CD Review: Barry Manilow - Barry Manilow II and Even Now
Published May 23, 2006
Hey, Fumo here with some newly remastered CDs from the man who writes "the songs that make the whole world sing." For those of you who may be smirking right now, you can cut it out. Barry Manilow is one of the world's premier entertainers, and is an inductee of the "Songwriters Hall of Fame" and Rolling Stone has called him "The Showman of our Generation". Two of his most popular albums have been remastered digitally, Barry Manilow II and Even Now, and although I am not such a fan, my mom is. So this week the review will be a Q&A from Momma Verde.
FV: How long have you been listening to Barry?
MV: The first I had ever heard of Barry Manilow was with the TV commercials, you know Dr. Pepper, Band-Aid brand Band-Aids, the Oscar Meyer jingles, but it was your father who introduced me to the music of Manilow. Your father loved to dance, that's how he put himself through college. How come you never finished college, Fumo?
FV: Not now, Ma. Which of Barry's albums is your favorite?
MV: Even Now has to be one of my all time favorites. It has "Can't Smile Without You," "Where Do I Go From Here," and of course "Copacabana." These CDs definitely have a better sound than the 8-tracks we used to listen to, and the new CD of Even Now has a previously unreleased track called "I'm Comin' Home Again" which still shows that Barry — even after all these years, can still write great songs. Not only does he write his own music but he produces and arranges it himself too.
FV: What about Barry Manilow II?
MV: That's another special one. It has "The Two of Us," which was the song your father and I loved to dance to. "My Baby Loves Me" and "It's a Miracle" are also full-bodied songs. There is also a new unreleased track on this one too, "Good News," which I never heard before.
FV: I wonder why... Full-bodied song?
MV: A song that makes your whole body feel good. "Mandy" is also on this CD. That was one of Barry's top songs. After your father died, it seemed as if that's all they played on the radio for a while. Not that that song had anything to do with your father, just hearing Barry's voice reminded me of your father.
- CD Review: Barry Manilow - Barry Manilow II and Even Now
- Published: May 23, 2006
- Type: Review
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Pop
- Writer: El Bicho
- El Bicho's BC Writer page
- El Bicho's personal site
- Spread the Word
- Like this article?
- Email this
Save to del.icio.us
Comments on this articleComments
This music is for overweight yentas and centerfold models from the 1970's. Fine, he's a showman, he can write a decent MOR melody and everybody who's had more than two hits is in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. This is two articles on Blogcritics in the same month on this stuff. It's time to move on now to music more relevant to life as we know it in 2006. The Brown Velour Shirt Era ended when Studio 54 closed. Enough already.
"The Brown Velour Shirt Era"--good name for a band.
Obviously J.P.Spencer has never sat and listened to Mr Manilow's excelent body of work or he/she would have a different opinion, and he/she is entitled to that opinion but my feeling is never to judge untill you have listened
Trust me Ruth. My brother had "Barry Manilow II" on 8-track (remember those?), so I heard my share of his stuff there and on radio during the Carter Administration, and my opinion, if anything, has solidified with time.
If I want musical craft, solid songwriting and a good listening experience, I'll go to Brian Wilson, David Ackles or The Flaming Lips. If I want to commune with a bottle of syrup, I'll put on Manilow.
Add your comment, speak your mind
(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/48150)
Oddly enough, Manilow did not write "I Write the Songs"--that was written by latter-day Beach Boy Bruce Johnston.