Barry Manilow Albums (28)
'The Greatest Songs of the Eighties'
Release Date 11/25/2008
Tracks 12
Label Arista
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What The Critics Say
Barry Manilow's Greatest Songs series enters its fourth decade with no reason to quit, not when the 1980s produced cartloads of adult contemporary nuggets and certainly not when the first three volumes performed so well on the charts. As on previous editions, Manilow and co-producer Clive Davis display a sure hand in their song selection. Virtually all of these are ballads originally performed by Manilow contemporaries or inheritors, artists such as Phil Collins ("Against All Odds"), Christopher Cross ("Arthur's Theme"), Bill Medley ("I've Had the Time of My Life"), Cyndi Lauper ("Time After Time"), Journey ("Open Arms"), Richard Marx ("Right Here Waiting"), and Wham! ("Careless Whisper"). The songs will all be familiar to anyone who lived through the '80s and Manilow sings the songs straight, wringing maximum emotion out of each with the warmth and character of his strong voice. Granted, there's precious little room here for new musical interpretations, barring only a light Brazilian vibe for Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You." The biggest surprise on The Greatest Songs of the Eighties is a cover of Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up," a large hit in England and America, but one that retained its popularity in the 2000s when the "rickrolling" prank phenomenon gave it more YouTube popularity than a thousand Richard Marxes. Still, there's no trace of irony in Manilow's version; like all the other songs here, he brings little more to it than what the song originally possessed. One of the intriguing characteristics of earlier volumes in the Greatest Songs series was discovering how Manilow and his co-arrangers would treat their updates of classic songs; here there's virtually no difference between Barry Manilow's covers and the sound of the originals. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
'In the Swing of Christmas'
Release Date 1/1/2007
Tracks 10
Label Hallmark
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What The Critics Say
Since Manilow released his previous delightful holiday album A Christmas Gift of Love in 2002, the legendary singer and entertainer became a Las Vegas staple and experienced a pop chart renaissance with his collections of greatest songs of the '50s, '60s and '70s. True to its title, his engaging third Christmas CD is more swinging and jazzy than his other two, which had an interesting musical variety but were definitely more pop. Since his '70s heyday, the singer has done everything from brilliant jazz, big-band, and show tune projects to a fanciful Sinatra tribute, and here he creates unforgettable arrangements of many familiar songs that draw from all of these genres. Texturing his own voice, he creates a Take 6-flavored twist on "Silver Bells," then on "Jingle Bells," mixes a hard driving jazz trio and '40s big band flavored approach with a touch of the whimsy of Barbra Streisand's famous version. His MaD Fusion trio featuring the wild piano improvisations of Matt Herskowitz adds inspired energy to a medley of two songs we've heard a million times but rarely as entertainingly, "Joy to the World"/"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year." Beyond enjoying Manilow's mix of unique jazzy vocal approaches with tender straightforward deliveries (as on "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,"), what makes this perhaps his best Christmas disc are a few unexpected song choices: the beautiful "Violets for Your Furs" (best known as a song on Frank Sinatra's legendary 1954 album Songs for Young Lovers); the easy swinging, brass inflected "Toyland," from Victor Herbert's operetta Babes in Toyland, and "Count Your Blessings," the "other song" Irving Berlin wrote for the film White Christmas. Fans of Manilow and Christmas music would pick up this disc even if it was average and prosaic, but the obvious love the artist put into these fresh choices and arrangements makes it one of his most unique and inspired efforts ever. ~ Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide
'The Greatest Songs of the Fifties'
Release Date 1/31/2006
Tracks 13
Label Arista
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What The Critics Say
