Barry Manilow 2 (Exp) [Original recording remastered]

Barry Manilow | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 29, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Sbme Special Mkts.
• ASIN: B00160ANIC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #80,342 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. I Want to Be Somebody's Baby

2. Early Morning Strangers

3. Mandy

4. The Two of Us

5. Something's Comin' Up

6. It's a Miracle

7. Avenue C

8. My Baby Loves Me

9. Sandra

10. Home Again

11. Good News [#]

12. Halfway Over the Hill

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars leave your predisposed Barry notions at the door, please, October 19, 2008

By 

Gregory Mitchell (New York City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Barry Manilow 2 (Exp) (Audio CD)

I'm showing my age here (well, at least in numerical years...I bought this album and Joni Mitchell's COURT AND SPARK the same day, and they both still resonate enormously.....)

aside from the mega-hit MANDY and to a lesser extent IT'S A MIRACLE, this Manilow release is filled with surprises. Manilow's vocals have a far less glossy edge to them than when he hit mega-stardom in the 70s, and the material choice throughout is pretty superb. The album slyly begins with "I Wanna Be Somebody's Baby" and it's a track that a masher could remix down to something pretty true and sexy. And the album's true long-term winner for me is 'EARLY MORNING STRANGERS" -- a smart, sad, true winner of a lyric. I'm always surprised that more attention has not been paid over the years to the "Early Morning" track. It certainly isn't from the peppy, happy "Daybreak" Manilow. This entire album has a clarity and edge (okay, a mild edge, but it certainly evokes those 70s years in a big city) to it, a real New York City feel -- well, at least if you're a gay man in your early 50s (that's me, I'll leave Barry to his own choices). There's a undercurrent of wistfulness and yearning throughout the album and again, Manilow's vocals have an entirely different feel to them here. Mike DeLugg, here as Manilow's engineer as he was/is for so much of Manilow's best albums, again shows his total prowess over the sound booth -- just as DeLugg did with all of Jane Olivor's best work, he really understands how to put some aural space around the vocals, and it's distinctive and sublime.

This past weekend, I saw this album in a vintage store (well, I guess it is vintage by now), but just holding it in my hands brought back waves of regret and nostalgia, thinking back at the young gay teenager (me) who bought this album the weekend after he had first had sex, and the incredible longing to break free of my parents, Kansas, and make it to the Big Apple. Indeed, I'm here in Manhattan now and this album still evokes all of that want and desire.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Superb Sophomore Album, January 27, 2011

By 

Jim Kelsey - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Barry Manilow 2 (Exp) (Audio CD)

I think it was 1979 - I was eleven at the time and my mother had just purchased a book of pop music called "Nice and Easy Feelings." I would play through the easier pieces and one day stumbled upon "Mandy," written in the not-so-easy key (at least back then) of B flat. Once Dad heard me playing it, it became a continual request and was my first introduction to Barry Manilow.

Over the years, I became a fan and accumulated several of his albums. When I was in high school and old enough to be responsible, Dad let me listen to his "Barry Manilow II" album and it soon became one of my favorites. Now, looking back with thirty+ years and a familiarity of all of his releases from 1973-1986, I believe that this album is one of his best. He was at the height of his creativity and attempting to prove what he could do on his own.

"Mandy" was Manilow's first hit single and was a rerelease of Scott English's "Brandy." Manilow reworked it as a ballad and, due to Looking Glass's hit by the same title, the title was changed. It climbed all the way to #1 - not bad for a first effort - actually, "Could It Be Magic" was his first effort - that's another story. His second single, incidentally not a favorite of mine, was "It's A Miracle," which climbed to #12.

Like his first album, this one has an immense amount of variety, including everything from Count Basie's "Avenue C" to driving rock - Yes! Driving rock on a Manilow album. The best rocker on the album is "Something's Comin' Up." Great drive and brass.

Other personal favorites include the ballads "Sandra," a great self-refection piece for any early mother, and "Home Again," a love song about a distant relationship. The ending of the piece is quite extensive, allowing Barry a chance to solo on the piano The album also includes a great latin-based bonus track entitled "Halfway Over the Hill."

It would seem that Barry's first four albums truly showcased his capability of mastering different styles and genres. As he began plugging out hits, it would appear that his fan-base, or perhaps his record label, began to pigeon-hole him, demanding more slick, pop ballads. 1975's "Tryin' To Get The Feelin'" saw what I consider the last of the "edgier" rockers and 1976's "This One's For You" the last of the fast swing numbers. If you enjoy Barry's music, you really owe it to yourself to listen to this album.

5.0 out of 5 stars More Manilow Magic!, April 19, 2010

By 

Gam - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Barry Manilow 2 (Exp) (Audio CD)

This CD is actually a replacement for the same one that I had in vinyl "back in the day".
It has some of my favorites like "Somebody's Baby" and in short the whole thing is just good Manilow. That instrumentation, vocal harmony, and Barry's distinctive singing style continue to come through on this album as it does on all the others. Aaah ... the memories. Nobody like Manilow. Enjoy!