Customer Reviews

Streisand Superman

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Though many of her 80s and 90s efforts have seemed superficial (notable exception: THE BROADWAY ALBUM), the 1970s were really the peak of Streisand's career in terms of choosing material that her voice could complement. STONEY END, BARBRA JOAN STREISAND, and SUPERMAN remain among her finest achievements and represent true growth in terms of trying material new to her. And the rewards go to the listeners. The SUPERMAN ballad is almost laughably schmaltzy, but Streisand's soaring vocal make it memorable, while ANSWER ME, MY HEART BELONGS TO ME, LULLABY FOR MYSELF, and the stunning LOVE COMES FROM UNEXPECTED PLACES are among her finest, and most restrained, vocal accomplishments. The liner notes for the original album were written by Barbra and I wish they had been preserved on the CD release, but the digital remastering is superb. All in all, a smashing success in a career full of highs.

By the mid-1970s, Barbra Streisand was truly a one-woman media blitz, having conquered television with her highly imaginative specials, Hollywood with films that were almost always guaranteed top grosses at the box office, and finally pop music with one finely-crafted LP after another. Sure, consistency was not always the order of the day with regards to the latter, but you could always count on an affair that was every inch approved by Barbra herself. If that was how she wanted to hear her music, there was no reason why her fans should not either. 1977's STREISAND SUPERMAN was another link in this unbreakable chain.

Most of Barbra's 1970s albums were filled with various covers that were either great reinventions or interesting efforts, depending on the song at hand. SUPERMAN instead relies more on original songs heard here for the first time (Barbra even gets in on the act with credits on 2 songs).

The harder-edged rock sound she had dabbled in while filming her 1976 remake of A STAR IS BORN was sure to be held over onto her next album, and SUPERMAN does not disappoint (some songs were originally intended for the movie itself). For someone as constantly in the public eye as Barbra was back then, the anti-tabloid "Don't Believe What You Read" (which is one of the Barbra co-writes) fits in nicely. While not as fierce as, say, Michael Jackson's "Leave Me Alone", it does rank as one of Barbra's most energetic & defiant songs of her career. "Cabin Fever" seems to be a precursor to Donna Summer's (who of course would record with Barbra 2 years later) "Hot Stuff" & "Bad Girls" with a ballsy salute to not staying inside, but getting out there & doing something, for crying out loud.

In case the tougher side of Barbra was too unbelievable for some (and she was only marginally successful at turning up the volume), SUPERMAN still had plenty of softer treasures to remind us what Barbra always did best. The title track is perhaps too gimmicky to really work, but it still speaks to any listener looking for their own superhero to come rescue them (it probably took a pretty penny for Barbra to get the rights to use the Superman trademark).

Roger Miller's "Baby Me Baby" abandons the sweeping strings of most the album's ballads for a smaller jazz-based backdrop that is Barbra's most sensual number since "Love In The Afternoon". "I Found You Love" finds her strutting gently towards the disco with a tune that would not quite be at home in Studio 54, but believe me, you will feel the need to cut a rug.

The other Barbra co-write "Answer Me" is not really a terrible song, it just simply floats by in the 3 minutes it lasts without leaving much of an impression. Probably the only song on SUPERMAN that does not hold up with the rest (with it co-written by Paul Williams, this is probably the most likely holdover from A STAR IS BORN).

"My Heart Belongs To Me" was the album's big hit, reaching #4 on the Hot 100, along with topping the Adult Contemporary charts, and was truly the best representative of the album for a single. It was also perfect for Barbra's own independent nature with its theme of opening oneself up to love, but never feeling the need to give your heart to only one. Rupert Holmes' "Lullaby For Myself" (a leftover from 1975's LAZY AFTERNOON?) is similar in its reminder to the listener that before you can love anyone, you must love yourself first. With Barbra's passionate delivery of this song, it is clear she has no trouble with that (and I mean that sincerely, not acknowledging her half-deserved reputation for being difficult & perfectionistic).

The best-known covers come near the end of SUPERMAN, and show off the strengths Barbra has always had as an intrepreter. "Love Comes From Unexpected Places" was written by Kim Carnes when she was better known as a songwriter who had only minor success as an artist. This came 7 years before she & Barbra would team up again for "Make No Mistake, He's Mine", and it is said Barbra recording this song helped edge Kim further towards becoming a full-time singer who just happened to write her own material.

