bobbo428's Full Review: Greatest Hits Vol. 1 by Barry Manilow
This Guy puts Michael Bolton to Shame
Barry Manilow is a singer I've had sort of a love-hate relationship with: I liked his music a lot in the 1970s, then tired of him in the '80s. He became my whipping boy for a while--until Michael Bolton began to get on my nerves. I'll give this to Michael: He made me appreciate Barry again.
Here's my take on the tracks:
"Mandy" was the song that introduced me to Manilow, in December 1974. The song is actually a remake of a song by Scott English called "Brandy." "Mandy" set the standard for Manilow: it was an emotional ballad that built to a rousing climax, and it was the first of three #1 hits for Barry.
"It's a Miracle" was a spring-sort of song that celebrated life. It reached #12 in May 1975, and it had a highly danceable melody and percussive rhythm.
"Trying to Get the Feeling," the title cut from his 1975 album, reached the top 10 in May 1976. It was a heartfelt song that reached an orchestral climax. It was one of the songs that established Manilow as an adult-contemporary mainstay in the mid-1970s.
"Looks Like We Made It" was a song that looked at the ironies of relationships. It was the first Manilow 45 I bought, and it happened to be on the singer's birthday, June 17, 1977, the same day I would take an important exam.
"New York City Rhythm" happened to be the B-side of the previous cut. This was a rousing number that featured a Latin-influenced coda which gave the tune some enhanced flavor.
"Daybreak," a hit in the fall of 1977, was another uplifting song in the "I'm-OK, You're OK" mode of the '70s. I was a bit cynical toward this approach back then (I was 16 years old), but the song does get you going in the morning.
"Can't Smile Without You" was a top-five hit in the spring of 1978, being kept out of #1 by the Saturday Night Fever juggernaut. The song's melody may seem a bit cheesy now, but it surely beats the attitude-drenched pop scene of the '90s and 2000's. I've come to like the song for its earnest sincerity.
"Even Now" reminded me a lot of Manilow's 1977 hit, "Looks Like We Made It." Both songs made the chart during the exact same time of year, and both were headed toward the top five. The problem was, the record company released "Copacabana" as a single just as "Even Now" was making the top 40, in June 1978. As a result, "Even Now" began to stall, reaching only #19, while "Copa" soared into the top 10 that summer. "Even Now" is one of Barry's underrated gems,and I always appreciated the genuine approach of the track, which is a lament of long-lost love.
"Bandstand Boogie" reminds me of Dick Clark's TV program, of course. It's a 1940's swing-influenced number, and you can hear the opening music of this song every Sunday on Clark's "Rock, Roll, and Remember," when he does his American Bandstand Archives feature.
"Some Kind of Friend" is the only 1980s track on the disc. It is synthesized, but the song itself is still catchy. However, it only reached the mid-20s on the pop chart, in the spring of 1983. Top-40 was in a transition from mellow pop to the harder, hipper sounds of MTV, and artists like Manilow were beginning to struggle.
If you want an introduction to the sound of one of the best balladeers of the mid-to-late 1970s, this collection by Barry Manilow is a good place to start. Along with artists like Neil Diamond, Anne Murray, and Barbra Streisand, Manilow set the standard for mellow 1970s pop.
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