Just For The Record... [Box]

Performer: Barbra Streisand
Artist: Judy Garland; Richard Rodgers; Louis Armstrong; Michel Legrand; Burt Bacharach; Barry Gibb; Ray Charles; Neil Diamond
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: A collection of 94 tracks, 67 of which are previously unreleased, with 2 discs devoted to the 1960's and 1 each to the 70's and 80's. The material includes recordings from her early nightclub act, award acceptance speeches, homemade tapes, early television appearances, B-sides of singles, outtakes from albums and excerpts from unfinished albums. Includes a 90-page booklet. Compilation producers: Barbra Streisand, Martin Ehrlichman. A collection of 94 tracks, 67 of which are previously unreleased, with 2 discs devoted to the 1960's and 1 each to the 70's and 80's. The material includes recordings from her early nightclub act, award acceptance speeches, homemade tapes, early television appearances, B-sides of singles, outtakes from albums and excerpts from unfinished albums. This version of JUST FOR THE RECORD is packaged in a jewel case rather than a box. Includes 48-page booklet. Compilation producers: Barbra Streisand, Martin Ehrlichman. As they evolved in the 1980s, retrospective box sets tended to contain a full complement of an artist's essential recordings, plus enough rarities to suggest the artist's inspirations and ambitions. Not all box sets conformed to this outline, however. Barbra Streisand was unusual, in that she had a large base of devoted fans interested in the minutiae of her career, and in that her entire recorded catalog remained in print. She had also worked with the same record company for her entire career and maintained her status as a frontline artist, so she had complete creative control over this retrospective. The result was a four-disc box devoted almost entirely to rare, previously unreleased material. Here and there, Streisand tossed in one of her most familiar recordings, such as the hit version of "People." But the overwhelming bulk of Just for the Record... was given over to homemade demonstration tapes, live recordings, television appearances, and outtakes from unfinished album projects, not to mention other special material. To Streisand's army of fans, that made it a delight, but practically by definition, that did not make it a great Barbra Streisand album unto itself. Unlike most boxed sets, this was not a one-stop shopping item that gave you the best and the rest of Barbra Streisand. That is not to say that there weren't some fascinating and terrific performances included. Especially notable was a set of eight songs recorded at a nightclub in 1962 and originally intended for Streisand's debut album. A duet with Judy Garland from her TV show and a rendering of "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" from a Las Vegas show were equally impressive. Nevertheless, Just for the Record... was an album to buy in addition to her hits collections and landmark albums, not in place of them. ~ William Ruhlmann If ever there were an artist deserving of a box set, it is Barbra. This 4 CD set contains 77 songs, 50 of which are previously unreleased. There are studio, live, demo and duet tracks along with a 92 page illustrated booklet written by Barbra. This set does not disappoint, covering her entire career and is comprehensive enough that the listener feels a strong grasp for the artist's work. The opening song, "You'll Never Know" was recorded on December 29, 1955 at Nola Recording Studios in New York City when Barbra was 13. "Keepin' Out of Mischief Now" begins no less than 8 tracks recorded live at The Bon Soir Club in The Village in 1962, which Barbra recalls as some of the happiest nights of her working life. Barbra shows her cultural side on "Hatikvah", featured in "The Stars Salute Israel At 30", an ABC-TV special. This box set is more than a large greatest hits collection; it is a glimpse into the artist's soul by the artist, as Barbra handpicks her fondest recordings for the world to share.

Q (2/00, p.103) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...a thing of wonder over nearly 100 tracks spread over 4 discs covering 1955-'88....the voice is as good as she thinks it is; the duets and forced banter with Judy Garland are spine-chilling..." New York Times (Publisher) (1/1/92) - "..an absorbing pop-historical document that includes some thrilling vocal performances.." New York Times (Publisher) (9/22/91) - "..a significant document of modern pop-music history ...What stands undiminished is her supreme dramatic command, her ability to take a flowery romantic ballad and make its sentiments seem ineffable, transcendent.."

When she emerged in a 1960s pop scene dominated by rock & roll, Barbra Streisand was a breath of fresh air to those nostalgic for the great Broadway-oriented pop vocalists of the past. Her stratospheric range and (initially) anachronistic taste in material made her the new Grande Dame of non-rock pop music. Along the way she experimented with the flavors of the day, from folk-rock to disco, but she always returned to the Great American Songbook for inspiration.

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