Kismet Albums Bootleg

The Kismet Albums

A series of bootleg Barbra Streisand albums were released in 1984 and 1985 called “The Kismet Albums”

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Slickly packaged and mass-produced, the sound quality on these albums tended to be poor as many of the master recordings were from television sources or severely duped studio tapes. There were 12 albums in total (which sold for around $20 each), all containing rare and unreleased Streisand songs, recording sessions, interviews, live appearances, TV shows, and more. They were produced by Karma Productions in Denver, Colorado. (Karma also published Barbra Now & Then, a fan magazine.)

In the mid-1980’s, before the advent of compact discs and VCRs, most Streisand fans did not have the ability to rent or trade video tapes of the rare television appearances — and YouTube was still 25 years away! The Kismet records were probably the first time most Streisand fans could hear some of the shows that Barbra had appeared on early in her career (like Judy Garland and Ed Sullivan).

The first four album covers featured gorgeous full-color Streisand pictures. All the albums were stamped in gold: “For promotional use only. Not for sale.” This didn’t stop Columbia Records, of course, from pursuing legal action against Karma Productions.

In a backwards way the Kismet albums were a template for Columbia’s official release, Just For the Record (JFTR) in 1991. Many of the tracks that appeared as bootlegs on the Kismet albums ended up on Columbia’s official release. Without the Kismet records, Columbia would have never guessed there would be such a market for Streisand’s unreleased material.

You can find some of the Kismet albums on ebay today.

MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS — KISMET 1001

SIDE ONE



  • The Burt Bacharach Special:
  • (Intro) 5:15
  • (One Less Bell Medley) 6:32
  • (Close To You Duet) 4:15 *
  • (Be Aware) 4:07
  • Cryin' Time Again (Duet with Ray Charles) 2:25 *



SIDE TWO



  • The Way We Were Rehearsals #1
  • The Way We Were Rehearsals #2


NOTES


* included on JFTR.


Side 2 was an informal recording session of Marvin Hamlisch & Barbra singing the two versions of "The Way We Were." You can hear them kibitzing around and recording different takes of the song.

LOOKIN' BACK — KISMET 1002

SIDE ONE


 

  • Ed Sullivan Show , Dec. 6, 1962:
  • My Coloring Book
  • Lover, Come Back To Me
  • Ed Sullivan Show , Sep. 28, 1969:
  • Hello Dolly Medley
  • Ed Sullivan Show , September 20, 1970:
  • On A Clear Day

 

SIDE TWO


 

  • Judy Garland Show :
  • Be My Guest *
  • Happy Days/Get Happy *
  • Hooray for Love Medley *
  • Bewitched
  • Down with Love
  • There's No Business Like Show Business
  • For Pete's Sake (Don't Let Him Down)

 


NOTES


* included on JFTR; the entire show is also available on DVD. Or just watch it on YouTube.


The 1969 & 1970 Ed Sullivan songs are from the International Hotel footage that Barbra filmed for a possible television special.


“For Pete’s Sake” has never been officially released, although the song can be heard on the Columbia Pictures DVD.

MOMENTS TO REMEMBER — KISMET 1003

SIDE ONE


 

  • If I Close My Eyes *
  • On A Clear Day You Can See Forever:
  • Who Is There Among Us Who Knows? (J. Nicholson)
  • Wait Till We're 65 (with L. Blyden)
  • The Best Thing You've Ever Done (recording session)
  • Funny Lady:
  • Let's Hear It For Me (long introduction)
  • Butterfly Rehearsals:
  • Everything Must Change
  • Funky Type Thang
  • On Broadway

 

SIDE TWO


 

  • Funny Girl 1968 N.Y. Movie Premiere (see here)
  • Dinah Shore Show (1963):
  • Cry Me A River
  • Happy Days Are Here Again
  • Brotherhood of Man
  • AFI Salute to William Wyler (1976)
  • Funny Girl 1968 L.A. Movie Premiere (from this show)

 

NOTES


* was officially released as a 45-rpm single. Appeared, too, on JFTR.


The “Best Thing” session included Barbra’s blow up in the recording booth when the sound on her earphones goes out (“Christ! These fucking phones! They’re off! Dead!”).


The longer intro from Funny Lady is also referred to as “All My Life on the Stage” and was actually filmed. Only the first verse (“Well, I’ll be damned…”) made it into the final movie. The Kismet folks reused this track on future albums (see below) as well.


On Side 2, Mayor Lindsay interviewed Barbra at the New York Funny Girl film premiere. Barbra’s short speech for the AFI Salute to Funny Girl director William Wyler.

FLASHBACK — KISMET 1004

SIDE ONE

 

  • The Promise
  • A Quiet Thing/There Won't Be Trumpets *
  • PM East (1962):
  • Right As the Rain
  • Soon It's Gonna Rain
  • Have I Stayed Too Long at the Fair
  • Gary Moore Show (1962):
  • When the Sun Comes Out
  • Happy Days Are Here Again

 


SIDE TWO

 

  • Chemstrand Commercial
  • You're the Top (What's Up Doc) *
  • Bob Hope Show (1963)
  • America (from I Love Liberty TV Show)
  • British Film Industry Awards '83
  • Carelessly Tossed (from All Night Long)
  • The Tonight Show (1961)
  • What's My Line (1964) (more here)
  • The Belle of 14th Street:
  • I Don't Care
  • Put Your Arms Around Me Honey

 


NOTES


* included on JFTR.


“The Promise” was written by Carole King. The recording here is a rehearsal.


The Chemstrand Commercial was a filmed industrial commercial for “My Name Is Barbra”.


