A Star Is Born (1976 Film) [SOUNDTRACK]

Paul Williams, Barbra Streisand

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 19, 1993)
• Original Release Date: December 17, 1976
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000029BG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #146,726 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > Soundtracks > By Decade > 1970s

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Hollywood loved this story so much they remade it every 20 years or so for much of the 20th century; Barbra Streisand imbued it with so much forceful persona in 1976 that they haven't touched it since. The romantic/musical pairing of Streisand and Kris Kristofferson (chosen when no less than Elvis Presley turned the role down) may have been one of the era's strangest but, anchored by Streisand's elegant, Oscar-winning hit theme "Evergreen," it nonetheless yielded the biggest-selling album of the singer's career to date. That neither star is particularly convincing as rock icons--particularly Her Divaness--seems beyond the point of this fable. Instead, both stars take the opportunity to stretch outside their usual personas a bit, Streisand with the R&B teaser "Queen Bee" and confessional "Woman of the Moon," Kristofferson on rousing, theatrical fare like "Watch Closely Now" and "Hellacious Acres." --Jerry McCulley --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Product Description

A Star Is Born --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A MOMENT IN TIME, March 10, 2000

By	R. Penola (NYC, NY United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Though I loved the over-bloated movie in its day, it has not held up nearly as well as this soundtrack, which features a wealth of superb songwriters strutting their stuff via Barbra and Kris Kristofferson. Barbra's pseudo rock/pop/diva material is mostly exceptionally well-performed, most of all her lovely simply ballad Evergreen. But in retrospect, it is Kristofferson's melancholy wailing -- remember he was about to hit rock-bottom during the making of this movie -- that has lasting power and angst. I particularly love Crippled Crow and his version of Watch Closely Now. This is a soundtrack worth having as a monumentally well-produced product from the mid-70s.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES!, December 10, 2004

By	Kip Stern- Varela (San Antonio, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Star Is Born (Audio CD)

I keep coming back to this CD! I bought one of the LP albums when the movie came out, then to a cassette, and now the CD.
I loved the movie, and I love the music...you're cheating yourself if you haven't seen it and have any romantic bones in your body!

After all this time, I still love every single song...I'm so glad to see this remake! Thank you for that....

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Barbra always deserves 'one more look.', June 10, 2003

By	Robert Johnson (Richmond, KY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Star Is Born (Audio CD)

This soundtrack to the film blockbuster (which became the second highest grossing movie of that year) was also an enormous success itself, spending six weeks at #1 and selling over four million copies in the US alone. A monster hit, the film is entertaining and moving, and this is reflected in the soundtrack. A STAR IS BORN is at it's best during Streisand's seven numbers, which feature astonishingly powerful vocals that resonate in the memory even long after the disc has ended.

The Streisand-penned composition "Evergreen" (with lyrics by Paul Williams), with it's haunting melody and classical-style timbre (very typical of her work), is one of the grandest pop records ever recorded. Artistic justice was served when the song also became a huge commercial smash, hitting #1 on both the Pop and Adult Contemporary charts and winning several armfuls of awards. The other song with music composed by Streisand, "Lost Inside Of You" (a surprisingly effective duet with leading man Kris Kristofferson), features a similar classical slant and perhaps could have been a hit as well (that is if it had been released as a single). The remainder of the Streisand tracks were recorded live in front of an audience ("Evergreen" and "Lost Inside Of You" were also recorded live, but in the studio), and these amazing performances will make listeners wish Streisand had given more concerts in the seventies.

Some of this material (especially Rupert Holmes' "Queen Bee") is second-rate and forgettable, but even then Streisand's vocals make them more memorable than they deserve to be. My favorite concert selections are the scorching "Woman In The Moon" and the heart-stopping medley "With One More Look At You/Watch Closely Now." On the downside, the disc has a somewhat disjointed feel (typical of pop-oriented soundtracks) and Kristofferson's three solo numbers are monotonous and sound out of tune. However, Streisand's vocals are fabulous and will make this a must-own for fans.