Background
Initially, Columbia label president Goddard Lieberson resisted signing Streisand to a contract, finding her style too close to the cabaret singers he disliked and too far from the understated approach of Jo Stafford or Rosemary Clooney, having recorded for the label in the 1950s. After exposure to a television interview of Streisand by Mike Wallace on PM East/PM West and pressure from associates, Lieberson relented and agreed to sign her. In Just For the Record..., Streisand indicated that
The most important thing about that first contract - actually, the thing we held out for - was a unique clause giving me the right to choose my own material. It was the only thing I really cared about. I still received lots of pressure from the label to include some pop hits on my first album, but I held out for the songs that really meant something to me.
Streisand would spend her entire career to date recording for Columbia.
Streisand had made a name for herself performing at the Bon Soir nightclub in New York City, which attracted primarily a gay clientele. Her producer Mike Berniker brought a crew to the club to record Streisand accompanied only by the Bon Soir house pianist, Peter Daniels. These recordings were scrapped, although the cover shot for the album was taken during a performance at the Bon Soir.. Barbra Streisand chose Century Italic typeface for the album sleeve, which would also be used on 19 other Barbra album covers.
Read more about this topic: The Barbra Streisand Album
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