The Belle of 14th Street was finally released on DVD in 2005. Columbia prepared a soundtrack album in 1967, which remains unreleased to date.

S.R.O. — KISMET 1005

SIDE ONE


 

  • Overture
  • Any Place I Hang My Hat
  • My Honey’s Lovin’ Arms
  • I Hate Music
  • I’ll Tell the Man in the Street
  • Cry Me A River
  • Folk Monologue


 

SIDE TWO


 

  • Value 
  • Gotta Move 
  • As Time Goes By
  • Why Did I Chose You? 
  • Where Am I Going? 
  • Who Will Buy? 

 

NOTES


This album contained the bootleg version of the 1966 Philadelphia JFK Stadium concert. Columbia Records recorded the concert, but it was unreleased ... until Kismet. The entire concert was not on this album. Three more tracks appeared on Kismet’s “Memory Lane” album.


This was the first Kismet album with a black-and-white cover.


MEMORY LANE — KISMET 1007

SIDE ONE

 

  • National Association for Retarded Children commercial 


Funny Lady Recording Sessions:


  • How Lucky Can You Get
  • Let’s Hear It For Me (long intro) 


Funny Girl Film Alternates: 


  • Funny Girl (title song)
  • You Are Woman, I Am Man 


SIDE TWO

 

Funny Girl Alternates: 


  • Don’t Rain on My Parade
  • Pink Velvet Jail (Omar Sharif )
  • People 
  • Sadie, Sadie 


Live, Pennsylvania 1966; JFK Stadium:


  • When the Sun Comes Out
  • I Can See It
  • He Touched Me


NOTES


Kismet 1006 is not included here because I have never seen it!  According to a published insert (from Kismet itself?), 1006 was called “Words” and was a 2-record set featuring audio of Barbra being interviewed — although the exact interviews are unknown.

MAGIC MOMENTS — KISMET 1008

  • A Star is Born recording sessions (6 takes of Woman in the Moon)



LIVE — Hungry i 1963:


  • Any Place I Hang My Hat
  • Keepin' Out of Mischief Now
  • My Honey's Loving Arms
  • Right As the Rain
  • When the Sun Comes Out
  • Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf
  • Down with Love 

LOST IN TIME — KISMET 1009

  • Kismet - Elvis Presley 0:22
  • I Can Get it For You Wholesale Interview - Backstage with Lee Jordan, Magic of Musical Comedy 1:30 
  • Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart (Barbra, age 13) 0:39
  • KHJ (AM) Radio Broadcast - May 1977 - M.G. Kelly 3:27
  • Tema de Amor de Nace Una Estrella (Evergreen, Spanish) 3:05
  • Sempreverde (Evergreen, Italian) 3:03
  • De Reve En Reverie (Evergreen, french) 3:04
  • Very nice being here today (short spoken) 0:06
  • Et la Mer 2:37
  • Les Enfants Qui Pleurent 2:12
  • Kismet - Elvis Presley 0:11
  • Enough is Enough recording sessions (cussing) 0:17
  • Enough is Enough recording sessions (Intro music only) 1:04



The Bob Hope Show, 1963:


  • Jimmy Crack Corn (Blue Tail Fly) 2:46
  • Any Place I Hang My Hat is Home 3:21
  • Gotta Move 2:23



Yentl piano demos: 


  • The Moon and I *
  • Several Sins a Day


NOTES


* Included on JFTR


This edition of Kismet had a couple of weird Elvis soundbites sprinkled into the tracks.

BEGINNINGS — KISMET 1010

The Tonight Show 2/1/63:


  • A Sleepin’ Bee
  • Interview 


The Tonight Show 10/4/62:


  • Interview (Are you kooky?)
  • Interview (What is a railroad flat?)
  • Right as the Rain/Interview 


The Tonight Show 11/2/62:


  • Interview
  • Happy Days Are Here Again
  • Interview 

 

NOTES


These are rare recordings, since Johnny Carson’s archival tapes of these shows were destroyed.

AFTER HOURS — KISMET 1012

This album had two sides of outtakes (a cappella versions; demos; etc.) from “The Main Event” and “Enough is Enough” recording sessions.


Again, the numbering system inexplicably skips from 1010 to 1012.


And, again, according to an insert in one of the Kismet albums, Kismet 1011 was a 2-record set called “More Words’ — which, again, I have never seen a copy of in all my years collecting and watching eBay.

GOOD TIMES — KISMET 1013

  • Christmas Seals radio show 1964 (Barbra speaks between songs):
  • When The Sun Comes Out
  • Don’t Rain on My Parade 
  • My Coloring Book 
  • People 


  •  The Today Show 4/4/1962: 
  • Much More 
  • Interview 


** Thanks to Ricky Coombs & his expert sleuthing, we believe the interviewer/host in this audio file to be Frank Blair (not John Chancellor, as some fans have thought) from The Today Show, 1962.


Hungry i 1963: 


  • Monologue
  • Soon it’s Gonna Rain 
  • Happy Days 



Hollywood Bowl 1967: 


  • Natural Sounds
  • Marty The Martian

ON BROADWAY — KISMET 1016

Butterfly rehearsals [multiple takes]:


  • You Light up My Life (also known as “The Promise”)
  • Funky Type Thang 
  • On Broadway 
  • Everything Must Change 


On this, the last Kismet album, the numbering, again, skips sequential order.

SOURCES USED ON THIS PAGE:


  • Alan Carmack's KISMET articles in Just Like Buttah magazine #7-9, 11-13. 
  • Barbra Now & Then, number Two.
  • Manny's Streisand site [No longer online, 2008]
  • Frank Levinsky
  • Ricky Coombs for the front & back cover album scans — thank you!

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