WHAT'S IN THE MAIL?

[a***@gmail.com]

A new feature, based on the daily arrival of the Manilow CDs I ordered a few days back. Fair warning: I ordered a shit ton of them so this may go on for a while.

So what's in the mail today?

THE GREATEST LOVE SONGS OF ALL TIME

I forgot what a pain in the ass it is to get the cellophane wrap off a new CD.


As I open the case a paper insert comes flying out for
MANILOW PARIS LAS VEGAS TICKETS ON SALE NOW! Let's raise a glass to days gone by....


A nice lineup of songs, and all are arranged by the master himself, so that pretty much guarantees this album is going to be a good time.


I always read liner notes: here we have a special shout out to The Handsomest One as well as their daughter, Kirsten. Very sweet!
Of course when this album was first released this was all still on the down low and the shout out is couched in a general THANKS TO THE STILETTO STAFF.


Looking over the setlist, I'm not sure I agree these are the titular greatest of all time. That said, these are definitely love songs.

I am especially looking forward to listening to 'THe Look of Love' as my parents had an album back in the day, I THINK it was Sergio Mendes but I wouldn't swear to it, that featured this song. It seemed very sophisticated and exotic to me at the time. Looking forward to Mr M's take on this one.

And a couple public domain oldies - 'You Made Me Love You' and 'When You Were Sweet Sixteen'.

Now, 'The Theme from Love Story' and 'Love Me Tender': I would not qualify these as greatest anything of all time, but if arranged by our guy, they'll do, I'm sure.

How Deep Is the Ocean? (about 11,000 meters at the bottom of the Mariana Trench) This one will be a first listen for me; never heard this song before.



And that is today's addition to Annie's Manilow Collection.....

[l***@gmail.com]

"How Deep Is the Ocean? (about 11,000 meters at the bottom of the Mariana Trench) This one will be a first listen for me; never heard this song before."

Barry sang this one live in concert back a few years ago. It was, as Linda used to say, delicious!

Christine

[a***@gmail.com]

Post by a***@gmail.com
A new feature, based on the daily arrival of the Manilow CDs I ordered a few days back. Fair warning: I ordered a shit ton of them so this may go on for a while.
So what's in the mail today?
THE GREATEST LOVE SONGS OF ALL TIME
I forgot what a pain in the ass it is to get the cellophane wrap off a new CD.
As I open the case a paper insert comes flying out for
MANILOW PARIS LAS VEGAS TICKETS ON SALE NOW! Let's raise a glass to days gone by....
A nice lineup of songs, and all are arranged by the master himself, so that pretty much guarantees this album is going to be a good time.
I always read liner notes: here we have a special shout out to The Handsomest One as well as their daughter, Kirsten. Very sweet!
Of course when this album was first released this was all still on the down low and the shout out is couched in a general THANKS TO THE STILETTO STAFF.
Looking over the setlist, I'm not sure I agree these are the titular greatest of all time. That said, these are definitely love songs.
I am especially looking forward to listening to 'THe Look of Love' as my parents had an album back in the day, I THINK it was Sergio Mendes but I wouldn't swear to it, that featured this song. It seemed very sophisticated and exotic to me at the time. Looking forward to Mr M's take on this one.
And a couple public domain oldies - 'You Made Me Love You' and 'When You Were Sweet Sixteen'.
Now, 'The Theme from Love Story' and 'Love Me Tender': I would not qualify these as greatest anything of all time, but if arranged by our guy, they'll do, I'm sure.
How Deep Is the Ocean? (about 11,000 meters at the bottom of the Mariana Trench) This one will be a first listen for me; never heard this song before.
And that is today's addition to Annie's Manilow Collection.....

TRYIN' TO GET THE FEELING

I remember this one on vinyl so well. The cover features the Bencini sculpture against a dark red background, which was an unusual yet brilliant choice of artwork. This image remains iconic Manilow.


Liner notes: Enoch Anderson collaborated on a number of songs on this album.
Mr M's work with Mr Anderson is magic. 'She's a Star' was my fav cut on this album. Of all Mr M's collaborators, I think the products of these two represent Mr M's best work.


Set list: Great line up of some of the Manilow classics.

True story: my sister Molly and I had a choreography routine to 'Bandstand Boogie' back in the day. I wonder if we could still perform it....probably not.


