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"Guilty Pleasures" At Stores Now! Guilty Pleasures has gone Gold in the US with sales in excess of 500,000 units. This week on the Billboard Charts, the album is #39.
"Night of My Life", the 12-inch dance single, has reached #9 on the Billboard Dance charts. |
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(Above) The "Night of My Life" 12-inch vinyl dance mix. It has a simple black cover with an identifying sticker on the upper right corner. [Cat No: COLU 80392]
Kathie Lee Gifford interviewed Barry Gibb on "The Insider". View/Read Part I of Insider Interview
From Marilyn Beck's 9/19/05 column:
Barry Gibb's official site held a chat 9/10/05. Here's some info he shared on working with Barbra on the new album: <mosmyshiningstar> Barry why is the new album called Guilty pleasures in the USA but Guilty too in the UK <sylvia> About Streisand's album, again, did you have any influence of "Bossa Nova" (Brazilian music)? <barryn> Thank you for your excellent talents in writing Guilty Pleasures, will the 12th cut off GP ever be released? <Ena> What was the first song you wrote for Guilty Pleasures? <SueBee> How many songs did your son's help write/sing on Barbara's album? <barryn> Do you and Barbra plan on appearing on tv for promotion? The full transcript can be read at Bee Gees World.
Barbra's official site was updated 9/07/05 with a Media Player. Check it out >> The Media Player also contains the videos of "Above the Law" and "Hideaway". If you email a link to the media player to 5 friends, Columbia will send you an exclusive link to a stream of "Night Of My Life (Junior's Roxy Anthem remix)".Best Buy is offering the "Stranger In A Strange Land" single as an online bonus >>
 Here's the newest news on the album ... Barbra's new single, "Stranger In A Strange Land" is being given away for free at Barnes and Noble stores. Along with the single, they are distributing a "Guilty" and "Guilty Pleasures" bookmark. You can take the bookmark to a Barnes and Noble listening station, scan it, and hear selections from the new album. (Barbra Archives tip: Call your local Barnes and Noble to make sure they have the single before making a trip to pick one up. In Washington, DC, one store we called had the bookmarks, but not the singles. Another store had both.) The videos to "Hideaway" and "Above the Law" are up at AOL. Also, you can listen to the great tune, "Come Tomorrow". Follow this link >>
Barbra's Guilty Pleasures Blog Q&A's
Columbia Records has added a blog to Barbra's official site that focuses on Guilty Pleasures. Here are some of the Questions & Answers that were posted: August 29, 2005 Have there been lots of preproduction meetings or has it been a relatively easy process so far? We really only had one meeting to set the keys.
August 26, 2005 Since the last collaboration, Barbra has directed 3 major films, and all the many other artistic and life experiences. No doubt this will bring inspiration to what Barbra wants to bring to this new recording? I think everything I've experienced informs some other aspect of my creative process. The lyrics are Barry's, but when I sing them, I'm drawing from my own experiences. When someone listen to the record, they'll hopefully draw from their own life, and maybe they'll relate to the music in a way that is completely unique them. I didn't write "Evergreen" as a wedding song... but I'm always touched when someone tells me they proposed to their wife or they played the song as they were walking down the aisle. Listening to music can be a very personal experience. August 25, 2005 Will the album have a pop sensibility? I don't really think about labels like "pop" or "traditional," those are categories for record stores and Grammy committees. But I guess you could say that it's pop or at least "pop informed." How about that for new category!? We hope so! Part of the challenge in recording an album is to aim for something that will stand the test of time.
August 24, 2005 During "One Voice" in 1986 Barbra said that she loves Barry's voice ?] will they sing together again? On this new album, we sing a few duets, and I think our voices really compliment each other well. Through the years I've recorded a lot of duets with everyone from Louis Armstrong to Neil Diamond and Celine Dion. As a singer, it's very rewarding to find a great vocal partner, and Barry's one of my favorites. I love the airy texture of his voice. I really enjoy the process of discovering new ways to harmonize with another singer.
August 19, 2005 Is it a coincidence that it is exactly 25 years since the release of Guilty or is this something that Barbra has been thinking about for a while? I’ve always looked back on the “Guilty” album as one of the easiest, most pleasant recording experiences I’ve ever had. Barry just made the process a delight. Maybe because he’s an artist himself, he understands what it takes to be a producer for another singer. For the past two decades, most of my records like “The Broadway Album”, “The Movie Album” or “Love like Ours” were made with big orchestras and self-produced, so I thought it would be fun to work on a pop album again, with someone else at the helm. Six months ago, Barry and I spoke about getting together for this project….and it happened to coincide with the anniversary…so the timing was perfect. It’s given our reunion an extra special meaning, but it wasn’t something I’d really planned.
