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The Movie Album (2003)

Catalog Number(s):

• CK 89018 (CD only) [Buy From Amazon.com]
• CK 90742 (CD / DVD) [Buy From Amazon.com]
• CH 90748 (SACD) [Buy From Amazon.com]

[Above: The cover of the SACD Surround Sound album. Order the SACD at Amazon.com by clicking here >>]

Tracks

1. Smile [4:16]
   music by Charles Chaplin; lyrics by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons (Modern Times, 1936)
2. Moon River [3:41]
   music by Henry Mancini; lyrics by Johnny Mercer (Breakfast At Tiffany's, 1961)
3. I'm In The Mood For Love [4:01]
   music by Jimmy McHugh; lyrics by Dorothy Fields (Every Night At Eight, 1935)
4. Wild Is The Wind [4:12]
   music by Dimitri Tiomkin; lyrics by Ned Washington (Wild Is The Wind, 1957)
5. Emily [3:45]
   music by Johnny Mandel; lyrics by Johnny Mercer with additional new lyrics by Alan & Marilyn Bergman (The Americanization Of Emily, 1964)
6. More In Love With You [4:41]
   music by André Previn based on his score; new song lyrics by Alan & Marilyn Bergman (The 4 Horsemen Of The Apocalypse, 1962)
7. How Do You Keep The Music Playing? [5:08]
   music by Michel Legrand; lyrics by Alan & Marilyn Bergman (Best Friends, 1982)
8. But Beautiful [5:34]
   music by Jimmy Van Heusen; lyrics by Johnny Burke (Road to Rio, 1947)
9. Calling You [4:57]
   music and lyrics by Robert Telson (Bagdad Café, 1988)
10. The Second Time Around [4:33]
    music by Jimmy Van Heusen; lyrics by Sammy Cahn (High Time, 1960)
11. Goodbye For Now [2:48]
    music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim (Reds, 1981)
12. You're Gonna Hear From Me [4:06]
    music by André Previn; lyrics by Dory Previn (Inside Daisy Clover, 1965)

Individual track credits:

(mouse and click on each song to reveal the credits...)

About the Album

• Released October 14, 2003
• SACD Released December 9, 2003
• Executive Producers: Barbra Streisand & Jay Landers
• Recorded & Mixed by: David Reitzas
• Recorded at: Sony Pictures Studios (Culver City, CA); Grandma's House (Malibu, CA); The Hop (Studio City, CA).
• Album Project Coordinator: Allan Stein
• Photography: Front Cover: Terry O'Neill; Additional Photos: Annie Liebowitz
• Art Direction: Nancy Donald, Mary Maurer, Hooshik Bayliss
• SACD authored by Woody Pornpitaksuk at Sony Music Studios, New York
• Album Notes: Jay Landers & Richard Jay-Alexander
• Barbra's Dedication: “This album of movie songs is dedicated to my friend, Gregory Peck ... a screen legend ... who in real life possessed all the humanity and dignity he brought to his career-defining roles.”

In 1986, Barbra Streisand said she wanted to make an album of songs from movies during her One Voice concert right before she sang “Over the Rainbow,” from The Wizard of Oz.

Recording sessions for The Movie Album, Streisand's 60th album, commenced in spring 2003 with Sony Pictures Studios again hosting on its Culver City, California scoring stage with custom facilities for Barbra, who sang live with a 75-piece orchestra. Basic recording continued into July, which was followed by additional recording and mixing primarily at Barbra's Grandma's House home studio in August.

Streisand told the press that she's collected songs for 2003's The Movie Album for years. “As I heard a song from a movie, I'd say to Jay [Landers], ‘Where's the list I've been giving you?’ I call him up and say, ‘Just get me the sheet music and just put it away for when I say I'm going to make this album.’”

Ms. Streisand co-produced three tracks—“Moon River,” “How Do You Keep the Music Playing?,” “Calling You”—with Robbie Buchanan and one track—“Emily” with the legendary composer/arranger Johnny Mandel. All the songs on The Movie Album were recorded with full-band accompanied by 75-piece orchestra(s). Arrangers on the album included Johnny Mandel, Jeremy Lubbock, Jorge Calandrelli, and Robbie Buchanan. The Movie Album's booklet included song-by-song annotations by Ms. Streisand, who dedicated the album “...to my friend, Gregory Peck, a screen legend who in real life possessed all the humanity and dignity he brought to his career-defining roles.”

