The Essential Barbra Streisand (retitled The Ultimate Collection in some European countries) is the fifth greatest hits album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released on January 29, 2002, by Columbia Records. The compilation features 38 songs from Streisand's catalog, in addition to two previously unreleased tracks (covers of "Someday My Prince Will Come" and "You'll Never Walk Alone"). It includes material from 26 of the singer's albums and was described as a collection of, mainly, her pop songs. A reissued version of the compilation was distributed by Columbia and Legacy Recordings in 2008 and includes a bonus disc featuring nine additional songs from Streisand's discography.
Critically, the album was noted for being a comprehensive and complete view of her discography, unlike her previous greatest hits releases. It topped the charts in Ireland, Scotland, and the United Kingdom, and peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 in the United States. The Essential Barbra Streisand also reached the top ten in several countries and was included on four year-end lists. The album has since been certified Platinum in Australia, Europe, New Zealand, Spain, and the United States, and multi-platinum in the United Kingdom.
The Essential Barbra Streisand was released on January 29, 2002, by Columbia Records.[1] A compilation of Streisand's "pop-oriented performances",[2] the collection contains two discs featuring 38 songs from Streisand's discography. Representing 26 albums from her career, the first-recorded song included on The Essential Barbra Streisand is "A Sleepin' Bee" from The Barbra Streisand Album (1963), while the most recent track featured is "I've Dreamed of You" from A Love Like Ours (1999).[3] In addition, Streisand included two previously unreleased tracks on the second disc, covers of "Someday My Prince Will Come" and "You'll Never Walk Alone". William Ruhlmann from AllMusic suggested that the former song was recorded during sessions for A Love Like Ours while the latter was meant for her twenty-seventh studio album, Higher Ground (1997).[4] In some European countries, the album was released under the title The Ultimate Collection with an identical track listing.[5]
The Essential Barbra Streisand was reissued on September 30, 2008, through a co-partnership between Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings.[6] The new version featured a bonus third disc with seven more songs from Streisand's back-catalog and two live renditions.[7]
The Essential Barbra Streisand was given a perfect five-star rating by AllMusic's William Ruhlmann. He felt that Streisand's discography had not been detailed well on her previous compilations and considered The Essential Barbra Streisand to be the best choice for fans not willing to purchase the expensive box setJust for the Record... (1992). Considering its comprehensiveness, Ruhlmann praised the album's inclusion of her eleven top ten hits and nearly all of her top 40 hits.[4] Tom Santopietro, author of The Importance of Being Barbra: The Brilliant, Tumultuous Career of Barbra Streisand, was disappointed by Streisand's decision to release two greatest hits albums in the same year (the other being Duets). Describing her action as "cynical", he wrote: "At this point, even the most die-hard Streisand fan could be forgiven for expressing frustration at yet another release of 'People' and 'The Way We Were'." However, he praised the inclusion of "Someday My Prince Will Come" and "You'll Never Walk Alone", calling them both "extraordinary" cover tracks.[8] In addition to The Barbra Streisand Album and Stoney End (1971), Phyllis Fulford and Michael Miller, authors of the 2003 book The Complete Idiot's Guide to Singing, listed The Essential Barbra Streisand as one of the singer's "CDs that best represent [her] more pop-oriented performances".[2]
The Essential Barbra Streisand entered the Billboard 200 at number 15, its peak position, during the week of February 16, 2002. It was the chart's second highest entry of the week, just behind the soundtrack to the 2002 film State Property, which debuted at number 14. It spent a total of nine weeks on the Billboard 200.[9] On March 15, 2002, it was certified Gold as a multi-disc package by Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for physical shipments of 250,000 copies; its certification was then upgraded to Platinum, signifying shipments of 500,000 copies, on October 17, 2003.[10] As of June 22, 2007, The Essential Barbra Streisand has sold 506,000 copies in the United States.[11] Elsewhere in North America, it debuted in Canada at number 73 according to the chart published by Nielsen SoundScan.[12]
In Europe, The Essential Barbra Streisand topped the charts in several countries and has been certified Platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for sales upwards of one million.[13] According to the Official Charts Company, it topped the charts in both Scotland and the United Kingdom.[14][15] In the latter country, the compilation spent 49 weeks charting and was ranked on the year-end sales charts for both 2002 and 2003 at positions 36 and 192, respectively.[16][17] It was later certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry for shipments of 300,000 copies.[18] In the same continent, The Essential Barbra Streisand (or The Ultimate Collection in some European territories) topped the Irish Albums Chart,[19] and reached the top ten in Belgium,[20] Denmark,[21] Finland,[22] Germany,[23] Greece,[24] the Netherlands,[25] Norway,[26] and Sweden.[27] In Oceania, the album peaked in Australia and New Zealand at numbers 5 and 3, respectively.[28][29] Both countries issued the compilation double Platinum and platinum respectively.[30][31]
When the album was reissued in 2007 and 2008 in several European countries, it debuted on the album charts in Austria, Italy, and Spain. In the first country, it reached the top twenty and peaked at number 11,[32] and in Italy it peaked at number 75.[33] In Spain, the album originally peaked at number 14 but reentered in 2013 at number 85.[34][35]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^ abcThe Essential Barbra Streisand (Liner notes). Barbra Streisand. Columbia. 2002. C2K 86123.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^The Ultimate Collection (Liner notes). Barbra Streisand. Columbia. 2002. 506257 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