August 18, 2005 Will this be a thematic album? The songs cover a lot of ground, expressing thought about relationships, joy and fantasy.... There's a sonic continuity, because Barry's singing quite a lot of background vocals on the album, but it's not a concept like "The Broadway Album" or "The Movie Album.” The songs cover a lot of ground, expressing thoughts about relationships, joy and fantasy. Barry's lyrics are more impressionistic than the songs I usually choose to record, so I suppose in some ways, they can be interpreted in differently, depending on your personal experiences. And did Barbra want any themes explored or developed... and any lyrical concepts that Barbra had in mind.the romantic feelings aren't governed by any imposed law they're above the law!.... I was really more interested this time in hearing what Barry thought I should sing. When he was writing, he was trying to express thoughts and feelings that he imagined I'd relate to… things I'd want to say. I mentioned a few records that I liked the sound of, which he sometimes used as creative jumping off points. On the title song "Above The Law", I liked the gentle wink towards the title "Guilty"… sort of like after all these years…we've got nothing to be guilty of... we’re above the law! For a minute, we thought that might be a good name for the album. When Barry played me the rough demo, the song wasn't quite finished. As I was listening to it, I heard a counter melody in my mind and sang it to Barry. The next day, he’d incorporated it into the song…making it a duet. So that was very gratifying. When I write a song, it's usually out of necessity, like writing "Evergreen" for "A Star Is Born"…I just needed a song for the movie! So, I don't take the time to write as much as I'd like. It was lovely to collaborate with Barry in this way.
August 17, 2005 What was Barry's brief for this project? To start off, he wrote a few songs and sent them to me to see if they'd be something I'd like to record.... There was no brief. To start off, he wrote a few songs and sent them to me to see if they'd be something I'd like to record. They were really strong so I just encouraged him to write more! I told him how much I loved the sound of George Michael's song "Jesus To A Child" and asked him if he could try to write something in a Bossa Nova style. The next week he surprised me with "Golden Dawn", which is one of my favorites on the album.
'Junior' Remix! Looks like Barbra's getting a remix! Junior Vasquez's web site has listed Barbra Streisand, "Night of My Life" (Junior's Klear Remix) as his newest remix. The king of dance club remixes has worked his magic on the Gibb tune. Look for the 12-inch vinyl single to hit stores September 27th. 12-inch vinyl is a dance club DJ's favorite medium to mix dance tunes. The vinyl will be available in specialty record stores. Can you imagine a Streisand club hit? We'll bring you more info as it becomes available, including information on whether the remix album will be released on CD.
'Stranger' Single
Columbia Records has dispensed "Stranger In A Strange Land" to radio stations. Mark at BJS Music reports that "Stranger in a Strange Land", which is being offered as a free bonus disc to people who buy "Guilty Pleasures" at the Sony Music Store, will also be offered to some of the big "Super Stores" — look for it inside the brick & mortar stores (i.e. not online) in advance of the album's release date as a consumer incentive to pre-order. The free CD single contains the album version of "Stranger" and no other songs, has the same picture card seen recently with the radio promo CD, and will not be sold separately in stores before or after the album's release..
Videos Online The video, "Letting Go" debuted on Barbra's official site Aug. 23rd. Go to the site >> The videos ("Stranger" and "Letting Go") were filmed by reputed cinematographer Lazlo Kovacs. The filming was done in the state-of-the-art 24p Hi-Definition format. The studio location you see in the videos is the Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage at Columbia Studios. Also, a couple of Bee Gees web sites are reporting that Middle Ear Studio, the Gibb recording studio in Miami where both "Guilty" and "Guilty Pleasures" were worked on, is closing. "Guilty" was the first project at the studio, and "Guilty Pleasures" was the last.
Guilty TOO The UK version of the album will be named "Guilty Too". Despite what some online retailers are showing, Columbia Records confirms that the UK album will contain the exact same 11 tracks that the U.S. album contains.
