Customer Reviews

What About Today

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In 1969, Barbra Streisand had begun concentrating on her budding acting career more than her music. After winning an Oscar for her debut role in 1968's FUNNY GIRL, Barbra completed work on 1969's HELLO, DOLLY! (which she was obviously too young for) with ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER and THE OWL & THE PUSSYCAT (both 1970) in the works. She may have been making musical films, but Barbra seemed to have her music not exactly on the front burner of her plans. For these reasons, her 1969 album WHAT ABOUT TODAY? is considered one of the least-inspired of her extensive output. True, the actual material may be more modern than the musical approaches taken with them, but the album is definitely more worthy than is given credit for.

The main accusation against this album is that Barbra chose modern material that was safe enough for her normal fanbase to accept without considering her a sellout. Sure enough, even with a hip band like the Beatles, Barbra chooses some of their smoother songs. Finally, another big strike against this album is that the brassy & Vegas-like sound of her 1960s music is simply pasted on to the cutting-edge material. This is true, but it works more often than fails.

The title track appears on this album for the first time (it would be covered by Shirley Bassey the next year), and is one of two songs written by David Shire, who I think was more famous for his marriage to Talia Coppola, Francis Ford's sister, at the time. The song seems to echo Barbra's sentiments about her admiration of the youth in the album's liner notes, but one must wonder how much more effective the song would sound outside of Barbra's usual Vegas identity. "The Morning After" (not the theme to THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE) works a little better with one of Barbra's most soulful and in-to-it vocals ever recorded. The artistic rebirth of 1970's STONEY END is hinted at on this number that actually does evoke the mood of the late-1960s, brass & all.

As for the modern material, WHAT ABOUT TODAY? is another mixed bag. "Ask Yourself Why" was written by Barbra's frequent collaborators Michel Legrand & lyricists Alan & Marilyn Bergman, and comes from an obscure French film called THE SWIMMING POOL. Most likely, the song is better than its parent film, but Barbra demonstrates her ability to make lemonade out of potential artistic lemons with a truly soaring vocal performance on this bossa-nova-driven tune. "That's A Fine Kind O' Freedom" comes from legendary songwriter Harold Arlen, and is another brave attempt at playing to the peace & love ethic of the time while still residing in Barbra's present artistic box. Burt Bacharach's "Alfie" is at least one song on WHAT ABOUT TODAY? that sounds recorded just to fill it out because while she makes a game try, Barbra does not come close to Dionne Warwick's or even Cher's classic renditions of the song.

It is when Barbra officially goes towards the music of the kids that WHAT ABOUT TODAY? gets a little more interesting. Simon & Garfunkel's "Punky's Dilemma" was a surprising choice for Barbra to cover & indeed, the fit is not all that snug. But here, her enthusiasm seems to win the day with a performance that is rather infectious (that would bode well in some of the album's other odd song choices). At least, we can be thankful that Barbra did not attempt "Mrs. Robinson" in Frank Sinatra's "hipster" version of the time.

Jimmy Webb's "Little Tin Soldier" definitely fits in well with Barbra's always quite-liberal politics, and I can guess that she may have been anti-Vietnam at the time, though her music seemed more establishment than anything else. Why this song never became more of a standard like "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" or "Wichita Lineman" is a mystery because it has not been recorded since.

Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Until It's Time For You To Go" finds Barbra taking a song of today and making it sound timeless, which it truly was to begin with. However, it is surprising that Barbra chose one of the more personal songs of a very political singer to tackle. But Barbra has never been known for being predictable, and that's why we love her.

Finally, there's the three Beatles songs Barbra takes on. "Honey Pie" was certainly one of the lightest-weight entries on THE WHITE ALBUM, but nevertheless seemed perfect for Barbra's eventual approach to it. She plays up the early 20th century music hall style of it to a T, and those who may not care for the song have to admit that Barbra indeed sounds like she is having a ball singing this one (maybe she should have left out the scat-jazz adlib that Paul did on his version, though). The same method is employed on "With A Little Help From My Friends", which in the end, does not merit much of the trouble Barbra took in recording it, even if she did add some middlebrow humor to it. After it finishes, you are left wondering, "Is that all there is?"

However, Barbra closes out the album with a straighter version of a Fab Four tune on "Goodnight". She gives one of her tenderest vocals to a song that was definitely one of the best lullabies ever composed since "Rock-A-Bye Baby", and perhaps Barbra might have sung this song to her son Jason at the time to get him to fall asleep. Hopefully, more mothers will take that tack.

