The Broadway Album 1985

The Broadway Album 1985
Barbra has often been at her best when she trusts and follows her instincts. After Emotion, Barbra decided it was time to do music that had meaning to her. She envisioned an album that would be a return to her roots, songs from the Broadway theater where she began her career. Columbia Records was dead-set against it; they tried to convince her to stick with pop/adult contemporary material, the Guilty formula. Barbra held firm to her conviction and began searching for material (with her then-beau Richard Baskin), coming up with enough theater songs for a double album. Columbia refused to approve that, despite Barbra's proven track record. She winnowed her selections down to a dozen gems, and working with co-producer Peter Matz's -- who'd worked with Barbra throughout the 60's -- they commenced making a magical album. In addition to turning to Matz, Barbra made another wise move: she reached out to Stephen Sondheim to ask if he'd be willing to re-craft some of his music for her.

The Streisand/Sondheim collaboration was a musical marriage made in heaven; the masterful cohesion of a brilliant interpretive artist with a genius composer and lyricist. The Sondheim songs are the creme de la creme on The Broadway Album -- "Being Alive," "Putting It Together" and "Not While I'm Around" -- and Barbra proved to be just the right artist for his complex music. But Broadway Album is more than Sondheim, it's Barbra finding new meaning in West Side Story's "Somewhere," and rejuvenating Rodgers and Hammerstein songs from The King & I  and Carousel ( "If I Loved You"). It's Barbra's brilliance through and through. With Yentl and The Broadway Album, Barbra's 1980's were high times indeed. Undiscovered gem: a hilarious "Adelaide's Lament" from Guys and Dolls

Putting It Together
If I Loved You
Something's Coming
Not While I'm Around
Being Alive
I Have Dreamed/We Kiss In A Shadow/Something Wonderful
Adelaide's Lament
Send In The Clowns
Pretty Women/The Ladies Who Lunch
Can't Help Lovin' That Man
I Loves You Porgy/Porgy, I's Your Woman Now
Somewhere

Click HERE to return to Barbra's Discography.