Amazon Video "Amazon.com announced on 16 August it is hosting the world premiere of "Stranger in a Strange Land," the first single from legendary performer Barbra Streisand's forthcoming album "Guilty Pleasures." Starting today and for the next seven days, studio footage of Streisand performing "Stranger in a Strange Land" can be seen exclusively at Amazon.com via the Amazon welcome page (www.amazon.com) or the Amazon Music store...." (Read Entire Press Release >>)
Go to Amazon.com to view the video. Make sure you have Flash 7 (or higher) installed. Also, you may need to refresh your browser to see the video. Amazon has a special offer: Order Guilty Pleasures now and receive immediate access to an audio stream of three tracks from the album: "Hideaway," "Night of My Life," and "Without Your Love."Barbra sounds great! Official Press Release for "Guilty Pleasures" >> Watch for a new, special surprise on Barbra's Official Site, most likely on Monday. Order at Amazon:
Guilty Dual Disc The content of the upcoming GUILTY DUAL DISC (including the title of one of the new songs!) will be: 1. Interview (with Barbra & Barry)
More Gibb Album News The content of the upcoming GUILTY DUAL DISC 1. Interview (with Barbra & Barry) The disc is due in stores August 30th [New Date!]. You Barry Gibb commented on the new album with Barbra in "THE NEW ALBUM WITH BARBRA HAS ABOUT THREE WEEKS TO Make sure to check out Barry's *cool* site www.barrygibb.com Finally, a Beverly Hills columnist wrote the following:
Gibb Album Update One of the new Barry Gibb songs on Barbra's upcoming According to Bee Gees World and Gibb Service International, Barry Gibb wrote a song called "Letting Go" back in 1984 and included it in the soundtrack of a movie called "Hawks" four years later. Of the new album, Barry Gibb said, "Yes it is wonderful, she's in great voice and I think it’s a nice album." As for the title of the album, Gibb recently posted on his website: "We haven't chosen one yet." The cover photo for the album was taken by photographer Alberto Tolot, who also snapped the cover for Barbra's 1999 album, A LOVE LIKE OURS. Also, Barry Gibb will do a live chat this Saturday 16th July @ 1600 EDT (4PM Miami). www.barrygibb.com
Guilty ... New Dual Disc Due BSMG is reporting the details of the GUILTY Dual Disc, due in stores by August (be prepared for that date to be possibly pushed back, though). Check out the info at Barbra Streisand Music Guide.
Barry Back Home Barry Gibb has returned home to Miami where he will do more work on the new album. Sources tell the Barbra Archives that the videos they shot last week, pending Barbra and Marty's final approval, should be great. As the new album comes from Sony, it's very possible
(although not final yet) that it could be released in
Dual Disc format. Dual Disc is the new format used by
Sony (EMI, Universal and Warner, too). One side is the
Gibb Album Update As reported earlier today at the Streisand & Friends yahoo group, (1) They shot the cover yesterday (!!) Barbra wore several different outfits so they'll have a choice of one to use. (2) They shot 3 videos — 1 with Barry & Barbra, 2 with Barbra solo. Henar at Bee Gees World tells me that they will shoot one more video today (Saturday) in the studio. (3) My anonymous tipper says to tell the fans "she looks beautiful,sounds incredible and the album will be fantastic." At this point, Barry will most likely return to Miami to mix the album. Knowing Barbra, some re-recording could possibly happen. Also, based on the STAR IS BORN press release, it sounds like the GIBB ALBUM will debut around Sept. 20th, too.
Monday Gibb Update A source close to the production of the new album
tells The Barbra Archives that Barbra and Barry are
currently still recording the new album. It is an Other album business, such as working on the cover, is proceeding as well, although nothing's final at this point. Barry Gibb's site is busy plugging the album too, and is featuring a rare photo of Gibb and Streisand from the Guilty album. More updates are coming next week.
More Gibb News Gibb is in California working on the Barbra Streisand album. Barry will return to Miami in about three weeks. Two tid-bits from one of the Bee Gees fansites: (1) - "Barry was officially welcomed back to the city of North Miami [Florida] by councilman Scott Galvin on April 22 because he'd come back to The Hit Factory Criteria, formerly known as The Criteria Studios, where the Bee Gees worked in the past. Now Barry is coming back there to produce the new album for Barbra Streisand." [NOTE: Barbra lives in L.A. and Barry lives in
Florida. Obviously, they will meet face-to-face at the
Streisand Scoring Stage in Culver City to record the (2) - "Next week [week of May 23] Barry will be leaving for L.A. to work on the recording of the new Barbra Streisand album. The recordings in California will take several weeks."
Barbra & Barry Album Guilty Again? See Barbra's own site for a news release about working with Barry Gibb on a new album, due out in September. Barry will travel to L.A. to record the album with Streisand in May.
Billboard Reports on Gibb Album Billboard magazine reported that Barbra and Barry Gibb are in the studio working on the new album. "They're collaborating and writing," a source told Billboard. "We don't know where it's going to lead yet, but we're optimistic."
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