The Essential Barbra Streisand | ||||
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Compilation album by | ||||
Released | January 29, 2002 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 150:53 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer |
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Barbra Streisand chronology | ||||
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The Essential Barbra Streisand (retitled The Ultimate Collection in some European countries) is the fifth greatest hits album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released on January 29, 2002, by Columbia Records. The compilation features 38 songs from Streisand's catalog, in addition to two previously unreleased tracks (covers of "Someday My Prince Will Come" and "You'll Never Walk Alone"). It includes material from 26 of the singer's albums and was described as a collection of, mainly, her pop songs. A reissued version of the compilation was distributed by Columbia and Legacy Recordings in 2008 and includes a bonus disc featuring nine additional songs from Streisand's discography.
Critically, the album was noted for being a comprehensive and complete view of her discography, unlike her previous greatest hits releases. It topped the charts in Ireland, Scotland, and the United Kingdom, and peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 in the United States. The Essential Barbra Streisand also reached the top ten in several countries and was included on four year-end lists. The album has since been certified Platinum in Australia, Europe, New Zealand, Spain, and the United States, and multi-platinum in the United Kingdom.
The Essential Barbra Streisand was released on January 29, 2002, by Columbia Records. [1] A compilation of Streisand's "pop-oriented performances", [2] the collection contains two discs featuring 38 songs from Streisand's discography. Representing 26 albums from her career, the first-recorded song included on The Essential Barbra Streisand is "A Sleepin' Bee" from The Barbra Streisand Album (1963), while the most recent track featured is "I've Dreamed of You" from A Love Like Ours (1999). [3] In addition, Streisand included two previously unreleased tracks on the second disc, covers of "Someday My Prince Will Come" and "You'll Never Walk Alone". William Ruhlmann from AllMusic suggested that the former song was recorded during sessions for A Love Like Ours while the latter was meant for her twenty-seventh studio album, Higher Ground (1997). [4] In some European countries, the album was released under the title The Ultimate Collection with an identical track listing. [5]
The Essential Barbra Streisand was reissued on September 30, 2008, through a co-partnership between Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings. [6] The new version featured a bonus third disc with seven more songs from Streisand's back-catalog and two live renditions. [7]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
The Essential Barbra Streisand was given a perfect five-star rating by AllMusic's William Ruhlmann. He felt that Streisand's discography had not been detailed well on her previous compilations and considered The Essential Barbra Streisand to be the best choice for fans not willing to purchase the expensive box set Just for the Record... (1992). Considering its comprehensiveness, Ruhlmann praised the album's inclusion of her eleven top ten hits and nearly all of her top 40 hits. [4] Tom Santopietro, author of The Importance of Being Barbra: The Brilliant, Tumultuous Career of Barbra Streisand, was disappointed by Streisand's decision to release two greatest hits albums in the same year (the other being Duets ). Describing her action as "cynical", he wrote: "At this point, even the most die-hard Streisand fan could be forgiven for expressing frustration at yet another release of 'People' and 'The Way We Were'." However, he praised the inclusion of "Someday My Prince Will Come" and "You'll Never Walk Alone", calling them both "extraordinary" cover tracks. [8] In addition to The Barbra Streisand Album and Stoney End (1971), Phyllis Fulford and Michael Miller, authors of the 2003 book The Complete Idiot's Guide to Singing, listed The Essential Barbra Streisand as one of the singer's "CDs that best represent [her] more pop-oriented performances". [2]
The Essential Barbra Streisand entered the Billboard 200 at number 15, its peak position, during the week of February 16, 2002. It was the chart's second highest entry of the week, just behind the soundtrack to the 2002 film State Property , which debuted at number 14. It spent a total of nine weeks on the Billboard 200. [9] On March 15, 2002, it was certified Gold as a multi-disc package by Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for physical shipments of 250,000 copies; its certification was then upgraded to Platinum, signifying shipments of 500,000 copies, on October 17, 2003. [10] As of June 22, 2007, The Essential Barbra Streisand has sold 506,000 copies in the United States. [11] Elsewhere in North America, it debuted in Canada at number 73 according to the chart published by Nielsen SoundScan. [12]
