Archive for the ‘Barbra Streisand’ Category
Review: Barbra Streisand, “Classical Barbra: Expanded Edition”
The title said it all: Classical Barbra. Here was a singer who needed no surname, diving headfirst into a new repertoire, that of art songs and arias. Streisand’s 1976 “crossover” album, created in collaboration with arranger, pianist and conductor Claus Ogerman, has recently arrived on CD in a newly-remastered, expanded edition from Sony’s Masterworks label (88691 92255 2, 2013). And if Classical Barbra might not have been every fan’s first choice for a deluxe Streisand reissue, producer David Foil has made a compelling case for this often-overlooked, and surprisingly accessible, classic.
Though recorded in 1973, Classical Barbra was first issued in 1976 between the Lazy Afternoon LP and the soundtrack album to A Star is Born. It couldn’t have been more different from those pop-rock projects, however, as its twelve tracks were drawn from the European classical repertoire of composers including Claude Debussy, Carl Orff, George Handel, and Robert Schumann. Producer Claus Ogerman had previously worked with Streisand on the concert stage as well as in the studio, and brought to the project his great versatility. Ogerman had sensitively arranged Bach and Chopin for Bill Evans and bossa nova for Frank Sinatra, and the German-born producer proved himself a perfect match for Streisand. He was among the numerous strong producers who each brought a distinct sensibility to her recordings of this era, including Richard Perry (Stoney End) and Rupert Holmes (Lazy Afternoon), and also composed the album’s closing track and sole original composition, “I Loved You.” (Its lyrics were adapted from Alexander Pushkin’s poetry.) Streisand was at her most virtuosic on this collection, singing not only in English, but in French, Occitan, German, Italian and Latin. Ogerman’s symphonic backdrop lushly supported (but never overpowered) Streisand’s vocals on the album’s original ten tracks, expanded to twelve for this reissue.
Hit the jump for more on Classical Barbra! Read the rest of this entry »
Release Round-Up: Week of February 5
Taj Mahal, The Complete Columbia Albums Collection (Columbia/Legacy)
Fifteen discs of the blues legend’s Columbia output, including last year’s The Hidden Treasures of Taj Mahal compilation of unreleased material. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)
Townes Van Zandt, Sunshine Boy: The Unheard Studio Sessions and Demos 1971-1972 (Omnivore)
A new two-disc set features entirely unreleased outtakes, alternates and demos from the Texan singer-songwriter’s early-’70s career. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)
Barbra Streisand, Classical Barbra: Expanded Edition (Masterworks)
A newly-expanded version (with two bonus tracks) of Barbra’s 1976 album of pieces by Handel, Debussy, Orff and others. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)
Billy Paul, Going East: Expanded Edition / Dick Jensen, Dick Jensen / Azteca, Azteca: Expanded Edition / Pyramid of the Moon: Expanded Edition / Tyrone Davis, In the Mood with Tyrone Davis: Expanded Edition / Carmen McRae, I Am Music (Big Break)
Check out the scoop on the latest Big Break batch (complete with Amazon links) here, and read Joe’s review of Dick Jensen here!
Jewel, Greatest Hits (Atlantic/Rhino)
One of the biggest country-pop hitmakers of the ’90s releases her first compilation with a new single and two new duet recordings of previous hits with Pistol Annies and Kelly Clarkson. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)
Tony Bennett, As Time Goes By: Great American Songbook Classics (Concord)
A new budget-line, 12-track compilation of Tony’s mid-’70s Improv and Fantasy output. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)
Deep Purple, Slaves and Masters: The Deluxe Edition (Friday Music)
The band’s only Mk. V album, featuring onetime Rainbow frontman Joe Lynn Turner on vocals, gets expanded on CD with two bonus tracks. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)
Boris Midney and Festival, Evita/The Empire Strikes Back (Harmless)
Two mind-blowing disco adaptations of a legendary Broadway musical and the superb score to a sci-fi sequel? Yes, indeed! (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)
Paul Williams, Still Alive (Virgil Films)
A compelling documentary on one of the best songwriters of his age, newly released on DVD. (Amazon U.S.)
