…Too?*
Nine years ago, Barbra Streisand opened her music archive to share a collection of songs deleted from albums throughout her career. A second volume, Release Me 2, is now available.
The earliest recording dates to 1962, and the most recent to 2014. As with the original Release Me, none of Streisand’s vocals have been altered from the original sessions.
However, Release Me 2 features more significant alterations to arrangements and instrumentation, allowing for strikingly seamless, consistent sequencing. That’s no easy feat given the varied recording dates and older technology used for source material.
The updated production and remixing of several tracks by Jochem van der Saag is sensational and adds modern appeal, but may prove slightly disappointing to fans who like creating “expanded playlists” of albums some of these songs were intended for.
While I haven’t heard all of the previous mixes for songs included, it is apparent that arrangements for “You Light Up My Life”, “Living Without You”, “The Rainbow Connection” and “When the Lovin’ Goes Out of the Lovin’” (a bonus track available only at Target stores) now carry few traces of the ‘sonic landscape’ of albums they were intended for.
The majority of selections on the first volume were highly theatrical even if they weren’t all outright “Broadway” songs. A recording of “Right As The Rain” that pre-dates her 1963 debut album is the only Broadway tune in this batch.
Instead, Release Me 2 puts focus on rare or unheard pop music efforts, half of which were recorded in the 1970s.
With respect to the rarities, four of eleven tracks have been easily accessible either as an alternate version (“Right As the Rain”, “I’d Want It To Be You”) or from VHS recordings of television specials uploaded to YouTube (“Be Aware” and “One Day”).
As a result, Release Me 2 holds fewer “why on earth was this shelved?” moments than its predecessor.
Nevertheless, after Streisand’s justifiably sad, angry and worry-filled 2018 album Walls, the light coming from the music choices and the multi-colored cover art options for Release Me 2 is more than welcome.
The album cover for Walls was instantly relatable and iconic, but I was as sad and angry about the state of affairs in America as Ms. Streisand, and the album was a tough listen.
I understood her headspace, and how it must have felt impossible to bypass reality and record love songs with a bit of rhythm (shortly before Walls was recorded, I read that was the initial intention).
Beyond feeling some of the original material needed ‘more time to cook,’ even listening to the songs tinged with glimmers of hope felt like I was piling on an already encroaching despair.
The re-recording of “Happy Days Are Here Again” was particularly upsetting. The idea of something cataclysmic happening and that deeply pained and even-more-cynical-than-the-original re-recording winding up as the final song of any Streisand album -ever- was, frankly, terrifying.
Terror averted, thankfully. Whew!
The choice to zero in on pop music for Release Me 2 makes for quite a palate cleanser. The instant I heard the pre-release snippet of the updated “You Light Up My Life”, it indeed felt like a ‘light’ had been turned back on.
Even so, Ms. Streisand and her A&R representative/Co-Executive Producer, Jay Landers, have located two classic pieces that enable her to continue commenting musically on the state of the world.
It was a seemingly prescient move to shelve two “anchor recordings” of this compilation for half a century or more, as they remain timely and high on social consciousness:
Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “Be Aware”, specifically written for Streisand, and “One Day (A Prayer)”, which began life as an instrumental theme composed by Michel Legrand for an independent film entitled The Plastic Dome of Norma Jean that Streisand asked her friends Alan and Marilyn Bergman to set lyrics to.
The arrangement for “Be Aware” is largely the same as heard on Bacharach’s 1971 CBS Television Special. Streisand feels more connected and impassioned in this studio recording than she appears in the special, and another major change is the rather ominous orchestration at the finale has been replaced.
As for why it was never included on any early ‘70s Streisand album, the sophistication of Bacharach’s choices for “Be Aware” may have clashed stylistically with other songs on just about any album of the era.
It might have fit comfortably on an unfinished album Streisand worked on in 1970 called The Singer. At a certain point Clive Davis, then head of Columbia Records, asked her to pause on that project and meet with producer Richard Perry, who guided Streisand towards her first true dip into pop-rock music waters, Stoney End.
A track from the Stoney End sessions, Randy Newman’s “Living Without You”, is included on Release Me 2.
Streisand has often admitted her trouble “singing on the beat,” but she had a particular struggle with Newman’s songs. Whether it’s this track, “I Think It’s Going To Rain Today” (which appeared on the first Release Me) or even “Let Me Go” on Stoney End, the struggle was real, whether it was rhythmically or going slightly out of tune here and there.
Although ‘the actress who sings’ is on full display in “Living Without You”, I also feel her in a battle between her own style and Newman’s idiosyncratic form. It’s not bad, but probably would have been better if she had been able to extend or prolong certain phrases.
Part of the problem may have been the choice to keep the arrangements for material by then up-and-coming songwriters like Newman, Joni Mitchell and Laura Nyro far away from Streisand’s then well-established 1960s orchestrations. The opposite approach proved unsuccessful with the album that preceded Stoney End, What About Today? (which time has been kind to).