Streisand engaged Marilyn and Alan Bergman to craft “More in Love With You,” an instrumental piece, into a song by adding lyrics. Streisand, as a producer of the album, was conscientious about her budget, too. “But let's take the intricacy of the arrangement of ‘More in Love With You’: Since it was never a song before,” she explained, “it took the whole [recording] session to do the orchestra, so I was left with three takes on my vocal. That's it. Because I'm the producer and don't want to spend an enormous amount of money.”

Streisand dedicated the song “Smile” to her precious Bichon Frise dog, Sammy, who passed away when she was recording the album. “Smile” was adopted as an anthem by the Humane Society of the United States. “I was very flattered that The Humane Society of the United States wished to use this song for this purpose,” Streisand said. “I’m a great admirer of The HSUS’s efforts to improve life for animals, and to assist those who love—and eventually lose—pets who become so much a part of their families. The song brought me solace and if it does the same for others, that will be a very great reward.”

The Movie Album debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard charts, which was Barbra's highest-ranking album since 1997's Higher Ground.

A special collector's edition deluxe Digipak (#CK 90742) contained the standard CD and bonus limited edition DVD featuring video performances of Barbra recording “I'm In The Mood For Love” and “Wild Is The Wind,” and a 7-minute audio-only interview (recorded August 13, 2003) with Barbra reflecting on the history of the songs, the movies they came from, and the creative process that shaped the album.

The Movie Album was also released as a SACD (Super Audio CD)—Barbra's only album in that format. The hybrid format contained three versions of the same album: CD standard stereo; SA-CD stereo, and SA-CD multichannel surround sound. Of course, to hear the surround mix, it was necessary to own a SACD player.

The Electronic Press Kit for The Movie Album:

Barbra's Press Interviews for The Movie Album:

• USA Today: Streisand does 'Movie' tunes her way
• Reader's Digest Interview with Streisand
• NPR (listen online) “Barbra Streisand on Singing, Music and the Movies” Her 60th Album is a Collection of Songs from the Big Screen, by Susan Stamberg
• Genre Magazine: Interview

Mark Iskowitz, of The Barbra Streisand Music Guide, wrote:

[...] beginning October 14, fans sent in reviews from the world over to barbrastreisand.com for posting on its Reviews pages. Every fan review posted to the site was considered for the "Movie Album Review" contest in which two fan reviews were chosen in April 2004 to receive publication in a New Yorker magazine ad that month. On October 22, Barbra posted the following message of appreciation:

“I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have so kindly sent in your reviews of The Movie Album. I'm reading each of them in its entirety, not just the shortened version on the website, and I want to say very personally how humbled I am by the eloquence and graciousness of your response. They all touch me very deeply. I'm not in the habit of reading all of the media reviews, but your thoughts - the thoughts of the people I make records for - are very meaningful to me ... thank you.”

Winners: Linda Goldstone & Danny Gerstein.

Streisand, who was not a judge in the contest, noted that, had she been, “I would not have been able to decide. Each entry was elegant and gracious and had true critical merit. I'm not in the habit of reading all of the media reviews, but the thoughts that were submitted—the thoughts of the people I make records for - were very meaningful to me and touched me deeply.”

Billboard Charts

The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine.

• Debut Chart Date: 10-25-03
• No. Weeks on Billboard 200 Albums Chart: 14
• Peak Chart Position: #5 (162,00 units)
• Gold: 11/18/03

Gold: 500,000 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.

Grammy Nomination

• Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album Nomination: The Movie Album

Album Cover Outtakes

Terry O'Neill photographed Streisand circa 1992 holding a Mark IV viewfinder. O'Neill's photo received a digital makeover for 2003's Movie Album cover. It appears that Streisand received a new digital hairdo.

Another shot from that session:

Inside The Movie Album booklet were photographs of Streisand in a pinstriped suit, shot by Annie Leibovitz on a movie studio backlot, probably circa 1991 or 1992. Leibovitz's outtakes are below:

And below is an Annie Leibovitz outtake from the CD's back cover:

End.

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