No-Guilt Trip: Barbra Streisand Releases More From The Vaults on “Classical Barbra”
Nobody’s gonna rain on Barbra Streisand’s parade. Earlier this year, the Columbia Records artist earned her seventh consecutive Top 10 entry and 32nd overall Top 10 disc with Release Me, a collection of previously-vaulted material spanning her entire career. Streisand embarked on a series of sold-out concert dates in support of the album, and has just seen the big screen release of The Guilt Trip, a comedy in which she stars opposite Seth Rogen. Though a second volume of Release Me was promised, it appears that another album containing previously-unissued music will precede it. It’s being reported that, on February 5, Sony Masterworks will reissue 1976’s Classical Barbra in a remastered edition containing two previously unissued bonus tracks.
Though recorded in 1973, Classical Barbra was first issued in 1976 between the Rupert Holmes-produced Lazy Afternoon LP and the soundtrack album to A Star is Born. It couldn’t have been more different from those projects, however, as its twelve tracks were drawn from the European classical repertoire of composers including Claude Debussy, Carl Orff, George Frideric Handel, and Robert Schumann. The entire album was crafted under the direction of Claus Ogerman, the German-born producer, arranger and composer who had previously worked on the concert stage with Streisand as well as on the Stoney End LP. (In addition, his arrangement of Jimmy Webb’s “Didn’t We” can be heard on Release Me.) Ogerman brought to the table his wide-ranging experience with artists ranging from Bill Evans and Lesley Gore to Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim, and also composed the album’s closing track and sole original composition, “I Loved You.” (Its lyrics were adapted from Alexander Pushkin’s poetry.) Streisand was at her most virtuosic on this collection, singing not only in English, but in French, Occitan, German, Italian and Latin. Ogerman’s symphonic backdrop lushly supported Streisand’s vocals.
There’s much more after the jump! Read the rest of this entry »
The Year in Reissues: The 2012 Gold Bonus Disc Awards
Wow! Was it just over a year ago when a rather dubious report began circulating (that, shockingly, was picked up by many otherwise-reputable publications) that proclaimed the death of the CD was secretly scheduled by the major labels for 2012? Well, 2012 has come and (almost) gone, and it might have been the most super-sized year in recent memory for reissues, deluxe and otherwise, from labels new and old. Here at the Second Disc, we consider our annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards a companion piece to Mike’s own round-up over at Popdose, and we endeavor to recognize as many of the year’s most amazing reissues as possible – over 80 worthy, unique titles. We also hope to celebrate those labels, producers and artists who have raised the bar for great music throughout 2012. As we’re literally deluged with news around these parts, these ladies and gentlemen prove, week after week, the strength and health of the catalogue corner of the music world. We dedicate The Gold Bonus Disc Awards to them, and to you, the readers. After all, your interest is ultimately what keeps great music of the past alive and well.
With that in mind, don’t forget to share your own thoughts and comments below. What made your must-have list in 2012? Without further ado, let’s celebrate 2012′s best of the best. Welcome to the Gold Bonus Disc Awards!
Which releases take home the gold this year? Hit the jump below to find out! Read the rest of this entry »
Release Round-Up: Week of November 13
The Beatles, Stereo Vinyl Box Set (Capitol/EMI)
The Fab Four’s 2009 stereo remasters have been painstakingly pressed on vinyl. The whole box set will set you back considerably, but you can get the ones you want on their own (and, if you’re in New York City or Los Angeles, can do so through the roving pop-up shop/double-decker buses that’ll be cruising each city). (Vinyl box: Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.)
The Rolling Stones, GRRR! (Rolling Stones/UMe)
The Stones’ 50th anniversary is commemorated with this multi-format compilation, featuring all their hits, two new tracks and, in some cases, some tunes from the vault:
- 3CD compilation: Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.