A kind of a variation on Clive Davis' wildly successful American Classic Songbook albums for Rod Stewart, The Greatest Songs of the Fifties finds Barry Manilow singing vocal pop favorites of the Eisenhower era. Although there are songs that are indeed classics of the rock & roll era, there is no rock & roll here. Manilow has picked songs like "Venus," "Are You Lonesome Tonight?," "All I Have to Do Is Dream," and "Unchained Melody" (which originated in the '50s, but the Righteous Brothers had the biggest hit with it in 1965), which were on the pop crossover side of rock & roll in the latter half of the '50s. These are complemented by pop standards -- such as "It's Not for Me to Say," "Sincerely/Teach Me Tonight," "What a Diff'rence a Day Made," "Beyond the Sea" -- on an album that, in terms of repertoire, would not be out of step with the MOR pop LPs Mitch Miller produced at Columbia in the '50s and '60s. Of course, The Greatest Songs of the Fifties is a 2006 release, so it has a slick, semi-synthesized sheen and a warm, hazy glaze of nostalgia which, truth be told, isn't all that far removed from Manilow's big hits of the '70s, when Barry was romanticizing the Copacabana and doing big-band medleys on-stage. Given this, it shouldn't be a shock that Barry comes across as a slick, accomplished professional on these songs, never doing anything surprising but never resorting to hammy shtick, either, the way that Rod occasionally does on his songbook albums. That said, Greatest Songs isn't as rich musically as Rod's records, primarily because Manilow doesn't collaborate with an outside arranger here, or even many other producers: as the back cover says, "all song layouts created by Barry Manilow," and he keeps this within the realm of a nostalgic supper club revue. He does it well and he does it professionally, which will certainly make this record pleasing to his fans, but the record is just a shade too predictable (but never unpleasant) for listeners who aren't already firmly within Manilow's camp. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Scores: Songs from Copacabana and Harmony'
Release Date 9/28/2004
Tracks 14
Label Concord
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What The Critics Say
Long before the world new him as a hit-maker and entertainer, Barry Manilow wrote an original song score for an adaptation of The Drunkard. The show was a success and it fueled Manilow's dreams to take his music to the Great White Way, but a job with Bette Midler and a song called "Mandy" forever changed his career trajectory. Years later after the hits had stopped, Manilow and his writing partner Bruce Sussman rediscovered their love for Broadway musicals and looked to their 1978 hit "Copacabana" as inspiration for a show. Written with Jack Feldman, Copacabana - The Musical played in London's West End in 1994 and a successful American tour followed in 2000. Still, Broadway proved elusive and Manilow set his sights on a new project, Harmony, an original musical about the Comedian Harmonists, who were a popular German vocal act during the '20s and '30s and whose demise was instigated by the rise of the Nazi regime. The musical debuted at the La Jolla Playhouse in 1997, but it has yet to be launched as a Broadway production. In the meantime, Manilow revives songs from Copacabana and Harmony for Scores and, for the most part, successfully reshapes them into solo pop songs that stand on their own. The campy tunes from Copacabana are ripe for this format as the show's genre-shifting songs already lean toward pop. The big-band workout "Dancin' Fool" captures the excitement of that era, while the bombastic "Bolero de Amor" works better in this context rather than the appropriately cheesy stage version. But Manilow's penchant for going over the top gets the best of him with most of the Copa songs as the clichéd "Just Arrived" sounds like a weak cousin to Funny Girl's "I'm the Greatest Star" and tepid ballads like "Who Needs to Dream" demonstrate that Manilow hadn't fully abandoned his saccharine past. The Copa set ends with an unnecessary dance mix update of "Copacabana" that eliminates all the campy fun of the original. Fortunately, Manilow and Sussman took a good leap forward with their score for Harmony. Musically and lyrically these songs are denser and their textures blend together forming a more consistent piece of work. The songs are more theatrical and they outshine Copa's scattershot pop with belters like "This Is Our Time!" and quieter songs like "And What Do You See?" sounding like they leapt off a Broadway stage and onto disc. Manilow and Sussman may not be Rodgers & Hammerstein or Kander & Ebb, but with Harmony they prove that they are capable of writing good melodies, solid lyrics, and big showstoppers. Scores may be the final curtain call for these songs, but it is a fitting tribute to two of Barry Manilow's pet projects. ~ Aaron Latham, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
