Product Description

Released in September 1980, GUILTY was Barbra Streisand's best-selling album to date, moving in excess of 20 million units. It is Streisand's THRILLER and arguably her best recorded work. This is largely due to producer Barry Gibb, who developed the songs especially for Barbra, and whose vocal presence is felt throughout the record. "Guilty" (a duet with Gibb) is a mid-tempo smash that blends the superstars' vocals to create pop perfection. "Woman In Love" topped the charts for three weeks and features the trademark "chipmunk-like" Gibb on background vocals.
"Run Wild" is an uptempo numbershowing that there's no filler here. "Promises" is a mid-tempo track that sounds custom-made for radio airplay. "The Love Inside" features excellent keyboard arrangements while "What Kind Of Fool" (another duet with Gibb) is a ballad that proves Barbra and Barry were meant to sing together. Her vocals on the fast-paced, optimistic "Never Give Up" reveal such a calm demeanor that you can almost picture the relative ease with which this record was produced. This album is a perfect 10, two thumbs up, and proof of what can be achieved when talent and technology come together.

Track Listing

1. Guilty - Streisand, Barbra & Barry Gibb
2. Woman In Love
3. Run Wild
4. Promises
5. Love Inside
6. What Kind Of Fool
7. Life Story
8. Never Give Up
9. Make It Like A Memory

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4921 in Music
• Released on: 2000-07-17
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
In 1979, not content with being one-third of America's hottest recording act, Barry Gibb still had some songs to spare. However, perhaps fearing that the famous falsetto was already proving a little too ubiquitous, the hirsute Bee Gee hooked up with Barbra Streisand. Predictably, Guilty instantly became the singer's biggest selling album. With the Donna Summer duet "Enough Is Enough" still fresh in the folk memory, many expected Gibb's involvement to result in a full-on disco extravaganza. Gibb though, had already left the dance floor behind and, if anything, Guilty is best seen as a companion piece to the Bee Gees' beautifully introspective Spirits Having Flown album. "Guilty" and "Make It Like A Memory" are particular standouts, object lessons in pristine FM pop, whilst the Grammy-gobbling "Woman In Love" singlehandedly explains why Streisand insisted on posing in Gibb's embrace for the sleeve image. --Peter Paphides

Customer Reviews

DEFINATELY NO GUILTY PLEASURE
This is Streisand's masterpiece. No question. Written and produced by Barry Gibb this is a record full of beautifully crafted and arranged love songs and ballads. Babs penchant for big show tunes is kept in check and her pop vocal performances throughout are exceptional. Woman In Love was a UK number 1 but is in no way the strongest track here. Guilty, The Love Inside and My Life Story are gorgeous songs that sound as great today as they did nearly 30 years ago !
It's all about the voice and on Guilty she reached her zenith. The rest of the 80's and 90's would see Streisand record endless covers versions & show songs, perform the odd concert, take a few minor film roles and generally coast quietly into old age.
Watch out for Guilty Too though - its a poor and belated follow up - grab a copy of the 1980 original and enjoy.

cw

It's a classic!

Anyone who's read my other reviews may be surprised that I actually like this album a lot, but it's the subtle things beyond the artistes in the foreground that make this a classic and enduring collection of tracks, for me at any rate.

The BeeGees success at this time must have opened so many doors for the brothers Gibb and the opportunity to work with Barbra must have been one such chance for Barry, who's proved time and time again that he's an expert when it comes to compositions and production.

The songs are expertly composed and played and Barbra sings them with the ease and finesse only a truly great singer can, making it look very easy. The production is suitably sugary too, far nicer than real life, but perfect for the easy listening this record usually gets and emphasising the emotional way Barbra has with the songs, which is a shame in a way, because there's much to praise and enjoy behind the singing, in the arrangements, playing and the overall subtle mixing of the tracks.

I can't pick any particular track, just suggest that you put the CD or record on (doesn't matter which, they both sound the same) and kick back for three quarters of an hour or so and let the music wash over you. Listen to the backing band - how their input blends so well with the Barbra and Barry experience at the forefront.

I really do like and recommend this disc for the feel good tracks on the one hand and also the sad ones which are quite beautiful.

Go on, at this price everyone deserves to have this.....

A great collaboration
Put Barbra Streisand and the Gibb brothers together and what do you get, yes a number one album. What an album, from the cover to the music. Barbra looks just beautiful on the cover of this album. Lets go throught the songs, GUILTY (Duet with Barry Gibb) their voices combine really well together,(buy the ONE VOICE CONCERT and you will see them perform it live on stage together) WOMAN IN LOVE, Her last solo UK No'1 hit and what a beautiful song it was. RUN WILD was actually the B side to Woman in love and I thought it should have been an A side on it's own right.PROMISES great beat, Streisand sings I think with a very sexy voice on this song.THE LOVE INSIDE This will make you cry, lovely. LIFE STORY A belter, as Ethal Merman called her years ago, that means the song, the voice and of course Barbra, thats how I would describe this song. NEVER GIVE UP This I think sould have been on A Star is Born soundtrack album, it's got a very 70's feel. MAKE IT LIKE A MEMORY 7.30mins long, a big production number is what Barbra does best.