- 3CD compilation – deluxe packaging: Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.
- 5CD box set with unreleased demos disc and unreleased BBC session 7″: Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.
Elvis Presley, Prince from Another Planet / Elvis: As Recorded At Madison Square Garden – Legacy Edition (RCA/Legacy)
Elvis’ two triumphant MSG shows in the summer of 1972 (the latter released as Elvis: As Recorded At Madison Square Garden a week after the shows and the former released as An Afternoon in the Garden in 1997) have been remixed and paired up as a Legacy Edition (Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.), or as a deluxe 2CD/1DVD box set (Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.) featuring rare footage of the afternoon show as well as the King’s press conference in the Big Apple. (Elvis: As Recorded At Madison Square Garden is also getting a double-vinyl reissue, available at Amazon U.S. and Amazon U.K.)
Marvin Gaye, Trouble Man: 40th Anniversary Expanded Edition (Hip-O Select/Motown)
Marvin’s underrated film soundtrack album – the last of his ’70s albums to get the deluxe treatment – is expanded with session outtakes, and for the first time, the original film score as heard in the Trouble Man film, meticulously recreated from the original tapes. (Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.)
Whitney Houston, I Will Always Love You: The Very Best of Whitney Houston (Arista/RCA)
The dearly departed diva is paid tribute through this new single-disc overview of her career, featuring two unreleased tracks. The U.K. edition is two discs, just with more hits and album cuts. (Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.)
Mel Brooks, The Incredible Mel Brooks: An Irresistible Collection of Unhinged Comedy (Shout! Factory)
A five-DVD/one-CD box set treasury from one of the undisputed kings of comedy. (Amazon U.S.)
Sonic Youth, Smart Bar Chicago 1985 (Goofin’)
An unreleased live show from the Sonic Youth archives, on CD (Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.) or vinyl (Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.).
Various Artists, A MusiCares Tribute to Barbra Streisand (Amazon U.S. Blu-Ray / Amazon U.S. DVD)
The legendary chanteuse is celebrated by the likes of Tony Bennett, Barry Manilow, Jeff Beck and Leona Lewis on this new DVD/BD release.
Original London Cast Recording, Cabaret (Sony Masterworks) (Amazon U.S. MP3)
Judi Dench, currently on the big screen as M in James Bond blockbuster Skyfall, made a splash in the West End as London’s original Sally Bowles in Cabaret! The long-OOP cast recording returns digitally and as a disc-on-demand from Masterworks Broadway.
Percy Faith, The Complete Music of Christmas (Real Gone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)
Real Gone revisits the lush orchestral stylings of Percy Faith with this 2-CD set dedicated to some of the bandleader’s greatest holiday music.
Shoes, One in Versailles (U.S./U.K.) / Bazooka (U.S./U.K.) / Black Vinyl Shoes (U.S./U.K.) / Present Tense Demos (U.S./U.K.) (Numero)
Power-pop group Shoes see vinyl reissues of four of their albums.
The B-52′s, Cosmic Thing / Bob Dylan and The Band, The Basement Tapes (Mobile Fidelity)
The B-52′s pop crossover album (on vinyl – Amazon U.S./U.K.) and The Bard’s highly sought-after collaboration with The Band (on hybrid SACD – Amazon U.S./U.K.) are the latest hi-def offerings from Mobile Fidelity.
Rebbie Jackson, Reaction: Expanded Edition (U.S./U.K.) / Champaign, Modern Heart/Woman in Flames (U.S./U.K.) / Black Ivory, Black Ivory/Hangin’ Heavy (U.S./U.K.) / Kashif, Condition of the Heart: Expanded Edition (U.S./U.K.) / Love Changes: Expanded Edition (U.S./U.K.) (Funkytowngrooves)
Lana Del Rey, Born to Die: The Paradise Edition (Interscope)
Yes, her. LDR’s major-label debut with a disc of new material (Amazon U.S./U.K.), also available separately (U.S.).