In Europe, The Essential Barbra Streisand topped the charts in several countries and has been certified Platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for sales upwards of one million. [13] According to the Official Charts Company, it topped the charts in both Scotland and the United Kingdom. [14] [15] In the latter country, the compilation spent 49 weeks charting and was ranked on the year-end sales charts for both 2002 and 2003 at positions 36 and 192, respectively. [16] [17] It was later certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry for shipments of 300,000 copies. [18] In the same continent, The Essential Barbra Streisand (or The Ultimate Collection in some European territories) topped the Irish Albums Chart, [19] and reached the top ten in Belgium, [20] Denmark, [21] Finland, [22] Germany, [23] Greece, [24] the Netherlands, [25] Norway, [26] and Sweden. [27] In Oceania, the album peaked in Australia and New Zealand at numbers 5 and 3, respectively. [28] [29] Both countries issued the compilation double Platinum and platinum respectively. [30] [31]
When the album was reissued in 2007 and 2008 in several European countries, it debuted on the album charts in Austria, Italy, and Spain. In the first country, it reached the top twenty and peaked at number 11, [32] and in Italy it peaked at number 75. [33] In Spain, the album originally peaked at number 14 but reentered in 2013 at number 85. [34] [35]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "A Sleepin' Bee" (from The Barbra Streisand Album , 1963) | Mike Berniker | 4:22 | |
2. | "Cry Me a River" (from The Barbra Streisand Album) | Arthur Hamilton | Berniker | 3:37 |
3. | "I Stayed Too Long at the Fair" (from The Second Barbra Streisand Album , 1963) | Billy Barnes | Berniker | 4:20 |
4. | "Lover, Come Back to Me" (from The Second Barbra Streisand Album) | Berniker | 2:17 | |
5. | "People" (from People , 1964) | Berniker | 3:40 | |
6. | "My Man" (from My Name Is Barbra , 1965) |
| Robert Mersey | 2:17 |
7. | "Second Hand Rose" (from My Name Is Barbra, Two... , 1965) | Mersey | 2:09 | |
8. | "He Touched Me" (from My Name Is Barbra, Two...) | Mersey | 3:10 | |
9. | "Don't Rain on My Parade" (from Funny Girl , 1968) |
| Jack Gold | 2:45 |
10. | "Happy Days Are Here Again" (live; from A Happening in Central Park , 1968) | J. Gold | 3:14 | |
11. | "On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)" (from On a Clear Day You Can See Forever , 1970) | Wally Gold | 2:11 | |
12. | "Stoney End" (from Stoney End , 1971) | Laura Nyro | Richard Perry | 2:59 |
13. | "Since I Fell for You" (from Barbra Joan Streisand , 1971) | Buddy Johnson | Perry | 3:25 |
14. | "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" (from The Way We Were , 1974) | W. Gold | 3:20 | |
15. | "The Way We Were" (from The Way We Were) |
| Marty Paich | 3:30 |
16. | "All in Love Is Fair" (from The Way We Were) | Stevie Wonder | Tommy LiPuma | 3:50 |
17. | "Lazy Afternoon" (from Lazy Afternoon , 1975) | 3:50 | ||
18. | "Evergreen" (from A Star Is Born , 1976) |
|
| 3:05 |
19. | "My Heart Belongs to Me" (from Superman , 1977) | Alan Gordon | 3:21 | |
20. | "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" (with Neil Diamond; from Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits Volume 2 , 1978) |
| Bob Gaudio | 3:24 |
21. | "The Main Event/Fight" (from The Main Event , 1979) |
| Esty | 4:55 |
22. | "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" (with Donna Summer; from Wet , 1979) |
| Klein | 4:43 |
Total length: | 74:24 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Woman in Love" (from Guilty , 1980) |
| 3:51 | |
2. | "Guilty" (with Barry Gibb; from Guilty) |
|
| 4:24 |
3. | "Comin' In and Out of Your Life" (from Memories , 1981) |
| Andrew Lloyd Webber | 4:09 |
4. | "Memory" (from Memories) |
| Lloyd Webber | 3:55 |
5. | "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" (from Yentl , 1983) |
|
| 3:29 |
6. | "A Piece of Sky" (from Yentl) |
|
| 4:20 |
7. | "Putting It Together" (from The Broadway Album , 1985) | Stephen Sondheim |
| 4:21 |
8. | "Not While I'm Around" (from The Broadway Album) | Sondheim | Richard Baskin | 3:29 |
9. | "Send in the Clowns" (from The Broadway Album) | Sondheim | Streisand | 4:43 |
10. | "Somewhere" (from The Broadway Album) |
| David Foster | 4:56 |
11. | "All I Ask of You" (from Till I Loved You , 1988) |
| Ramone | 4:02 |
12. | "Children Will Listen" (from Back to Broadway , 1993) | Sondheim | Streisand | 4:09 |
13. | "As If We Never Said Goodbye" (from Back to Broadway) |
|
| 4:44 |
14. | "I Finally Found Someone" (with Bryan Adams; from The Mirror Has Two Faces , 1996) |
| Foster | 3:41 |
15. | "Tell Him" (with Celine Dion; from Higher Ground , 1997) |
|
| 4:51 |
16. | "I've Dreamed of You" (from A Love Like Ours , 1999) | Streisand | 4:44 | |
17. | "Someday My Prince Will Come" |
| 4:06 | |
18. | "You'll Never Walk Alone" |
| Streisand | 4:35 |
Total length: | 76:29 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Letting Go" (from Guilty Pleasures , 2005) |
|
| 3:48 |
2. | "Love Like Ours" (from A Love Like Ours) |
| Streisand | 3:56 |
3. | "At the Same Time" (from Higher Ground) | Callaway | Streisand | 4:16 |
4. | "By the Way" (from Lazy Afternoon) |
|
| 2:55 |
5. | "Unusual Way" (live; from Live in Concert 2006 , 2007) | Maury Yeston |
| 3:31 |
