It's Better with a Band [Live] [Original recording remastered]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Recorded live in 1980, this long-out-of-print album shows Barbara Cook about halfway through her Broadway ingénue beginnings and her current incarnation as cabaret's reigning empress. Her crystalline upper register is still in very good shape, but she also swings surprisingly hard--those who know only Cook's semi-operatic trills or her dramatic readings of Sondheim's art songs are in for a shock here. The contrast between the singer's tone and the brassy orchestra behind is startling from the very first number, Irving Berlin's "I Love a Piano," and it sustains the entire album. But what makes the album stand out is its mix of show tunes and pop songs. Take "Inside," for instance; cowritten by Peter Allen, it's something you'd expect on a Barbra Streisand record and yet Cook does such a fabulous job that it feels completely natural for her. The frantic glee of "Sweet Georgia Brown" (on which Cook scats) is even better. Add tracks such as Harry Nilsson's "Remember" and Laura Nyro's "I Never Meant to Hurt You," and you realize that what Cook is doing is pulling off the rare feat of "cabaretizing" pop tunes without sounding ridiculous. Fans of the more traditional Broadway repertoire aren't forgotten, especially with an ace Leonard Bernstein medley. It's Better with a Band is a gem and it's nice to have it around again. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Album Details
Long Out of Print 1980 Concert Recording Live in Carnegie Hall.

It's Better with a Band, Music, Barbara Cook, Nostalgia, Pop, Pop Vocals, Popular Music, Show Tunes, Vocal
It's Better with a Band
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Barbara Cook at her Best
  • Early Cook
  • It's Better with Barbara Cook
  • HOW can this be ONLY #9 on Amazon's 10 Best of '02 list??
  • It's Better by Barbara!
 It's Better with a Band
Barbara Cook
Manufacturer: Drg
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
Traditional Vocal PopTraditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
Traditional & Vocal PopTraditional & Vocal Pop | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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  1. Barbara Cook's Broadway!
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  3. Tribute
  4. Barbara Cook at the Met with Special Guests
  5. Oscar Winners: The Lyrics Of Oscar Hammerstein II

ASIN: B00006GOET
Release Date: 2002-11-18

Tracks:

  1. Intro/Sing A Song With Me
  2. I Love A Piano
  3. Inside
  4. Lullaby In Ragtime
  5. Them There Eyes
  6. Marianne (From The Grand Tour)
  7. The Ingenue
  8. Remember/Come In From The Rain
  9. Sweet Georgia Brown
  10. Another Mr. Right Left
  11. Leonard Bernstein Medley: Simple Song (From Mass)/One Hand, One Heart (From West Side Story)/Some Other Time (From On The Town)/I Can Cook, Too (From On The Town)
  12. I Never Meant To Hurt You/I Never Knew That Men Cried
  13. It's Better With A Band
  14. Chant La Vie (Sing)/Sing A Song With Me
  15. If Love Were All

Amazon.com

Recorded live in 1980, this long-out-of-print album shows Barbara Cook about halfway through her Broadway ingénue beginnings and her current incarnation as cabaret's reigning empress. Her crystalline upper register is still in very good shape, but she also swings surprisingly hard--those who know only Cook's semi-operatic trills or her dramatic readings of Sondheim's art songs are in for a shock here. The contrast between the singer's tone and the brassy orchestra behind is startling from the very first number, Irving Berlin's "I Love a Piano," and it sustains the entire album. But what makes the album stand out is its mix of show tunes and pop songs. Take "Inside," for instance; cowritten by Peter Allen, it's something you'd expect on a Barbra Streisand record and yet Cook does such a fabulous job that it feels completely natural for her. The frantic glee of "Sweet Georgia Brown" (on which Cook scats) is even better. Add tracks such as Harry Nilsson's "Remember" and Laura Nyro's "I Never Meant to Hurt You," and you realize that what Cook is doing is pulling off the rare feat of "cabaretizing" pop tunes without sounding ridiculous. Fans of the more traditional Broadway repertoire aren't forgotten, especially with an ace Leonard Bernstein medley. It's Better with a Band is a gem and it's nice to have it around again. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Album Details

Long Out of Print 1980 Concert Recording Live in Carnegie Hall.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Barbara Cook at her Best.......2007-05-20

Every cut on this album is a true gem. Her voice has never been better, richer or fuller. And the arrangements are top notch. Truly, one of my favourtie albums......of ALL time.