Review: Barbra Streisand, “Release Me”
On Saturday evening, October 13, Barbra Joan Streisand triumphantly concluded a two-night engagement at Brooklyn, New York’s brand-new Barclays Center. The two evenings marked her first public performances in the borough of her birth since she dropped the “a” from Barbara and followed the call of superstardom, first to Manhattan and then to Hollywood. Streisand recalled to the audience of 19,000 that her last time singing in Brooklyn was on a stoop! Still, she serenaded the community with special, lighthearted lyrics set to Cole Porter’s “You’re the Top” and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “As If We Never Said Goodbye,” relishing her hometown comeback. More serious than all the talk of knishes and bialys, however, was Streisand’s deeply emotional performance of a song introduced in the 1967 Broadway musical Hallelujah, Baby!
“Being Good Isn’t Good Enough” was written by Funny Girl composer Jule Styne, with lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and it translated a central point of Arthur Laurents’ provocative book into song. (Laurents, of course, was another close associate of Streisand’s, having directed her Broadway debut in I Can Get It for You Wholesale. He would later pen The Way We Were for the star.) In the musical, a young black woman harbors dreams of stardom, cognizant that she must be more than superlative to overcome the obstacles society has placed due to the color of her skin. Though Streisand wouldn’t compare her own journey to that of the character in the musical, she found resonance in the lyric, as an artist famously branded as a “perfectionist” and as a performer for whom being simply good is altogether insufficient.
This wasn’t the first time Streisand tackled the song, though. It was originally slated to open 1985’s The Broadway Album, as a mission statement of sorts. That album was a homecoming, too: back to the style of music on which Streisand’s career was launched. An acting as well as singing tour de force, the anthemic “Being Good” simply soars under Streisand’s control. “I’ll be the best or nothing at all,” she defiantly trumpets, as if there were simply no other option. She’s supported at every dynamic turn by the orchestration of Peter Matz, repeating his duties from the original musical. Yet the decision was ultimately made to instead open The Broadway Album with Stephen Sondheim’s dazzling and contemporary “Putting It Together,” with Sondheim having rewritten the lyrics to reflect an artist’s struggles in the music business. “Being Good” was shelved. It’s just been revisited alongside ten other “lost” tracks on Release Me, the first archival collection of Barbra Streisand’s catalogue since the 1991 box set, Just for the Record. Drawing on decades of vaulted recordings, Release Me adds up to one of the most wholly satisfying releases of Streisand’s long career. “Being Good” finally gets to open an album after some 27 years, and it kicks off the album with a burst of drama.
We dive in, after the jump! Read the rest of this entry »
Release Round-Up: Week of October 9
The Beach Boys, 2012 Remasters / Greatest Hits / Greatest Hits: Fifty Big Ones (Capitol/EMI)
The summer gets a little more endless with a new compilation (in two formats) and remasters of nearly all of the band’s ’60s albums. (A full breakdown of those albums is here, and a full review is coming up from Joe today!)
The Beatles, Magical Mystery Tour (Apple/EMI)
The Fab Four’s kooky film is making its Blu-Ray debut in standard and deluxe box formats.
Deep Purple, Machine Head: 40th Anniversary Edition (EMI)
A five-disc box set devoted to this classic rock LP, featuring various different mixes of the album (including quad and 5.1 mixes) and other goodies.
Barbra Streisand, Release Me (Columbia)
The incomparable Barbra’s newest album is actually an offering of entirely unreleased performances from the vaults. Lots of great discoveries herein!
B.B. King, Ladies and Gentlemen…Mr B.B. King (Hip-O/UMe)
Available in four-disc and Amazon-exclusive 10-disc formats, these box sets are the latest way to honor one of the greatest living blues legends.
The Supremes, I Hear a Symphony: Expanded Edition (Hip-O Select/Motown)
Another Supremes classic expanded to two discs, featuring the original album in mono and stereo and a host of live and studio treasures from the vault.