Mr M is not credited with arrangements on this album, but he did write the music for a few of the cuts, in addition to the Anderson collabs.

This is the album that introduced the world to IWTS. Who could have predicted this number would close Mr M's shows for the next four decades.


I love the dedication notes on albums because it gives a little glimpse into the person behind the work. Here we have a special shout out to "Linda and Bagel". This was before Mr M required security clearance to disclose the names of the pets. And Mr M poses with Bagel on the back cover. It's been said that people resemble their pets, and I gotta say, Mr M and Bagel kind of do look alike. This is in no way meant to be an insult; I'm the first one to admit that I resemble a Golden Retriever. Go to my FB page and see if you don't agree. Anywaaaay, Bagel and Linda get equal billing. Back in the day Molly and I assumed Linda was Mr M's main squeeze and we envied her! Who knows, maybe she was. But probably not. None of my business.

What will tomorrow bring?

Annie

[D]

Post by a***@gmail.com

Post by a***@gmail.com
A new feature, based on the daily arrival of the Manilow CDs I ordered a few days back. Fair warning: I ordered a shit ton of them so this may go on for a while.
So what's in the mail today?
THE GREATEST LOVE SONGS OF ALL TIME
I forgot what a pain in the ass it is to get the cellophane wrap off a new CD.
As I open the case a paper insert comes flying out for
MANILOW PARIS LAS VEGAS TICKETS ON SALE NOW! Let's raise a glass to days gone by....
A nice lineup of songs, and all are arranged by the master himself, so that pretty much guarantees this album is going to be a good time.
I always read liner notes: here we have a special shout out to The Handsomest One as well as their daughter, Kirsten. Very sweet!
Of course when this album was first released this was all still on the down low and the shout out is couched in a general THANKS TO THE STILETTO STAFF.
Looking over the setlist, I'm not sure I agree these are the titular greatest of all time. That said, these are definitely love songs.
I am especially looking forward to listening to 'THe Look of Love' as my parents had an album back in the day, I THINK it was Sergio Mendes but I wouldn't swear to it, that featured this song. It seemed very sophisticated and exotic to me at the time. Looking forward to Mr M's take on this one.
And a couple public domain oldies - 'You Made Me Love You' and 'When You Were Sweet Sixteen'.
Now, 'The Theme from Love Story' and 'Love Me Tender': I would not qualify these as greatest anything of all time, but if arranged by our guy, they'll do, I'm sure.
How Deep Is the Ocean? (about 11,000 meters at the bottom of the Mariana Trench) This one will be a first listen for me; never heard this song before.
And that is today's addition to Annie's Manilow Collection.....

TRYIN' TO GET THE FEELING
I remember this one on vinyl so well. The cover features the Bencini sculpture against a dark red background, which was an unusual yet brilliant choice of artwork. This image remains iconic Manilow.
Liner notes: Enoch Anderson collaborated on a number of songs on this album.
Mr M's work with Mr Anderson is magic. 'She's a Star' was my fav cut on this album. Of all Mr M's collaborators, I think the products of these two represent Mr M's best work.
Set list: Great line up of some of the Manilow classics.
True story: my sister Molly and I had a choreography routine to 'Bandstand Boogie' back in the day. I wonder if we could still perform it....probably not.
Mr M is not credited with arrangements on this album, but he did write the music for a few of the cuts, in addition to the Anderson collabs.
This is the album that introduced the world to IWTS. Who could have predicted this number would close Mr M's shows for the next four decades.
I love the dedication notes on albums because it gives a little glimpse into the person behind the work. Here we have a special shout out to "Linda and Bagel". This was before Mr M required security clearance to disclose the names of the pets. And Mr M poses with Bagel on the back cover. It's been said that people resemble their pets, and I gotta say, Mr M and Bagel kind of do look alike. This is in no way meant to be an insult; I'm the first one to admit that I resemble a Golden Retriever. Go to my FB page and see if you don't agree. Anywaaaay, Bagel and Linda get equal billing. Back in the day Molly and I assumed Linda was Mr M's main squeeze and we envied her! Who knows, maybe she was. But probably not. None of my business.
What will tomorrow bring?
Annie

Minor nitpick... :-)
IWTS was written by one of the Beach Boys... Bruce Johnston.
Original version was recorded by Captain & Tennille and released on their Love Will Keep Us Together album.
David Cassidy released it as a single before Barry did; his version reached #11 on the charts.
But you're right... TTGTF was the first album that had Barry's version. :-)