5 out of 5 stars Early Cook.......2007-02-20

No Barbara Cook collection is complete without this must have. Fresh and refreshing.

5 out of 5 stars It's Better with Barbara Cook.......2003-08-01

Barbara Cook has recorded a number of very fine albums over the years, but not one is half as enjoyable as this little treasure. "It's Better With a Band" is one of those recordings that I wouldn't ever want to be without. At the very least I like everything on this CD, but most of it I love. "I Love a Piano," "It's Better with a Band" and "Another Mr. Right Left" are wonderful, "Them There Eyes" is a treat. The Bernstein medley a gem. "The Ingenue" is a highlight - fast and funny. The finale couldn't be improved upon - "Chant La Vie (Sing)/Sing A Song With Me" delightful, followed by Coward's classic "If Love Were All." Everything seems to coalesce perfectly. I love this recording - and my 'dear friend' Barbara Cook too.

5 out of 5 stars HOW can this be ONLY #9 on Amazon's 10 Best of '02 list??.......2003-01-14

OK,so I KNOW it's a 1980 performance, but you folks STILL aren't giving this 2002 reissue its due appreciation
(A.K.A. worship)! Simply put, this has been, since its original CD issue in 1986, my all-time favorite recording ever, by anyone!! For my money, there's nobody better than Barbara, and this was the performance to prove it! Ms. Cook has continually done wonderful work both before & since this Carnegie Hall concert, but THIS is the recording that first made me love her, and I haven't gotten over it since! Heartily recommended to all lovers of beautiful music, beautifully sung.

5 out of 5 stars It's Better by Barbara!.......2002-11-08

I received my copy of "Barbara Cook: It's Better With a Band" two days ago. It came in the mail with 7 other CDs. I haven't heard any of the others yet. I can't get Barbara of the CD player; I keep pushing repeat. What a joy to get this long-out-of-print album. Listen to Barbara sing a duet with a tuba on "Them There Eyes," then hear her scat on "Sweet Georgia Brown," laugh with her as she sings "The Ingenue," and then discover the queen of Broadway singing an incomparabel Bernstein medley. Nobody does it better than Barbara Cook.
The Columbia Albums of Irving Berlin, Vol. 1-2
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		The Columbia Albums of Irving Berlin, Vol. 1-2

    Manufacturer: Collectables
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    General ModernGeneral Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | New Age | Styles | Music
    MeditationMeditation | New Age | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
    ASIN: B0000AHEU8
    Release Date: 2003-09-02

    Tracks:

    1. It's A Lovely Day Today/Blue Skies
    2. Maybe Its Because I Love/I Got Lost
    3. You'd Be Surprised/I'll See You In Cuba
    4. Always/Remember
    5. Shaking The Blues/Play A Simple/Alexander's
    6. Here's No Business/Got The Sun/Girl I Marry
    7. Say It Will Music/Cheek To Cheek
    8. It's A Lovely Day Tomorrow/ Now It Can Be Told
    9. This Year's Kisses/Be Careful! Its My Heart
    10. Lady Of The Evening/ Better Luck Next Time
    11. Steppin' Out With My Baby/ You're Just In Love
    12. Let's Face The Music/Say It Isn't So
    13. How Deep Is The Ocean/I Never Had A Chance
    14. Change Partners/Mandy
    15. You Can't Brush Me/Everybody Step/Waiting At The End
    16. Soft Lights/They Say It's Wonderful
    17. Puttin' On The Ritz/Marie
    18. I've Got My Love To Keep Me/Top Hat
    19. What'll I Do/All Alone
    20. A Pretty Girl/Isn't This A Lovely Day
    21. Lazy/I'm Getting Tired So I Can Sleep
    22. I'm Playing With Fire/Let's Have Another Cup
    23. Heat Wave/Let Yourself Go
    24. The Piccoline/No Strings

