Ticket 2 Ride

I never imagined writing a review of a Barry Manilow album. My, how times have changed.

For the record, I’ve always liked the guy, but his sugary pop imagine was something I could never quite embrace, and that song, “Mandy,” the worst, schmaltzy piece of soulless fluff. I still don’t like it, but it was his first hit and topped the pop chart 50 years ago.

The man knows a thing or two about melodies and musical arrangements. Before he was a pop star, he wrote jingles.

I own two greatest hits collections; yes, I do. For this blog, I borrowed a more comprehensive collection, The Essential Barry Manilow, that pulls together the hits and album tracks, plus a couple of remixes.

Manilow is 80 years old and apparently is in the middle of his final tour. In more recent years he has recorded Broadway, Big Band, Sinatra, Christmas, American Songbook and other thematic albums. The songs below are from the first 20 years of his career.

Below are my thoughts on each one. A few, I could skip and it wouldn’t bother me, but most are really fine songs and display his style superbly.

Disc 1

“Mandy” (single version) [3:21] See above.

“It’s A Miracle” (extended single version) [3:44] A swinging tune, a top 10 hit. I still like it.

“Could It Be Magic” (single version) [4:18] Another top 10 hit, I love the song. Great arrangement. Donna Summer also had a hit with it.

“I Write The Songs” (album version) [3:55] Written by sometime Beach Boy Bruce Johnston. A number one hit for Manilow. Certainly a crowd-pleaser, and one of Manilow’s essential concert selections. The arrangement is a bit over-the-top for me, but a great Manilow performance.

“Bandstand Boogie” [2:50] I like this retro song. This arrangement and vocal performance is flawless. It swings, what can I say.

“Tryin’ To Get The Feeling Again” [3:49] What might have been a weepy, schmaltzy song is a well-arranged and tender love song.

“Beautiful Music” [4:36] I’m neutral on this song. It’s well-produced, as one would expect, just not a favorite of mine.

“This One’s For You” [3:29] This one should have been a bigger hit, just a top 30. Maybe it sounded a bit formulaic?

“Weekend In New England” [3:45] Top 10. Big and showy romantic ballad. True Manilow.

“Jump Shout Boogie (Live)” [2:55] Another retro tune, a B-side.

“Looks Like We Made It” [3:33] A number one hit, classic Manilow power ballad.

“Daybreak” (Live) [3:42] Bouncy, upbeat track, from his Live album. Top 40.

“New York City Rhythm” (Live) [3:51] Another track from Live album, but released as a B-side of a single. Uptempo, great arrangement.

“Can’t Smile Without You” [3:12] Top five hit. Kind on generic Manilow. Not very original, although he didn’t write it. Sorry, but it gets a bit cloying after the second verse.

“Even Now” [3:30] Top 20, a bit of a disappointment, but I like it a lot better than “Can’t Smile Without You.”

“Copacabana (At The Copa)” (disco version) [5:44] Always loved this song, especially the disco mix. It swings. Manilow should have done more heavily instrumental tracks.

“Ready to Take a Chance Again (mono mixdown)” (theme from Foul Play) [3:02] Written by Charles Fox & Norman Gimbel from the Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase film.

Disc 2

“Somewhere in the Night” [3:28] Top 10. Another solid song from Even Now.

“Ships” [4:00] Written by Ian Hunter. Top 10. A fresher sound and energetic vocal performance.

“When I Wanted You” [3:35] Top 20, a very average song. From One Voice.

“I Don’t Want to Walk Without You” [3:57] Top 40, barely. Written by Jules Styne/Frank Loesser. A number one hit for Harry James in 1942.

“One Voice” [3:03] Nice vocal arrangement. Written by Manilow.

“I Made It Through the Rain” [4:24] Top 10. From the album Barry. A bit syrupy, but perfect for Manilow.

“Lonely Together” [4:19] Written by Kenny Nolan. Missed the top 40. Pleasant. Almost qualifies as contemporary country.

“The Old Songs” [4:39] Top 15. Written by David Pomeranz and Buddy Kaye. Manilow makes the song his own, as if it was written for him, it wasn’t. From the album, If I Should Love Again.

“Somewhere Down the Road” [4:00] Written by Cynthia Weil and Tom Snow, and suggest by Clive Davis to Manilow. Just missed the top 20. Classic Manilow song. Featured in an episode of Ally McBeal.

“Memory” [4:56] Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Trevor Nunn based on poems by T. S. Eliot. From Cats. Just missed the top 40. From the Manilow album, Here Comes the Night. Manilow puts his heard and soul into the performance, with a huge production.

“Some Kind of Friend” [4:03] A modern, 1980s synth production. Peaked at number 26. Nice to see him with a contemporary sound.

“Read ‘Em and Weep” [5:25] The Jim Steinman song recorded by Meatloaf. Produced by Steinman. Made it to number 18, which is much higher than the Meat version. It’s a great fit for Manilow. From his Greatest Hits Vol. 2.

“When October Goes” [4:00] Credited to lyrics by Johnny Mercer and music by Manilow. Mercer’s widow gave the lyrics to Manilow in hopes he could construct music to fit. It has that old world feel. From the jazz-flavored album, 2:00 AM Paradise Cafe.

“I’m Your Man” (Club Mix) [6:11] Written by Howie Rice, Alan Rich and Manilow. From the album, Manilow. This version peaked at number 86. A very different sound for Manilow. Yikes.

“Brooklyn Blues” [5:09] He called this a techno-swing album. Its industrial synth sound is a little jarring. Instead of smooth jazz, it’s more like made-for-video Miami Vice.

“Hey Mambo” [2:52] Credited to Manilow and Kid Creole & The Coconuts. Synthetic salsa. Another yikes.

“I’d Really Love to See You Tonight” (Up-Tempo Mix) [3:53] The song made famous by England Dan & John Ford Coley from back in the 1970s. This version is a club mix, up-tempo version that is really cool, released in the U.K.