What people search:
 | Title : Ultimate Manilow
Author : Manilow, Barry
Release Date : 20020205
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $18.98
Amazon.com Price : $9.49
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Editorial Reviews :
There's a cynical adage that argues if you stand still long enough, history will eventually catch up with you. It's tempting to say that about Barry Manilow, an artist whose stubborn, quarter-century dedication to old-fashioned song craft and musical melodrama has earned him few critical praises but a loyal worldwide following in the millions. When a cult of 20-something would-be lounge lizards tried to cash in on Manilow's shtick in the 1990s, they distanced themselves from its emotional potency with telling dollops of irony and retro-hip cynicism--anything to keep from looking too sincere. This album serves up the high points of Manilow's long, successful career, rightly focusing on the long string of '70s hits that built both his legend and record label. They're a body of songs whose solid craftsmanship is undeniable, but it's Manilow's sincerity that crucially sells them--indeed, he didn't write 'I Write the Songs,' but who could doubt him? It's an odd tribute that much here--'Mandy,' 'Looks Like We Made It,' 'Copacabana,' et. al.--has become the palette for a popular entertainment spectrum that somehow encompasses endless hotel piano bars on one flank and TV sketch-com parody on the other. Good to remember that kitsch, by definition, requires a deep and lasting impact on the culture. Manilow hasn't just embraced the 'K' word; he's reveled in it with a smile--how could one frown through 'Bandstand Boogie' and 'Copa' anyway?--and elevated it to something approaching the transcendental through his sheer, joyous force of will. And if his latter work has been unabashedly nostalgic, how could anyone be surprised?
Buyer Reviews :
I'm always looking for good compilations of artists that don't rank among my all-time favorites, and Barry Manilow certainly fits that category--while I enjoyed his lengthy chart-topping run from 1975 to 1982 or so, I never felt compelled to buy the LP's which accompanied the hits. Arista released the two-record 'Barry Manilow Greatest Hits' in the early 1980's (with one of the most awful album photos in the history of recorded music--this is worth digging up in a cut-out bin for the sheer hilarity), and while it covered the territory represented here, I've never seen it on CD. Aside from the well-done but bloated box set, casual Manilow fans who simply wanted a greatest hits collection had to choose from The Best of Barry Manilow Volume I, II and III...released separately around 1990, the three discs put together only represented 30 songs and about two hours of music, which was especially frustrating to the consumer. Suffice it to say, this collection makes everything I've mentioned obsolete. Diehard fans are pointed to the box set or 'Barry Manilow Live' from 1977, when Barry was topping the charts, but this is all the casual fan of the hit-making days needs.
(by Joe Lee)
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