David Ruffin, David: The Unreleased LP and More (Hip-O Select/Motown)
Out of print for years, Hip-O Select reissues this compilation of the Temptation’s unissued 1971 album and a host of outtakes from the album sessions.
Various Artists, The Best of Bond…James Bond: 50 Years, 50 Tracks (Capitol/EMI)
It’s been 50 years since Dr. No hit theaters and it’s only a few weeks until Skyfall is released, so it’s time for a new 007 compilation that features all the classic title themes on one disc and a sampling of other tracks from the Bond films on the other.
Level 42, Running in the Family: 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Polydor/UMC)
This ’80s hit is available from the U.K. as a double-disc expansion or four-disc, extras-packed box set.
The Who, Live in Texas 1975 (Eagle Rock)
Their latest at the time was The Who by Numbers, but this newly-restored show, on DVD in its first official release, is anything but.
Old 97′s, Too Far to Care: Deluxe Edition (Omnivore)
A demo-packed reissue of the 1997 country-rocker.
Various Artists, Athens, GA – Inside Out (Omnivore)
A nice deluxe set featuring both the classic documentary on the colorful Athens, GA music scene in the 1980s on DVD (with new special features) and the expanded soundtrack on CD.
Vince Guaraldi Trio, A Charlie Brown Christmas: Original Sound Track from the CBS Television Special (Fantasy)
The classic holiday album gets a brand new remaster with three bonus tracks. Full review coming later today!
Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb, In Session (Fantasy)
Two legends collaborate on this live performance from 1983, newly released as a CD/DVD set.
Adam Ant, Destiny’s Child, Shawn Colvin, Alan Jackson, Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson, George Jones & Tammy Wynette, Carole King, Taj Mahal, Ricky Martin, Johnny Mathis, Meat Loaf, Laura Nyro, Collin Raye, Starship, Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton, Playlist (Legacy)
A surprisingly strong batch of Playlist titles includes a few neat surprises, too, from brand-new compilations for Destiny’s Child and Ricky Martin to rare and unreleased tracks on the Meat Loaf, Starship and Laura Nyro sets.
The Chipmunks, Christmas Collection (Capitol)
Because it wouldn’t be the holidays without some squeaky-voiced renditions of holiday classics, plus the immortal “Christmas Don’t Be Late.”
Edie Adams, The Edie Adams Christmas Album (Omnivore)
Another Christmas treat, sourced from rare kinescopes of Adams on television in the ’50s.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial: Anniversary Collector’s Edition (Universal Studios Home Video)
A timeless favorite at Second Disc HQ (in particular, Mike’s favorite movie!) comes home on Blu-Ray for the first time, featuring the restored original 1982 version of the film and a new retrospective consisting entirely of on-set footage shot by John Toll. Retail exclusives abound: Target’s offering a deluxe steelbook package (available internationally as a basic deluxe edition), Best Buy has a special book package with pages of full-color notes and artwork, Walmart throws in a free E.T. doll for the kids, and Amazon carried a limited deluxe package (now sold out) housed in a replica of E.T.’s spaceship.
Little Shop of Horrors: The Director’s Cut (Warner Home Video)
One of the most purely fun musicals of the past few decades, this loving musical adaptation of the Roger Corman cult classic features a killer, ’60s-flavored pop score from future Disney legends Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. For this special Blu-Ray release, the hilarious, 20-minute alternate ending (seen only on a quickly-recalled, highly-collectible DVD) has been fully restored and added to the end of the picture, and other great special features abound, too!
Release Round-Up: Week of September 25
Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb, In Session (Concord)
The legendary songwriter and equally legendary country superstar join forces for two 1988 television broadcasts, joined together on one DVD and accompanied by a CD of the programs’ musical selections! Campbell’s only recording of Webb’s “Sunshower” can be found here, among other gems. For those of you anticipating the arrival of In Session today, it appears that this title has been delayed until October 9! You can read more about it here. Now, onto some titles actually arriving in stores today…
Aretha Franklin, Love All the Hurt Away / MFSB, Love is the Message / Platypus, Platypus / Lipps, Inc., Mouth to Mouth / Dionne Warwick, Heartbreaker (Big Break Records)
It’s another soul banquet from the good people at Big Break Records with expanded and remastered titles from the catalogues of Casablanca, Arista and Philadelphia International! Watch for features and reviews on all of the above, coming soon! These are out in the U.K. today, while a U.S. berth follows next week.