6. | "Evergreen" (live; from One Voice , 1987) |
| Baskin | 3:07 |
7. | "Wild Is the Wind" (from The Movie Album , 2003) | Streisand | 4:10 | |
8. | "On My Way to You" (from Till I Loved You) |
| Streisand | 3:43 |
9. | "After the Rain" (from Wet) |
| Klein | 3:41 |
Total length: | 33:07 |
Personnel adapted from AllMusic. [36]
|
|
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [30] | 2× Platinum | 140,000‡ |
Finland (Musiikkituottajat) [47] | Gold | 15,840 [47] |
France (SNEP) [48] | Gold | 100,000* |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [31] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [49] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
Sweden (GLF) [50] | Gold | 30,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [18] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [10] | Platinum | 506,000 [11] |
Summaries | ||
Europe (IFPI) [13] | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Edition | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Various | January 29, 2002 | CD | Standard | Columbia | [4] |
United States | September 30, 2008 | Deluxe |
| [6] |
The Essential Ozzy Osbourne is a compilation album by British heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne, released in 2003. It reached No. 81 on US charts and No. 21 in the UK. Tracks featured here from the first two albums are the re-recorded versions from recent reissues as well as the remixed Bark at the Moon tracks. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on 5 February 2005 with an excess of 500,000 copies sold, then certified Platinum by the RIAA on 3 March 2016. This compilation was re-released in 2009 as a Limited Edition 3.0 package with an additional disc of bonus songs that were not on the original release.
The Movie Album is the thirtieth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released on October 14, 2003, by Columbia Records. Overall, her sixtieth release with her record label, it was executively produced by Streisand and her manager, Jay Landers. A concept album, it contains twelve songs from the singer's favorite films ranging in release from 1935 to 1988. While curating the album, Streisand was inspired by her marriage to actor James Brolin to record songs about love and relationships. To better fit her needs, songwriting duo Alan and Marilyn Bergman were commissioned to add lyrics to several of the songs Streisand had chosen to record.
A Collection: Greatest Hits...and More is the fourth greatest hits album recorded by American vocalist Barbra Streisand. It was released on October 3, 1989 by Columbia Records. The compilation features ten songs from Streisand's career, dating from 1975 to 1988, plus two previously unreleased songs: "We're Not Makin' Love Anymore" was released as the album's lead single on September 14, 1989, and "Someone That I Used to Love" was distributed as the second and final one in 1989. Both singles charted on several record charts internationally.
Duets is a compilation album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released on November 26, 2002, by Columbia Records. The collection features nineteen duets from Streisand's career, including two newly recorded ones: "I Won't Be the One to Let Go" with Barry Manilow and "All I Know of Love" with Josh Groban. The Manilow duet was released as the album's lead single on November 4, 2002, as a streaming-only exclusive for AOL Music website members.
Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album recorded by American vocalist Barbra Streisand. It was released in January 1970, by Columbia Records. The record is a compilation consisting of 11 commercially successful singles from the singer's releases in the 1960s, with a majority of them being cover songs. The songs on Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits originally appeared on one of the singer's eight previous albums and span in release from 1963 to 1968. It contains her most commercially successful tracks, including her first Billboard Hot 100 top ten single "People" and top 40 entry "Second Hand Rose". The album was distributed on compact disc in 1986 and rereleased under the title The Hits in 2006.
Memories is a compilation album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released in 1981. It is primarily a compilation of previously released material, but includes three newly recorded songs. First released on Columbia, it was re-released under the CBS imprint in 1981 with four additional tracks.
Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits Volume 2 is the second greatest hits album recorded by American vocalist Barbra Streisand. It was released on November 15, 1978 by Columbia Records. The album is a compilation consisting of ten commercially successful singles from the singer's releases in the 1970s, with a majority of them being cover songs. It also features a new version of "You Don't Bring Me Flowers", which was released as the collection's only single on October 7, 1978. Originating on Streisand's previous album, Songbird, the new rendition is a duet with Neil Diamond who had also recorded the song for his 1978 album of the same name. The idea for the duet originated from DJ Gary Guthrie who sold the idea to the record label for $5 million.