Barbra Streisand's recording career may have been going sideways while her film schedule was beginning to fill up, but with 1969's WHAT ABOUT TODAY?, Barbra could not be accused of sounding like she is stagnating because even on the slightly bum moments of the album, she comes as across as truly professional. Her bid to appeal to modernity may have been rather ill-advised, but considering the rejuvenation of her next album, maybe Barbra intended WHAT ABOUT TODAY? to be a litmus test prior to her official creative comeback. In that case, it was a good question to ask, even if it wouldn't be properly answered just yet.

This was supposed to be a debut for Barbra Streisand into the world of contemporary music. Yet, it didn't come off as contemporary to most of her fans. Despite, that, this album really makes you think. The first track, amazingly well-sung, is all about how people always look for better things tomorrow, but never think that tomorrow will soon be today and they will be looking to tomorrow all over again. The next song almost mocks today's society, beggining with asking why there are always signs that say keep off the grass. "Honey Pie" shows how much of an actor Barbra Streisand is. Just listen to her comical voice in that song and then skip to "Until it's Time for You to Go" and note the amazing differences. Next is a wonderfully sung number with complicated and confusing lyrics. Barbra's performance, however, does nothing but help it. Then comes the previously mentioned "Until it's Time for You to Go," which, considering this is Barbra Streisand singing it, is remarkably restrained and delicate. It is truly a heartbreaking song. A powerful protest song against racial discrimination, "That's a Fine Kind of Freedom" is unbeleivable. Streisand's voice soars like a bird--fitting since the song has an avian theme. The next song has a bittersweet, ethereal melody, and is yet another prosest song, this time speaking out against war. Perhaps the least promising song is "With a Little Help From My Friends," in which Streisand goofs off just a little too much. However, her drawn out "HEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeellllp," at the end--which is intended to sound like she is falling off a cliff--is ingenious. "Alfie" sounds as if it was sung by an angel, and it was angelic of Streisand to choose this beautiful piece to sing. "The Morning After," yet another protest song, is perhaps the most powerful, angry cut on the album, and one of its standouts. The next song, "Goodnight," was a strange choice, but she pulls it off well and it is very relaxing.

I would definitely recommend this album, but, perhaps, only after the Barbra Streisand Album, People, Stoney End, and some of her other classics.

This Streisand attempt to come to terms with modern composers met with very mixed results. The album is framed by a quartet of songs ("What About Today", "Ask Yourself Why", "That's a Fine Kind O' Freedom" and "The Morning After") that accomplish what they set out to do, which is to cast Streisand in a more contemporary setting. While not up to her usual standards, they provide her with the kind of pop-rock material typical of crooners wanting to be "with it" in the 60's (think Dusty Springfield) and Streisand sounds right at home.

The first indication that all is not well comes on track three. Streisand turns the Beatles' "Honey Pie" into the second coming of "Second Hand Rose" without realizing it was a send up of such songs. She's in essence sending up a send-up, complete with giggles, whoops and "rasberries." Awful. She takes the next song straight, but here the material defeats her. "Punky's Dilemma" is coy by any standards and it contains a typically whimsical and "clever" Paul Simon lyric that grates. No one could make much out of such tripe. Streisand sounds practically relieved when she gets to Buffy Saint-Marie's slight but pretty "Until It's Time For You to Go." The spare arrangement and her gentle rendition are perfectly matched. We want more of this, but instead we get "With a Little Help From My Friends," a song that on the surface should have been sure-fire for Streisand. Unfortunately, she seems cowed by the Beatles on all of their covers here, and she either camps them to the hilt or reinvents them to disasterous results. "With a Little Help..." gets no help from the inscrutable arrangement, and Streisand's stop-and-start rendition completely destroys the structure of the song. One of her worst recordings ever.

Then comes a masterpiece. Streisand's version of "Alfie" may be definitive and it shows her at the apex of her mighty powers. She sings this forgotten classic with great style without stylizing it (there is a difference), and her gracefully emotive vocal surges with controled power. This is the classic Streisand genius at work in all its glory. Unfortunately she botches the closer, another Beatles cover, "Goodnight." This gentle lullaby is given the souped-up, string-laden stuidio treatment and Streisand treats the song like an aria. Too much.