Dickie Goodman, Long Live the King/Moving Sidewalks, The Complete Collection (RockBeat)
RockBeat Records returns with two new releases: a single-disc compilation spanning the career of the “break-in record” king, Dickie Goodman, and a two-CD anthology of music from Billy Gibbons’ pre-ZZ Top band, The Moving Sidewalks! Here’s the scoop on these titles and more from RockBeat.
Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The 50th Anniversary Collection (Columbia/Legacy)
The New Orleans institution turns 50, and celebrates the occasion with this deluxe box set of performances recorded between 1962 and 2010, including five previously unreleased tracks! Read more here!
R.E.M., Document: 25th Anniversary Edition (EMI)
R.E.M.’s fifth studio album has turned 25! Document was recorded by vocalist Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and drummer Bill Berry, and was the band’s first album to achieve platinum sales. The remastered album is joined by a previously unreleased 1987 concert, and it’s all packaged in a sturdy lift-top box with four postcards. Read all about it here.
Merl Saunders and Jerry Garcia, Keystone Companions: The Complete 1973 Fantasy Recordings (Fantasy/Concord)
Fantasy Records issues four CDs of prime live Garcia, in which the Grateful Dead leader is joined by Merl Saunders. These remarkable Bay Area performances are packaged in a handsome box with copious notes and a bit of swag, too. Watch for our review as part of our Holiday Gift Guide, coming soon!
Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr., Christmas with the Rat Pack (Capitol)
2012 is bringing another new version of Capitol’s Rat Pack holiday compilation, and it appears to have lost a few tracks since its original 2002 release (and subsequent 2006 reissue). Still, this music simply can’t be beat, pallies.
Sex Pistols, Never Mind the Bollocks Here’s The Sex Pistols: Super Deluxe Edition (Universal U.K.)
Never mind the rest, the Sex Pistols have gone super-deluxe! That means you’ll get a remastered version of the original album, a CD of outtakes and rarities (including previously unreleased tracks), a live CD, and a DVD, too, plus the requisite swag including a replica of the original A&M pressing of “God Save the Queen.” This is available in the U.K. now, and in the U.S. next week! If you don’t think this set is a load of bollocks, you’ll want to read more about it here!
Barbra Streisand, Release Me (Columbia)
La Streisand unlocks the vault doors for this first collection of previously-unreleased material recorded between 1967 and 2011, with songs by world-class composers like Jimmy Webb, Randy Newman, Paul Williams and Michel Legrand. Word has it that future volumes might follow as Streisand kicks off her 50th year of recording for Columbia Records. Release Me is out today on vinyl, while the CD release follows on October 9.
The John Wilson Orchestra, That’s Entertainment: A Celebration of the MGM Film Musical (EMI)
The John Wilson Orchestra’s 2009 BBC Prom concert, with guest stars Seth MacFarlane, Kim Criswell and Curtis Stigers singing reconstructed tunes from classic MGM musicals, receives an American release. It’s available as a standard edition and a deluxe one, with the latter containing liner notes and session photos in a casebound, hardcover book plus a DVD containing a featurette and music videos. A stand-alone DVD of the concert is also available.
Frank Zappa, 12 catalogue reissues (UMe/Zappa Records)
Twelve more Zappa classics arrive on CD, many in freshly-remastered editions. Full details and pre-order links for every title can be found in yesterday’s full rundown, or just click on the li’l fella, above, to order and jump headfirst into FZ Territory!
