The Barbra Streisand Album
| The Barbra Streisand Album | ||||
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| Studio album by Barbra Streisand | ||||
| Released | February 25, 1963 | |||
| Recorded | January 23–25, 1963 | |||
| Genre | Classic pop | |||
| Length | 32:52 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Mike Berniker | |||
| Barbra Streisand chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Barbra Streisand Album | ||||
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| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  |
The Barbra Streisand Album is the debut album by Barbra Streisand, released February 25, 1963, on Columbia Records, catalogue CL 2007 in mono and CS 8807 in stereo. It peaked at #8 on the Billboard pop albums chart, and has been certified a gold album by the RIAA.
The album won Grammy awards for Album of the Year and Best Female Vocal Performance. In January 2006, the album was inducted in Grammy Hall of Fame.
Initially, Columbia label president Goddard Lieberson resisted signing Streisand to a contract, finding her style too close to the cabaret singers he disliked and too far from the understated approach of Jo Stafford or Rosemary Clooney, who recorded for the label in the 1950s. After exposure to a television interview of Streisand by Mike Wallace on PM East/PM West and pressure from associates, Lieberson relented and agreed to sign her. In Just For the Record..., Streisand indicated that:
The most important thing about that first contract - actually, the thing we held out for - was a unique clause giving me the right to choose my own material. It was the only thing I really cared about. I still received lots of pressure from the label to include some pop hits on my first album, but I held out for the songs that really meant something to me.
Despite Lieberson's early objections, Streisand would go on to spend her entire career to date recording for Columbia.
Initially Streisand's first album was to be a "live" recording. Streisand had made a name for herself performing at the Bon Soir nightclub in New York City, which attracted primarily a gay clientele. Her producer Mike Berniker brought a crew to the club to record Streisand accompanied only by the Bon Soir house pianist, Peter Daniels. These recordings were scrapped, although the cover shot for the album was taken during a performance at the Bon Soir.. Material from the Bon Soir sets later appeared on her CD boxed set "Just For The Record".
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Wikipedia