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Rating:  -
1977 - WOW! What a glorious and amazingly prolific year for Ms. Streisand it was. Coming off of the tremendous success of "A Star Is Born", both the film and its stupendously successful album, she blows everyone away with her follow-up endeavor ~ "Streisand Superman", an album that continues to build on her sure and strong grasp of contemporary "pop" which started with 1970's "Stoney End", continued with 1974's "The Way We Were" and "Butterfly", and advanced so magnificently with the aforementioned ASIB. Produced by Gary Klein, "Streisand Superman" was a major force in the year that saw the tremendous success of Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours", and Ronstadt's "Simple Dreams" (Gee, how wonderful and diverse pop music was back in the day when the like of all these three could chart in the top five in the same year!). The album opens with one of Streisand's most commanding & sexy recordings which should have been released as a single -"Superman", a grand, superbly sung ode to the strength and power of a "woman in love", continues with such deceptively simple and sensual performances such as "Baby Me Baby" (love the C&W twinge), "I Found You Love", "Answer Me", and the incredibly lyrical and moving "Love Comes From the Most Unexpected Places". "My Heart Belongs to Me" was a deserved major radio hit, and "Lullaby For Myself" speaks volumes on acting through singing, with a very telling lyric about the strengths and vulnerabilities of a woman who wants love in her life. However, the most majestic statement and powerful singing from Streisand just might be her definitive rendition of Joel's "New York State of Mind", which conjures up NYC in all its glory by a still little girl from Brooklyn (whether she wants to believe it or not!). This was the beginning of a new and different phase in Streisand's recording career, which would continue to astound with the commercial monsters of "You Don't Bring Me Flowers", "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)", and the commercially AND artistically successful "Guilty".
Luigi ~ NYC
Rating:  -
By the mid-1970s, Barbra Streisand was truly a one-woman media blitz, having conquered television with her highly imaginative specials, Hollywood with films that were almost always guaranteed top grosses at the box office, and finally pop music with one finely-crafted LP after another. Sure, consistency was not always the order of the day with regards to the latter, but you could always count on an affair that was every inch approved by Barbra herself. If that was how she wanted to hear her music, there was no reason why her fans should not either. 1977's STREISAND SUPERMAN was another link in this unbreakable chain.
Most of Barbra's 1970s albums were filled with various covers that were either great reinventions or interesting efforts, depending on the song at hand. SUPERMAN instead relies more on original songs heard here for the first time (Barbra even gets in on the act with credits on 2 songs).
The harder-edged rock sound she had dabbled in while filming her 1976 remake of A STAR IS BORN was sure to be held over onto her next album, and SUPERMAN does not disappoint (some songs were originally intended for the movie itself). For someone as constantly in the public eye as Barbra was back then, the anti-tabloid "Don't Believe What You Read" (which is one of the Barbra co-writes) fits in nicely. While not as fierce as, say, Michael Jackson's "Leave Me Alone", it does rank as one of Barbra's most energetic & defiant songs of her career. "Cabin Fever" seems to be a precursor to Donna Summer's (who of course would record with Barbra 2 years later) "Hot Stuff" & "Bad Girls" with a ballsy salute to not staying inside, but getting out there & doing something, for crying out loud.
In case the tougher side of Barbra was too unbelievable for some (and she was only marginally successful at turning up the volume), SUPERMAN still had plenty of softer treasures to remind us what Barbra always did best. The title track is perhaps too gimmicky to really work, but it still speaks to any listener looking for their own superhero to come rescue them (it probably took a pretty penny for Barbra to get the rights to use the Superman trademark).
Roger Miller's "Baby Me Baby" abandons the sweeping strings of most the album's ballads for a smaller jazz-based backdrop that is Barbra's most sensual number since "Love In The Afternoon". "I Found You Love" finds her strutting gently towards the disco with a tune that would not quite be at home in Studio 54, but believe me, you will feel the need to cut a rug.
The other Barbra co-write "Answer Me" is not really a terrible song, it just simply floats by in the 3 minutes it lasts without leaving much of an impression. Probably the only song on SUPERMAN that does not hold up with the rest (with it co-written by Paul Williams, this is probably the most likely holdover from A STAR IS BORN).
"My Heart Belongs To Me" was the album's big hit, reaching #4 on the Hot 100, along with topping the Adult Contemporary charts, and was truly the best representative of the album for a single. It was also perfect for Barbra's own independent nature with its theme of opening oneself up to love, but never feeling the need to give your heart to only one. Rupert Holmes' "Lullaby For Myself" (a leftover from 1975's LAZY AFTERNOON?) is similar in its reminder to the listener that before you can love anyone, you must love yourself first. With Barbra's passionate delivery of this song, it is clear she has no trouble with that (and I mean that sincerely, not acknowledging her half-deserved reputation for being difficult & perfectionistic).
The best-known covers come near the end of SUPERMAN, and show off the strengths Barbra has always had as an intrepreter. "Love Comes From Unexpected Places" was written by Kim Carnes when she was better known as a songwriter who had only minor success as an artist. This came 7 years before she & Barbra would team up again for "Make No Mistake, He's Mine", and it is said Barbra recording this song helped edge Kim further towards becoming a full-time singer who just happened to write her own material.