[a***@gmail.com]

Post by a***@gmail.com
A new feature, based on the daily arrival of the Manilow CDs I ordered a few days back. Fair warning: I ordered a shit ton of them so this may go on for a while.
So what's in the mail today?
THE GREATEST LOVE SONGS OF ALL TIME
I forgot what a pain in the ass it is to get the cellophane wrap off a new CD.
As I open the case a paper insert comes flying out for
MANILOW PARIS LAS VEGAS TICKETS ON SALE NOW! Let's raise a glass to days gone by....
A nice lineup of songs, and all are arranged by the master himself, so that pretty much guarantees this album is going to be a good time.
I always read liner notes: here we have a special shout out to The Handsomest One as well as their daughter, Kirsten. Very sweet!
Of course when this album was first released this was all still on the down low and the shout out is couched in a general THANKS TO THE STILETTO STAFF.
Looking over the setlist, I'm not sure I agree these are the titular greatest of all time. That said, these are definitely love songs.
I am especially looking forward to listening to 'THe Look of Love' as my parents had an album back in the day, I THINK it was Sergio Mendes but I wouldn't swear to it, that featured this song. It seemed very sophisticated and exotic to me at the time. Looking forward to Mr M's take on this one.
And a couple public domain oldies - 'You Made Me Love You' and 'When You Were Sweet Sixteen'.
Now, 'The Theme from Love Story' and 'Love Me Tender': I would not qualify these as greatest anything of all time, but if arranged by our guy, they'll do, I'm sure.
How Deep Is the Ocean? (about 11,000 meters at the bottom of the Mariana Trench) This one will be a first listen for me; never heard this song before.
And that is today's addition to Annie's Manilow Collection.....

BARRY MANILOW

the 1989 Arista release.

Cover photo of a very 1980's-styled Mr M. Here he nearly goes full-on Flock of Seagulls..... It was of it's time.
A very nice moody photo of our contemplative guy. He seems to be saying that the puffy Copa shirts are behind him and now we into some serious music!


The set list, not in order: the current anthem WTGTCA.

This could not have arrived at a better time. The last 24 hours have been unsettling. I went to a peaceful protest with my friend in support of BLM. We stood in a crowd outside of the police station. So the police were standing out front in a line and behind them was a long line of State Police in full riot gear. It was surreal, intimidating, and frightening. I'm not used to feeling intimidated by law enforcement but my friend, who is black, is more accustomed to this feeling. The cops, or "Staties" as we call them in MA., were definitely showing force.

then this morning my sister texted me she was exposed to Covid; one of her patients tested positive.

Long story short: I need me some Barry Manilow. WTGTCA. Hoping!!!!


Continuing the setlist: My personal favorite 'Keep Each Other Warm', which was not written by Mr M but which I like to imagine he wrote because it's such a great song. And he had his handsome hubs in mind throughout the writing process.
But, as noted, he did not write this one. Although, as previously explained, in my version of reality, he did.


The remainder of the lineup I have only vague memories of, so I am looking forward to getting reacquainted with these songs.

Most of these songs were written by other people. Mr M wrote the music for "You Begin Again', with collaborator Adrienne Anderson (no relation to Enoch, I googled), and 'A Little Traveling Music, Please' co-created with Bruce Sussman and Jack Feldman.

I have to say the best songs on this album were written by other people.
(I'll see myself out......)


Liner notes: Mr Garry Kief, AKA Personal Manager, gets special thanks for his devotion and his brilliance. Which, I can see that. Handsome AND smart.
Personal Manager. He can manage my person any damn time.

((OK, PEOPLE, (and you know who you are) CALM DOWN! Remember your seat cushions can be used as a floatation device in the event of a water landing. Yeah, I don't know what that means either...…oh what the hell, let the pearl clutching begin...))


And there we have another addition to the Manilow Collection.


