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Disco Barbra |
Feature/March 2009 |
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Barbra and Jon Peters at
Studio 54 during the '70s
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March 24,
2009
Some of the best dance music
ever spun by a DJ was recorded by
Barbra Streisand. During a short lived
career as a Disco Diva, Barbra made
her mark in 1979 with two very
successful dance hits. She took
her place among the disco elite when
she teamed up with Disco Queen Donna
Summer on their duet, "No More Tears
(Enough Is Enough)." For Barbra,
disco may be gone, but her dance beat
goes on... |
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The Main Event/Fight
One of
Barbra's most popular dance tracks appears on the
soundtrack album for "The Main Event." The number "The
Main Event/Fight" was written by Paul Jabara and
Bruce Roberts and was released in 1979. It was the first
Streisand dance single to become a disco sensation. On the
strength of the title song alone, the otherwise
forgettable soundtrack reached number 20 on the Billboard
charts. A ballad and two dance versions (4+ and 11+ minute
disco tracks) of the song appear on the soundtrack album.
In 2000, Barbra proclaimed that "disco is back, and to
honor the occasion,
performed "The Main Event/Fight" during her "Timeless"
concerts. |
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No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)
Hot from of
her success with "The Main Event/Fight," Barbra next
recorded with Donna Summer in late 1979. Their duet, "No
More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" became a monster hit that
had the Saturday Night Fever crowd shakin' to the
disco beat well into the 1980s. The standard version
of the song, written by Jabara and Roberts is a little bit
over 8 minutes and appears on Barbra's "Wet" album. The
12" extended play single (over 11 minutes) was released
concurrently by Columbia Records (and Summer's Casablanca
label) and enjoyed the number 1 position on both
Billboard's Top 100 pop and dance charts. To this day,
their duet is one of the most recognizable of all disco
anthems. |
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Emotion
Another dance
track that became a favorite of club patrons was Barbra's
extended version of her single, "Emotion." The standard
version of the song, written by Peter Bliss appears on
Barbra's album of the same name. But it is the 12"
extended remix by Jellybean Benitez, coming in at just
over 6 minutes that really revved up the dance floors.
With the Pointer Sisters providing the back-up vocals for
Barbra, "Emotion" easily secured its position as a dance
club favorite. As composer Peter Bliss remembers, Barbra
chose to record "Emotion" simply because it was one of the
only up-tempo numbers to appear on the album. A wise
decision indeed. |
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Night of My Life
Nearly 30
years after "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" shot to
number 1, Barbra released yet another disco dance track,
proving once and for all that disco may be down, but it is
not out. The song is "Night Of My Life," written by Barry
and Steve Gibb for Barbra's 2005 "Guilty Pleasures" album.
The traditional studio version was so popular that several
remixes were crafted by various DJs. Columbia Records,
recognizing the dance appeal of these remixes, released a
special extended version dance album of "Night Of My Life"
containing four differing dance tracks.
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Shake Me Wake Me
An extended disco track
from Barbra's 1975 "Lazy Afternoon" album was circulated,
presumably to radio stations as an unreleased demo. The
song "Shake Me Wake Me (When It's Over), already a disco
tune, was boosted up to 5 minutes with an enhanced disco
beat. The EP single also became popular in the discos of
the mid-seventies.
Because the extended "Shake Me Wake Me" disco single was
never commercially released, it has become one of those
holy grail of Streisand collector's items.
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