Customer Reviews

Timeless: Live in Concert

5 star:		(83)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Face it, either you like Barbra Streisand or you don't. There isn't much of a gray area here; this passionate woman has always aroused passion in other people, be it positive or negative. This review is for those of you who like, love, adore, WORSHIP Miss Babs. The rest of you can stop here and go back to your Kid Rock CDs, heaven help you.

This wonderful 2 CD set was recorded last December 31/January 1st at the arrival of the New Millennium. Sounding more "live" than most live CD's you hear these days, it finds our Mrs. Brolin in wonderful voice and spirits, breezing her way through a program of hits and less familiar chestnuts. The audience response is rapturous, as would be expected. (I mean, who would spend all that money on tickets and sit on their hands?) And Barbra gives them what they came for, and much more. Alongside such evergreens (sorry) as "The Way We Were", "Papa Can You Hear Me" and "Happy Days Are Here Again" are absolutely

gorgeous versions of "Alfie", "I've Got A Crush On You" (sung with a tape of Frank Sinatra), and some songs which longtime fans will remember from her earliest, pre-"Funny Girl" days. These numbers will prove to be the high points of the CD for many. There is a smoldering "Cry Me A River", a jazzy "Lover Come Back To Me", a still funny (though truncated) version of her showstopper "Miss Marmelstein", and best of all, a beautiful rendition of Harold Arlen and Truman Capote's "A Sleepin Bee", the song which won Barbra her first ever singing engagement at The Lion in Greenwich Village some 40 years ago. This version, complete with the verse, is worth the price of the CD alone. Here you hear all the warmth and beauty of this legendary voice, along with the exquisite phrasing that is hers alone.

Some may quibble that there is too much between songs patter (and this writer wouldn't disagree), and that a few more songs could have been added to the show, but that's a minor complaint at best. When was the last time you put on a CD and were truly moved by what you heard? From the "Funny Girl" medley to the poignant new song "Every Time You Hear Auld Lang Syne", this is the absolute best from an artist whose best is sublime. So pick up this CD, turn off your phone, pour yourself a glass of wine, and spend an intimate evening with Barbra. She is truly ageless and evergreen.

Barbra Streisand's Latest release is HOT!!! Performing all her hits from her first recordings to Broadway to movies and duets- this is a collection of her material from the beginning of her career to present day.

It's amazing that she sounds better than ever before- the jokes, the songs, the guest singers (like Lauren Frost) and she still sings at that light speed trademark energetic powerhouse style evident in songs like 'Don't Rain on My Parade' to emotive slow ballads like 'Alfie' and 'The Way We Were'...

If you missed this truly TIMELESS concert- or her comeback show in 1994, get this CD and relive the magical voice of this evergreen singer.

Just one gripe- Barbra's Ego shows up every now and then but then again, that's our Barbra!

Something wonderful indeed!

If you get this CD at your local Barnes and Nobles, you can get an extra CD "Come Rain or Come Shine" from her 2000 Australia concert. Otherwise, the CD is lovely designed, and the booklet is filled with wonderful pictures!

Listening to this CD... it makes me feel like I am actually at the concert. (I wish I was!!! Sounds soo much fun to be there!) :)

Streisand still have her energy to bring out the best of her ... She also brought out one of her best friend, Shirley Maclaine; Im glad she included her on the CD. Funny and wonderful track on this cd! You will have to find out what im talking about...

Streisand includes her oldies-- "Cry Me A River", "A Sleeping Bee", "Miss Marmelstein", and many others!!!

This CD also have duets by Sinatra, Diamonds, Dion, Adams, Gibb, and of course, the audience with Auld Lang Syne! Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!!!

Dont miss this one out!!! Streisand fans, add this CD to your collections!

I just cant wait for the DVD of this CD to come out in a year or two!!!

Happy Days!

I find it interesting as to the wide range of reviews for this CD from terrible to spectacular. Well, since I have rated it five stars., I am leaning more towards the spectacular.

At 57, Streisand has lost nothing in her ability to sing a song. Yes, she doesn't quite have the range she used to, but that is replaced with a richness that wasn't there years back. There is no one that can touch some of this music as she does. I was especially glad to hear her earlier 'torch' tunes, 'Cry me a River' and 'Lover where can you be'. ASide from 'Alfie'(which is truly spectacular), these are definitely my favorites.

I don't always agree with her personal views, but as a performer there is no one that can touch her. This is an entire performance, not just a concert, as she takes you through her career in an entirely different way than she did in the 1994 concert. I was fortunate enough to see her in NY in 94 and this performance ranks right up there. I can;t wait until the video is released.

I would actually give this excellent concert release four-and-a-half stars. When Barbra decided to give one last major New Year's Eve concert (and subsequent mini-tour), she had a very tough act to follow: Herself! Barbra's 93/94 concerts are one of the best things she has ever done in her extraordinary career, and trying to stage another show must have been very difficult. Not surprisingly, she more than succeeded in giving fans a phenomenal show that managed to give the previous show a run for it's money.