WTGTCA,

Annie

[a***@gmail.com]

Post by a***@gmail.com
A new feature, based on the daily arrival of the Manilow CDs I ordered a few days back. Fair warning: I ordered a shit ton of them so this may go on for a while.
So what's in the mail today?
THE GREATEST LOVE SONGS OF ALL TIME
I forgot what a pain in the ass it is to get the cellophane wrap off a new CD.
As I open the case a paper insert comes flying out for
MANILOW PARIS LAS VEGAS TICKETS ON SALE NOW! Let's raise a glass to days gone by....
A nice lineup of songs, and all are arranged by the master himself, so that pretty much guarantees this album is going to be a good time.
I always read liner notes: here we have a special shout out to The Handsomest One as well as their daughter, Kirsten. Very sweet!
Of course when this album was first released this was all still on the down low and the shout out is couched in a general THANKS TO THE STILETTO STAFF.
Looking over the setlist, I'm not sure I agree these are the titular greatest of all time. That said, these are definitely love songs.
I am especially looking forward to listening to 'THe Look of Love' as my parents had an album back in the day, I THINK it was Sergio Mendes but I wouldn't swear to it, that featured this song. It seemed very sophisticated and exotic to me at the time. Looking forward to Mr M's take on this one.
And a couple public domain oldies - 'You Made Me Love You' and 'When You Were Sweet Sixteen'.
Now, 'The Theme from Love Story' and 'Love Me Tender': I would not qualify these as greatest anything of all time, but if arranged by our guy, they'll do, I'm sure.
How Deep Is the Ocean? (about 11,000 meters at the bottom of the Mariana Trench) This one will be a first listen for me; never heard this song before.
And that is today's addition to Annie's Manilow Collection.....

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE EIGHTIES

I am pretty excited about this one. I have some of the songs on my iTunes, but never had this album in any "hard copy" format.

Released in 2008. I think I missed out on this one because 2008 was a pretty rough year; my Dad died after a long and difficult illness. Not a good year.

But the '80s! That's a whole other story. The '80's were fantastic. The carefree college years, good times with friends.

The set list: these songs evoke memories and hearing Mr M's take on them is next-level awesome. Mr M arranged a good number of the songs and y'all know I love that. Let's break it down.

My highlights:
Arthur's Theme: this is bittersweet for me - "our song" with a guy who broke my heart freshman year. So Mr M takes me on a walk down memory lane and all the feelings of the "first love", as sappy as that sounds. Mr M's arrangement adds complex layers to this familiar melody. I have this one on my iTunes but never tire of listening to it.


Never Gonna Give You Up: Rick Astley killed this one back in the day. Here we have Mr M 's arrangement which I'm afraid doesn't add much to a mediocre albeit club-worthy song. But there's not much to work with here. This song will always remind me of dancing in a club in Princeton, New Jersey, with friends on a spring night. Good times. Musically, though, it's NBD. A curious choice on Mr M's part. I mean, there are tons of fun club tunes, but 'greatest songs'....debatable.


Careless Whisper: The sexiest song ever sung. I freaking LOVE this song, as sung by our guy. Arranged by him too. And Dave Koz kicks in his saxophone skills. This song is pretty much perfect in every way. And of course there's Mr M's evocative voice.....did I mention I LOVE this song?


THe other offerings are a soundtrack to my '20s, so this will be a fun listen.

I will say there are other '80s songs I wish Mr M had included on this album, but I must have missed his calls because I never got the chance to give my input. As I said, 2008 was a rough year and consequently I wasn't checking my Voice Mail on the regular...…

Liner notes: Musician list is impressive. I just told Mr Annie "Hey check this out. Barry Manilow album. It's orchestral. There was a Concert Master involved with the Violin section. You should listen to this"
Mr Annie's response, "Huh. Maybe at some point"
Note: He'll never listen to this album. He never takes my advice. He's writing a book, a text about Baroque music, not a best seller that we can retire on, and I suggested the title "Fifty Shades of Goldberg Variations" to, you know, generate some buzz. He didn't seem to think that was a good idea either.



And the Manilow CD library continues to grow......

Annie

[D]