    Album Description

    Full Title - The Columbia Albums Of Irving Berlin Vols. 1 & 2. Composer, conductor, arranger Frank DeVol scored more than fifty movies and is best known as the composer for the theme songs for the TV series 'My Three Sons', 'The Brady Bunch' and 'Family Affair'. In the 1940s DeVol was an arranger for Dinah Shore, Tony Bennett, Rudy Vallee, Vic Damone and Doris Day. Frank DeVol received multiple Emmy Awards and Academy Award nominations for his extensive body of work. Irving Berlin's medleys featured are 'Always/Remember', 'A Pretty Girl/Isn't It A Lovely Day' and 'Say It With Music/Cheek To Cheek'. 24 tracks. Collectables 2003.
    Operettas: Greatest Hits
    Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    • Good way to get to know Gilbert and Sullivan...
    		 Operettas: Greatest Hits

    Manufacturer: Intersound Records
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    All Works by HerbertAll Works by Herbert | Herbert, Victor | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Lehár, Franz | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    All Works by OffenbachAll Works by Offenbach | Offenbach, Jacques | ( O ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    All Works by SousaAll Works by Sousa | Sousa, John Philip | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    Strauss Jr., JohannStrauss Jr., Johann | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    All Works by SullivanAll Works by Sullivan | Sullivan, Arthur | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    MarchesMarches | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
    OverturesOvertures | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
    Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
    Vocal & SongVocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
    London Philharmonic OrchestraLondon Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    RomancesRomances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    Modern & 20th CenturyModern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    FrenchFrench | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    OperettasOperettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    MarchesMarches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
    ASIN: B000003QX0
    Release Date: 1995-01-17

    Tracks:

    1. Highlights From 'H.M.S. Pinafore': We Sail The Ocean Blue
    2. Highlights From 'H.M.S. Pinafore': I'm Called Little Buttercup
    3. Highlights From 'H.M.S. Pinafore': The Nightingale
    4. A Maiden Fair To See
    5. Highlights From 'H.M.S. Pinafore': When I Was A Lad
    6. Highlights From 'H.M.S. Pinafore': Never Mind The Why And Wherefore
    7. 'Die Fledermaus' ('The Bat'): Overture
    8. 'The Tales Of Hoffmann': Barcarolle
    9. 'The Beautiful Galathea': Overture
    10. 'The Pirates Of Penzance': Pour, Oh Pour The Pirate Sherry
    11. 'The Pirates Of Penzance': When Frederic Was A Little Lad
    12. 'The Pirates Of Penzance': Oh Better Far To Live And Die
    13. 'The Pirates Of Penzance': Oh, Is There Not One Maiden Breast
    14. 'The Pirates Of Penzance': Poor Wandering One
    15. 'The Pirates Of Penzance': I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major-General
    16. 'The Pirates Of Penzance': When The Foeman Bares His Steel
    17. 'The Pirates Of Penzance': Stay, Frederic, Stay
    18. 'The Pirates Of Penzance': With Cat-Like Tread
    19. El Capitan: March

    Tracks:

    1. 'Light Cavalry': Overture
    2. 'The Mikado': A Wand'ring Minstrel, I
    3. 'The Mikado': As Some Day It May Happen
    4. 'The Mikado': Three Little Maids
    5. 'The Mikado': Braid The Raven Hair
    6. 'The Mikado': The Sun, Whose Rays Are Ablaze
    7. 'The Mikado': Here's A How-De-Do
    8. 'The Mikado': A More Humane Mikado
    9. 'The Mikado': Beauty In The Bellow
    10. 'The Mikado': He's Gone And Married Yum-Yum
    11. 'Babes In Toyland': March
    12. 'The Gypsy Baron': Overture
    13. 'The Merry Widow': Introduction
    14. 'The Merry Widow': Oh Come, Oh Come, All You Sirens Of The Ball
    15. 'The Merry Widow': Vilya, Oh Vilya
    16. 'The Merry Widow': Kolo Yugoslavian Step-Dance
    17. 'The Merry Widow': I'll Go To Maxime's
    18. 'The Merry Widow': Silence Falls As The Violin Calls
    19. 'Orpheus In The Underworld': Overture

