inside" never ceases to send chills down the spine with it's aria-like feel and Barbara's soulful vocals. "The Way We Were", though grossly overplayed, is still a gorgeous song, filled with longing and reflection.

There is no one who can compare to this talented singer. She is one of the best natural singers that I have ever heard with a style all of her own. She is simply wonderful. Her songs have such warmth and feeling. The songs on this particular cd are some of her best work.

"Memories" captures many of the unique musical moments that characterize the career of Barbra Streisand. She possesses a singular gift to internalize and interpret lyrics with clarity, strength, and a haunting beauty. The simple elegance of her voice is complemented here with luxuriantly layered instrumentation and highly crafted studio production. Whether solo, or accompanied by Neil Diamond or Donna Summer, her music conveys a profound sense of spirituality and sensuality.

From the hushed reverie of "Memory" from Andrew Lloyd Weber's "Cats," to the surging, rhapsodic "My Heart Belongs to Me," or the warm and sentimental "The Way We Were," Ms. Streisand evokes a tapestry of deep and affecting emotions. This is a CD to enjoy alone or to be shared with a loved one...

Es cierto que muchas de las canciones que componen este álbum están repetidas en otras colecciones (You don't bring me flowers, The way we were,... ) Aún así, para quienes no conozcan mucho el trabajo de Barbra y no tenga los grandes éxitos, es un excepcional disco para comenzar a escucharla.

El disco se abre con su increible versión de la obra maestra de Cats "Memorie". La interpretación de Barbra es una de las mejores de toda su carrera. Le siguen baladas que provienen de albumes de finales de los 70 (wet, guilty, superman, songbird, a star is born) más sus grandes éxitos de la época. Ésta es la unica colección en la que puedes encontrar el mega éxito enough is enough, que además está en la versión de radio. Otras joyas son : The love inside (una gran interpretación vocal de una obra maestra que proviene de Guilty), Lost inside of you (versión alternativa), etc...

En resumen, si tienes otras colecciones de grandes éxitos quizá ésta no te interese, pero por otro lado es un gran disco con grandes canciones que no está planteado como un simple disco de grandes éxitos , sino como un disco con sus mejores baladas de la época. Por eso es 5 veces platino.

I have been a huge Barbra fan for 30+ years, "Memories" has always been my favorite. Whenever I convince a friend to love her voice as I do, this is the album that I give to them. It doesn't get any better than this classic Barbra. She truely has the voice of an angel, and (obviously) I highly recommend "Memories"!!

The songs selected for this album are all very romantic, except perhaps for "enough is enough/ no more tears" which is in the disco style, but still has romantic parts. Although I consider "MEMORY'" the theme song from the Broadway show CATS to be very good, almost excellent, I find that it would have worked better as a duet. In certain parts of the songs Barbra's voice sounds "husky" . Those parts would have been ideal for a man's voice, such as Michael Crawford, Mandy Patikim, or even Johnny Mathis. The remaining parts of the song Barbra sings like an angel. It is the "husky voice" parts that bother me. I would recommend to Barbra to re-record this song as a duet. My other favorites in this collection are "evergreen" "the way we were", " My heart belongs to me". The other songs are also very good. Today is Barbra's birthday. I truly wish her the very best. She has given us such pleasure. This album is excellent. If you are depressed, play this album and you will see the simple joys of life. Highly recommended.

In 1981 Barbra Streisand released this, another compilation/greatest hits album to much success. In the U.S. it reached #10 on the Billboard Charts and would go on to sell 5,000,000 copies alone stateside. It sold even more internationally where it would top the British charts for multiple weeks making "Memories" the most successful greatest hits package by any artist.

There are, though, three new songs in this set, the most beautiful being Barbra's rendition of "Memory" from the "Phantom of the Opera". The other new releases are "Lost Inside of You" and "Comin' In and Out of Your Life" (a single hit peaking at #11). Other greats here that were previously released are some of her biggest hits including "Evergreen", "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) and "You Don't Bring Me Flowers".