Even more autobiographical than the last time, there were sketches detailing past events from Barbra's life, reminisces with friend Shirely MacLaine, and Barbra's poignant reflections on the father she never knew. However, the main event of evening is defiantly the music, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Once again, the song selection features a good number of surprises (especially "Alfie" and "The Main Event/Fight," neither of which had ever been performed live by Streisand before). Barbra's voice is noticeably thinner now when she enters the very highest part of her range, but she still sounds amazing - her gorgeous tone and incomparable timbre are indeed timeless! The smoky performance of "Cry Me A River," the vocal spender displayed of the terrific "Something Wonderful/Being Alive" medley, and the gorgeous rendition of "Send In The Clowns" are just a few of the highlights in a show overflowing with highlights.

The only reason that this beautifully-packaged two-disc set doesn't receive a 5-star rating is because there are a lot of references to particular visuals that may be confusing to those who haven't actually seen the show. TIMELESS has been released on DVD with a stunning transfer, and I actually recommend anyone interested in the concert to pick up the DVD instead. That way you can experience the "complete" show - visuals and all. I thought it was impossible for Barbra to top her `94 concerts, however she came awfully close to doing just that. TIMELESS is another triumph!

1,000 words? man...i just need one: PERFECTION.
Vocally, stylistically, her self-assured mastering of the stage freight...
This woman cannot be beaten...
And this is another fine example of artistry.
An album that could be considered even a greatest hits live...
Barbra, you truly are a work of art in progress.
BUY IT!

The first time I listened to this CD, I was thoroughly amazed, not only at how good her voice is, but at the variety of material included in her highly publicized Millennium concert. She performed songs that she hasn't done in years. Whether it was "Cry Me a River", or "The Main Event", she certainly proves that she's still got it! However, "Timeless" does not hold up well after the first time. There is an excessive amount of dialogue which, out of the context of the concert, proves to be annoying. Why she included the Shirley Maclaine "Y1K" track is a mystery. Perhaps when her concert is released on DVD it will fare better, but it does not belong on the CD. Also disappointing are her Duets. Rather than performing her part live, she plays the audio portion (presumably along with on-screen video) and talks over it. And her "duet" with son Jason becomes almost impossible to listen to, even the first time you hear it. Again, this may work better on DVD, but not in a CD format. This CD works best when you keep the remote control in your hand so you can skip over all the unnecessary chatter. After the first time hearing it, I have not let this CD play all the way through.

Barbra did a concert tour in the mid-90's that people still talk about. Unfortunately, this CD (recorded the eve of the millennium) is almost a replay of the previous one. She does add a lot of different material from her career that she wasn't able to before, but the performance as a whole is not as memorable as her Concert in '94. If you want to buy this album, I would suggest listening to it before the other one. That might help with seeming repetition.

Though this concert took place in the Eve of the new millennium (2000), i bought it a bit before 2008 entered and had my New Year's eve be accompanied by this CD. Barbra is so lively when she puts on a show, so interactive, that her "presence" and voice can fill your house as if you are there seeing her on stage.

In this double CD of the concert some of the best songs from Broadway, Movies and Duets are recorded, and through them she gives the audience a journey through her own career. She sings her wonderful song People, before the New Year enters, from the movie, Funny Girl:

"People who need people
Are the luckiest people in the world
Were children needing other children
And yet letting our grown-up pride
Hide all the need inside
Acting more like children than children..."

If you were lucky enough to attend one of Barbra's farewell concerts you will want to have this. The audience reaction as she appears on stage will send tingles up your spine as you re-live that moment.

All the great songs are here, and 'Alfie' (which she says she recorded once as a 'girl' - I don't know whether it is on an album. )In fact her slightly huskier, much more mature voice does that song real justice in my view.

Actually, I think she does much better justice to Bernstein and Sondheim now than she would have as an ingenue. 'Putting It Together' is a knock-out on this album. Both 'Somewhere' and 'Something's Coming' are sung with the young girl, Lauren Frost, who plays young Barbra - and she is astounding.

'On A Clear Day' (the song was the best part of that movie!) is rendered at full throttle. Definitely a first part of the second act number, where the voice is warmed up fully.

Yes, I prefer 'People' on the Funny Girl or People album, 'Cry Me A River' and 'A Sleepin' Bee' on her first album (The Barbra Streisand Album)

Yes, the 'patter' could be irritating if you weren't "there". Yes, the Y2K and New Years Eve stuff is a bit jaded. Yes, the Streisand 'sincerity' is a bit hokey and the 'my adorable husband' stuff on the sickeningly saccharine side, but THIS IS BARBRA!!

And it is Barbra towards the end of her singing career, yet when she still has The Presence. Buy the early albums, weep as she sings the torch songs; buy The Broadway album for the ultimate homage to Stephen Sondheim, buy both Broadway and film soundtracks to Funny Girl because they are wonderful, stupendous.

But buy this one because it is a wonderful retrospective and affords you the sound of the Diva at the other end of her career, before her voice has left her. It still soars and flies, it is more profound in the deeper registers, and it's Babs!