Warren Zevon, Mr. Bad Example/Mutineer (Friday Music)
The late Warren Zevon’s witty, mordant and moving oeuvre is celebrated on this two-fer from Friday Music, bringing together his 1991 and 1995 studio albums.
Original Soundtrack, Dirty Dancing: The Anniversary Edition (RCA/Legacy)
Will you have the time of your life with this deluxe version of the smash soundtrack album to the 1987 film? Only the original 12 songs are present, but they’re joined in a commemorative package by six suitable-for-framing art cards and a bumper sticker.
Weekend Wround-Up: Barbra Streisand Joined by Bennett, Wonder, Krall on DVD and BD; Pixar Compiles More “Favorites”
On February 11, 2011, Barbra Streisand joined some illustrious company, including Bono, Brian Wilson, Aretha Franklin and her “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” duet partner, Neil Diamond. That was the evening Streisand was recognized as the MusiCares Person of the Year, following in the footsteps of those above-named artists. Streisand was a natural candidate for the honor, as the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences annually bestows it upon an artist with significant artistic achievement in music and commitment to philanthropy. Part of the MusiCares tradition finds that person being celebrated by a line-up of peers and younger talent, and so that evening, Streisand was joined in Los Angeles by Tony Bennett, Diana Krall, Barry Manilow, Stevie Wonder and others, to perform many of the songs she made famous throughout her career. On November 13, Shout Factory will release A MusiCares Tribute to Barbra Streisand on DVD, with a selection of the performances from the celebratory concert.
Diana Krall was in the producer’s chair for Streisand’s 2009 album Love is the Answer, and she opens the Blu-ray/DVD with a medley of three famous Streisand songs: “Down with Love,” “Get Happy,” and “Make Someone Happy.” The first two, of course, were co-written by Harold Arlen, one of Streisand’s most admired composers. Tony Bennett, who has performed with both Krall and Streisand in the past, performed a rendition of Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile” (the opening track of Streisand’s 2003 The Movie Album). Barry Manilow offered his take on Andrew Lloyd Webber and Trevor Nunn’s “Memory” from the musical Cats; both Brooklyn natives released the song as a single and made the Billboard Hot 100 and Top 10 AC charts with it. Stevie Wonder performed Jule Styne and Bob Merrill’s “People” from Funny Girl with Arturo Sandoval, and Jeff Beck offered a scorching “Come Rain or Come Shine” (another Arlen song) with LeAnn Rimes and BeBe Winans. The younger set was represented not only by Rimes, but by Leona Lewis (“Somewhere” from West Side Story), Faith Hill (Stephen Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns”) and a trio of stars from Glee (Lea Michele with Fanny Brice’s signature song, “My Man,” and Matthew Morrison and Kristin Chenoweth reprising their television duet of Bacharach and David’s “One Less Bell to Answer/A House is Not a Home” in Streisand’s arrangement). Streisand herself brings the DVD to a close with performances of “The Windmills of Your Mind” and “The Promise (I’ll Never Say Goodbye).”
A MusiCares Tribute to Barbra Streisand is due for release on November 13 and follows Shout! Factory’s last MusiCares release celebrating Neil Young. Pre-order links are currently not available, but we will add them as soon as possible! You’ll find the complete track listing after the jump, down below!
Last week, Walt Disney Records quietly released a second volume of modern-day classics from Pixar’s animated films. The new Disney-Pixar All-Time Favorites follows 2009’s Disney-Pixar Greatest, which brought the studio’s output up to date as of the Academy Award-winning Up. In addition to revisiting some of the films represented on the first compilation with newly-compiled tracks, All-Time Favorites adds songs and score cues from Toy Story 3 (2010), Cars 2 (2011) and this year’s Brave.
