New interview with Jay Landers - interesting Céline mentions

[rfkavanagh]

Wasn’t really sure what other thread this might fit in, so I’m starting a new one since I found it really interesting and something others would enjoy reading!

 

Was just reading an in-depth interview with Jay Landers - a multi-hyphenate, but probably best known as Barbra Streisand’s A&R - and a couple of interesting bits of info re: Céline came up, as well as mention of another (well-known cover) song they considered recording - although it doesn’t clarify if they ever recorded any Céline vocals for it.

 

https://celebrityaccess.com/2021/05/24/interview-ar-exec-jay-landers/

 

ABOUT FINDING CÉLINE FOR BATB:

 

Is it true that while you were at Walt Disney Records that you brought the songs “Beauty and the Beast,” and “A Whole New World” (from ”Aladdin”) to Barbra, and she passed?

 

That is true, yes. But the after effect of that was I was working with a friend of mine (Walt Disney Pictures President of Music) Chris Montan. Chris called me, and he said, “I am really up against it because I have offered this song ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ not just to Barbra but to every major artist that you can think of, male and female.” They had gone to George Michael, Michael Jackson, anybody who was popular at the time. They all passed. So I said to Chris, “I’m working with a guy who is cold as ice, but he’s a fantastic singer named Peabo Bryson. But, after Barbra, I don’t know anyone who could tackle that song.” He said, “What do we do?” So I was talking to a friend of mine, Paul Burger…..

 

Who was then president of Sony Music Canada.

 

Right. I called Paul Burger and asked if he had anybody in mind or someone that he was working with. He said, “Well, I’m working with this girl Céline Dion. You might think of her in some respects as the “French Canadian Barbra.” I said, “Well, that is the kind of voice that we need. Please send me some of her recordings.” Fast forward, I send her to Chris, and Chris said, “Look I got nobody at this moment. Let’s just go with it.” So she came to New York where we were recording.

 

The bed tracks were recorded first at The Record Plant in L.A., and Peabo and Céline recorded their vocals at The Power Station in New York over the Labor Day holiday weekend (in 1991).

 

The song became a big hit. And that kind of really put Céline on the map in the United States. She had a few singles before, including “Where Does My Heart Beat Now” the year before (which reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #2 on its Adult Contemporary chart.)

 

(Peabo Bryson and Céline Dion’s duet recording of “Beauty and the Beast,” peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100; and at #3 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary chart.)

 

 

ABOUT DAVID FOSTER:

 

He has also produced some of the most popular hits of our time including Céline Dion’s “The Power of Love.” and Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.”

 

You have had considerable access to David.

 

He has always been very open for some reason. He was very much okay with me sitting at his studio watching him produce people and create and mix tracks. One day, he was producing Céline. He started playing John Lennon’s “Imagine” that they were considering recording, and he looked up at me, and he said, “What do you think?” I said, “It’s pretty, but you aren’t playing the right melody.” He said, “What are you talking about?” I said, “David, I don’t play the piano. I can’t read music. I don’t know what note you aren’t playing, but I can only tell you that it’s not correct.” He says “Put on the (Lennon) record.” So I found the record, and we listened, and he said, “God damn it, you are right.” So he started asking me, “What about this way?” He’s asking me my opinion. And at that moment, I realized that even a genius needs somebody to tell them an honest opinion. They may not agree with it, but at least they think about it.

 

[Chantemoi]

How interesting that they may have recorded “Imagine”! I wonder for which album?

[dawn]

How interesting that they may have recorded "Imagine"! I wonder for which album?

 

Well... Céline performed it on Tonight Show, in 1993, so probably it would be for 'The Colour Of My Love' album.

[comingback]

How interesting that they may have recorded “Imagine”! I wonder for which album?

 

I think it was for the Celine Dion 1992, because she sang it on the Jay Leno Late Show in 1992.

[ehild]

Oh to have Imagine recorded somewhere would be spectacular! I've always loved that song!!

 

Thank you for posting this interview! Some very interesting details indeed.

[ryba]

It didn't make it on any album. I wonder why. Maybe a legal issue? Or maybe it would stand out too much from the other tracks.

