The Barbra Streisand Album (1963)
Catalog Number(s):
- CS 8807 (LP, 1963)
- CK 57374 (CD)
This page: Tracks > About the Album > Grammy Awards > Billboard Charts > Remastered CDs > Cover Outtakes
Tracks
- Cry Me A River [3:37]
(A. Hamilton) - My Honey's Loving Arms [2:14]
(H. Ruby / J. Meyer) - I'll Tell The Man In The Street [3:09]
(L. Hart / R. Rodgers) - A Taste Of Honey [2:51]
(R. Marlow / B. Scott) - Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf [2:34]
(A. Ronell / F. Churchill) - Soon It's Gonna Rain [3:45]
(H. Schmidt / T. Jones) - Happy Days Are Here Again [3:04]
(J. Yellen / M. Ager) - Keepin' Out Of Mischief Now [2:11]
(A. Razaf / T. Waller) - Much More [3:02]
(H. Schmidt / T. Jones) - Come To The Supermarket (In Old Peking) [1:56]
(C. Porter) - A Sleepin' Bee [4:21]
(T. Capote / H. Arlen)
Individual track credits:
(mouse and click on each song to reveal the credits...)
Written by: A. Hamilton
Date Recorded: January 25, 1963 (Columbia Studio A, New York)
Written by: H. Ruby / J. Meyer
Date Recorded: January 24, 1963 (Columbia Studio A, New York)
Written by: Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
Date Recorded: January 23, 1963 (Columbia Studio A, New York)
Written by: R. Marlow / B. Scott
Date Recorded: January 23, 1963 (Columbia Studio A, New York)
Written by: A. Ronell / F. Churchill
Date Recorded: January 24, 1963 (Columbia Studio A, New York)
Written by: Harvey Schmidt / Tom Jones
Date Recorded: January 23, 1963 (Columbia Studio A, New York)
Written by: J. Yellen / M. Ager
Date Recorded: January 25, 1963 (Columbia Studio A, New York)
Written by: A. Razaf / T. Waller
Date Recorded: January 24, 1963 (Columbia Studio A, New York)
Written by: Harvey Schmidt / Tom Jones
Date Recorded: January 25, 1963 (Columbia Studio A, New York)
Written by: Cole Porter
Date Recorded: January 24, 1963 (Columbia Studio A, New York)
Written by: Truman Capote / Harold Arlen
Date Recorded: January 25, 1963 (Columbia Studio A, New York)
About the Album
- Produced by Mike Berniker
- Arranged and Conducted by Peter Matz
- Originally Released February 25, 1963
- Original Recording Engineers: Fred Plaut, Frank Laico
- Liner notes: Harold Arlen
- Art Director: John Berg
- Cover Photo: Hank Parker
- Remastered CD Released October 19, 1993
“When I first auditioned for Goddard Lieberson [Columbia's president]," Streisand related in 1964, “he said I wouldn't sell records, that I was much too special, that I would appeal only to a small clique who would dig me. But the first album went right on the charts, and the second one is on the charts too. Everyone was surprised. But I always knew it would happen this way. People were ready for me.”
After the abandoned Bon Soir live album, Streisand returned to the studio to record her first album for Columbia Records. “When I was looking for someone to arrange and conduct the album, I called Harold Arlen who recommended Peter Matz. This was the beginning of a long and creative relationship,” Barbra wrote in 1991.
Mike Berniker, who produced this and several other early Streisand albums said, “She's directed by intuition. She has a feeling of rightness. And her convictions are motivated by the best possible kind of taste buds. But she is guided intuitively in her choice of material and in her feeling for it.”
For the recording, Peter Matz told biographer James Spada: “We had very small combinations, just four or five instruments. That was because Mike Berniker, the producer of the album, said, ‘Look, we can't spend a lot of money on this, we don't know if this woman is going to sell records.’ And poor Mike, he was walking a tightrope between the upstairs guys, me and Barbra. He would go upstairs and tell them, ‘She's doing ‘Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf?’ and they would say ‘What!’ and he would come down to me and say, ‘Do you have to do that?’ And she'd say, ‘Yes, goddammit, it's on the album!’ Mike's job was a hard one, but he was very supportive ... and fought for her to have her way.”
