Customer Reviews

Barry Manilow 1

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a child I fell in love with Barry Manilow..his music..lyrics..the way he sang a song. Although I'm now an adult and my musical tastes have broadened considerably, I still appreciate all that Barry gave and gives to his music. I've always loved his first three albums, in particular..and this one tops my list for "Could it Be Magic" alone. "One of These Days", "Oh My Lady", "Sweet Life" and "I am Your Child" are among the standouts in my opinion..as much for the heartfelt way Barry sings them as for anything else. This may have been his first album..and produced even earlier than I had realized (1972)..but it is by no means a sad effort. I recently ordered the CD version, having lost my vinyl to a flood years back..and I can't wait to hear it, again. For simple, heartfelt melodies, Barry's your man.

This is the first record I ever owned - holiday gift when I was 7 years old. I love it for the memories, I suppose, but to look at it objectively I would say this: it was the man's very first recording for crying out loud, be understanding. It dates back to 1972, so if it sounds a bit funky, it probably should. I like to listen to this as a basis to see how far he has come, how he has matured over his 30 year career (quite a bit.) Really, if you're a fan and you have everything else Manilow, this is worth having as well. It is a part of his history - and sounds it. It is his beginning. It is NOT, however, a great work, nor who he is today. For a non-fan this would just sound old, outdated, and corny.

track 9 "Flashy Lady" is probably the most Manilow has come to having rock music on his albums {except a 1981 song called "Wild Places" on his box set that wasn't issued on any of his albums because his producer was scared at the public reaction!!}. anyway, track 9 is my favorite because it's so different from what you'd expect. "One of these Days" is my second favorite. I love it's country feel {this whole album has a country-flavor to it and that's why most people here have a hard time listening to it}. "Seven More Years" deals with a guy in prison. "Sweetwater Jones" is a sing-a-long song as is "Cloudburst". The only hit, "Could It Be Magic?", is track 7. This album came out in 1972 but was re-released in 1975 after the success of "Mandy" and 'BARRY MANILOW II"...and 'BARRY MANILOW I' as a result became as big a hit as it's follow-up...which was something rare at the time.

My first introduction to Barry Manilow was when I was about ten years old. I was taking piano lessons and practicing Chopin's Prelude in C minor, Op. 28, No. 20. Dad came walking in saying, "So you're playing Barry Manilow, huh?" I had absolutely no clue who he was talking about - at ten years of age, I was more into Star Wars and Legos than pop music. Nevertheless, it was a tune that Dad would constantly request and Barry Manilow became a household name for me. That same year, Mom bought me a pop book that had Mandy in it - another favorite of Dad's that he continually requested.

Barry's debut album, released in 1973 by Bell Records, didn't sell very well. In fact, it wasn't until 1974, with the release of the single "Mandy," that "Barry Manilow I" was rereleased, spawning the only hit, "Could It Be Magic." Unlike Barry's mid-late 1970's albums, this one has an immense amount of variety, including everything from swing, to pop, to country, to driving rock - Yes! Driving rock on a Manilow album.

My favorite is "Could It Be Magic." It is this reviewer's opinion that this ballad was ten years, maybe fifteen years ahead of its time. By the end of the recording, Manilow's compiled background vocals, brass, strings, electric guitar, and a heavy drum, all driving home the climax. In fact, it's that heavy drum was wasn't immulated again until the hard rockers of the eighties began doing ballads. Compared to the original Bell recording, the only disappointment in the Arista release is that the electric guitar doesn't carry any presence. It's there, but you have to know it's there, otherwise you might miss it. I hope that the remastered version sounds truer to the original.

The best rocker on the album is "Oh My Lady." Great drive and sycopation. If you get this album, really listen to the drummer. All of the fills he adds augment the melody, making this tune as fresh today as it was in 1973. "Flashy Lady" is another one that has received great reviews, but I've never cared much for the melody or the arrangement.

Other personal favorites include the ballads "I Am Your Child," a great self-refection piece for any parent, and "Seven More Years," a song about a fellow in prison.

There isn't a Barry album quite like his debut release. As he began plugging out hits, it would appear that his fan-base began to pigeon-hole him as a crooner, demanding more ballads. Due to this reputation, the 1980's were not kind to him. Even when he'd try to break out of the mold with hits like "Let's Hang On" or "Some Kind of Friend," sales began to drop - not because he wasn't keeping up with the times, but because his name wasn't hip. It's really too bad because he produced some quality stuff - please see my review of his 1982 album "If I Should Love Again."

If you're looking for a different side to Manilow, you won't be disappointed with this album. This is where his career began.

Why hasn't this album been remastered like the rest of Barry's albums?

This is the first album by Barry that I got. It was actually a mistake. I was looking for a particular song and saw this album at Columbia House in about 1973-74. I started listening to it and for some odd reason I liked it, even though it wasn't the one I wanted. Barry stuck to me and still does today. Yes, even this older married guy still believes Barry is one of the best, if not the best, "show-man" of all time, ever! This album is a fun album to listen to. I highly recommend adding this to your collection.

Luis Mejia - The first Barry Manilow album, this was my truly first bought album by Barry apart from the compilations my dad used to have. Later on when I've heard most of his stuff I gotta say this is one hell of an uncomercial album, if you consider the fact in which Manilow puts down a recording of his grandfather telling him to 'sing it', you can notice this was not intended to be a top charting recording. Still, in between Manilow's vocal show off in "Cloudburst", and the majestic sound of the classic "Could It Be Magic", the best side of his originality can be heard, yet it's quite unconvincing on the simple ballads "Seven More Years" "I Am Your Child " and "Friends", and the rock showcases. Not his best material but this is the proof of Barry Manilow's talent as an original performer.

If you collect Manilow recordings, this was the first. It has the "Sing It" recording of Barry as a child with his grandpa outside a recording studio. The was Barry before anyone knew who Barry was.

Let me preface this "review" by saying that this record is awful. I am not a fan or Mr. Manilow, and I find him extremely boring and unimaginative. However, as I gave this record 2 stars, there must be some redeeming factor going on here, eh?

Absolutely. Although the songs he takes writing credit for on this release are without exception fairly terrible (painful, even) Manilow's rendition of "Cloudburst" on side A (a tune he did not write) is beautiful. There's really not enough I can say about this song. Witty, silly lyrics, brilliantly interesting arrangement, and Manilow's vocals actually work well within the song.

For the love of god, please do not buy this CD. It's still horrible. However, if you happen to come across the LP at the Salvation Army for a buck or two pick it up, if only for "Cloudburst".