Streisand fared much better with Carole King songs. Her recordings of King’s “No Easy Way Down” and “Being At War With Each Other” are favorites, as is an unreleased home recording of Streisand rehearsing King’s “You Light Up My Life”, among other songs like “Everything Must Change”, “On Broadway,” and a fascinating R&B monstrosity called “(It’s a Funky) Type Thang”, for potential inclusion on 1974’s ButterFly.
I assumed “You Light Up My Life” never made it past rehearsal stage, and given some comments Barbra has made about ButterFly (see the “Coda”), I was surprised any cut material would be considered!
“You Light Up My Life” exemplifies the progress Streisand made with respect to navigating pop music. The updated arrangement makes it sound fresher than it may have in 1974 and gives the song decent potential as a radio single. I’m extremely glad it’s been included.
I’ll likely have more lasting affection for Streisand duetting with Willie Nelson on “I’d Want It To Be You” than the version with Blake Shelton on 2014’s Partners.
The song was initially designed for Willie with Barbra, and the affection seems more authentic, even though the recording is an example of how artists unable to work together in person can affect the outcome.
I can only imagine how much better it would have been if Barbra and Willie were in a studio together, or ‘Zoom’ had been available at the time so they could see and play off each other.
Frankly, it seems a little unfair to Willie to put this version in “competition” with the previous release, especially since he’d professed wanting to sing with Barbra for years. For that reason, I wish they’d held the song entirely until now (no offense, Blake!).
Streisand’s talent is so exceptional that when I read she knocked out a vocal in one take it doesn’t really surprise me. Even so, the one-take “Sweet Forgiveness” is particularly astonishing, considering the clock was running out for studio time and everything must have felt rushed.
Recorded at the tail-end of a session for “Ordinary Miracles”, a song Barbra debuted during her 1994 The Concert tour, “Sweet Forgiveness” gives Streisand the kind of rich, theatrical setting she thrives in, which supports her in giving a quintessential vocal performance.
Whether it was ever considered for inclusion during the ‘94 tour is unclear, but it would have fit nicely into the narrative of the first act had Streisand wanted an alternative to the Garland classic, “The Man That Got Away”.
“Sweet Forgiveness” is so good that it is surprising it was not used as a “non-album B-side” to the “Ordinary Miracles” single.
Despite its breathtaking quality, it’s understandable why it was never included on any Streisand pop album post 1994: she found herself in a happy partnership and stopped recording ‘strained relationship’ material unless it was something she could ‘act’ from a Broadway show or a movie!
I first heard the stirring “One Day (A Prayer)” in April 1990 when Barbra participated in ABC’s The Earth Day Special, and fully expected the song to turn up on her next album.
A few years later I was shocked to learn why it never did: “One Day” was recorded in March of 1968!
I knew her performance was lip synched (and close to the most unfortunate lip sync of her career), but considered myself fairly adept at knowing the ‘stages’ of the Streisand voice. The fact that Barbra didn’t actually record “One Day” in 1989 or ’90, and I couldn’t tell, was a mind blower!
I assumed it was entirely new, especially since elements of Bernstein and Sondheim’s “Somewhere” (then a relatively recent addition to Streisand’s classics) were included in the mix.
When I heard the pre-release “single” of “The Rainbow Connection”, Jim Henson and Kermit the Frog’s immortal classic from The Muppet Movie, I wasn’t entirely sure it suited Barbra or needed to emerge from the vault. The choices seemed too exact, as if she was “trapped” by song structure.
Although she alters the melody in interesting ways, I suppose I was expecting a reinvention similar to the wonders she did with “Tomorrow” from the musical Annie.
Listening to the full album, and hearing the stark contrast between the maturity of the “One Day” vocal followed by the innocence of “The Rainbow Connection”, I reconsidered.
Even if she may have intended to do more work on the song before other material for the Wet album replaced it, the almost childlike choices work perfectly and once again turned out to be unconsciously farsighted. Over 40 years later, the judgment call made in 1979 allowed her engineer to smoothly integrate Jim Henson’s Kermit to a point it sounds like Henson and Barbra actually did record together!
“If Only You Were Mine” is a cute little ‘Tin Pan Alley-esque’ tune cut from 2005’s Guilty Pleasures, Barbra’s second album with Barry Gibb as producer. It’s kicky and fun, but clearly a track intended to be a “bonus” as opposed to part of that album’s flow.
While the version of “Right As The Rain” was technically never released and thus fits the criteria, perhaps a song never released in any form could have taken its place.
The closer on the standard version of Release Me 2 is “Once You’ve Been In Love”, another piece that began life as a Michel Legrand instrumental, this time for the film One Is A Lonely Number. Alan and Marilyn Bergman once again provided lyrics at Streisand’s request.
The 1973 recording sessions Barbra engaged in with her lifelong friends and collaborators were exceptionally fruitful and produced some of the most sumptuous music of Streisand’s career, most of which never saw the light of day outside of compilation albums like this!
During these sessions, Barbra was recording material for the Bergman’s and Legrand’s song cycle tracing the life of a woman from birth until death, but she recorded at least two songs outside the cycle: “Once You’ve Been In Love” is one of them. The other, “The Smile I Never Smiled”, which may (sadly) be the final song released from these sessions, has presumably been held back for a future volume.