Billy Joel was finally making his way to headliner status in 1977 with THE STRANGER, and Barbra helped the cause of getting him there by covering "New York State Of Mind". A lifelong New Yorker herself, I cannot think of anyone else who could have covered this song this well. She may have conquered Hollywood & played to audiences around the world, but Barbra remains forever drawn to the city that is her home. This could have been a can't-miss follow-up single to "My Heart Belongs To Me", but unfortunately remains an album track worth searching after.

While STREISAND SUPERMAN may not have been Barbra's most groundbreaking album or her even most original, the fans appeared to have gotten their money's worth for the album peaked at #3 even with only one single release. It arrived only 7 months after A STAR IS BORN had been released, so Barbra Streisand was definitely a busy woman back then. Who was to say if she was running herself ragged & not taking a break once in a while? But as SUPERMAN shows, even with the workaholic attitude, a Barbra Streisand album could sound similar to the one that came before it, but never ever was it dull.

In many respects, this ablum, like the way the Barbra has described herself, is a mass of contradictions ... on one hand, the majority of the songs are glossy, professional-to-the max pop, often alternating between string-laden ballads that are guaranteed to wow the devoted (i.e. the top 5 hit My Heart Belongs to Me) and a few rockers obviously targeting the younger audience Streisand won over via A Star is Born (the candy-coated disco-ish I Found You Love, the rock guitar and violin bathed rockers Don't Believe What You Read and Cabin Fever). But when you overlook the studio gimmickry, you find along the way some refreshingly bright and even insightful pop songs. Take, for instance, the delicate Love Comes From Unexpected Places, with Streisand's hushed and husky vocals evoking knowingness and, at the same time, loneliness and painful desperation (mass of contradiction thesis at work!). Or, better yet, the lyrically astute Lullaby For Myself, which compellingly examines the conflict between maintaining independence and the selfishness that comes along with it, and the need to have a simple albeit codependent relationship. (Pretty heady stuff for a pop song!) On Lullaby, Streisand confirms her reputation as the actress who sings, beginning the song with a devil may care delivery (shaded with plaintiveness), and subsequently bringing her frustration and previously subtle plaintiveness to the surface.

Above all, the album provides a nice vehicle for Streisand's increasingly firm grasp of Top 40 pop music. Yes, a song like I Found You Love is awfully dated-- with a quasi-Caribbean musical coloring cluttering the song and a male speaking voice in the intro that evokes polyester eroticism-- but Streisand is obviously having a ball, cooing a little, belting a lot! Meanwhile the title track and Don't Belive What You Read are formulaic but enticing pop confections that exude, respectively, ecstacy and rage (hey, as much as we love seeing Streisand's charitable, sensitive side, it's always fun hearing her melodically spout out a little venom!)

Though the below reviews seem to indicate a pop debacle, Superman, is, in truth (truth because I say so!) a nice example of Streisand elevating pop/rock, trivial and insightful, to unexpected levels.

1977 - WOW! What a glorious and amazingly prolific year for Ms. Streisand it was. Coming off of the tremendous success of "A Star Is Born", both the film and its stupendously successful album, she blows everyone away with her follow-up endeavor ~ "Streisand Superman", an album that continues to build on her sure and strong grasp of contemporary "pop" which started with 1970's "Stoney End", continued with 1974's "The Way We Were" and "Butterfly", and advanced so magnificently with the aforementioned ASIB. Produced by Gary Klein, "Streisand Superman" was a major force in the year that saw the tremendous success of Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours", and Ronstadt's "Simple Dreams" (Gee, how wonderful and diverse pop music was back in the day when the like of all these three could chart in the top five in the same year!). The album opens with one of Streisand's most commanding & sexy recordings which should have been released as a single -"Superman", a grand, superbly sung ode to the strength and power of a "woman in love", continues with such deceptively simple and sensual performances such as "Baby Me Baby" (love the C&W twinge), "I Found You Love", "Answer Me", and the incredibly lyrical and moving "Love Comes From the Most Unexpected Places". "My Heart Belongs to Me" was a deserved major radio hit, and "Lullaby For Myself" speaks volumes on acting through singing, with a very telling lyric about the strengths and vulnerabilities of a woman who wants love in her life. However, the most majestic statement and powerful singing from Streisand just might be her definitive rendition of Joel's "New York State of Mind", which conjures up NYC in all its glory by a still little girl from Brooklyn (whether she wants to believe it or not!). This was the beginning of a new and different phase in Streisand's recording career, which would continue to astound with the commercial monsters of "You Don't Bring Me Flowers", "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)", and the commercially AND artistically successful "Guilty".
Luigi ~ NYC

Superman is one of Streisand's best in my opinion. Great pop songs, awesome vocals, catchy lyrics. The highlights of the album include Superman, Answer Me, Dont Believe What You Read, My Heart Belongs To Me, Lullaby for Myself, Love Comes From Unexpected Places, New York State of Mind, I mean pretty much the whole album. Its definately worth checking out for yourself!

