Some Masterful Compositions and Some Rich, Unbelieveable Voc
Leopold | Massachusetts | 01/20/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
""By The Way," "You and I," and "Widescreen" have become three of my favorite Barbra songs of all time. And that's saying a lot, because I love many of her songs. I first became aware of Ms. Streisand in the late '70s, when I was in junior high school, you know, the "Main Event," "Enough Is Enough" period. So, emotionally, I identify more with this period of her career (the 70s). I felt that technically she could vocally do what she could do when she was in her 20s, but their was an added richness and depth that comes with age -- There were vocal nuances and subtleties that only come with years.
As a liner-note, it's interesting, I thought that her foray into disco began in 1979 with "Main Event." However, "Shake Me, Wake Me" could be considered early disco. It's a likeable, infectious song.
-Thanks
"
Nope.
ladylove | 12/01/2009
(2 out of 5 stars)
"This album really doesn't work. I've been a life long Babs fan and have most of her records. The gap in my collection is most of her 1970's output. I recently purchased this on amazon because I hadn't heard it in a long while and read some of the positive reviews. So I played it a couple of times and realized it's just as bad as I remember it. For me, the only songs that work are Lazy Afternoon, which is really superb; Moanin' Low is fun, but suffers from a clunky arrangement; and A Child Is Born, which I have always enjoyed.
I think that Barbra was in a state of confused musical identity during much of the 1970's and was really grasping at straws for most of the decade. This album suffers from sub-standard material and really crappy arrangements. Why, oh why did she waste her time with Rupert Holmes??????? Most of the album is a throw away, in my opinion. I think that Stoney End and The Way We Were studio album are her two best from that era."