Billy Joel was finally making his way to headliner status in 1977 with THE STRANGER, and Barbra helped the cause of getting him there by covering "New York State Of Mind". A lifelong New Yorker herself, I cannot think of anyone else who could have covered this song this well. She may have conquered Hollywood & played to audiences around the world, but Barbra remains forever drawn to the city that is her home. This could have been a can't-miss follow-up single to "My Heart Belongs To Me", but unfortunately remains an album track worth searching after.
While STREISAND SUPERMAN may not have been Barbra's most groundbreaking album or her even most original, the fans appeared to have gotten their money's worth for the album peaked at #3 even with only one single release. It arrived only 7 months after A STAR IS BORN had been released, so Barbra Streisand was definitely a busy woman back then. Who was to say if she was running herself ragged & not taking a break once in a while? But as SUPERMAN shows, even with the workaholic attitude, a Barbra Streisand album could sound similar to the one that came before it, but never ever was it dull.
Rating: -
Streisand Superman is one of the best, there's no doubt about it. This album is one that many Streisand diehards argue as their favorite. While not mine personally, I must agree that this is one of the elite. It should also be noted that Streisand co-wrote some of the material on this record.
The track list... where to begin? The title song is gorgeous, and a strong opener for the album. "Don't Believe What You Read" immediately follows, which is my personal favorite on the album with its upbeat tempo and groovy riffs. I can't help but wonder if she had specific memories from her life in mind when writing it. "Baby Me Baby" is a gorgeous ballad, "Cabin Fever" is very similar to "Don't Believe What You Read" in sound, and Streisand's cover of "New York State of Mind" is almost better than the original, staying true to the original song while giving it that classic Streisand touch.
To me, Superman is the Pop version of People. There is variety in the track choices, but the cohesiveness of the album as a whole cannot be broken. Barbra sounds as beautiful as ever, and this album absolutely leaves your mouth watering for more. For those out there that are not real familiar with Barbra's work, this album is definitely an excellent indication of her recording career as a whole.
Rating: -
By the time Streisand Superman was released on June 14, 1977, Streisand was arguably the most powerful woman in show business. Six months prior, she had released A Star Is Born, which was her greatest box office film success to date. The accompanying soundtrack was Number 1 for six weeks, (the longest running Number 1 album of her career) which included her co-penned opus "Evergreen," which also earned her an Academy Award for Best Song after spending three weeks at the pole position on the Billboard Hot 100.
By 1977, Streisand was still delivering an album a year, but the fact that she delivered Superman just six months following A Star Is Born was extremely unusual, especially since the soundtrack was still riding high on the charts. The pop success of Streisand was now in full gear, and the songs on Superman were further proof that Barbra, a singer who barely scratched the pop singles chart a decade earlier, was now encroaching into new territory, and radio was finally embracing her. The press dubbed the six-month releases of A Star Is Born and Superman as "Streisand's one-two punch!"
There weren't many female singers (if any) that could release an album that carried a title such as "Superman" - and yet it seemed appropriate. Streisand was known for her chutzpah, and her pose on the album cover wearing a skimpy pair of white short-shorts with a tight white t-shirt emblazoned with the Superman logo seemed absolutely fitting. The title and the photo suggested that the queen of entertainment also had balls. And as successful as her career had been prior to '77, she seemed to have reached an even higher peak. It was fascinating to her fans and infuriating to her detractors.
Now that I've exhausted the packaging and multiple interior Steve Schapiro photos of the empowered Streisand, let's get to the music.
Streisand had finally delivered an entire pop album that was consistent and one that absolutely suited her. The songs ranged from pop ballads such as the hit single, "My Heart Belongs To Me" which reached Number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, to gorgeous sonatas including "Love Comes From the Most Unexpected Places," which was co-written by the prolific Kim Carnes, to rock and roll.
From the opening title track, Streisand's vocals soared so effortlessly above the clouds, that when she sang the lyric "I'm Superman" with such conviction, you believed she WAS Superman!
The entire album is so much fun; it's like cotton candy at a summer carnival. The only exception would be "Don't Believe What You Read." Even though the track was co-written by Streisand and the lyrics were terrific, elucidating the details of her life in the tabloids, the steely rock guitar chords absolutely lacked a hook while repeating a monotonous rhythm. On the other hand, one other song that was co-written by the songbird was the gorgeous ballad "Answer Me," which was originally written for A Star Is Born. Although, it didn't make the final cut to the film and soundtrack, it luckily ended up on this album.
Upbeat rhythms such as "I Found You Love" and "Cabin Fever" captured Streisand's playful side, and since she succeeded so well in this genre on "A Star Is Born" (despite what many critics said) it was a given that she continued to show off her versatility as a first rate vocalist that could capture just about every style of music.
Speaking of versatility, she even sang a brilliant cover of the Roger ("King of the Road") Miller country-tinged ditty, "Baby Me Baby." Two very bright highlights were the albums final two tracks, Billy Joel's luminous "New York State of Mind" and Rupert Holmes' divine ode to independence "Lullaby For Myself." Billy Joel was said to be "over the moon" with Streisand's dazzling rendition of "New York State of Mind" that he later commented, "My mother now knew I had made it because Barbra Streisand had recorded one of my songs." Barbra Streisand had made it alright. She had conquered just about every medium of entertainment; it was just a matter of time that she dominated the world of pop music. If I had to choose one word to describe Streisand Superman, it would be "confident." This is truly one of the best pop albums of Streisand's discography.
Rating: -
Good music, musical risk-taking, classic Streisand..for me this is her best.
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