Frank Laico, the engineer for the sessions, told author Shaun Considine how he recorded Streisand: “Her sessions were done on three tracks: one for the vocals and two for the band.”
Streisand and Mike Berniker, who produced the album, recorded it in three days: January 23, 24, and 25th, 1963. The only song recorded but not included on this album was “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.” Streisand and Berniker recorded it on two separate dates (including a later session on January 29th). They dropped it from The Barbra Streisand Album, but included it, instead, on The Third Album with a Peter Daniels arrangement.
John Berg designed the cover of Barbra's first album—with input from Barbra. Streisand chose Century Italic typeface for the album. The typeface became her trademark. Streisand used it on 19 other album covers!
John Berg also won a Grammy Award for his graphic design of the album cover.
Harold Arlen wrote the liner notes for The Barbra Streisand Album. They appeared on the back cover of the 1963 LP and inside the insert of the CD.
Grammy Awards
At the 1964 National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences’ Grammy Awards (recognizing accomplishments made by musicians in 1963), The Barbra Streisand Album was recognized as follows:
- Album Of The Year—The Barbra Streisand Album
- Best Female Vocal Performance—The Barbra Streisand Album
- Record Of The Year Nomination: “Happy Days Are Here Again” {Award went to Henry Mancini for "The Days of Wine and Roses"}
- Best Album Cover, Other Than Classical—The Barbra Streisand Album, John Berg, art director
(Photo, below): Streisand, with her Grammy, flanked by Steve and Eydie Gorme; Tony Bennet on right.
The Barbra Streisand Album was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame in 2006. The GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Award was established by The Recording Academy's National Trustees in 1973 to honor recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance that are at least 25 years old.
Billboard Charts
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine.
Here's the numbers for this Streisand album:
- Debut Chart Date: 4-13-63
- No. Weeks on Billboard 200 Albums Chart: 101
- Peak Chart Position: #8
- Gold: 10/16/64
Gold: 500,000 units shipped
Platinum: 1 million units shipped.
Note: The record company must submit an album to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) where it undergoes a certification process to become eligible for an award. The process entails an independent sales audit, which calculates the quantity of singles or albums shipped for sale, net after returns. The audit surveys shipments to the entire music marketplace, including retail, record clubs, television sales, Internet orders and other ancillary markets. Based on the certification of these shipments, a title is awarded Gold, Platinum, Multi-Platinum or Diamond status. The data here comes directly from official sources, mainly the RIAA online database.
CD Remasters
1987 CD Catalog Numbers:
- Barbra Streisand Album — 8807
- Second Album — 8854
- Third Album— 8954
Columbia released The Barbra Streisand Album and The Second and The Third albums on CD for the first time in 1987. Something went wrong with the sound on those three CDs, however. “There had been mention from Columbia Records that they couldn't find the original tapes but they put out the CDs anyway,” said Victor Bisio, a California-based recording engineer. “They were are the worst sounding CDs I ever heard. They were screechy and distorted. When she hit the high notes, it just shattered your speakers.”
All three albums were restored and remastered (along with new artwork) in October 1993 and part of Columbia Records' 11 Essential Barbra Streisand Releases. The master tapes were prepared for release by John Arrias (who put together the masters for Just For The Record). According to Columbia's publicity:
“The objective with each album was to restore the tapes to the quality of the original master recording. To do this in some cases, 30 years of noise had to be eliminated. John used his proprietary C.A.P. Noise Reduction System to eliminate hiss, distortion and noise. In each case great care was taken to maintain the integrity of the original albums.”
Columbia also recreated the packages using the original art or printing film.
Album Cover Outtakes
Columbia's staff photographer, Hank Parker, captured these shots (and more) of Streisand at the Bon Soir in November 1962. One of the photographs became the cover of Streisand's first album.
Parker and Streisand, apparently, also did some portrait work together to be possibly used as the cover of her first album. Below—very rare!—is one of the shots from that session.
End.
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