Undercover.com
Barry Manilow Tops US Chart
Barry Manilow
by Paul Cashmere
February 7 2006
Barry Manilow is back in a big way. The 70s crooner, whose hits started to dry up two decades ago, is this week having the biggest comeback since Rod Stewart and doing it the same way. His new album ”˜Love Songs of the 50’s’ is a sure bet to debut at number one in the USA this week.
Manilow is expected to selling more than 140,000 units this week and push out Il Divo, Mary J. Blige and Jamie Foxx.
It is a marvelous feat for Manilow whose last major hit, coincidentally also a cover, was ”˜Let’s Hang On’ back in 1981.
Manilow started his career writing and performing advertising jingles. He once sang the ads for Kentucky Fried Chicken, Dr Pepper and McDonalds.
In 1971, he accepted a job as musical director for Bette Midler and toured New York’s gay bathhouses with the Divine Miss M as well as playing on her first two albums.
In 1973, he signed with Bell Records, then the home of Tony Orlando & Dawn and the Partridge Family. Bell folded and became part of Arista Records which is how Manilow became involved with record guru Clive Davis. It was Davis who suggested he cover the song ”˜Brandy’ by Scott English. Manilow changed it to ”˜Mandy’. It became his first global hit.
By 1978, Manilow was a superstar. His album ”˜Even Now’ sold more than 3 million units that year and featured the hits ”˜Can’t Smile Without You’ and ”˜Copacobana’.
The tracklisting for Greatest Songs of the Fifties is:
1. Moments To Remember
2. It’s All In The Game
3. Unchained Melody
4. Venus
5. It’s Not For Me To Say
6. Love Is A Many Splendored Thing
7. Rags To Riches
8. Sincerely/Teach Me Tonight (Duet with Phyllis McGuire)
9. Are You Lonesome Tonight?
10. Young At Heart
11. All I Have To Do Is Dream
12. What A Diff’rence A Day Made
13. Beyond The Sea
