Two Milestone Discs from the Seventies Plus Two Bonus Tracks
Ed Uyeshima | San Francisco, CA USA | 09/24/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is a great "two-fer" for fans of Barbra Streisand, as this import presents two of her milestone recordings from the 1970's plus a couple of bonus tracks worth savoring. Rush-released to coincide with her hit 1973 movie, "The Way We Were" is one of her most assured recordings at a time when she was experimenting with often incompatible rock material. Surprisingly, only four tracks were newly recorded for this album, as the rest were in Columbia's vaults for several years. However, there is a rich aural consistency in its entirety. Of course, the hit song is here in its pop single version, but this disc also has the bonus of the luxuriant, fully orchestrated rendition from the movie soundtrack. Two classic songs by Michel Legrand and the Bergmans are here - the wistful "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" and the swooning, couplet-driven "Summer Me, Winter Me", as well as a nice cover of Stevie Wonder's "All in Love Is Fair". My favorite tracks are the first two - a jazzy, defiant performance of Carole King's "Being at War With Each Other" and a sauntering turn on Paul Simon's "Something So Right".
Although released three years later, the second disc, the original soundtrack to 1976's "A Star Is Born", sounds more dated since the point was to capture the sound of the pop-rock scene at the time. Streisand co-produced with music industry veteran Phil Ramone, and she shares vocal duties with co-star Kris Kristofferson. The contrast in styles can be somewhat jarring with one unequivocal misfire, a samba-sized cover of Kenny Loggins' "I Believe in Love". The rest of the disc, while energetically performed, will likely instill nostalgia more than anything else. Streisand's best dramatic interpretation may be her stentorian take on the feminist-oriented anthem, "The Woman in the Moon". Her lengthy climactic medley of "With One More Look at You" and "Watch Closely Now" is powerfully performed though it still feels self-indulgent after all these years. There are three versions of "Evergreen" included here - the original single, the reprise for the ending credits and now the bonus of a Spanish-language version sung quite fluently by Streisand. All in all, this is quite a treasure trove for fans at a good price.
The Way We Were - 5 stars
A Star Is Born - 3.5 stars"