The fact that the song cycle was never completed is a disappointment. Having heard the cycle performed by Natalie Dessay and conducted by Legrand, it’s impossible not to hear how tailor made it was for Streisand. I feel it would have been as much a masterwork as Yentl.
The “tone poems” that open and close the cycle may have been viewed as too esoteric for a record, but I imagine what Streisand could have done visually with the material as a television special instead of Barbra Streisand…and Other Musical Instruments, which was created the same year.
Still, it is beyond exciting to have any “new” recording featuring Streisand singing against a lush and sweeping arrangement conducted by Michel Legrand.
At the time of the original Release Me, it was noted that one or two more volumes might follow. In a recent interview, Streisand says Jay Landers told her she may have enough for eight releases.
No matter the count, as I’m aware of several significant recordings that are not included on Release Me 2 due to the focus on pop music, it will not surprise me if a future volume focuses exclusively on Broadway material. Keep your ears peeled!
Until then, enjoy this sparkling second stroll down Barbra Streisand’s musical memory lane.
(*fans will know).
— — — — — — — — — — — — —
A “CODA”
The appearance of “You Light Up My Life” and “When the Lovin’ Goes Out of the Lovin’”, and the pop music focus of Release Me 2, gives me an opportunity to put a spotlight on two Streisand pop oriented albums that tend to be referred to as the “nadirs” of her recording career, ButterFly and Emotion.
Interestingly, they were released ten years apart (1974 and 1984).
In 1992, during an interview with Larry King, Streisand was asked which album she’d remove from the shelves if given the option. With little hesitation, she replied, “I think my album called ButterFly. I thought that was pretty lousy. I don’t remember the songs. I don’t remember doing it!”
More recently, in her interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music, Barbra indicated she didn’t think she was particularly happy at the time she recorded “You Light Up My Life” (and I assume by extension, ButterFly).
At the time of the release of ButterFly the “rumor mill” felt Streisand was sacrificing her artistic integrity by letting her then-new boyfriend, Jon Peters (later a mogul, but considered ‘just a hairstylist’ at the time), produce the album.
Bearing that in mind, I’ve found Barbra’s statements about ButterFly somewhat revealing. The album gatefold photography, song choices and her vocals indicate she was very much in love (and friskily horny, I might add!), but maybe all was not as well as it appeared.
I first heard ButterFly in 1980; I was 9 or 10. At that age, I didn’t know from the idea that any music was “beneath Streisand’s talent.” Obviously, as an adult, I can understand the criticism.
While ButterFly may not be one of the greatest Streisand albums ever made, it is terrifically playful.
“Love In the Afternoon,” “Guava Jelly” and the latter portion of “Let the Good Times Roll” are some of the sexiest and most sensual material she ever recorded, and her versions of Paul Williams’ “I Won’t Last A Day Without You” and Graham Nash’s “Simple Man” are superb. The string arrangement on the former may be the most beautiful I’ve ever heard as part of a pop song.
Then there is Emotion, which has the reputation of being the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ and pushed Barbra to make The Broadway Album. In 1985, she was quoted, “Anyone could have done the songs on [Emotion] as well or better than I could have done them.”
That assessment may only be accurate to degrees.
Again, as a teenager in 1984, I didn’t know from “this material is beneath her.” I just loved the “80s grandiosity” of “Left In the Dark” and “Make No Mistake, He’s Mine” (a duet with Kim Carnes). I loved the kick of the title track and really loved the primary hook and fusion of “When I Dream.”
The ballad “Clear Sailing” is haunting and heartrending. “Best I Could” and “Heart Don’t Change My Mind” are killer (the latter probably should have been the first single), and even though people may consider “You’re A Step In the Right Direction” (co-written by Streisand with John Mellencamp) the most ridiculous thing she ever recorded and a prime example of her issues singing on the beat, it’s great fun!
I was quite excited that “When the Lovin’ Goes Out of the Lovin’”, an outtake from the Emotion sessions I’ve been familiar with for about 25 years (and my first experience of “why wasn't this released?!?!”), was going to be included on Release Me 2.
Although most of Release Me 2 features radically altered mixes, I was still caught off guard by the changes made. Most of the “80s and Emotion-ness” of the original mix has been scrubbed, which makes sense, but I miss it!
The drums aren’t as heavy, electric piano has been replaced with acoustic guitar, there are fewer instances of dreamy harps and guitar slides, the backing vocals are reduced and the fluttering synths when she hits the heights are gone!
The reinvention is quite remarkable, it’s just much different than I’m used to.
I find it interesting that there is no mention or background given for the track in the liner notes for the Target edition.
Perhaps I should not be surprised. No matter how much I, and other fans, may have ’80s nostalgia and love for Emotion, it is one of the few albums in Streisand’s catalog that has never been given a proper remaster, as the general public in 1984 didn’t go for it and it tends to be known as “the album that pushed Barbra back to Broadway.”
