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United StatesThe Way We Were single version
All right, since I'm the first to post a new topic in this section, I'll bring up something that many fans have been wanting for a while.
Is Barbra ever going to release the hit single version of "The Way We Were" on CD? I'm not sure if she even remembers there's a difference. The single version used a completely different take of her vocal for most of the song. It's never been issued on LP or CD. I was disappointed it wasn't included on "Just for the Record." The album version was used on "Greatest Hits Vol. 2" and on every compilation since. I want what I heard on the radio back in 1974.
The most obvious difference is at the climax of the song... on the hit single, she sings, "Wheeenever we remeeember." On the album version, it's, "Whenever we-he re-me-he-hember."
I did a pretty good dub of the vinyl 45, but I would sure like to get this in digital format from the master tape.
Recently, the record companies have started a new "Digital 45" program in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the 45. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the original single versions of "The Way We Were," the 1964 "Funny Girl," "Our Corner of the Night," and other single versions previously unavilable in digital format were released as part of this program? I'm sure a simple call from Barbra to Sony could set this in motion.
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I think it would be really great if Barbra would release all of her singles/alternate versions of songs on an album. That way I can get rid of the 'scratchy' sounding copies made from the 45s themselves.
Agree:
A big, new CD collection of her singles would made my heart dancing !!!!
There are a lot of rare, good songs ( "he could show me" ...and others) which are never listen by the younger fans. (And the older fans have to accept all that scratches...LOL!!!)
Best Werner
What a wonderful idea! Hard to believe 50th anniversary of 45s coming up and Digital 45 sounds like a great project. Hope to see all of Barbra's singles on some type of compilation; hint hint!
There's a wonderful project in the works - which is a collection of unreleased / rare songs -- so hopefully some of those songs on your 'wanted' list will make it into the collection. Only time will tell!
Craig
BarbraStreisand.com
I hope so, Craig, because -- no offense -- we've been hearing there's a rarities collection in the works for at least five years now. Hopefully it'll happen before all her longtime fans kick the bucket, because I know that, with the healthy way I hear Barbra eats, she'll probably outlive us all.
Another thing I'd love to see is all her '60s albums remastered as mono / stereo twofers -- the complete mono and stereo mixes of each album on one CD.
I guess we'll have to wait until "Release Me" comes about to see.
I also would love to have Our Corner of the Night on CD.
I too would love to have the long-rumored rarities set. I never understood why record companies and artists sit on all their rarities. With record companies struggling so much, wouldn't a rarities set, especially for an artist of Barbra's stature, be a no-brainer? There's already a built-in fan base hungry for the material--it isn't like they would be investing in an unproven or unknown act. The fans of these artists (particularly Barbra's) are passionate about wanting whatever music and video they can get. I think this is one of the reasons why bootlegs have been in circulation so long (I'm not condoning their existence, just stating a fact).
It's nice to see that others notice those little differences. Can't wait for another collection, particularly older stuff!
When I was young and adventurous, I actually placed a long distance phone call to Sony Music and asked them about how they stored their masters and how their music had historically been released. The gentleman on the phone told me that when stereo first came out, Columbia did not use different takes for their stereo and monaural versions of their songs. Capitol on the other hand, used at least a few different takes of their Funny Girl Original Cast Album for their monoaural and stereo versions. The library near where I used to live used to have the mono original cast album and you can tell they are different takes. Maybe Capitol should release a double cd of both versions of the Broadway Funny Girl?
This is a great idea, but if it is any comfort to you, I am pretty sure that she will have fans long after we are gone.
I never even knew trhere was another version of TWWW...hhhmm, I havr the verison from the film and the one of the album. I thought that was it (except the live versions).
A rarities album is sooooo needed. Sony missed their chance with the 3rd CD on Essential, but I would love to hear One Day on CD and also the original song for Mirror. Also, the remixed to Night of my Life and the long lost Broadway 2 album which Barbra did not complete.
Yes, superbu, I have been waiting for the re-release of that radio version of more years than I can count.
And how about the "Second Hand Rose" version from the FUNNY GIRL film, "Stout-Hearted Men"/"Look," 'Frank Mills," the theme to film FOR PETE'S SAKE, the original singles to "My Coloring Book," & "Happy Days Are Here Again." etc.
There are still so many recordings unaccounted for, yet released by Barbra at one point in her career. I can think of so many others...“He Could Show Me."
Then of course there's "My Man" (originally "My Pa"), the Columbia Records release of "Before the Parade Passes By" / "Love is Only Love" which differ from the HELLO, DOLLY! film versions.
I can site the French and Italian versions of "Evergreen."
How about the instrumental version of "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," too?
The French singles, "Non ... c'est rie," "Les enfants qui pleurent" and "Et la mer." "America, the Beautiful" and "One Day" for 2 different TV specials.
The 12" versions of "Promises," "Emotion," and "Emotion (Instrumental)" would be nice, also.
2 outtakes from the A LOVE LIKE OURS cd are "Just Because" / "Let's Start Right Now" were a part of the Vince Gill duet cd-single in the UK and Australia. Hey, how about us?
In her own words, "I think [s]he's been holding out on us."
A great source for these titles is Matt Howe's "The Barbra Archives"
http://barbra-archives.com/index.html
I played bass on that single version and don't see it anywhere on the web. We did 32 straight takes on it at TTG with strings, full orchestra and with Barbra in the booth (Ami Hadani engineering), and then I decided to get off the simple bass line that was written and started to invent lines to frame the song better (like I was warned "not to do", was told just to read the part by Marvin, which was OK but the whole arrangement sort of just laid there)....and when I started to add bass notes, the drummer started to add a tiny bit and the song and hit-single came to life. That is what you hear on the radio all the time, is the hit-single which was the hot version....that's the truth. You can ask the songwriters Alan and Marilyn Bergman who were there at the time we recorded this at TTG, I am on the Musicians Union contract for this. Alan and Marilyn were always on the movie score sessions we did for their songs too with Quincy Jones and Michel LeGrand, and I specifically remember them on this session cut in Dec., I even had a conversation with Fred Smith who was running the tape for Ami...I hadn't seen Fred since our Keen Records together late 1950s with Herb Alpert, and Bumps Blackwell.