Released in 1971 and produced by Richard Perry, it was a conscious change in direction for Streisand, having a more upbeat, contemporary pop/rock sound.

The album became one of the most successful of Streisand's career: it was certified “platinum” by the RIAA for sales exceeding 1 million copies in the United States alone.

Columbia Records continued with the desire to modernize the singer's repertoire, but this time the choice to produce the singer's album was Richard Perry who chose songs by contemporary artists such as: Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, Harry Nilsson and Laura Nyro.

[7] Alex Dubo from Rolling Stone gave the album a mixed review which he wrote that "Stoney End runs hot and cold.

He also wrote that the album "shows that Barbra Streisand can sing, and could be relevant, although I don't expect droves of rock fans to rush out and buy this".