"What About Today?" is definitely a mixed bag, but there is one undeniable fact that permeates this recording: Streisand's is a talent that would not be denied. Over the course of the 70's she mastered the contemporary pop idiom with several classic recordings, only to return to her roots in the 80's. Her taste continually refined, as did her singing, to produce an incomprable body of work. And it's still a thrill to hear her at her vocal zenith on this flawed but entertaining album.

I bought this CD just a few months back, & I have to say that there are some incredible cuts on there. Although this is Barbra's poorest selling studio album, go ahead & give it a chance. My favorite tracks are "The Morning After," & "Ask Yourself Why."

This is somewhat of a forgotten gem. The front and back cover shots are gorgeous, and sooo 60's! I really like this album. The title track is pure Barbra. Many memorable Streisand moments on this one. "What about Today" is certainly one of those first few intregal albums that defined Streisand as the most gifted singer of the 20th century. This one is of the era when Barbra seemed to effortlessly crank out classics one after the other. Hitting that final note in "Goodnight" then talking the ending was the perfect way to end this beautiful collection.

Historically, as Streisand fans will know, this album is significant for its shift away from the tunes of stage musicals and torch singers of the 1930s and 40s. Released in 1969, 'What About Today?' was Streisand's attempt to become more contemporary in the midst of an emerging rock and pop culture. At the time it charted at 31, making it the poorest fairing of any of her studio albums. Time, however, has been kind to this extraordinary album, boosting its sales and revealing it as a treasure, and an early pop classic. One can hear and feel the emotion, humour and compassion, as well as the distinctive style which were to become Streisand's trademarks, unmatched by any other female performer. Standouts include 'The Morning After' and 'What About Today?' for their sheer force and sense of rebellion, also 'Until it's Time For You to Go' with its quiet beauty and sadness. 'Honey Pie' and 'With a Little Help From My Friends' deliver a full serving of Streisand the comic. 'Alfie' and 'Goodnight' demonstrate Streisand's ability to cross the line musically whilst fundamentally retaining a classic style and feel. 'Ask Youself Why' and 'Find Kind of Freedom' question and parody the complex political questions which charcterised the end of the sixties. Overall, 'What About Today?' will take you back thirty years, whilst connecting intimately and explicitly with all that is great in Streisand and popular music 'today'. It is an album of unheralded quality and energy, which seems only to get better with time. A bit like the great lady herself.

I would actually give this recording three-and-a-half stars. Barbra's first attempt at contemporary pop music was big commercial disappointment (while her albums usually hit the Top Ten, WHAT ABOUT TODAY? peaked at #32), however the album is actually a pretty good listen. The album's main liability is some pretty uneven material. The tongue-in-cheek number "Punky's Dilemma" seems out of place, Barbra's mocking cover of The Beatles "With A Little Help From My Friends" is foolish, and "Ask Yourself Why" is a little too late-sixties.

Mercifully, Barbra is a vocalist blessed with enough talent to make the missteps acceptable, and when she's given worthy material the disc really takes off. Jimmy Webb's anti-war anthem "Little Tin Soldier" is a perfect match for Barbra's intense dramatic phrasing and she rings every bit of drama out of the otherwise unremarkable tracks like the title song and "The Morning After" (not to be confused with the 1972 Oscar-winning POSEIDON ADVENTURE theme of the same name). Even Barbra's rendition of "Alfie" (the umpteenth cover of the song) is so gorgeous it manages to wipe away the memory of all of the song's previous incarnations. WHAT ABOUT TODAY is not an essential or particularly remarkable effort from Streisand, but it's another solid release that fans can enjoy.

By 1969 Barbra Streisand wanted to change the way her recording career was going. After being extremely successful releasing a series of albums covering broadway standards Streisand decided to keep up with the times and record a more modern record. The result failed. "What About Today?" has become the least successful album in Barbra's career and one of only two records that have never achieved Gold status (selling more than 500,000 copies). The album only went as high as #31 on the Billboard Pop Charts.

Still, I like "What About Today?". It's a far cry from other Streisand material, but I love her voice in this and I do enjoy some of the songs she chose to cover. Barbra records tracks written by John Lennon/Paul McCartney, Canadian-born Buffy Saint-Marie, Burt Bacharach, and Alan and Marilyn Bergman. Highlights here include "Until It's Time For You To Go", "Honey Pie", and "With a Little Help from My Friends".

The cover photograph was taken from a "Vogue" photo shoot in 1968.

This CD was just OK. I'm a big Streisand fan, but I guess I expected more from this one.

I'm a huge Barbara fan and wasn't familiar with many of these songs. Pure delight!