The five-star raves for this album are touching, but hard to justify. I give it four stars only because Streisand is in extremely good voice and it contains three or four of her most wonderful performances - specifically, the perfect jazzy rendition of New York State Of Mind, the heartbreakingly beautiful Love Comes From Unexpected Places and the deceptively breezy reading of Rupert Holmes Lullaby For Myself. Otherwise, it's essentially an album of leftovers from A Star Is Born (including Lullaby and Answer Me), well-sung fluff and embarrassing rants (Barbra empathising with women who have Cabin Fever - oh puh-lease!). Some of the fluff (Superman and I Found You Love) is fun, but some of it is bland and tedious (My Heart Belongs To Me). Indeed, Superman is arguably Streisand's most uneven album ever, given that it contains the aforementioned perfect gems alongside quite possibly the worst track she's ever released - the excruciating Don't Believe What You Read. (Only A Step In The Right Direction on Emotion is a close contender.)

In June of 1977, Barbra Streisand had released her twenty-second album entitled, STREISAND SUPERMAN. I was expecting this album to prompt me in giving the album a three-star rating, but I wound up finding myself having to prompt myself in giving it a four-star rating. It is not good enough to receive all five stars, but it was good enough to come close as a great album. Many of the songs on are really amazing.

SUPERMAN
I have really enjoyed this song many times and I still enjoy hearing this song. Great song all the way.

DON'T BELIEVE WHAT YOU READ
This is something I can totally agree with because so many paparazzis are writing in papers many untrue things, so Barbra just tells us simply this, "Don't Believe What You Read".

BABY ME BABY
Great.

I FOUND YOU LOVE
Great.

ANSWER ME
Not bad.

MY HEART BELONGS TO ME
Great.

CABIN FEVER
I do not want to be the next victim of "Cabin Fever". That's all I'm saying.

LOVE COMES FROM UNEXPECTED PLACES
Not bad.

NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
This song was originally recorded by Billy Joel. Now, I am a fan of Billy Joel's, but this is not one of his best songs. Barbra did a great job of it, but it is not my favorite Billy Joel song, nor is it my favorite Barbra Streisand cover song.

LULLABY FOR ME
Not bad.

As I said before, this album achieved a four-star rating from me. STREISAND SUPERMAN is still worthy of being in your Barbra Streisand collection. So, just simply buy this album and put it with the rest of your Barbra Streisand albums.

This album came out a few months after A STAR IS BORN. The album continued in the vein of that one with some rock inspired tracks. This to me is one of Barbra's most personal albums. She penned the rockish "Don't Believe What You Read", an attack on the press and tabloids. "I Found You Love" has a nice disco type sound to it. The album features the hit "My Heart Belongs To Me". The title track is another nice ballad. "New York State Of Mind" is another standout. Definately worth having in your collection if you are a Streisand fan.

Streisand Superman in my opinion is one of her better albums from the 70's. Filled with ballads, and hard edged songs, pop, its a great album to listen to. Superman may seem like a fluffy song with its simple and somewhat silly lyrics, but that voice makes the song take flight and turns it into a beautiful ballad. Another great ballad is the tender My Heart Belongs To Me, and New York State of Mind. These are classic songs. Other highlights include Dont Believe What You Read, Love Comes From Unexpected Places and Lullaby For Myself. This is just a great collection from Barbra, filled with songs that will touch your heart. They are timeless.

Selling nearly 5,000,000 copies worldwide, Barbra Stresand's 1977 masterpiece is a rarity in that it actually spawned a hit single: "My Heart Belongs To Me" which went to #4 on Billboard. Most huge Barbra fans know that Streisand is an album singer, not so much a vocalist who has released records where she sees her songs going to the top of the charts, but when she does release singles they usually become hits which makes me wonder why she hasn't had the success like someone like Elton John has had with his music. Still, Barbra makes up for it in the album category as all her albums are blockbusters.

"Superman" came out after the hugely successful "A Star Is Born" soundtrack and the sound is very much of its time: late 1970's. People like Kim Carnes, Paul Williams, Billy Joel, and even Barbra herself wrote material for this record and highlights include "New York State of Mind", "Cabin Fever", and "I Found You Love".