Post by a***@gmail.com

Post by a***@gmail.com
A new feature, based on the daily arrival of the Manilow CDs I ordered a few days back. Fair warning: I ordered a shit ton of them so this may go on for a while.
So what's in the mail today?
THE GREATEST LOVE SONGS OF ALL TIME
I forgot what a pain in the ass it is to get the cellophane wrap off a new CD.
As I open the case a paper insert comes flying out for
MANILOW PARIS LAS VEGAS TICKETS ON SALE NOW! Let's raise a glass to days gone by....
A nice lineup of songs, and all are arranged by the master himself, so that pretty much guarantees this album is going to be a good time.
I always read liner notes: here we have a special shout out to The Handsomest One as well as their daughter, Kirsten. Very sweet!
Of course when this album was first released this was all still on the down low and the shout out is couched in a general THANKS TO THE STILETTO STAFF.
Looking over the setlist, I'm not sure I agree these are the titular greatest of all time. That said, these are definitely love songs.
I am especially looking forward to listening to 'THe Look of Love' as my parents had an album back in the day, I THINK it was Sergio Mendes but I wouldn't swear to it, that featured this song. It seemed very sophisticated and exotic to me at the time. Looking forward to Mr M's take on this one.
And a couple public domain oldies - 'You Made Me Love You' and 'When You Were Sweet Sixteen'.
Now, 'The Theme from Love Story' and 'Love Me Tender': I would not qualify these as greatest anything of all time, but if arranged by our guy, they'll do, I'm sure.
How Deep Is the Ocean? (about 11,000 meters at the bottom of the Mariana Trench) This one will be a first listen for me; never heard this song before.
And that is today's addition to Annie's Manilow Collection.....

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE EIGHTIES
I am pretty excited about this one. I have some of the songs on my iTunes, but never had this album in any "hard copy" format.
Released in 2008. I think I missed out on this one because 2008 was a pretty rough year; my Dad died after a long and difficult illness. Not a good year.
But the '80s! That's a whole other story. The '80's were fantastic. The carefree college years, good times with friends.
The set list: these songs evoke memories and hearing Mr M's take on them is next-level awesome. Mr M arranged a good number of the songs and y'all know I love that. Let's break it down.
Arthur's Theme: this is bittersweet for me - "our song" with a guy who broke my heart freshman year. So Mr M takes me on a walk down memory lane and all the feelings of the "first love", as sappy as that sounds. Mr M's arrangement adds complex layers to this familiar melody. I have this one on my iTunes but never tire of listening to it.
Never Gonna Give You Up: Rick Astley killed this one back in the day. Here we have Mr M 's arrangement which I'm afraid doesn't add much to a mediocre albeit club-worthy song. But there's not much to work with here. This song will always remind me of dancing in a club in Princeton, New Jersey, with friends on a spring night. Good times. Musically, though, it's NBD. A curious choice on Mr M's part. I mean, there are tons of fun club tunes, but 'greatest songs'....debatable.
Careless Whisper: The sexiest song ever sung. I freaking LOVE this song, as sung by our guy. Arranged by him too. And Dave Koz kicks in his saxophone skills. This song is pretty much perfect in every way. And of course there's Mr M's evocative voice.....did I mention I LOVE this song?
THe other offerings are a soundtrack to my '20s, so this will be a fun listen.
I will say there are other '80s songs I wish Mr M had included on this album, but I must have missed his calls because I never got the chance to give my input. As I said, 2008 was a rough year and consequently I wasn't checking my Voice Mail on the regular...…
Liner notes: Musician list is impressive. I just told Mr Annie "Hey check this out. Barry Manilow album. It's orchestral. There was a Concert Master involved with the Violin section. You should listen to this"
Mr Annie's response, "Huh. Maybe at some point"
Note: He'll never listen to this album. He never takes my advice. He's writing a book, a text about Baroque music, not a best seller that we can retire on, and I suggested the title "Fifty Shades of Goldberg Variations" to, you know, generate some buzz. He didn't seem to think that was a good idea either.
And the Manilow CD library continues to grow......
Annie

Ah yes, GS-80's. A true case of YMMV if ever there was one. In my album ratings, this came in at just over 14%. I like ONE song on the whole thing, which beats out the absolute ZERO of the Nightmare Singalong. This particular CD has been banished to the "Box o' Barry," never again to see the light of day.

The song selection isn't the problem. It's that we're nowhere nearly far enough removed from the 80's for me to have forgotten the originals. I sort of remember discussion over "what songs should he do" when this was announced but before we knew the track list. I was suggesting things like Whip It, Material Girl, Thriller, Love Shack... all with the idea that maybe, just MAYBE, somebody in Barryland would get the hint and knock off the damn decades albums already.

But if you like it, you like it. Just keep it away from me.

[g***@gmail.com]

I think Trying To Get The Feeling is my favorite album. It's Manilow-y but still has some grit. Like New York City Rythmn and that song, What's A Nice Boy Like Me. I like Manilow with a bit of dirt on him.