The Greatest Songs of the Sixties

Barry Manilow | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 31, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Arista
• ASIN: B000HA4AAE
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (94 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,832 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The premise is debatable (can you really call a disc with only one Beatles song a compendium of top '60s tunes?), but the product is anything but. The success of The Greatest Songs of the Fifties, released ten months prior to this latest exercise in musical time-travel, must have stoked Barry Manilow's interpretive skills, or else he's more a flowerchild at heart than his once overly wide lapels and disco shoes let on. Because formulaic as this disc is, it bespeaks a not easily achieved vocal mastery and a gift for gently prying a song away from its original owner. Which is to say it's better than its predecessor. Hand Manilow a Righteous Brothers tune ("You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'") and he magically minimizes its scale, making it seem more intimate still; pass him a classic made famous by both the Carpenters and Herman's Hermits ("There's a Kind of Hush"), and instead of sending his listeners off on undulating waves of nostalgia, he quietly makes them aware he should have sung it all along (no offense, Herman). "Cherish/Windy," a medley with the Association, works well, but it's the Bacharach numbers that will nudge themselves to the top of easy-listening fans' favorites lists. "This Guy's in Love with You," "What the World Needs Now is Love," and "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head," memorable as the original renditions are, have been reawakened; given the Manilow spin, they become the kind of songs the whole world wants to sing. --Tammy La Gorce

More from Barry Manilow

A Christmas Gift of Love	Ultimate Manilow	Barry Manilow: Live (Special Edition)
Manilow: Music and Passion (DVD)	The Greatest Songs of the Fifties	Singin' with the Big Bands

Product Description

After The Greatest Songs of the Fifties skyrocketted to #1 on the Billboard charts and attained Platinum status, Barry Manilow once again takes us through time with his upcoming release, The Greatest Songs of the Sixties. The album, produced by Manilow and Clive Davis, features endless classics including a remake of the Righteous Brothers "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling'" (1965) to the Beatles' "And I Love Her"(1964), to Herb Alpert's "This Guy's In Love With You" (1968), the Lettermen's "When I Fall In Love" (1962) and Burt Bacharach's "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" (1969)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Enough, but too late, November 20, 2006

By 

C. J. Graham "Mere ageing enthusiast!" (Johannesburg, South Africa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Greatest Songs of the Sixties (Audio CD)

I am a confirmed Manilow fan, no matter how un-PC that may be considered by some, and have been ever since his "2AM, Paradise Café" album. And it's just as well I have that (and a lot of other Manilow material, eg "Swing Street", the Sinatra tribute...) to go on, because if my first introduction to Manilow were by way of this album, I would immediately join the ranks of those who spurn his stuff.

"Paradise Café" was rated by the international critics as the best album of the year it was produced, and is still one of the handful of discs I would grab if my house were burning down. This album, and its companion (the Fifties) I would cheerfully consign to the flames. The voice has just had it. Like Sinatra in his later days, like Buddy Greco, like Tony Bennett - all of whom I generally rate highly - Barry just doesn't seem to know to quit when he's ahead. I can't see him having made these discs for the money, but I can't see any other good reason either. The tremolo is just too much. The backing is what I would at best rate as OK.

I have bought both these albums, and wish I hadn't, because they tarnish the memory of a man who really was a great singer and entertainer but now is just, and very sadly, vocally over the hill.

Anyone care to buy the discs of me? Going cheap!

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Rod Stewert does it better, January 28, 2007

By 

Stephen P. Cohen (Burbank, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Greatest Songs of the Sixties (Audio CD)

Manilow's remakes of 50's and 60's hits were a little bit disappointing to me. I would much rather listen to his own "oldies". Rod Stewerts remakes of songs from the same genre are much better, even though I still like to listen to his own "oldies" more.

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Barry lights up the '60s all over again !!!, October 31, 2006

By 

Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Greatest Songs of the Sixties (Audio CD)

Barry Manilow's latest CD brings us a superb collection of some of the greatest songs of the 1960s. Barry's voice is in excellent form; his voice is full, rich and vibrant. The quality of the sound on this CD is excellent even on my portable CD player.

The CD starts off strong with the romantic ballad entitled "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." The next track features a duet with Barry and The Association for the medley of "Cherish"/"Windy." Other great songs on this CD include "And I Love Her" by The Beatles; "This Guy's In Love With You" by Herb Alpert; "When I Fall In Love" by The Lettermens and Burt Bacharach's "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head." Excellent!

Another song that interests me is "Blue Velvet." The musical arrangement is beautiful. Moreover, the way Barry performs this number highlights the haunting quality of a former love. This strikes a chord in all of us because the theme is so universal.

Overall, it's impossible to put ALL the greatest songs of the 1960s onto any single CD. However, if that job could ever be accomplished, Barry does it darn well on this CD. The CD tracks flow gracefully and it's a refreshing way to fondly remember simpler times.

Another reviewer is right: Barry does reinvent the songs on this CD as he puts his own stamp on them. Even if you loved the original renditions of all of these songs Barry succeeds at making them his own by tweaking the musical arrangements and the vocal tones here and there. It's a very good formula that works for Barry Manilow on this CD.

I highly recommend this CD for fans of Barry Manilow, fans of classic pop vocals and fans of the music of the 1960s. Get this CD and turn the volume up--way up--you won't be disappointed.