Of all of the many Streisand collections, GREATEST HITS Vol. 2 is the absolute best. If you only wanted to buy one Streisand album, this is the one to get. Streisand had more success (as a recording star) in the seventies than any other decade. With this album, you can see why.

The album opens with the Oscar-winning, #1 smash "Evergreen," which has a beautiful melody (written by Barbra herself) and a almost haunting delivery. The love theme from the EYES OF LAURA MARS, "Prisoner," features an amazing arrangement and gives Barbra the chance to perform a rock ballad. Two more #1 singles, "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" (with Neil Diamond) and "The Way We Were," are also included, as well as the oddly beautiful "Superman" and the tear-jearking "Songbird."

In the live melody version of "Sweet Inspiration/Where You Lead," Barbra proves she can sing other artists' work (in this case Carole King) as they never could themselves. The rocker "Stoney End," her first top 10 of the 70's, brings the album to a nice end.

Simply wonderful, the entire album is full of highlights.

As far as simply collecting the big hits of the time, GREATEST HITS, VOLUME TWO is still the best compilation album of Streisand's career. Covering the years 1970-1978, the ten-track sampler covers most of Barbra's biggest and best-known singles. The record hit #1 when originally released and has sold well over five million copies in the US alone.

This kind of success is unusual for a compilation, but Volume Two's sales skyrocketed due to the enormous success of the sole new track: the #1 Platinum single "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," a classy and moving thematic duet with Neil Diamond. The disc also contains the huge hits "Stoney End" (#6 Pop, #2 Adult Contemporary) and "The Way We Were" (#1 Pop, #1 Adult Contemporary), as well as the then-recent smashes "Evergreen" (#1 Pop, #1 Adult Contemporary) and "My Heart Belongs To Me" (#4 Pop, #1 Adult Contemporary).

The track sequencing is non-chronological (which I find usually irritating), however this is easy to forgive since there is only ten tracks, and since most of the songs were recorded and released within a few years time span. Volume Two also contains several lower-charting singles that aren't as well known as the big hits, but are equally splendid. This includes the lovely "Songbird" (#25 Pop, #1 Adult Contemporary) the overwrought-but-fun Laura Mars theme "Prisoner" (#21 Pop, #48 Adult Contemporary), Streisand's amazing cover of Stevie Wonder's "All In Love Is Fair" (#63 Pop, #10 Adult Contemporary), the octave-soaring "Superman" (#29 Adult Contemporary), and the stunning live medley "Sweet Inspiration/Where You Lead" (#37 Pop, #15 Adult Contemporary).

The runtime is fairly short even for a compilation from the late-seventies, and there are also some omissions. Of particular note, the charting singles "Before the Parade Passes By" (#23 Adult Contemporary), "The Best Thing You've Done" (#19 Adult Contemporary), "Time and Love" (#51 Pop, #3 Adult Contemporary), "Flim Flam Man" (#83 Pop, #7 Adult Contemporary), the original single version of "Where You Lead" (#40 Pop, #3 Adult Contemporary), "Mother" (#79 Pop, #24 Adult Contemporary), a live cover of Jimmy Webb's "Didn't We" (#82 Pop, #22 Adult Contemporary), a stirring live medley of "Sing" and "Make Your Own Kind of Music" (#94 Pop, #28 Adult Contemporary), "How Lucky Can You Get" (#27 Adult Contemporary), "My Father's Song" (#11 Adult Contemporary), and the disco reworking of "Shake Me, Wake Me" (#10 Dance) are all not to be found here. There are also some notable album tracks missing (nothing from 1971's BARBRA JOAN STREISAND or 1975's LAZY AFTERNOON?), but listeners looking for a compilation that contains many of Barbra Streisand's biggest hits will not be able to find anything better.

Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 is a good CD that is just too short to be called any type of "greatest hits" album. Even when taken together with Volume 1 of Barbra Streisand's greatest hits this CD is still way too short. That disappoints me. However, what we do get is very good quality throughout; and the sound quality is excellent. I like that artwork, too!

The CD starts with the love theme from Barbra Streisand's remake of the classic movie entitled A Star Is Born. Barbra sings "Evergreen" with passion and she never sounded better. Her excellent diction and her uncanny sense of timing helps to make her singing all the better! Barbra also handles tempo and key modulations as if it were as natural as breathing. Of course, we know that it really isn't so easy to do this; Streisand had so much talent when she performed that she could make anything look easy! There's also the love theme from Eyes Of Laura Mars; Barbra sings this with great sensitivity and passion. Barbra's performance of the theme from Eyes Of Laura Mars truly is a great highlight of this album--even if the album is too short!

"My Heart Belongs To Me" stuns me with its beauty and this features Barbra squarely front and center--and that's all right by me! Barbra really opens up her ability to belt out a song as she sings "My Heart Belongs To Me;" and Streisand fans are bound to love this tune. In addition, Barbra does a wonderful job on "You Don't Bring Me Flowers;" this duet showcases Barbra's ability to handle a complicated duet with panache and sensitivity. I love it!

"The Way We Were" comes from the movie of the same name; this is perhaps my very favorite of Barbra's songs. "The Way We Were" has several sound effects that they used in the `70s but it still holds its own very well. "The Way We Were" is a classic ballad that is easily a major highlight of both this album and of Streisand's career.

"All In Love Is Fair" is a song I first heard when Stevie Wonder sang it; but Barbra's version is quite stunning. The strings are used to great advantage and Barbra belts this number out flawlessly. It's quite impressive. Listen also for Barbra on "Stoney End;" this great ballad ends the CD with a solid hit that still sounds fresh and new every time I hear it. Great!

Barbra Streisand is definitely one of the greatest female vocalists of the entire twentieth century. Her talents brought her much success and this CD proves just how wonderfully she could deliver a ballad. Unfortunately, I must take off one and ½ stars for this CD being just too short. Ouch!

After spending most of the first decade of her career successfully bending and twisting Tin Pan Alley, Barbra Streisand released an album of contemporary songs called "What About Today?" The album didn't sell, and wasn't that good, but her answer to that title question is this album, a summary of the best years of her career.

The album summarizes her most successful decade with three #1 hits ("Evergreen," "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," "The Way We Were") and a host of works from the decade's best songwriters. Laura Nyro's "Stoney End," is Barbra's best "rock" song. "All In Love is Fair" is given a treatment nearly as good as that of its writer, Stevie Wonder. Carole King's "Where You Lead" was a concert staple (in the years where Barbra did more than one a year). "Songbird," the title of an overlooked 1978 album, is a statement of purpose in a way. "My songs set you free," she sings, "but who sings for me? I'm all alone now." Yet the hits collected here, judging by their success and quality, may well have set Barbra Streisand free.

The cover is a piece of photographic art. This black and white silhouetted Streisand singes in a world of ethereal gray tones and textures. This is her best LP cover, and represents the selections included in this LP perfectly. No need to introduce each of the songs individually. What's important is the total package: the even flow of lyric and melody, the voice that will be talked about long after we're all long departed from this world. Barbra's perfectionism is why the production and arrangements remain flawless. You can hear how each song has been personally sculpted by this songbird. Every LP, every song, every peformance by Streisand is an "event". Enjoy.