Randy Newman is, of course, prominently featured, singing “I Will Go Sailing No More” from 1995’s Toy Story and “We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3, while his compositions are also sung by Riders in the Sky (“Woody’s Round-Up” from 1999’s Toy Story 2), the Gipsy Kings (the Spanish-language “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story 3). Newman’s scores from A Bug’s Life (1998) and Monsters, Inc. (2001) are also excerpted. Randy’s cousin Thomas Newman is represented via score excerpts from the just-about-to-be-re-released Finding Nemo (2003) and WALL-E (2008), while another frequent member of the Pixar team, Michael Giacchino, takes the spotlight for tracks from 2007’s Ratatouille, Cars 2 and 2004’s The Incredibles. One song and one score cue appear from Brave: Julie Fowlis’ rendition of Alex Mandel’s “Into the Open Air,” and Patrick Doyle’s “In Her Heart.”
Disney-Pixar All-Time Favorites is available in stores now, and can be ordered after the jump! You’ll also find the complete track listing there. Read the rest of this entry »
If It’s Meant to Be: Barbra Streisand Announces “Release Me” Collection of Long-Lost Songs
Everybody knows “The Way We Were.” But how about “The Way We Might-Have-Been?”
The what-ifs are many in Barbra Streisand’s career. The legendary vocalist, about to celebrate her fiftieth year with Columbia Records in 2013, has amassed a vault filled with unreleased outtakes from her decades of recording. These date as far back as 1962 when the young singer recorded an as-yet-unissued rendition of Harold Arlen and “Yip” Harburg’s “Right as the Rain” for possible release on 45. (In fact, you can date unissued Streisand recordings even further back, if you count non-commercial private recordings, demos for RCA Victor and the demo tape that landed her a contract at Columbia!) Streisand has even recorded unreleased albums, let alone songs. Fans and collectors have patiently waited for some of these lost treasures to escape from the archives. Some emerged on 1991′s multi-disc box set Just for the Record, but the Streisand vault has largely remained under lock and key. That all changes on September 25 when the vinyl LP of Release Me arrives in stores from Columbia Records (who else?), with a CD following two weeks later on October 9. Finally, the open secret of this album is out!
Release Me premieres eleven tracks recorded between 1967 and, possibly, 2011. These encompass the various sides of Streisand’s diverse career, from Broadway (including a medley from the abandoned, Rupert Holmes-produced original iteration of Back to Broadway) to pop (Jimmy Webb’s “Didn’t We” from the incomplete album project The Singer, Randy Newman’s “I Think It’s Going to Rain Today” with the composer on piano, cut from Stoney End) to Hollywood (Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher’s “With One More Look at You” from A Star is Born, arranged by Nick DeCaro for another aborted single). Along the way, there’s a bossa nova excursion (“Lost in Wonderland,” a 1968 English-language version of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Antigua,” with lyrics by Marshall Barer of Once Upon a Mattress fame) and one song from the Streisand “holy grail” concept album Life Cycle of a Woman: “Mother and Child” (1973), penned by Alan and Marilyn Bergman with composer Michel Legrand.
The earliest track on Release Me is the standard “Willow Weep for Me,” intended for 1967′s Simply Streisand, arranged by Ray Ellis and conducted by film and theatre composer David Shire (Closer Than Ever, Norma Rae). The most recent appears to be “If It’s Meant to Be,” with music by Brian Byrne and lyrics by the Bergmans. In liner notes to her 2011 tribute album What Matters Most: Barbra Streisand Sings the Lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman , Streisand mentions recording more songs than were ultimately included; Byrne himself confirmed that one of his songs was being recorded by Streisand. Five songs plus an extended King and I medley reportedly hit the cutting room floor from the chart-topping, quadruple-platinum The Broadway Album (1985), and two have been resuscitated for Release Me: Jule Styne, Betty Comden and Adolph Green’s “Being Good (Isn’t Good Enough)” from the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Hallejulah, Baby! (1967) and “Home” from Charlie Smalls’ score to 1975′s The Wiz. Another of the rarities is Larry Gatlin’s “Try to Win a Friend,” cut from 1977′s Superman album.
After the jump: more details, pre-order links and a track listing with source information for each song! Read the rest of this entry »