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars Good way to get to know Gilbert and Sullivan..........2000-06-21

    Really now, there is way too much Gilbert and Sullivan in this. Many other people wrote operettas too! Well, there is a little Lehar. But there needs to be more! I thought a little Candide by Bernstein should have been in there too. But the Gilbert and Sullivan excerpts are nothing to be ashamed of. They are done well. A little too operatic. And I just know some of these overtures will delight you. Average recording. Average playing. There's my two cents.
    Weekend Thriller
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		Weekend Thriller
      Greener
      Manufacturer: Fancy Pants
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD
      ASIN: B000CAGH1E
      Release Date: 2003-01-01

      Tracks:

      1. Weekend Thriller
      2. My Universe
      3. Numb
      4. Burn
      5. Big Star
      6. Failure
      7. Earthling
      8. Hurricane
      9. Overgrown
      10. Circle Me
      11. Sunshower
      12. Little
      13. Hate Song
      14. Weekend Thriller (Remix)
      It's Better With a Band [MMG]
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        		It's Better With a Band [MMG]

        Manufacturer: Moss Music Group [MMG]
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        Traditional Vocal PopTraditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
        ASIN: B0007KN8F2

        Product Description

        Recorded September 14, 1980 at Carnegie Hall, New York City. Producer and Musical Director Wally Harper. Track Listing: 1. It's Better With A Band; 2. Remember / Come In From the Rain; 3. I Love a Piano; 4. Chant La Vie / Sing a Song With Me; 5. Marianne; 6. Them There Eyes; 7. Bernstein Medley - Simple Song / One Hand, One Heart / Some Other Time & I Can Cook Too; 8. I Never Meant To Hurt You / I Never Knew That Men Cried; 9. Inside; 10. Lullaby in Ragtime; 11. The Ingenue; 12. If Love Were All; 13. Another Mr. Right Left; 14. Sweet Georgia Brown.
        Nothin' Better to Do
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          		Nothin' Better to Do
          Wildsteed
          Manufacturer: Marlan Records
          ProductGroup: Music
          Binding: Audio CD

          Alt-Country & AmericanaAlt-Country & Americana | Country | Styles | Music
          GeneralGeneral | Country | Styles | Music
          Southern RockSouthern Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
          ASIN: B000CAKO9K
          Release Date: 2005-08-23
          It's Better With A Band
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            		It's Better With A Band

            ProductGroup: Music
            Binding: Audio CD

            GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
            GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
            ASIN: B00005V4S5
            Release Date: 2002-01-01

            Tracks:

            1. It's Better With A Band
            2. When I Get My Name In Lights
            3. Unforgettable
            4. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
            5. Forty-Second Street
            6. They Can't Take That Away From Me
            7. Birth Of The Blues
            8. Just In Tim
            9. It Had To Be You
            10. I Found A Million Dollar Baby
            11. La Vie En Rose
            12. 'S Wonderful
            13. See You In The Springtime

            Album Description

            For this Big Band CD, producer Ron Feuer has assembled some of the finest musicians in the world. Collectively, they've performed and recorded with some of the greatest artists of all time. Listening to Reign's fresh vocals on these big band arrangements is like hearing some of these standards for the very first time.

            Music:

            1. It's Easy to Remember [Box set]
            2. James Brown's Original Funky Divas
            3. Ken Burns JAZZ Collection: Sarah Vaughan
            4. Last Waltz: The Final Recordings Live [Box set] [Live]
            5. Latino Classics [Import]
            6. Lettermen Soft Rock Collection [Import]
            7. Live at the Greek Theatre [Live]
            8. Love Songs [Import] [Original recording remastered]
            9. Mamaloshen
            10. May I Come In?

            Music

            Music