No one could have predicted the phenomenal multi-platinum success of Barry Manilow's 2002 hits collection, Ultimate Manilow. Coming on the heels of the well-reviewed concept album Here at the Mayflower, the disc debuted on the charts at a stunning number three and began a resurgence of all things Manilow. A six-week promotional tour suddenly turned into a nine-month gig as folks of all ages crowded venues across the country to relive some of "The Old Songs." Capitalizing on the revival, Manilow simultaneously released a concert DVD version of Ultimate Manilow and a double-CD titled 2 Nights Live. Splicing together a couple of New Jersey concert dates, 2 Nights Live covers a gaggle of Manilow hits along with a few lesser-known songs from his concept albums and six previously unrecorded tunes. The discs are divided as if they were two separate concerts complete with their own opening numbers. The "Night One" disc is loaded with hits, including an energetic opening medley that includes "Ready to Take a Chance Again," "Daybreak," "Somewhere in the Night," and "This One's for You." Several more hits follow until the streak is broken by "Harmony," the title tune from Manilow's yet-to-be-seen Broadway musical that he co-wrote with longtime collaborator Bruce Sussman. From that point on, the disc is unable to maintain the momentum generated by the opening nine hit songs, as weaker material like "The Best of Me" and "Let Freedom Ring" are mixed with classics like "Weekend in New England" and "It's a Miracle." On "Night Two," most of the songs are from Manilow's latter-day concept discs with a few hits scattered throughout. Although the disc is more subdued than the manic first half of "Night One," there are several highlights, including two first-rate songs from Here at the Mayflower, "She Should'a Been Mine" and "They Dance!" The pacing of this disc is much more in tune with its material, and the previously unrecorded song "Forever and a Day" is an eloquent concert closer following the double slam of his two biggest hits, "Copacabana" and "I Write the Songs." Throughout the disc, Manilow cruises through these songs with the same effervescence that he displayed on his first live disc (and only number one album) back in 1977. Although his voice is a little ragged at times (perhaps due to the unexpected tour), he can still sell a song better than most pop singers. In his early years, Manilow knew the value of entertaining a crowd, and he continues to do so in every performance. He makes sure that every person who attends one of his concerts leaves happy, fulfilled, and feeling as if the event delivered more than his or her money's worth. 2 Nights Live is a testament to Barry Manilow's enduring popularity and proves that a beloved singer/songwriter/entertainer can't be counted out no matter what musical trends dominate the day. ~ Aaron Latham, All Music Guide
'A Christmas Gift of Love'
Release Date 11/12/2002
Tracks 11
Label Sony
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What The Critics Say
Barry Manilow's second seasonal collection, following 1990's Because It's Christmas, was released on Columbia Records, but that label berth appears to be a one-off for the singer, who followed his long tenure at Arista by signing to the jazz independent Concord for his last album, 2001's Here at the Mayflower. Maybe Columbia offered a bigger budget, since Manilow is awash in strings on a set of holiday standards. Those strings are arranged festively, and Manilow is in an appropriately festive mood, really throwing himself into the proceedings; it's his enthusiasm that makes this Christmas album a winner. There are songs actually written as Christmas carols, such as "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," but Manilow also expands the usual repertoire to take in a number of tunes that have become associated with the holiday season over the years, even if they were not intended to be originally, notably Rodgers & Hammerstein's "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music and Joni Mitchell's melancholy "River" from her Blue album, which is certainly set at Christmas time even if it doesn't share the usual holiday sentiments. Inevitably, Manilow ends with his own new Christmas original, "A Gift of Love," which is a good song even if it isn't likely to join the ranks of the perennial copyrights. This is an enjoyable Christmas album in a traditional pop style likely to please both Manilow fans and others. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
'Here at the Mayflower'
Release Date 11/13/2001
Tracks 16
Label Concord Jazz
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What The Critics Say
Barry Manilow fans are a very loyal breed, but even if you haven't been a big fan before, you might still find you enjoy this 2001 release from the longtime artist. Here at the Mayflower is what is called a concept album -- each of the 16 tracks from this offering is listed in another apartment in the Mayflower building, such as "Apartment 6C: I Miss You," "Apartment 2G: I Hear Music Playing," and "Apartment 3E: Border Train." The music on Here at the Mayflower combines several of the styles that Manilow is known for using, including dance-pop, Latin, jazz, and even Broadway melody. These numbers are piano-driven, all composed in part or in whole by Manilow. Many of the songs carry an emotional impact, whether speaking of love, old age, or hope. They all succeed in delivering the ageless talents of this singer, composer, and pianist. ~ Charlotte Dillon, All Music Guide