[comingback]

It didn't make it on any album. I wonder why. Maybe a legal issue? Or maybe it would stand out too much from the other tracks.

 

I think Imagine was planned for the Celine Dion album, but then they cancelled it.

 

 

(the performance was in December 1992 and not in 1993)

 

Do you remember the Introduction part on the Celine Dion album

 

 

Regarde

Le monde est dans nos yeux

Un monde d'amour

Sans frontières

Un monde pour toi et moi

J'espère

 

 

Looked

The world is in our eyes

A world of love

Without limits

A world for you and me

I hope

[rfkavanagh]

While it's possible there's a recording in the archives somewhere, it's also quite possible they never recorded Imagine at all. The interview doesn't indicate one way or another, and David Foster could just as easily have been playing it for reference on a piano in the studio while they discussed whether they wanted to do anything with it or not but it never went anywhere.

 

That said, imagine if there was a version of it somewhere with Céline's 1992 voice!

[ehild]

While it's possible there's a recording in the archives somewhere, it's also quite possible they never recorded Imagine at all. The interview doesn't indicate one way or another, and David Foster could just as easily have been playing it for reference on a piano in the studio while they discussed whether they wanted to do anything with it or not but it never went anywhere.

 

That said, imagine if there was a version of it somewhere with Céline's 1992 voice!

True. She did perform it a couple of times live during that era so he could easily have been working on the live arrangement versus recording it. Part of me feels like, given her history for recording songs she's sung live, she may have recorded it but in the end they didn't include it for whatever reason. There's no telling, really. But it's pretty neat to think she might have lol.

 

It's out there somewhere with the forever lost PMLALS hahaha 😆

Edited June 1, 2021 at 01:26 AM by ehild

[mirage]

Maybe they were just testing it out since she was going to perform the song?

[PuraVida]

I loved this interview. So interesting to know that Barbra got offered BATB first

[jpatdeleon09]

Did Barbra ever sang a disney song?

 

So BATB were first offered to Barbra (I think that offer hasn’t come yet to Barbra) they were planning to offer it to Barbra. Because if it has come to Barbra she would have sang it and no Céline anymore for BATB song.

 

Remember “Dreams to dream”?

 

Thank god it went to Céline. After all the planning who to offer the song it went to Céline. Amazing:)

Edited August 30, 2021 at 08:36 PM by jpatdeleon09

[PuraVida]

Did Barbra ever sang a disney song?

 

So BATB were first offered to Barbra (I think that offer hasn't come yet to Barbra) they were planning to offer it to Barbra. Because if it has come to Barbra she would have sang it and no Céline anymore for BATB song.

 

Remember "Dreams to dream"?

 

Thank god it went to Céline. After all the planning who to offer the song it went to Céline. Amazing:)

 

The article said she rejected the song.

[jpatdeleon09]

 

 

The article said she rejected the song.

 

I saw an article that the song was inspired by Barbra Streisand

 

https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/how-barbra-streisand-inspired-disneys-beauty-and-the-beast.html/

Edited August 31, 2021 at 01:50 AM by jpatdeleon09

[jpatdeleon09]

So O’ Hara wanted to sing the song…

 

“ Actress and singer Paige O'Hara, who voices Belle, was among the first artists to express interest in recording the pop version of "Beauty and the Beast", but Disney dismissed her for being "too Broadway".

Edited August 31, 2021 at 01:45 AM by jpatdeleon09

[PuraVida]

What part?

 

I saw an article that the song was inspired by Barbra Streisand

 

https://www.cheatshe...the-beast.html/

 

Did you even read the article in linked the first post? The OP even copied the text in their post. It says right there they brought the songs to Babs and "she passed".

[jpatdeleon09]

 

 

Did you even read the article in linked the first post? The OP even copied the text in their post. It says right there they brought the songs to Babs and "she passed".

 

Yeah i just found out now. lol

 

I wondered why she rejected the song… i mean it says it was given to a lot of big stars and they all rejected it.

 

In the other article it has been said that they are unable to afford a big singer that time.. and they found Céline.

 

I don’t know who to follow but glad it went to Céline

Edited August 31, 2021 at 01:54 AM by jpatdeleon09