well, it feels like a little while since i wrote of the wonders of barbs here. probably, at a guess, the last time i did so was when she gone done that quite smart walls album, on (or in) which she laid down what she felt was wrong with the world. or america, which to her is pretty much same difference, look you see. it is not that i have abandoned barbs since then, i just have not had reason to write of her wonders.
until, of course, now. some patience, and it feels perpetual seeking, has seen me procure, or get, not one, and not as many as three, but 2 (two) albums off of streisand. at a cost, as the title goes, of a cumulative if not of actual terms amount lower than four pounds (sterling). this isn't to say barbs should be bought purely on the cheap, but if you can in this day and age, do.
just which tapes (discs) of streisand did i obtain? well, one is close to being "new" or at least her most recent, whereas another is one from many a year ago that i wasn't immediately aware of. both, it is worth noting, were new to me, and thus so were "new" overall.
of the two, then, the most "new" (or recently released), as pictured here in the greater good and glory of course of Commodore 64 mode, is Release Me 2. i am reasonably sure, actually pretty certain, it got released late last year, possibly for the christmas (or thanksgiving, if american) market. the other appears to be called Live Concert At The Forum, and is a mere fifty (50) years old, being recorded as it was in 1972.
perhaps the most curious thing of these two albums is that both feature some sort of shenanigans related to puppets. well, muppets specifically. i think specifically. we shall see as we go, or will do if you keep reading that is, but is it that "seasame street" does or does not fall into the realm, or expanded universe to use the terminology of today, of the world of the muppets? for some reason i can recall Big Bird turning up in one (perhaps the first) muppets film, at the least.
anyway, a vague, kind of sort of look at each of these records. but yes, the cheapest which is the oldest turns out to be the best, if you are in a rush and cannot be bothered to read further.
there was a great deal of hoo ha and fuss when Release Me 2 got released, whenever that was exactly. as per earlier comments, i am sure it was "late" 2021. barbs herself went off to promote it. well, no, of course not went off as such, for barbs does not move unless she wishes. rather, then, she granted brief interviews with people, presumably on the tacit agreement that most of the interview would be spent with barbs being told how wonderful she is and that she is the best, and barbs being unassuming and modest with this whilst agreeing with some enthusiasm.
generally yes, then, i suppose i am a bit thick and don't learn lessons in any immediate way, but with barbs releases of late i have learned to be patience. for some reason, and i would suspect this is more by decree of barbs than by optimism of the record label, whenever she has a new record out somewhere around thirty million (or billion) copies get pressed. this generally exceeds the level of demand for any form of barbra streisand record.
my learning, then, is to wait a little bit when she releases a record. unless there's a birthday or something, and i can suggest it to someone as a potential gift. with so many copies pressed, and normally the price being ridiculously above the standard for a tape (disc) on release, just wait a few months and you can normally pick it up new and cheap. so, some six or seven months after it came out, i was able to get it "new and sealed" for south of £3.70 off the virtual car boot of the internet.
just what is Release Me 2? well, it seems that during "lockdown" for the plague barbs went through her own personal vault of recordings to see if there were any tunes worth sellotaping together to make a rudimentary album out of. apparently, according to her, there was. so what you get is basically ten songs recorded over the last 60 (!) years, running for just a bit over thirty minutes. and let me stress that the running length of an album is no guide to quality; most of the albums of The Beatles were around this length too. but believe me this is no Beatles record.
it's kind of an ok (or all right) collection of songs, but the problem is there's no real consistent feel, theme or vibe. which is what happens when you have a compilation of this nature. a greatest hits, for example, might feature no thematic link, but there's usually an outstanding pop "hook" on each. to borrow an infamous Monty Python bootleg (or sorts) title, this appears to have been all hastily cobbled together.
any stand out, or outstanding, moments? well, from what i recall (and my memory does struggle with things as recent as last year) there was a lot of fuss about Sweet Forgiveness, with this being punted as a variation on whatever a "single" is these days. i would say yeah, that comes close to being classic barbs. overall, though, it is a collection of random songs which are not bad, and also a "duet" with no less than kermit. that's kermit the frog out of muppets, and not kermit out of Black Grape. had this tape (disc) featured barbs doing a duet with that kermit, or any member of Black Grape, this review would be very different. ultimately, this will not get played much. but the packaging and linear notes are beautiful.
considerably better, then, is Live At The Forum. well, no, it does not have quite so much in the way of beautiful packaging, but does have some interetsing linear notes. for provenance, and to balance the cost, i spent all of 19p on this in a charity shop. likely 20p, as i would have advised them to keep the penny offered in response to the twenty pence coin presented.
live albums are always a "risk" purchase. yes, even at the price paid. sure, there are some absolute classic, great live albums, with the greatest of all (ever) being The Who Live At Leeds. closely followed by Frampton Comes Alive. most, though, are poor recordings, or overdubbed in the studio so much that they are barely "live" any more. happily, and surprisingly, this is brilliant. i mean, wow. what a lovely, wonderful, clean and frankly crisp (hello, Faye) sounding recording. add to this a superb selection of songs and the fun bits of barbs speaking and, well, i have played this a few times already.
what one gets here is perhaps not what one would expect of barbs. a very, very brief review of the record, and one that would be a tremendous selling point for any re-issue, is that this is the sound of barbs getting stoned on stage and singing sesame street songs. yes. no, really. a wonderful moment in the record is when barbs is busy with a joint and says to the audience "what do you mean it's not legal". i am not sure if this is a general observation, or just barbs wondering why anyone would trouble her with trivialities such as laws that she has always been well above and beyond the reach of.
the linear notes say that this concert, but not necessarily the Live At The Forum album, were all done as a fundraiser for someone or other that barbs expressed a wish to be president. on the same bill were James Taylor and Carole King, and yes i do wonder if their sets were recorded too. anyway, one may wonder why, exactly, they didn't just let barbs pick whoever she wanted to be president and let them crack on. this was an idea for many years, but was only ever put in place once, when she selected that bill clinton fellow. it did not go well, and barbs appeared to get bored of it all not long after.
overall, it is nothing short of difficult to select a highlight from Live At The Forum, except for the bit where she gets stoned and sings sesame street songs. this is a really, really good listening experience, a sheer wonder to have on the stereo. what you hear here is what makes so many people rush to the black market to sell their own liver, kidney or whatever so as to get tickets to be able to see her. or rather hear her, if someone has also had to sell an eye or two to get the tickets.
exactly how likely is it that barbs shall release more recordings in the not too distant future? i have no idea, but i would suspect, if given to speculation, that it is quite likely. as things stand, there are already more recordings of barbra streisand in existence than it is possible to listen to in one lifetime. this is true in particular when you stick to just listening to classic recordings on repeat.
actually no, f***, you know what, recently i have picked up three (3) barbs tapes (discs), and spent more than £4 on doing so. somewhere of late i found a copy of Love Songs on disc (not tape) in a charity shop, and bought it, even though i have the vinyl. presently i am not sure where i have put it, though, and it is not like i am going to go back and edit all of this to incorporate it.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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