A Love Like Ours is the twenty-eighth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand. It was released in North America on September 21, 1999, and Europe on September 20, 1999. It is her 23rd Top 10 album in the US. This was Streisand's first commercial release since her marriage to actor James Brolin. Much of the material was inspired by this event. As such, the disc booklet contains images of her and Brolin.
Emotion is the twenty-third studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released in October 1984 by Columbia Records. It was her first studio album in four years after the release of Guilty, which has since become her highest selling studio album worldwide.
Lazy Afternoon is the seventeenth studio album recorded by American singer Barbra Streisand. It was released on October 14, 1975, by Columbia Records. Following a mixed critical response to her previous studio album, ButterFly (1974), the singer began working with new musicians for the project. Recorded in April 1975 in Los Angeles, Lazy Afternoon contains pop standards. Producer Rupert Holmes wrote three songs on the album and co-wrote a fourth, "By the Way", with Streisand. She also included a few cover songs, such as the Four Tops' "Shake Me, Wake Me ", Stevie Wonder's "You and I", and Libby Holman's "Moanin' Low".
Christmas Memories is the second Christmas album and twenty-ninth studio release by American singer Barbra Streisand. It was released on October 30, 2001, by Columbia. Streisand recorded the album during July, August, and September 2001 in various recording studios throughout California and in North Vancouver. It was executive-produced by Streisand and Jay Landers, while William Ross and David Foster served as additional producers. The album contains several cover versions of various holiday songs. To promote Christmas Memories, Columbia Records released an advance sampler version of the album titled A Voice for All Seasons.
ButterFly is the sixteenth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand. Released on October 1, 1974, by Columbia Records, it marked Streisand's first album of entirely new material in over three years. Primarily a contemporary pop record recorded throughout 1974, it also incorporates music from the reggae and R&B genres. All of the tracks on ButterFly are cover songs produced by Streisand's then-boyfriend Jon Peters, originating from artists like Bob Marley, David Bowie, Evie Sands, and Graham Nash.
Barbra Streisand...and Other Musical Instruments is the fourteenth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand. It was released on November 2, 1973, by Columbia Records. The album was made available following a 1973 live television special promoted to improve Streisand's image and sound. With world music as the primary genre, the album's instrumentation varies greatly; even items such as kitchen utensils were used to create melodies and beats. With a majority of the songs on the album being cover songs, Streisand also re-recorded various tracks that originated earlier in her career. Her manager, Martin Erlichman, was credited as the album's sole and executive producer.
The Ultimate Collection is a compilation album released in 2010 by American singer Barbra Streisand.
The Essential Neil Diamond is a two-disc compilation album by Neil Diamond. It was released by Sony Music in 2001.
Partners is the thirty-fourth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released on September 16, 2014, by Columbia Records. The album features Streisand singing duets with an all-male lineup including Stevie Wonder, Michael Bublé, Billy Joel, John Legend, John Mayer, Andrea Bocelli, Lionel Richie, and from an earlier recording, Elvis Presley. The collection also features Streisand's first studio-recorded duet with her now 47-year-old son, Jason Gould. The album release was promoted on The Tonight Show, where Streisand was the evening's sole guest and sang a medley with host Jimmy Fallon.
A Star Is Born is the soundtrack album to the 1976 musical film of the same name, performed by its stars Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. The album was very successful, holding the number-one spot on the US Billboard 200 chart for six weeks and eventually was certified 4× Platinum by the RIAA for more than four million units shipped and has sold a total of eight million copies worldwide.
Yentl is a soundtrack album to the film of the same name by American singer Barbra Streisand. It was released on November 8, 1983, by Columbia Records. The album was produced by Streisand and Alan and Marilyn Bergman, and arranged and conducted by Michel Legrand. The music is by Legrand and the lyrics by the Bergmans. The album peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Top 200 LP chart was gold and platinum status on January 9, 1984, by the RIAA for shipping 500,000 and 1 million copies, respectively.
"I Won't Be the One to Let Go" is a song recorded by American singers Barbra Streisand and Barry Manilow for the former's sixth compilation album, Duets (2002). It was released as the album's only single on November 4, 2002, by Columbia Records. The track was written and produced by Richard Marx with additional songwriting coming from Manilow and additional production handled by Walter Afanasieff. Initially an airplay and streaming-only single in the United States, a promotional CD single of "I Won't Be the One to Let Go" was released and includes the radio edit and album version of the song.
Walls is the thirty-sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Barbra Streisand, released on November 2, 2018, by Columbia Records. The lead single "Don't Lie to Me" was written as a criticism of America's political climate amid the presidency of Donald Trump, while the title track alludes to Trump's frequent calls for a wall at the Mexico border. Receiving critical acclaim, the album debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200.
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