'If I Should Love Again'
Release Date 11/24/1998
Tracks 10
Label Arista
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What The Critics Say
Though this came near the end of his pop-chart run, If I Should Love Again is classic Barry Manilow and yielded three Top 40 hits ("The Old Songs," which went to number 15; "Somewhere Down the Road," which hit number 21; and the bright "Let's Hang On," which hit number 32). Though those singles aren't often considered classics in his oeuvre, they and most of this album are shamelessly well-crafted adult contemporary ("Break Down the Door" and "I Haven't Changed the Room" being inoffensive exceptions). "No Other Love" is a swoony, romantic ballad (with strong lyrics like "There were no violins, there were no soft guitars, time comes and goes like music in a play") that plays out exactly as it should, so that you can't imagine there being another way to produce it. Turning "Somewhere Down the Road" from a melancholy piano ballad to an anthem shows that Manilow's in fine form. The song becomes so inspirational you almost want to salute the flag. It may not be the biggest album of his career, but If I Should Love Again showcases Manilow's greatest skill: making heartbreak sound hopeful. ~ Bryan Buss, All Music Guide
'Tryin' to Get the Feeling'
Release Date 11/24/1998
Tracks 12
Label Arista
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What The Critics Say
Barry Manilow made it to number one again during his first year as a hit artist with a rendition of Beach Boy Bruce Johnston's "I Write the Songs," beating out covers by David Cassidy and Captain and Tennille (who also released a version in Spanish). The modernized (read: no distortion) take-off on Phil Spector's Wall of Sound was what made "Mandy" so very special, and it came back to work here; Manilow sings with a seriousness on "I Write the Songs" that is as determined as his voice is on the title track, David Pomeranz' "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again." Both titles are light years beyond the rest of the album, even including Bruce Sussman and Barry's reworking of the American Bandstand theme. Like the Four Seasons before him, Barry Manilow is known for his ability to take a song up the charts; the album tracks are secondary and reserved for his most devoted followers. This quest for chart supremacy had a formidable team pooling their talents. It was co-produced by the star and Archies' lead singer Ron Dante, while Bette Midler, Miles Laurie, and Dick Fox are thanked for showing Manilow "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again." Peter Thom and Phil Galdston's "Why Don't We Live Together" is nice enough, but indicative of the near-miss compositions Manilow himself contributes -- "She's a Star," "You're Leavin' Too Soon" and "A Nice Boy Like Me" -- that might have gotten some Top 40 action due to Manilow's momentum, but without the staying power of the established hits. At least the co-write with Adrienne Anderson, "As Sure as I'm Standin' Here," has a bit of a future, with the David Pomeranz/Manilow hit, "The Old Songs," something to look forward to. The problem with Barry Manilow is also his strength -- that he skillfully mixes Johnny Mathis' adult contemporary charm with Liberace's flamboyance. Both Mathis and Liberace knew how to reign in the excesses, while Barry could care less -- and he doesn't have to. By the same token, his fan base might be more prone to spinning Ultimate Manilow and avoiding the few rough spots of this album. [The CD version contains an extra title, Stephen Sondheim's "Marry Me a Little."] ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
'Manilow Sings Sinatra'
Release Date 11/10/1998
Tracks 14
Label Arista
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What The Critics Say
The key to Barry Manilow's somewhat pointless tribute to Frank Sinatra, creatively titled Manilow Sings Sinatra, are the arrangers Manilow and producer Phil Ramone hand-picked to guide the sessions: Johnny Mandel, Patrick Williams, Don Sebesky, and Artie Butler. They make this 14-song hat-tip listenable, providing top-notch arrangements to the otherwise stiff recordings. Tackling many of Ol' Blue Eyes' big ones (from "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" to "Strangers in the Night"), as well as writing two new odes to the man himself, Manilow dives into the material with both heart and soul. Indeed, there's nothing offensive about Manilow's takes on these classics; he pulls them off with class and style. But they've been done before, with more class and more style. And well-intentioned as this album may be, it's ultimately an unnecessary excursion. ~ Michael Gallucci, All Music Guide
