Despite the title of the clip, it actually has a third song, kicks off with Ray's version of Melanie Safka's "What Have They Done to My Song Ma." Barbra has a new duets album which will be released June 27, PARTNERS II. Big news there? She duets with the man who signed to Columbia many, many years ago. He and Barbra were not like by many in the executive suites and were labeled Goddard's folly -- Goddard Lieberson signed them both to COLUMBIA -- because the execs didn't think they would sell albums or have broad appeal (they'd appeal to only gays -- they used the f-word -- and radicals). Bob Dylan's who I'm talking about.
So the two finally duet.
Bob's first album did not sell. It still doesn't sell over sixty years later. But his second album was a hit as was Barbra's first album -- both released in 1963.
All but two of Bob's albums have been released by COLUMBIA (one live album and PLANET WAVES were released by David Geffen's ASYLUM in the 70s). All of Barbra's studio and live albums have been released on COLUMBIA. Two soundtracks were not. CAPITOL had the rights to FUNNY GIRL -- the original Broadway cast album. COLUMBIA did release the film soundtrack of FUNNY GIRL which eventually outsold the Broadway version -- helped by the film and by "My Man" being part of the film's soundtrack. FUNNY was another album COLUMBIA missed out on -- the soundtrack to FUNNY LADY which ARISTA released.
If PARTNERS II makes it to number one on BILLBOARD's album sales list, she will hold a new record -- a number one album in each decade for seven decades. She currently holds the record on that with one number one in every decade for six decades. No one's done that before. Someone might match that, maybe not. But if she gets to number one with this one, no one will probably match that, not for a very long time if ever. WIKIPEDIA says she has 52 gold albums and 31 platinum. I believe that's wrong. First off, 31 albums is correct. But it's 53 if you count soundtrack albums. 38 is the number of albums -- studio, live, collections and soundtracks -- Bob has that have gone gold with many also going platinum.
